Very little about this season has gone the way Gators coach Billy Donovan planned it. From injuries to a suspension to a warship game being canceled at halftime, it has been a series of adversity and adjustments.
Despite that, No. 8 Florida is 22-5 (12-3 SEC) heading into Saturday’s home game against Alabama (noon, ESPN) and fighting for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Gators’ national championship chances should get a lot better if shooting guard Kenny Boynton rediscovers his shooting proficiency.
Boynton, a senior who might leave as the program’s all-time leading scorer, is far below last season’s shooting and scoring numbers. He is second on the team at 12.5 points per game, which is 3.4 less than what he averaged as a junior. His field goal percentage is down from 44 to 39.6 and his three-point shooting has fallen from 40.7 percent to 32.8.
He scored two points on 1-for-7 shooting in Florida’s 64-58 loss at Tennessee on Tuesday. Over the past eight games, he is shooting 32.9 percent, including 24 percent from three, and averaging 9.9 points per game.
Although the regular season is dwindling, the Gators (22-5, 12-3 in the SEC) remain optimistic that Boynton will regain his form.
“I’m not worried about him turning it around,” forward Erik Murphy said. “He might not be shooting it as well as he has in the past, but I think he’s playing great in all other aspects of the game.
“His shots will fall. I trust him in that phase. They always have.”
To Murphy’s point, Boynton has contributed in a variety of ways to keep Florida steady throughout the roster instability. The Gators have been missing key pieces all year, and Thursday was the first time their entire roster was available for practice since early in the pre-season.
Backups Michael Frazier (concussion), Casey Prather (laceration on forehead) and Will Yeguete (knee) are cleared to return to play against Alabama.
Even with those issues, as well as replacing Bradley Beal and Erving Walker from last year’s starting five, Florida stands atop the SEC. It can clinch a first-round bye for the conference tournament with one win in its last three games and is closing in on regular-season title.
The Crimson Tide (19-9, 11-4) and Kentucky (20-8, 11-4) are one game behind UF, and Ole Miss (21-7, 10-5).
Boynton’s versatility and consistent defense have been crucial to the Gators’ success. They needed him more at point guard this year and relied on him and Scottie Wilbekin to shut down opponents’ top perimeter scorers. Furthermore, his assists (3.1 per game) and rebounds (3.3) are up slightly from last season.
“A lot of times people project how a guy’s playing based on whether or not the ball’s going in the basket — certainly the last few games he hasn’t made the number of shots,” Gators coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s just gotta stick with it and continue to take really good shots.”
If those shots start to fall, Boynton could become UF’s all-time leading scorer. Boynton enters the Alabama game with 1,927 career points. He is three points away from second place and trails all-time leader Ronnie Williams by 163. More importantly for the Gators, Boynton could jump-start the offense. Florida’s 58 points against Tennessee tied its season-low, and the team shot below its average in each of the past three games.
Boynton was not available to the media this week, but has been upbeat about his shooting trouble and said recently, “I just need a couple to go in. Honestly it’s been good in practice, just got to keep taking open shots. Those shots I’ve missed have been wide open, so I just need a few to go in.”
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