All Gators

One Player No. 2 Florida Gators Must Contain to Beat LSU

The No. 2 Florida Gators take on a reeling LSU team on Saturday afternoon, but the Tigers can still be dangerous in Baton Rouge.

Terrance Biggs

The Florida Gators must be wary of LSU Tigers guard Cam Carter who is capable of taking over a game.
The Florida Gators must be wary of LSU Tigers guard Cam Carter who is capable of taking over a game. / Brett Rojo-Imagn Images
In this story:

LSU faces a buzzsaw in the Florida Gators in Baton Rouge on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. EST. The Tigers, without a doubt, need to heavily rely on senior Cam Carter. Carter, the seventh-leading scorer in the SEC brings a deft shooting touch to the floor. With that said, he owns the burden of his team and their declining NCAA tournament hopes. 

Florida knows this and will pay extra attention to Carter; in what many expect lines up as yet another conference-road-win. With that said, how should the Gators plan to attack Carter?

Body Behind the ARC

As mentioned, with their chances of March Madness dwindling, LSU needs a big win. Carter, to his credit, is coming off his two best consecutive games of the season. He had 17 earlier this week against South Carolina, and he absolutely took over the game against Oklahoma last Saturday.


Most importantly, his 47% connection rate behind the arc should worry the Gators. Florida guards need to press up on Carter, constricting any attempt to make shots from deep. If the LSU star wants to drive to the bucket, understand that rim protection will be needed to contest any and every shot.

Allowing Carter to jump into a rhythm does nothing but hurt UF's chances. Games that look like runaway wins, become closely-contested shootouts that end up in a potential losses. As of right now, the Gators are a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They can't afford a stumble against a lesser opponent.

Anger the Crowd

Clamping Carter will make an already-angry LSU crowd upset. Over the past week, an uproar over the underachieving Tigers directed frustration towards Matt McMahon. The Bayou Bengals sit and watch the conference as it laps them.

"McMahon took over a program in turmoil as LSU was under an NCAA investigation for recruiting violations that led to LSU parting ways with previous head coach Will Wade," wrote Will Rosenblatt on LSUWire. "As several SEC teams have emerged as national title contenders in recent years, LSU is yet to find its footing."

That raucous crowd will aim their ire at the team and the coach. Frustration will reach a fever pitch at the Maravich Center. Silencing Carter early and quieting the crowd should see a smoother sail for UF. 

Bottom Line

Camryn Carter currently hits the court on fire from three. Fortunately for the Florida Gators, LSU's season resembles a complete dumpster fire. Instead of allowing their best scorer to get too comfortable, racing out to an early lead ends the game early, watching backups enter the game.

Florida's length in the paint gives their guards flexibility in overextending and forcing Carter to either take bad shots or pass the ball.

Published
Terrance Biggs
TERRANCE BIGGS

Senior Editor/ Podcast Host, Full Press Coverage, Bleav, Member: Football Writers Association of America, United States Basketball Writers Association, and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, National Football Foundation Voter: FWAA All-American, Jim Thorpe, Davey O'Brien, Outland, and Biletnikoff Awards