Gator Basketball: January Recap

I want to begin this article with an apology. Here we are halfway through February and I am just now putting out the Gator basketball recap for the month of January. Between BYX (my fraternity), school, my ongoing illness, and various other things, it's hard to write as often as I used to. Regardless, I always think it's better to put something out late than to never write it. So without further adieu, let's revisit Gator basketball during the first month of 2016.

Florid kicked off SEC play in January and did fairly well as they posted a 5-3 record against SEC opponents. They closed out the month with their final non-conference game against the #9 West Virginia Mountaineers and shocked all of the college basketball world with a dominating 88-71 home victory!

In addition to upsetting West Virginia, the Gators also defeated LSU and the potential #1 NBA Draft pick in Ben Simmons. Despite the 68-62 victory, Florida really had no answer for Simmons as the freshman racked up 28 points and 17 rebounds. He was a complete beast in this game and a sheer joy to watch in person!

Ben Simmons at half court.

Excluding the 13-point loss against Tennessee (trust me it was not as close as the score may indicate), both Gator losses in January were by three points or less. On the flip side, Florida beat three teams (Georgia, Auburn, and West Virginia) by double-digits with their biggest margin of victory being 32 against Auburn.

Now, here are the Gator stat leaders from January. Keep in mind that these stats will include four games from February, but regardless there should still be a good indication as to who dominated in January.

Offense

Points: Dorian Finney-Smith (385) (Redshirt Senior)


Assists: Chris Chiozza (114) (Sophomore)


Shooting % (100 minutes min.): Kevarrius Hayes (.581) (Freshman)


Three-Pointers (10 attempts min.): Dorian Finney-Smith (51)


Three-Point % (10 attempts min.): Justin Leon (.474) (Junior)


Free Throws: Dorian Finney-Smith (86)


Free Throw % (10 attempts min.): KeVaughn Allen (.841) (Freshman)


Rebounds: John Egbugnu (71) (Redshirt Sophomore)

Defense

Rebounds: Dorian Finney-Smith (144)


Blocks: John Egbugnu (37)


Steals: Kasey Hill (16) (Junior)

Miscellaneous

Personal Fouls: John Egbugnu (84)


Minutes: Dorian Finney-Smith (779)


Turnovers: Dorian Finney-Smith (53)


Final Takeaway:

The Gators had a decent January with a 6-3 record overall. February has been a little more trickier with a 2-2 start. With three of the next four games being on the road, the Gators could easily finish this month under .500. Still, they are sitting pretty for an NCAA Tournament bid and as long as the team doesn't completely collapse this month, Gator fans everywhere should be seeing the Orange and Blue play meaningful games this March.