Florida Gators lose nail biter to Maryland, 70-68
The No. 20 Florida Gators lost 70-68 to the Maryland Terrapins Sunday night in a game that was ugly, yet exciting the whole way.
This is the second loss this week for Florida head coach Mike White and the Gators, which will surely remove them from the Associated Press top 25.
As for the Terps, they earned their first ranked nonconference victory for the first time since 2014 when they beat No. 13 Iowa State. It’s also the first win under interim head coach Danny Manning for Maryland.
What went wrong for the Gators?
Although the Gators had a nice night shooting from beyond the arc, the Gators went 11-31 (35.4%) from two-point range. Ultimately, it was the scoring droughts the Gators saw in the second half that couldn’t give them a victory.
Foul trouble was a serious issue as well as Florida starting forwards Colin Castleton and Anthony Duruji both earned themselves two fouls in the early parts of the game. Castleton fouled out of the game in the closing minutes of the game. They still combined for 18 points but didn’t play as many minutes as the Florida staff would have hoped.
Starting guards Myreon Jones and Brandon McKissic both played poorly, combining for just five points on the night.
The Gators came out flatfooted on the offensive side of the ball, and it was clear because they couldn’t find a rhythm until later on in the game.
The Gators defense looked good for a good portion of the game, but there were times that they seemed out of sorts. Maryland also shot 49% from the field, and Florida didn’t have an answer.
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It wasn’t all bad
Guard Tyree Appleby earned himself a starting role tonight. After scoring zero points in the first half, he finished with 15 points, all of which coming from three-point land.
The offense has spark when Appleby is calling the shots, and he needs to be in the starting five.
Guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. gave his best effort. Although he shot 25% from the field, he earned himself multiple trips to the free throw line and had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Florida forward CJ Felder came in and knocked down three triples, and center Jason Jitoboh came in and had six points, which was big while Castleton was out.
Final thoughts
Overall, the Gators had a mix of energy throughout the roster. Some were playing their toughest basketball while others didn’t.
The Terps had what felt like a homecourt advantage, and they used it. Whenever the Terps hit shots, the crowd erupted, as did their bench.
After playing three games this week, the Gators will get much-needed rest before they take on the USF Bulls on Saturday afternoon in the Orange Bowl Classic.
