Gators rise in NET rankings after win over Stony Brook
After a rough month of December, Florida managed to end non-conference play on a high note, winning back-to-back games with the most recent one coming over Stony Brook on Wednesday. The Gators beat the Seawolves 87-62 in what was a very convincing win and one of the team’s best offensive performances of the entire season.
UF had four players score in double figures, and while the defense wasn’t spectacular, it was enough to get the job done with the offense shooting red hot.
With that victory, Florida saw a decent rise in the latest update to the NET Rankings, moving up eight spots from No. 60 to No. 52. Though not an incredibly tough opponent, Stony Brook ranks in the top 200 and constitutes UF’s best win since it took down Ohio State in Fort Myers on Nov. 24.
Non-conference play took a frustrating turn for the Gators, who lost Quadrant 3 and Quadrant 4 games against Maryland and Texas Southern, respectively, after a 6-0 start. Now, the team enters SEC play at 9-3, but it is at least on a two-game winning streak.
The Gators open SEC play with what is currently a road Quadrant 2 game against Ole Miss before the team plays a tough stretch against three-straight Quadrant 1 opponents in Alabama, Auburn and LSU. All of Florida’s first five games are currently set to come against opponents in the first two quadrants.
UF looked dead in the water after losing to previously winless Texas Southern, but this team is still in decent position. Conference play will be do or die, but it at least has the chance to improve its resume significantly in the coming months.
List
3 takeaways from Florida's convincing win over Stony Brook
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
