Beyond the arc: 3 takeaways from UF’s 72-71 loss to Ole Miss

Some observations from UF’s 72-71 loss at Ole Miss:

– At what point do the Gators consider benching starting point guard Kasey Hill and giving freshman Chris Chiozza a shot? Hill turned in another woeful performance with 1 point, 6 assists and 4 turnovers. And 1 of 4 from the free-throw line from your starting point guard isn’t going to cut it. Hill just hasn’t been consistent or reliable enough throughout the season, and for all his explosive speed, he still lacks basic basketball instincts. The inability to get the shot off at the end of regulation was most galling, but Hill had other moments throughout the game where he didn’t run the offense well enough.

– It also wasn’t a great floor game for Florida coach Billy Donovan said. Coming out of a time out with 12:40 left and the Gators down 47-46, Florida ended the offensive possession with a shot clock violation in which Michael Frazier II fired up an air ball. That prolonged a 13-0 Ole Miss run that put the Rebels up 53-46. And the Gators relied on a pick-and-roll coverage on senior Ole Miss point guard Jarvis Summers late instead of going to a true double team. In that case, it may have been better to take your chances with someone else beating you. The loss dropped Donovan to 67-83 at UF in games decided by 5 points or less. If there’s been an Achilles heel in Donovan’s career, it’s been tight games.

– Donovan said he wanted more scoring by inserting junior guard Eli Carter back in the starting lineup. Carter had an up and down game with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers. He’s a liability defensively, but can run the point during some stretches and still is the best on the team at creating his own shot. It will be interesting to see if Donovan keeps the three-guard starting lineup of Hill-Carter-Frazier or returns freshman Devin Robinson to the starting lineup to develop him for the rest of the season.

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