GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Since he arrived last spring and took measure of what he was walking into, Todd Golden has talked about being strong in three specific areas when his Florida basketball takes the floor: Defending, rebounding and ball security.
The Gators, as such, have three specific goals each game:
* Get six so-called “kills,” which is a series of three consecutive defensive possessions where the opponent does not score.
* Win the rebounding category by 8 percent.
* Limit turnovers to 15 percent of their own possessions.
Golden reviewed those objectives Monday night after Florida Atlantic’s stunning 76-74 upset victory at Exactech Arena. As he scanned the stat sheet, Golden did a quick checklist. UF got its six “kills,” won the rebounding margin by 13 percent and turned the ball over on 16 percent of its possessions.
“We really kind of hit our goals, so you’re looking around saying, ‘What happened?’ ” Golden recounted, knowing exactly where he was looking (the 3-point defense column). “They bombed us out.”
As in 13 makes from beyond the arc (on 24 attempts) on the way 54.2 percent for the game, including a handful of daggers during a 24-6 blitzkrieg that put the Owls, coached by former UF assistant Dusty May, in command of the game and put them in position to become the first non-Power 5 opponent from the state of Florida to beat the Gators (2-1) in 12 years.
“Best win we’ve ever had as a program,” May said.
The Owls (2-1) put three players (all guards) in double figures, with each of them banging at least three 3s. Johnell Davis had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, while Michael Forrest, ruled academically eligible earlier in the day after missing the season’s first two games, hopped off the bench and poured in a team-high 20. Alijah Martin had 11 points and six rebounds. All told, the trio was 11-for-17 from deep (Davis and Forrest with four each) and accounted for 49 of FAU’s points, dashing a second straight outstanding performance from UF forward Colin Castleton, who finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
“We were up 10 in the second half and we let them go on a run,” Castleton said after going 11 of 25 from the floor and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. “We played horrible transition defense. We just got to…
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