Florida didn’t fair well at the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in Portland, Oregon, going 1-2 against Xavier, Oregon State and West Virginia, and its ranking on ESPN’s Men’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) reflects that.
A week ago, Florida was ranked just inside the top 25 at No. 24 following a 3-1 start to the season that featured a signature win over rival Florida State. That win has gotten worse with time as the Seminoles now stand at 1-7 on the season, and Florida’s biggest source of production on offense, [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], has gone cold from the field.
A 29-point loss to WVU on Sunday saw Florida fall to No. 41 on the BPI. The Gators’ defense is the biggest source of concern right now. Guards are free to let it rain from three with how weak Florida is on the perimeter, and things get bad down low when Castleton doesn’t have the size advantage on his opponent. ESPN gives Florida’s defense a BPI grade of 2.4, which puts UF at No. 62 among college teams.
The offense is a bit better with a 4.4 grade at No. 28 overall, but Sunday’s blowout loss to the Mountaineers shows just how bad this team can be if Castleton isn’t scoring 20-plus points per game for it.
Moving forward, Florida has a chance to improve before facing another big test. The Gators close out the month of November with a game against Florida A&M and then host Stetson to open December. Connecticut comes to town on Dec. 7 and is currently ranked No. 8 in the country, so that’s the next major game on the schedule.
Beware of Stetson, though. The Hatter opened up the season with a win over FSU and have taken down USF on the road as well. If there’s another trap game on the books for Florida during the non-conference slate, this is it.
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