White may back off press

Five games into the season, Florida coach Mike White is learning more about the strengths and weaknesses of his team.

While the Gators are pressing more under White than his predecessor, Billy Donovan, the first-year coach admitted that may not continue in the coming weeks.

“When you are going through this process in transition you’re evaluating what we are, every coach in the country is evaluating his team this early in the season, especially us new coaches that are taking over new programs,” White said. “It might be in our best interest not to press quite as much. We’ll see.”

The Gators backed off on the press during the second half against Vermont and outscored the Catamounts 52-33. By playing more conventional, the Gators also avoided foul trouble. After committing 10 fouls pressing in the first half, the Gators had just six second-half fouls.

“In the second half we settled in in the halfcourt, defended better, fouled a lot less,” White said. “That might have been a factor in terms of making better decisions offensively as well.”

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