Takeaways from Florida basketball’s blowout loss to UCF in NIT first round

Pat Dooley gives his takeaways from Florida’s season-ending loss at the hands of the UCF Knights.

Initials that make Florida fans wince – NIT and UCF.

On Wednesday night, it was the Knights who ended Florida’s basketball season in the first round of the NIT 15 months after the school beat the Gators in a bowl game.

In both cases, Florida was its own worst enemy.

On Wednesday night, the Gators were bad in every phase of the game and were humiliated by the Knights, 67-49.

The Gators couldn’t shoot, couldn’t defend and didn’t take care of the ball in losing their sixth game at home for only the second time in 25 years.

It was the fewest points Florida scored all season and the fewest since a 2015 SEC Tournament loss.