19. Florida (5-3)
There was always going to be unrealistic pressure on Florida after winning the national championship last season and that was certainly multiplied by all the returning pieces in the frontcourt. What’s plagued the Gators, especially in those losses against Arizona and TCU, has been the inconsistent play from those new faces in the backcourt and unfortunately those players just couldn’t produce enough this week.
Facing their stiffest test yet as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Gators went to Duke and came up just short, falling 67-66 in Durham on Tuesday night. Thomas Haugh had 24 points, Alex Condon had a double-double, and Rueben Chinyelu grabbed 14 points, but it was another tough showing from Xaivian Lee, though Boogie Fland did have 16 points.
We just mentioned every piece of Florida’s starting lineup for a reason, showcasing how those returning faces in the frontcourt are producing but it hasn’t quite been the same from the guards. Lee has largely underperformed since coming from Princeton and the Gators simply need more answers from this position. All three losses have been close, but they’ll need to put together a better performance for Tuesday’s big matchup against UConn.