Colleges

Florida must limit its turnovers

Today's opponent uses a press similar to Tennessee, which beat the Gators twice.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published March 18, 2006

JACKSONVILLE - Taurean Green is well aware of the critical nature of his role today.

As Florida prepared for the up-tempo, pressing style of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in today's second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Gators starting point guard was focused and philosophical.

"You can't afford to turn the ball over now," the sophomore said while sitting at his locker Friday afternoon. "If you turn the ball over now, it's one and done."

Florida (28-6) has won six straight games, but three of the past four have brought concerns over its turnover-assist ratio: 17-10 against Arkansas; 13-11 against LSU and 18-11 in Sunday's SEC tournament final against South Carolina. Green committed a season-high eight turnovers against the Gamecocks.

UW-Milwaukee (22-8) starts five seniors and plays a similar style used by its former coach, Bruce Pearl, who is now at Tennessee. The Vols swept the Gators this season, and the Panthers hope to have similar success today.

"We wanted to stick with the press (this season). It's one of our key factors," senior guard Joah Tucker said. "I think we played a little faster last year, which allowed us to press a little bit more. So it took us a little while to get used to slowing it down. We still press, but sometimes, we slow it down whereas last year, it was just up and down the whole game. So the press was a little bit more effective."

Florida, which committed 11 turnovers (one by Green) Thursday against South Alabama, hopes to help its guards handle the press by utilizing its big men, 6-foot-9 center Al Horford and 6-11 forward Joakim Noah. With those two running the floor like small guards and able to dominate in the paint, it will take some of the stress off the guards.

"We obviously want to have the ball in our guards' hands, but if we have to handle the ball, me and Jo and our bigs really do a good job of handling the ball and opening up (the inside game)."

UW-Milwaukee first-year coach Rob Jeter said the Gators might have the best mobile big men he has seen, and if the press starts allowing Florida too many easy inside baskets, "you make adjustments," he said.

"If a team is attacking you and they are really getting layups on you, that's not a good press," said Jeter, who will counter with 6-foot-7 senior center Adrian Tigert. "Even though we press, we're not trying to give up layups. So you try to keep those attacking passes out of our double teams. I don't know if you take the press off totally ever."

Which is why ultimately Green's ability to take care of the ball will be a key. "They go as Taurean Green goes," ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said earlier this month. "And he has struggled in a couple of games because he's a young point guard trying to figure out how to dominate a game. When he plays as aggressively as he did against Kentucky (on March5), he's one of the five best point guards in America.

"But young players are subject to inconsistency, and he's had some inconsistency. But that doesn't mean he's not a hell of a player. It just means he's still learning his way around. When he does, look out. He'll play more often like he did against Kentucky than like he's played against some of the other teams they've had (recently)."

Green said he'll be as prepared as ever.

"There have been some teams that pressed us that we didn't do well against, and some we've done a good job with," he said. "We have to do a good job today. That's just the facts."

[Last modified March 18, 2006, 02:30:29]