Three observations following UF’s 80-72 loss to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament on Friday night:
— From a shot selection standpoint, Florida reverted to taking some ugly ones. A running-out-of-control shot by guard Egor Koulechov in the second half resulted in to what amounted as a turnover, allowing Arkansas guard Jaylen Barford to sink an open 3-pointer in transition. Senior point guard Chris Chiozza even forced a few shots that weren’t there, while freshman guard Deaundrae Ballard and junior guard Jalen Hudson had a pair of preventable charges. Florida played out of control offensively for most of the night.
— The Gators just didn’t do a good enough job protecting the defensive glass, allowing Arkansas to out-rebound them 43-28 and outscore them 18-15 in second-chance points. Junior guard Jalen Hudson had a key second-half defensive rebound slip from his hands, while Arkansas center Daniel Gafford simply manhandled Florida junior center Kevarrius Hayes inside. The Gators allowed too many putbacks.
— Florida continued its late season free-throw regression, going 9 of 14 (64.3 percent) from the line. With 1:05 left and Florida down 69-60, the Gators had a chance to cut it to a two-possession game when KeVaughn Allen was fouled on a 3-point attempt. But Allen, a 92.3-percent free throw shooter, made just 1 of 3 free throws in a pressure spot. Hudson also missed a pair of free throws early in the game.
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