The Gators defeated Rutgers last night 88-63 in a game that told us a lot of what to expect from the Gators. Both teams traded points in the first half before the Gators took over and put away Rutgers near the end of the half.
Defensively, the Gators maintained their form by mixing in man-to-man with zones. In four games, the Gators are only allowing 61 ppg and opponents to shoot about 42%. When Rutgers did score, there were some errors in rotations that led to open shots. Also, both sides had 34 attempts in the first half, with the Gators being able to convert 7 of 13 from three range. It was those buckets that provided the lift late in the first frame.
Jai Lucas, who until last night had been extremely shy about chucking from three, hit three from outside last night (3 of 7). Lucas, Calathes, and Speights are quickly becoming the Big Three as they have taken the majority of the Gators' shots. It's good to know after four games, they are starting to get an identity.