Three Takeaways from the Gators' Phil Knight Legacy Outings

What did we learn from the Florida Gators three-game stretch in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in Portland, Ore.?

The Gators' trip to the northwest for the Phil Knight Legacy tournament shined a light into the team Florida courts this season. It highlighted the true strengths and weaknesses and provided a benchmark for the team's floor in the first year of Todd Golden's leadership.

Florida finished 1-2 and endured arguably three significantly different outings as it participated in a close contest against Xavier, dominated Oregon State and was rolled over by West Virginia. The comprehensive overview presented a unique look at a group still growing acclimated to the influx of offseason change.

As a result, here are three takeaways from the three games Florida played in Portland, Ore., that will or can impact the Gators' 2022-23 season.

Florida's transition defense is, as Todd Golden said, "atrocious"

One of the glaring deficiencies in the Florida Gators game through seven games has been their ability — or lack thereof — to defend in transition off turnovers and defensive rebounds by opponents.

That was evident against Xavier and West Virginia as offensive miscues and turnovers harmed the Gators.

They gave up the ball a combined 25 times to allow 41 points off turnovers points per possession as the Musketeers opened the door to Florida's woes while the Mountaineers supremely exposed the program's premier weakness to this point in the year.

The outings were an embodiment of the unit's effort this season.

Though seven games, Florida ranks 326th in the nation in field goal percentage allowed in transition at 61.1%, according to hoop-math.com. Its three losses can be equated to the relative disorganization on that end.

However, in half-court sets, Florida has shown the capability to have success in limiting opposing teams from scoring, as the opponent's field goal percentage drops nearly 16 percentage points to 45.11%.

Recently, that's come as the unit uses the active hands of Trey Bonham and Kyle Lofton at the top, Will Richard and CJ Felder or Alex Fudge use their length while Castleton controls the paint as a rim protector.

Golden defined the half-court defense as above-average on Tuesday. That's in reference to the unit's ability to create stops when in that setting and drastically increased the unit's adjusted defensive efficiency rating to this point in the year, ranking 66th out of an eligible 363 Division-I teams, according to kenpom.com's Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings.

However, it is still a step away from becoming an impactful defense, even when not factoring in their transition struggles.

Their inability to contest shots without fouling — a significant factor in the blowout loss to West Virginia — and taking chances to tip balls and potentially break off in the other direction are the biggest concerns.

It's better than their ability to stop the ball in transition. But it's still not a strength of the team at this point.

Moving forward, the defensive effort as a whole will need to be sharpened in order for the Gators to reach their full potential under Golden and Co. The 72.6 points per game they're allowing right now will become a detriment to success when the likes of UConn, Oklahoma and SEC teams start to pop up on the schedule.

In the meantime, Florida will focus on reconciling the issues of getting back on defense to contest opposing offenses.

Trey Bonham is an offensive X-factor

Florida's energizer bunny to this point this season is undoubtedly junior transfer Trey Bonham.

He's earned a spot in the starting lineup. And he's there to stay.

That began when he provided a spark for Florida to rally back from down 17 points at the half against Florida State. He stuffed the stat sheet on both ends with 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 20 minutes.

His contributions defensively turned into easy offensive buckets to get Florida rolling in the early second half.

However, while he's showcased value as a two-way player, his expertise is on the offensive end, as expected when he arrived in Gainesville.

In three games as a starter, Bonham is averaging 15 points and nearly two assists per contest. If you remove a collective down game against WVU from the resume, the numbers equate to 21 points and 2.5 assists on 52.9% shooting from the floor.

He's starred in the role.

.@bonham_trey rewind ⏪ pic.twitter.com/kOV2VA46qo

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 30, 2022

Despite not being able to get going against West Virginia, the greater sample size suggests that Bonham can be a valuable scorer at all three levels. Moreover, that value increases given his on-ball skills and ability to create shots.

That comes in a multitude of forms, but more impressively on the interior over the big men.

He showcases a rare ability to finish when attacking the rim off the dribble despite his size — continuing his string of acrobatic layup attempts that made him so valuable at VMI —knocking down triples and exploiting the midrange with a knack for hitting runners and floaters.

That was all on display through the Gators' three games in four days, although the first two days accounted for most of the production.

Moving forward, as the Gators look to find a healthy rotation for their talent — including Kowacie Reeves Jr., who was on "the short end of the stick" in Portland — Bonham will continue to be a focal piece to the attack even if the re-emergence of his talented teammate slightly cuts his minutes.

As Florida continues to progress, Bonham's offensive impact has no ceiling, as he showed with the 19-and 23-point outings on Thursday and Friday.

Colin Castleton's lulls can't continue

A relative fall from grace from the big man 

The difference between the Gators' first four contests of the year and the previous three is the direct impact of All-American caliber center Colin Castleton on the scoreboard.

Before Florida's trip to Portland, Castleton was performing as arguably the best scorer in the country, ranking second in the nation in points per game with 25.3. The big man dominated the opposition in the early season with multiple 30-point performances and a strong second-half outing against FSU to reach his average.

However, when Florida hit the road for the PK85, the big man started to face added pressure as the obvious focal point of the offense.

His usage rate remained consistent, but his efficiency declined as defenses inflicted a noticeable strain on his game.

Starting to crash down on him and play him physically on the inside, opposing teams found a way to limit Castleton from scoring as they double-teamed him to get the ball out of his hands and forced him off his spot on the block to make his shot looks more challenging. That's been evident as his touch has looked off, even around the rim.

While he maintained the high basketball IQ to kick the ball out at times, he still struggled to make the same impact that elevated the Gators early in the year with his lack of points.

During the three games, Castleton averaged just 8.6 points on 39.7% from the field as he disappeared at points for UF. The dominant piece that controlled the floor at such a high level on each end when the season commenced was a relative non-factor in the tournament.

Early foul trouble was a major factor in the final game against West Virginia, as he failed to gain any momentum throughout. Consequently, he produced more fouls (4) than points (3) against the Mountaineers.

Moving forward, Castleton has an opportunity to regain his footing against the likes of FAMU and Stetson in the next week but will be forced to find his groove quickly as Florida doesn't have the star power to hold up Castleton in a slump for too long without falling victim to uncharacteristic losses. 

His next true test will come when Donovan Clingan and Adama Sanogo lead No. 20 UConn into Gainesville on Dec. 20.

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