Florida claimed the ESPN Events Invitational Championship trophy with an 88-51 win over Wichita State on Friday.
The Shockers kept things within range for the first 15 minutes of the game, but it was all Gators from there on out. Florida closed the first half with a 16-0 run and kept things going throughout the second half. Florida led by 48 points at one point, allowing the backups to come in and get some good minutes to close out the win.
Wichita State appeared outmatched in almost every category, but Florida’s most dominant area came in the frontcourt. The starting forward duo of Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu dominated the paint on both sides of the court.
Walter Clayton Jr. led all scorers with 19 points, draining five three-pointers. The rest of the backcourt, Alijah Martin and Will Richard, had a quiet game, but that speaks to Florida’s ability to win in a variety of ways.
Big run, Big blowout
At its best, Florida looks like a top-10 team in the country, but the Gators have a habit of delivering Jekyll-and-Hyde performances. The 27-point run in the middle 10 (last five minutes of the first half, and the first five of the second), put this game out of reach in a hurry.
Todd Golden has talked about getting a 40-minute effort from his players several times this season, but there was no need to keep his best players on the court over the final 10 minutes of this one.
Five of the 11 makes during that period came from distance, which is a positive sign for a team that struggled beyond the arc to start the season.
Dominating weaker teams for extended minutes also means that Florida should be able to remain competitive against the SEC’s best. The Gators have played a relatively light non-conference schedule, but Wichita State came into this one ranked inside the top 75 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
While the bulk of the conference is ranked inside the top 50, Florida won’t need to put together a 27-point run to stay competitive with many of those programs.
Frontcourt dominance
Chinyelu continues to grow more comfortable in Todd Golden’s system, and the stats are reflecting that. Friday marked Chinyelu’s first double-double in the Orange and Blue, and four of his 11 rebounds came off the offensive glass. He tied a season-high with 14 points and doubled his season-high in blocks with four.
At times, Chinyelu has looked like the weakest member of Florida’s four-man frontcourt rotation, but this kind of breakout is going to keep in his starting spot.
Condon had a similarly dominant afternoon, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds. His five offensive boards and Chinyelu’s four outpaced the entire Wichita State team, which finished with seven, and the duo challenged the Shcokers’ overall rebound numbers 30-20 — Florida won the rebounding contest handily with 56 in total.
As one might expect, Florida also won the points in the paint battle, 36-22, and outscored Wichita State on second-chance attempts, 20-10.
Ball handling continues to improve
Through the season’s first four games, Florida had 56 assists to 51 turnovers, keeping the ratio marginally positive. Since then, the Gators have found their rhythm moving the ball around the court, with 70 assists to just 32 turnovers. That 2.19 ratio outpaces the current NCAA leader, Mississippi State (2.13), and has Florida approaching a top-50 ranking in that category.
It’s hard to say where that change comes from, but Walter Clayton Jr. isn’t forcing as many passes as he was to start the season. Alijah Martin picking up his scoring certainly helps, as do the big-man points, and even Will Richard is thinking pass more than shoot at times. Richard finished the game with a season-high five assists on Friday.
Turnovers are a killer in any sport, but they can lead to quick and extended runs in basketball. If the Gators can continue this trend against the SEC, they are a team to watch out for come the spring.
Next up for Florida
The Gators return to the O’Connell Center for a rematch of last year’s non-conference game against the Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Tipoff is slated for 7:15 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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