No. 1 Florida took 17 more shots than Baylor in its October 18 exhibition and still lost 82-76 in overtime. Coach Todd Golden's concern, in Florida's preview of Tuesday's Stetson game, was the quality of those chances. He said his team made poor decisions in advantage situations and could have created better shots.
That gives Florida a useful assignment for its final exhibition. The Gators can look beyond the score and count how often a player with an advantage finds the next open teammate, gets to a better spot or settles for a hurried attempt. Golden's explanation makes the distinction concrete: more attempts helped Florida control volume against Baylor, while 34.7% shooting and four makes in 29 three-point attempts limited the return. The original game recap supplies the shooting totals.
A different kind of opponent
Stetson will give Florida another game with which to test those choices. Golden also said Baylor's size and athleticism bothered his team, and the Stetson preview describes the Hatters as a less demanding matchup. An improved shooting percentage on Tuesday would be welcome. It would say less about how Florida handles the pressure that shaped the Baylor game.
The back of the rotation remains unsettled, too. Florida's preview names guard Alex Lloyd and forward Domen Petrovic among the reserves seeking more trust from the staff. Their minutes can answer a narrower question than the final score: whether they make sound decisions when the first action does not produce a clean look. That matters to a team whose established guards, Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar, combined to miss all 15 of their three-point attempts against Baylor, according to the game recap.
Florida's schedule puts No. 14 Miami next, in the regular-season opener on November 2. CBR previously covered the ranking and opening matchup. Tuesday's exhibition can show whether Florida has changed the process behind its shots. The Miami game will be a stronger test of whether those choices hold against a ranked opponent.
