Florida Losses This Year

[TallTitan34]

@ #3 Ohio State 74-81
@ #3 Syracuse 68-72
@ Rutgers 83-85 (2 OT)
@ Tennessee 56-67
@ #1 Kentucky 58-78
Tennessee 70-75
@ Georgia 62-76
@ Vanderbilt 67-77
#1 Kentucky 59-74
vs. #1 Kentucky 71-74

Prior to the NCAA tournament, Florida lost 4 of it's last 5 and 6 of it's last 10.  Granted three losses were to #1 Kentucky.

[Norm]

I just think it's not a good matchup for MU. Gotta play real tough D on the perimeter to stop their 3's and need J Wilson to play some really tough D on Young. Four guys over 6'9" could hurt us.

[jeffreyweee]

I just think it's not a good matchup for MU. Gotta play real tough D on the perimeter to stop their 3's and need J Wilson to play some really tough D on Young. Four guys over 6'9" could hurt us.

We are a just as good, if not a better rebounding team than they are. At the same time we can run better as a team and they dont have a dominant big man to stop davante when the game is slowed down. Yes they have some real studs and they shoot the 3 ball well but Florida's size is a far cry from Kentucky and UNC. This is not a bad matchup for us or a good match up for us - it's just a match up.

We have a great team, be confident.

[Dr. Blackheart]

A Florida loss in their next game will tie the season record for most wins in a season.   

[brewcity77]

I just think it's not a good matchup for MU. Gotta play real tough D on the perimeter to stop their 3's and need J Wilson to play some really tough D on Young. Four guys over 6'9" could hurt us.

They may have 4 guys 6'9" and bigger on the roster, but they don't really play them. Walter Pitchford has played a grand total of 8 minutes this year and has more than twice as many DNPs since Dec. 22 than he does minutes. Cody Larson plays a little more, but averages less than 6 minutes, hasn't scored a point since Dec. 9, has a total of 2 blocks, and pulls down less than 1 rpg.

What I like about this match-up is that they have to adjust to us a lot more than we have to adjust to them. Florida doesn't play at our pace. The only team they have played that plays fast is Arkansas. No one else in the SEC is in the top-150 in tempo. They haven't played a single team in kenpom top-100 that also plays with a tempo in the top-100 since losing at home to Ohio State on November 15. Their league simply doesn't prepare them for speed like we have.

In addition, we play much better defense. The Gators defense is definitely sub-par for a team hoping to make a deep March run, and if the question is which team can get a stop in the last 4 minutes of a close game, is there any question whose defense you would trust?

Finally, they may have size inside, but they have very little size outside. Once you get past the two bigs, they only have one guy that gets significant minutes and is over 6'3". The only question is if they are hitting their 3's. If they are, they're tough to beat, but we defend the 3 well.

Not a guarantee by any means, but this is a game we should win.

[damuts222]

Our guards will have to hit the boards. And given the height of there guards Blue and DJO will need to be active on the boards which in turn will help our transition game.

[tower912]

They were hot this past weekend.   They couldn't miss.   And they beat Vanderbilt at home, which.....uhhhhh, oh yeah, that was when we were still adjusting to life without Otule.     It is going to require the same kind of perimeter defensive effort that MU displayed against Murray St.     If MU controls them at the 3 pt line, MU wins.    If the Gators go off, they win.   

[mu_hilltopper]

Our FG% versus Murray State was far below average; we were cold .. made very few jump shots and 3s, even though they were open looks .. they just didn't go in, time after time.

If we can bring our average FG% game and hit jumpers .. we'll be fine.

Hopefully we won't be cold two games in a row.

[bilsu]

I also think Murphy was out for a while. I do not remember when I was watching them play, but Murphy was out with an injury.

[brewcity77]

They were hot this past weekend.   They couldn't miss.   And they beat Vanderbilt at home, which.....uhhhhh, oh yeah, that was when we were still adjusting to life without Otule.     It is going to require the same kind of perimeter defensive effort that MU displayed against Murray St.     If MU controls them at the 3 pt line, MU wins.    If the Gators go off, they win.

Very true, and also a massive understatement, but I wonder how much of that was their competition. I think Virginia and NSU made Florida look very good. I don't think either of those teams were close to as good as Murray State, and honestly maybe not even as good as BYU. Virginia looked awful, and Norfolk State looked like a gassed 15-seed. I think Florida's mammoth score differentials were fairly deceiving.

If absolutely nothing else, I'm confident they won't have nearly as easy a time of it with our Warriors.

[MUMac]

"I also think Murphy was out for a while. I do not remember when I was watching them play, but Murphy was out with an injury."

Missed 3 games early in the season.  Jacksonville, Stetson and Cuse.

[Golden Avalanche]

I just think it's not a good matchup for MU. Gotta play real tough D on the perimeter to stop their 3's and need J Wilson to play some really tough D on Young. Four guys over 6'9" could hurt us.

I don't see that at all. Think it's a very similar threat as to Murray.

Florida isn't big. They can be boarded against. I've watched smaller teams destroy them in that area. The guards are very similar to Murray in their threats but the difference I see is that Murray's guards who much more under control and understood the tempo of the game. Walker and Boynton are known for brain farts.

[MU_LOL]

I just think it's not a good matchup for MU. Gotta play real tough D on the perimeter to stop their 3's and need J Wilson to play some really tough D on Young. Four guys over 6'9" could hurt us.

Agreed -- and FL shot 4 for 23 from beyond the arc against UVA. Both teams shot terribly, but at least FL showed they're capable of having a bad shooting night.

[MUfan12]

Gotta find a way to stop dribble penetration without needing help. Murray State had the guys on skates, and thankfully missed some open looks. Can't bank on that with Florida.

[GB Warrior]

Not many bad losses on that list, other than Rutgers and Georgia. Maybe Tennessee. They're a good team.

It's really simple. They shoot like they did against Norfolk, and they'll win. They won't win shooting like they did against UVA. It's easy to think that that means our winning is contingent solely on them, but we have a great defense, and I like our chances. This will NOT be a game we can fall behind on, though.