Three takeaways from Florida basketball’s rout of Grambling State

Nov 11, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) dunks the ball against the Grambling State Tigers during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida trailed Grambling State for all of 30 seconds and then the rout was on.

The Gators defeated the Tigers, 86-62, on Monday night, securing a 3-0 start to the 2024-25 college basketball season. On paper, the matchup looked like a sure thing for Florida, which went 14-1 against Quadrant 3 and 4 opponents a season ago. Still, a 24-point blowout is typically a sign that all gears are working properly within the machine.

For a second-straight game, Florida proved that it didn’t need nearly 60 combined points from its two star guards, Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard. Instead, the Gators distributed the ball well, finishing the night with five players in double figures and three more within a field goal from double-digit points.

Center Rueben Chinyelu led Florida in scoring with 14, followed closely by Sam Alexis, Clayton, and Richard with 12 apiece. Alexis’ 12 is more impressive than the rest, considering he only played 20 minutes off the bench.

Good win, bad shooting

Despite crossing the 80-point threshold for a third-straight game, Florida’s shooting wasn’t the best Monday night. Removing layups (14-25) and dunks (3-6) from the picture, the Gators shot 12 of 33 (36.4%) from the field.

Richard was off for most of the night (4 of 11) and made just one of five attempts from deep. Alijah Martin, who is looking to score more consistently, shot just 33% over 29 minutes, and Denzel Aberdeen tried a little too hard to score when he was on the court. A late step-back three saved Aberdeen from an abysmal night from the field, but going 2 of 8 isn’t the best look for a key bench piece.

Fortunately, those points in the paint count as much as the rest, and the big men were on tonight. Chinyelu went 7 of 8 from down low, Alex Condon worked…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/three-takeaways-florida-basketballs-rout-024136768.html

Author : Gators Wire

Publish date : 2024-11-12 02:41:00

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