Florida may have gotten back on track with a win over Cincinnati on Saturday.
In a matchup that felt oddly significant for a December non-conference battle, the Florida Gators held on to defeat the Cincinnati Bearcats, 66-60. The Gators needed a win after losing three straight despite having been bounded to the top five in the national polls.
Here’s a look at what we can take away from Florida’s big victory.
1. It’s good to see Florida win an ugly one
Last season, the Gators sported one of the country’s top defenses and had little trouble showing up in low-scoring affairs, but this season’s roster hasn’t quite proven itself capable of grinding out a win. That is, until Saturday.
Florida’s closest contest of the year to date against Gonzaga was a high-scoring affair that included 17 made 3s for the Gators. This one was played at a glacial pace and involved just six makes from behind the arc. The Gators turned it over on 22.1 percent of their possessions, their second-worst performance of the season, and scored just 0.971 points per possession, their lowest mark in a win.
We already knew Florida had an offense capable of slugging it out with the best of Division I, but we weren’t so sure the roster could handle itself in a game like this one. In that sense, this is an important win for the Gators.
2. An Egor Koulechov mea cupla
Any time a mid- or low-major player transfers into a high-major program, there are going to be questions about how their production is going to translate against tougher competition. Such was the case for Florida’s Egor Koulechov. The 6-foot-5 forward left Rice as a graduate transfer over the summer after averaging an impressive 21.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per 40 minutes on a 61.1 true shooting percentage. I wasn’t so sure he’d be able to do anything remotely similar with the Gators.
Well, all the takes can’t be perfect. Coming into Saturday’s contest, Koulechov was averaging 20.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per 40 minutes. He put up 21 and seven on the Bearcats. There are some reasonable gripes over his lack of efficiency — Koulechov’s true shooting percentage has fallen about 10 points — but he’s clearly become one of the most integral pieces of the Florida offense.
My apologies for ever doubting you, Mr. Koulechov.
3. Cincinnati’s NCAA Tournament seed is in peril
Yes, it’s December and yes, there’s an entire set of conference games to play, but the Bearcats already seem to have capped their seed potential in the NCAA Tournament with this loss to Florida. The matchup with the Gators was Cincinnati’s last real chance to pick up a premium win during non-conference play (Mississippi State and UCLA could be solid, but not great wins), meaning it’ll need to make up ground once the league schedule kicks off.
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The American is certainly better than it was last season as a conference overall, but the Selection Committee showed it little respect in 2017 seeding the league’s only two teams as No. 6 seeds. In order to move up on the seed line, the Bearcats are going to need to pick up a number of RPI-boosting wins in the conference over the likes of Wichita State, SMU, UCF and Temple. That’s a difficult spot to be in this early in December.