Florida Falls to No.15 in AP Poll

Florida Men’s Basketball continues to slide down the rankings after their first month of play. The Gators dropped to No. 15 in the Week Four AP Poll after going 1-1 at the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.

The Gators were handed their second loss of the season against unranked TCU on Thanksgiving. The opening round showcased Florida’s struggle to control the ball and score outside of the arc. Florida shot 8/29 from three-point range and committed 19 turnovers against the Horned Frogs.

Despite major struggles, Florida had created a ten point halfway into the second half. Junior guard Urban Klavzar had a career high 20 points, adding to junior forward Thomas Haugh’s 20. The Gators seemed to be on a roll but TCU rallied back to take the lead in an 84-80 win.

Florida bounced back with a win over Providence twenty-four hours later. Notably, Xaivian Lee broke out of a shooting slump and scored 20 points, his highest as a Gator. The rest of the team was able to step up and get the job done in a 90-78 victory, even with Alex Condon out after suffering a head injury against TCU.

Florida heads into their second ranked opponent of the season with a 5-2 record. The Gators will face No. 2 Duke in Durham on Tuesday night. 

Duke is ranked first in field goal percentage defense and started the season undefeated at 8-0.  While Florida has the edge over Duke in both rebounding and experience, the Blue Devils will not make it easy for the Gators at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball, NCAA, Not Latest, SEC, University of Florida