Florida's loss to Jacksonville, in which they shot 36 percent, looks strange next to their victory against Kansas State, in which they shot 54 percent. Against an inferior opponent, UF would have won the game if they shot better than 68 percent (23-34) at the free throw line too.
No one here is James Naismith, but I think that we can agree that UF has two major problems on offense; too many guys standing around and too many jumpers. Florida got to the line 34 times against the Dolphins, but only 15 times against Kansas State. UF is averaging 19.8 free throw attempts per game, tied for 229th in the nation. To make that number worse, they are shooting 66 percent at the line, 235th nationally.
I realize that Alex Tyus is allergic to contact and Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker are not big enough to drive to the hole and convert, but something has to be done to get easier buckets. Even against K-State, Florida was knocking down 18-footers, not layups. It isn't as simple as passing more, because three guys standing around watching the ball as Vernon Macklin posts up, won't make it easier.
The most concerning thing about the losses to Jacksonville and UCF is that UF lost to inferior teams. Jump shooting teams have bad nights. But good offensive teams have those bad nights and can still win by scoring at the line or driving to the hole. UF hasn't done that.