‘We’re guarding’ — Todd Golden doesn’t hold back regarding surging Florida Gators basketball team
The Gators are looking like the best team in the nation.
After a tough 76-67 loss at home against the Auburn Tigers on January 24th, the Florida Gators had to do some soul searching to get back on track.
They didn’t just find it, they came out swinging. Four days later, they doubled up the South Carolina Gamecocks 95-48 and followed it up with three big wins:
- 100-77 vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
- 86-67 at Texas A&M Aggies
- 86-66 at Georgia Bulldogs
Wednesday night’s win over the Bulldogs was their fourth-consecutive win of 19+ points, and fifth-consecutive win outside of Gainesville.
Todd Golden praises team’s defense after dominant victory
They have one of the oddest profiles in the country. They are among the top teams on offense and defensive efficiency, ranking fifth in Ken Pom ratings. They are doing this while shooting an abysmal 29.2% from three-point range, a stark change from the 35.5% they shot during last season’s national championship run.
One of the biggest things that head coach Todd Golden highlighted coming out of Wednesday’s win was their defense.
“We’re guarding, you know? We’re guarding, I think, especially to start games,” said Golden after Wednesday’s win. I think they were 5-for-23 to start the game tonight, and we were up double digits pretty early. As I said after the last game, I think our team is getting to the point where we’re enjoying kind of owning the identity of being a defensive, gritty, physical rebounding team that gets out in transition, takes advantage of opportunities that arise from our defense. And if we play like that, we’re going to be in every ballgame and give ourselves a really good chance to win.”
They are playing great defense, and it starts inside with forward Rueben Chinyelu, who is arguably the best defender in the nation.
Defense is the heartbeat of this team, and it’s carrying them to potentially defend their national championship.
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