ChompTalk.com

Florida men’s basketball may have canceled their first three originally scheduled games, but they tried to fit enough stress and excitement in their opener to make up for every one of them in the team’s 76-69 victory over the Black Knights in Connecticut on Wednesday.

The Gators were playing their first competitive game since March, and the rust showed early and often. The Gators had four turnovers in the opening four minutes and trailed 12-2 to the Black Knights, who had eight early points from true freshman Jalen Rucker.

Head coach Mike White and Florida were playing catch-up the remainder of the first half, but it was all Black Knights. Army held the lead for the entirety of the opening frame on the strength of starting 5-8 from beyond the three-point line in the opening 10 minutes. The team shot shot 46.2% from deep in the opening half and had 12 points from their bench compared to exactly 0 for the Gators.

Army’s ball movement and passing was lightyears beyond Florida’s in the first 20 minutes, as Florida played a lot of isolation basketball. White has said the team had less than 10 practices as a full unit this offseason, and it showed early. There were a lot of turnovers and errant passes, along with some mental mistakes. Florida only had 3 assists as a team in the first half, and they went to the locker room trailing Army 39-31.

The second half, however, was an entirely different story offensively as point guards Tre Mann and Tyree Appleby began to take control. Florida began the second half on a 16-3 run, including 12 straight points. Appleby gave the Gators their first lead of the game with a three-pointer at the 15:16 mark, and he and Mann combined for 10 points and four assists in the first eight minutes coming out of halftime.

Instead of committing turnovers early in the half, Florida began to force them. Army lost the ball five times in the first seven minutes of the second half, and the Gators actually ended the game with six less turnovers than the Black Knights despite the sloppy opening minutes.

Army wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, and they surged back to tie the game over and over again in the final ten minutes. First, forward Nick Finke went on a run, scoring five straight points, assisting a three-pointer and earning a trip to the free-throw line in a 90 second stretch that included four lead changes. Then, it was guard Josh Caldwell who the Gators seemed to be unable to stop from getting to the basket. Caldwell ended the game with 12 points.

However, Appleby and Mann’s heroics continued. With preseason SEC Player of the Year Keyontae Johnson and Scottie Lewis flirting with foul trouble the entire game, Appleby made six free throws as a part of 15 second-half points to keep pace with Army’s run.

Mann was the easy player of the day for Florida in what may be his most impressive performance in the Gators program. He led the way with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, and six steals, the last of which being the most crucial. After missing a shot with a minute left, Army was pushing the ball down the court and only down two points. Mann got in the way of a pass and kept the ball with the Gators, dousing the Black Knights’ momentum. Five Mann free throws made in the final minute put the game out of reach, and the Gators walked away with a seven point win.

There was a lot to be concerned about for Florida fans in the first half, with an offense that looked more like five guys thrown together to play pick-up at a park rather than a DI offense. However, a 45-point second half and the emergence of Tre Mann should keep Gator nation buoyed for at least tonight. A lot of the early struggles can be forgiven with rust, but if Mann and Appleby play the way they did tonight, this team could be powerful once it finds its groove.