Gators enter SEC play searching for better shooting, Quad 1 wins

As the Gators begin SEC play this week, they’ve played more Quad 1 games than any team in the conference.

They’ve also lost all five matchups against Florida Atlantic, Xavier, West Virginia, Connecticut and Oklahoma.

Florida was up by 11 points on the Sooners in the Jumpman Invitational but blew the lead in the second half with their worst 3-point performance of the season (9 percent on 2-for-22 shooting).

“It’s disappointing, but it’s what happened,” UF coach Todd Golden said after the 62-53 loss. “We’re getting better, but we’re not there yet. Nobody in our program should be OK with the result, but this was kind of a different game than we’ve played in the past that we’ve lost. So, we’ll try to pull some positives from it and find a way to continue improving in areas that we just weren’t up to snuff.”

That starts with shooting the basketball.

The Gators have shot below 40 percent from the floor in four of their five losses, with a season-worst 30.2 percent against UConn. They also made just two of 17 attempts from 3-point range (11.8 percent) at West Virginia.

Florida has combined to shoot just 21 percent from behind the arc (17-for-81) in its last four losses against Xavier, WVU, UConn and OU, with more than half of those made 3-pointers coming in the loss to the Musketeers (9).

Despite those struggles, the Gators still rank top five in the SEC in field-goal percentage (45.4%, 5th), 3-point percentage (35.6%, 4th), free-throw percentage (73.8%, 3rd) and points per game (76.5, 5th).

Nonetheless, Golden wants to his team’s shooting improve heading into SEC play. UF opens its conference slate Wednesday with a road game against Auburn at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

The No. 20 Tigers (10-2) present another Quad 1 opportunity for the Gators (7-5).

“We do need a couple of probably Quad 1 wins here over the next couple of months in terms of your resume, give them what they need to see,” Golden said. “We gotta score the ball better, and we gotta get more guys involved in that as well. … In the SEC, one of the best leagues in America, you’re going to need multiple efforts to win the game. It’s just about finding ways to unlock some guys.”

In the loss to Oklahoma, Florida’s Alex Fudge was held scoreless after four straight double-digit performances and Will Richard failed to make a 3-pointer (0-for-5 from downtown) for the third game in a row.

The Gators also need more consistency from guards Trey Bonham, Kyle Lofton and Kowacie Reeves, all of whom have had their moments this season. Lofton missed two games with back spasms and was scoreless against UConn in his return before dropping 15 vs. Ohio.

“The (Ohio) game was the first time where we felt like we were fully healthy going into a game,” Golden said. “I think our team is better than our record is. Obviously, we haven’t won against a top-level competition, but for us to take care of business the way we had against Ohio is a step in the right direction.

“It takes time for everybody to get on the same page. So, it’s work in progress. I’m not sure we’re all the way there yet, but we’re definitely getting closer. From a buy-in standpoint, our guys have been awesome that way. It hasn’t always translated to great execution, which is obviously important, but we’re getting there.”