Todd Golden embraces losing skid to coax 'great urgency' out of Gators

Coaches take different approaches to losing streaks, but facing a shot at the postseason still, Florida coach Todd Golden didn’t try to ignore the team’s recent three-game skid, instead imploring the team to play with great urgency.

Heading into a contest against Ole Miss on Wednesday, he openly discussed that losing streak.

“We talked about that losing streak. Honestly I was OK with the first two, going to Rupp, nothing to be ashamed of losing by five (to Kentucky) there,’ Golden said. “And Alabama‘s playing at a high level, we just didn’t have it that night. But that Vanderbilt loss hurt us. That was a game at home that we thought that we could control. Credit to them, they came out and shot it really, really well.”

Point being?

Florida can’t let games it should win slip away. That’s one way to assure you find yourself on the wrong side of the bubble come Selection Sunday.

So Golden put out the call going into a Wednesday night meeting with Ole Miss.

“For us today it was all about having great urgency, having great attention to detail,” the first-year Florida coach said. “I thought our guys did a great job making shots tonight.”

Florida plays with great urgency vs. Ole Miss

If Florida didn’t go into the Ole Miss game with a great sense of urgency, circumstances themselves dictated it as a must shortly into the second half.

Big man Colin Castleton left the game with a right hand injury, depriving the Gators of their leading scorer and rebounder.

Luckily, the team had taken Golden’s message to heart.

“I was really glad we made shots tonight, that makes everything a lot easier,” Golden said. “We didn’t rebound well enough. We did a poor job taking care of the ball in the first half. I thought we did a better job that way in the second half. And we let them get comfortable at the beginning of the second, they made five straight baskets which tightened it up.

“But our guys did a great job battling in that middle part of the second half defending. And Jason Jitoboh did a great job when Colin went down there of finishing the job for us tonight.”

If the Colin Castleton injury lasts for any significant period of time, it’s Jason Jitoboh who will be the next man up in replacing his minutes.

Florida will be back in action Saturday at Arkansas. That game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff with a broadcast on ESPN2.