ESPN has released its latest basketball power rankings and, unsurprisingly, the Gators don’t appear in the top 16. It was a rough week for Florida basketball, as it dropped double-digit losses to unranked teams in Alabama and Kentucky.
The loss to the Wildcats was especially damaging, as it came in Gainesville in a game Florida was favored in. After opening SEC 2-0 with wins over Vanderbilt and LSU, it appeared that the Gators were on the cusp of becoming a ranked team.
No more. UF is likely on the edge of the bubble now, if that, and further losses in a down SEC would be very damaging. Understandably, ESPN has some questions about Florida. Here’s what writer Jeff Borzello said.
Florida Gators: It was always going to be tough for the Gators following the loss of Keyontae Johnson for the season, both emotionally and from an on-court perspective. They did have a couple of wins over Vanderbilt and LSU to open SEC play, but got blitzed last week by both Alabama and Kentucky. The offense is struggling without Johnson, and the defense has been an issue for more than a year now.
Losing Johnson was certainly tough for Florida. He was one of the SEC’s top players, and without him, the Gators aren’t the same. Their offense isn’t as electric as it was earlier in the season, and their depth has been tested in recent games.
There’s a lot of conference games left for Florida, but so far, the 2020-21 season is shaping up to be another disappointing one.
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