Florida’s unblemished start to the 2021-22 season ended on Wednesday night when a poor shooting performance held the team back in a 74-67 loss on the road against Oklahoma. For a Florida team that already has two Quadrant 1 wins, it’s not a loss that should prove to be too impactful come March, but it did pump the breaks on the hype train that has surrounded this team since it upset a ranked Florida State team to end a seven-game skid to the Seminoles.
However, the loss didn’t have much of an impact on Florida’s placement in CBS Sports’ college basketball rankings. It was the only team to drop in this iteration of the rankings, but it fell just one spot to No. 20.
Florida missed 20 of the 24 3-pointers it attempted in Wednesday’s 74-67 loss at Oklahoma. The Gators’ next game is Monday against Texas Southern.
UF has one more Quadrant 1 game in non-conference play, a neutral site matchup against the Maryland Terrapins in Brooklyn on Dec. 12. With a win in that game, the 6-1 Gators have a great chance to enter SEC play with just one slipup.
This team needs to shoot the ball much better, as that was an issue even in the buzzer-beater win over Ohio State, and the defense hasn’t looked quite as shutdown as it did against FSU. Still, the transfer portal strategy seems to have worked, and this could be the best team coach Mike White has had in Gainesville. It will be interesting to see how the team responds this week to a frustrating road loss.
[lawrence-related id=62767]
[listicle id=62676]
[vertical-gallery id=62693]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.