Florida Basketball: 5 things the Gators need for Christmas in 2018

3. The need for a go-to-guy

With Florida’s offensive struggles so far this season, averaging seven points less per game than they did last year, one thing they should be ho ho hoping for is a sign that they have a clear go-to guy in crunch time.

With just one player in double figures in Allen and last year’s leading scorer Hudson struggling mightily, it’s as if the Gators are unsure who wants to step up and take the big shot when needed and that is something they need to find out, who is going to take the shots that Chiozza and Koulechov took last year?

One would think it should be Hudson or Allen, but their struggles, especially from deep haven’t exactly instilled confidence that they can knock down the big shot. Hayes could be the guy, being a senior, he could say give me the ball, but then again, the big man only attempts four shots per game.

It may turn out that the guy the team is looking for is sophomore guard Deaundrae Ballard. The 6-5 Ballard is 2nd on the team in scoring at 9.3 points per game and is one of the better three-point shooters on the team at 41%. His 51% field goal percentage includes two games where he failed to make a shot, when he sees the ball go through the hoop, he is extremely efficient, never shooting less than 44% from the field.

In crunch time, don’t be surprised to see Ballard as the one with the ball in his hands.