Can Florida Women’s Basketball Get One More SEC Win?
Florida women’s basketball is travelling to Athens this weekend to face No. 23 Georgia in its final SEC matchup.
After the Gators surprise 74-67 win over No. 19 Ole Miss on Thursday, the question is whether or not they’ll be able to keep up their momentum.
Florida currently is 5-10 in the SEC, which is only better than three other teams: Missouri, Auburn and Arkansas. That makes Florida No.13 in the SEC and, shockingly, unranked in the AP Poll.
To say the Gators haven’t looked good this season would be an understatement. They’ve shown sparks of being good on occasion, their game against Ole Miss on Thursday being the most recent example. But their string of losses massively overrides the few flashes the team has shown.
Florida’s star guard Liv McGill seems to have gotten her groove back during her last game, assembling a line of 28 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals. That marked the 31st consecutive game in which McGill has scored in double figures. Her 28 points also give her 639 on the season, breaking Florida’s previous record of 631 set by Tonya Washington during the ‘99-’00 season.
But even with McGill looking sharp again, the rest of Florida’s lineup hasn’t shown the same tenacity. As a team, the Gators attempted a season-low four 3-pointers, the only one made by Nyadieng Yiech. The Gators also had a season-low offensive rating of four with the team average being 73.6.
Florida did, however, shoot a season-high 59.1% from the field, connecting on 26 of its 44 attempts. Laila Reynolds was also particularly productive against Ole Miss, scoring 14 points — her 14th time scoring in double digits this season — while adding four rebounds, two steals and making all four of her free throws.
The Gators have certainly been worse, at least. Me’arah O’Neal also got in on the scoring action with 8 points and made both of her free throws. She also managed an impressive six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks. Florida’s other starting forward, Alexia Dizeko, wasn’t nearly as impressive as O’Neal, though. She got only 2 points with three rebounds and one assist, recording zero steals or blocks for the night.
All of that begs the question of whether Florida’s win against Ole Miss was a fluke or an attempt to prove that it belongs in the SEC tournament. With how it’s played this season, the former definitely seems more likely.
No analysis is complete without looking at the opponent, of course. Georgia lost its last game against No. 4 Texas, 79-50. Losing to the Longhorns is something Florida and Georgia have in common. That, unfortunately, is where the team’s similarities end.
The Bulldogs are 21-8, 7-8 in the SEC and No. 10, subsequently, in the conference. They average 74 points per game, 34 rebounds, 13 assists, eight steals and two blocks and, efficiently, only 14 turnovers.
Georgia’s best scorer, guard Dani Carnegie, knocks in 17 points per game. To beat Georgia, it’s imperative that Florida manages to lock down Carnegie, a task that might be difficult considering Florida’s defensive struggles during its past few games. After all, Florida has given up over 300 points during its last five games, with its ranked opponents in No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 24 Alabama recording more rebounds and steals and less turnovers than Florida.
A win against Georgia is necessary for Florida to secure a reasonable seed in the SEC Tournament and to, possibly, save coach Kelly Rae Finley’s job.
Coverage of the game against Georgia will start at 2:40 p.m. on ESPN 98.1FM/850 AM WRUF.
Category: Basketball, Gator Sports, Gators Women's Basketball, Women's College Basketball
