Many thought Florida would struggle with the physical things during the early part of the 2011-12 season
Florida has defended and rebounded better than expected in the early going. But a familiar bugaboo — poor free-throw shooting — has been a cause for concern through UF’s first three games.
Florida coach Billy Donovan termed the free-throw shooting as an “annoyance that’s becoming a concern” following his team’s 16 for 29 performance at the free-throw line against UNF. The Gators went just 5 of 13 from the free-throw line in the first half.
Overall, Florida is shooting 56.9 percent from the free-throw line this season. The Gators are 37 of 65 from the charity stripe.
“We’ve been trying to spend time there,” Donovan said. “It’s disappointing where we’re at right now. We’re in the mid-50s (percentage).”
Starting point guard Erving Walker, a career 79.1 percent free-throw shooter, is 7 for 13 from the line in the early going. Casey Prather (2-6) and Erik Murphy (3-6) also have struggled.
“We’ve got to get better in that area as a team,” Donovan said. “We’re getting to the free-throw line 20-plus times. We need to take advantage of that. I do think we can become a good free-throw shooting team. We just have not shot them well.”
