Test for Gators in Bahamas
GAINESVILLE – The sea, sand and sun will beckon the Florida Gators this week in the Bahamas.
Coach Mike White will allow his players to enjoy the view, but he said their focus better be where it belongs.
“If these guys come back to the Bahamas in 10 years, I’m sure they will enjoy it more than they will this week because it’s a business trip,” White said on Sunday.
The three-day and three-game Battle 4 Atlantis tournament will be another early-season gauge of White’s Gators (2-1), who failed miserably during their one test to date.
A season-opening, 21-point drubbing at Florida State on Nov. 6 raised some red flags White hopes his team irons out this week, beginning at noon Wednesday against Oklahoma (2-0). The tournament field also includes No. 25 Wisconsin, a possible second-game opponent for UF, and fourth-ranked Virginia as well as Butler and Stanford.
“I don’t know how you don’t find out a lot more about yourselves after this trip,” White said. “Three games, three days, three high-major opponents, neutral sites, quick preps. Hopefully, we’ll find out a lot more positive about our team than negative.”
The season has just begun, but White knows there is no time to waste.
UF has played catch-up since the loss at FSU, where Gators at one point trailed by 35 points and displayed tendencies that plagued them in the past.
An over-reliance on 3-point shooting, along with a lack of defensive intensity and toughness, also were exposed on Thanksgiving week a year ago during the Phil Knight Invitational.
UF squandered a 17-point lead during a crushing 87-84 loss to Duke in the title game as shots stopped failing and the defense disappeared. The Gators still ended November ranked fifth in the nation but were out of the Top 25 two months later.
White hopes this season’s trajectory and this team’s identity go in a different direction, beginning in the Bahamas. The Gators’ depth, mental preparation and mettle will be tested during this holiday endurance test.
Since the FSU loss, White has tried to set a tone at practice to prepare his players for the challenge.
“They keep putting pressure on us,” fifth-year senior guard Jalen Hudson said. “Practices have been getting harder. They’re just putting an emphasis on competing.”
White was encouraged by much of what he saw during a pair of recent onesided home wins — 76-46 against Charleston Southern and 82-69 against La Salle.
This week White would like to pick up three more W’s. But he said he will be focused on the intangibles that often determine close games.
“As much as anything, competitive spirit,” he said. “Leadership from some older guys. Motor. Toughness. Pride.”
The Gators also would like to find the basket more frequently from 3-point range.
White expected outside shooting to be his team’s strength, but the Gators are shooting 26.2 percent (17 of 65) from beyond the arc.
“It just hasn’t show up in games yet,” White said. “I really do have faith that we’re going to shoot it well this year. Of course, we’re going to need some makes this week to have any success.
“I think we’re very capable.”
White, now in his fourth season, is a big believer in his team’s potential.
Led by a mix of three senior starters and a strong freshman class, including point guard Andrew Nembhard, the Gators have shown the ability to go 10 deep.
White said the key will be how his players attack each day, especially on a week when their minds easily could wander.
“We’ve just gotta tighten up in a lot of areas if we’re going to be very good,” he said. “There is no time for having an average practice or having an average performance in a game by guys that are really capable.”