Some observations following UF’s 88-71 win over West Virginia on Saturday:
– If only Florida sophomore center John Egbunu could stay out of foul trouble. The 6-foot-11 Egbunu was on his way to a big day against West Virginia, scoring 7 of UF’s first 19 points. But Egbunu picked up his second foul at the 11:51 mark of the first half and sat the rest of the half. It didn’t get better for Egbunu in the second half as he picked up two quick fouls. For the game, Egbunu finished with 9 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes on the floor. Fortunately, backup centers Kevarrius Hayes (4 points, 2 rebounds) and Schuyler Rimmer (2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block) picked up the slack. Rimmer logged a season-high 21 minutes.
– Florida sophomore forward Devin Robinson played his best defensive game of the season, taking a pair of key charges in the first half. If Robinson can prove he can play that kind of defensive on a consistent basis, he’ll earn more minutes on the floor, and perhaps even his starting job back. Robinson also was active on the boards with 7 points and 5 rebounds, including two offensive boards.
– For Florida to finish the game with a positive assist-to-turnover against pressing West Virginia (16 to 14) says a lot about the growth of UF’s guards. It also was a bonus to see KeVaughn Allen and Brandone Francis-Ramirez handle some responsibilities at the point to take some of the load off Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza. Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who handles the ball like a guard, also played a key role in helping Florida break the press throughout the game.
