The Achilles heel for Florida basketball continues to fester like an open wound as the Gators once again succumbed to the zone defense in the final quarter of play, relinquishing a six-point halftime lead that resulted in an 82-76 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Following the defeat, the Orange and Blue rose from No. 34 on game day to No. 33 overall in the NET rankings, while remaining exactly where they were in our last update. Todd Golden’s team now sits between the No. 32 Mississippi State Bulldogs — whom Florida beat in Gainesville earlier this season — and the No. 34 Colorado State Rams.
Here’s how the quadrant system breaks things up:
- Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
- Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
- Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
- Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353
The Gators are 3-8 against Quadrant 1 opponents, 3-1 against Quadrant 2 opponents, 8-0 against Quadrant 3 opponents and 6-0 against Quadrant 4 opponents. They hold a 20-9 record overall and a 10-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
The one Quad 2 loss represents the misstep at the Ole Miss Rebels on Jan. 10, who sit outside of the Quad 1 zone at No. 78. That also marks the nadir of Florida’s 2023-24 campaign.
The Gators return home for a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday, March 5, inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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