Twenty minutes of basketball was enough to propel No. 21 Florida to an easy win over outmatched Florida A&M on Tuesday night.
Gators coach Todd Golden would prefer for his team to play a full 40 minutes, though, starting with Friday night’s home game against Southern Illinois in Gainesville, Fla.
Florida (5-0) led 46-22 at halftime and appeared to be on its way to a 40- or 50-point stomping of the Rattlers. But the Gators shot only 34 percent from the field in the second half and sent the visitors to the foul line 19 times.
It is little wonder that Golden wasn’t thrilled with how his team closed the game.
“Our expectation is to be able to play two complete halves, a full 40 minutes,” he said. “I thought we played 20 really good minutes into the first half and we were just OK in the second … a lot to improve on.
“We allowed (missed shots) to affect our defense a little bit in the second half, and we fouled way too much on the defensive end. I just thought in the second half we let our foot off the gas.”
The Gators haven’t played a demanding schedule but have taken care of business, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 20 points per game. They’ve scored at least 81 points in every contest.
Five players are averaging double figures in points for Florida, led by guard Walter Clayton Jr. at 18.4 per game. Will Richard (15), Florida Atlantic transfer Alijah Martin (13.6), Alex Condon (12.2) and Chattanooga transfer Sam Alexis (10) also are consistent offensive threats.
If there’s a weakness in the Gators’ attack, it’s 3-point shooting, which stands at 28.9 percent for the season. But Richard and Martin, each of whom are under 27 percent, have proved capable from the arc during their careers.
While Florida looks to play 40 consistent minutes, the Salukis (2-2) will try to carry the form from Monday night’s 69-44 rout of North Dakota State into the first of four straight games away from Carbondale. They held the high-scoring Bison to 26.5 percent shooting from the field, including 5 of 27 from the 3-point line.
First-year Southern Illinois coach Scott Nagy, who has won 579 games in a 30-year career that’s included stops at South Dakota State and Wright State, said the week away from home will be beneficial to his squad. After the game at Florida, Southern Illinois will journey to a three-game, three-day tournament in Estero, Fla.
“We’re one of the harder teams to prepare for because we don’t run many sets,” Nagy said. “Can we focus on the next game? I kind of like it because I think we play better when we give them less information.”
Guard Elijah Elliott, a transfer from Texas Rio Grande Valley, leads the Salukis with an average of 16.5 points per game on 55.3 percent shooting. Kennard Davis Jr. adds 14.8 points per game, and Abilene Christian transfer Ali Dibba chips in 13.8.
This will be the first meeting between Southern Illinois and Florida.