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Even a perfect performance from junior forward David Lee couldn't help No. 13 Florida avoid coach Billy Donovan's wrath.
Lee and the Gators hope to win back their demanding coach's confidence when they host Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.
``They're very,
very weak mentally,'' Donovan said of his team following a 101-84 rout of Northeastern
on Monday. ``When things don't go well for them personally, they have to fight
through that and show a better level of intensity.''
Donovan's comments came despite an outstanding performance from Lee, who tied
a Southeastern Conference record by going a perfect 12-of-12 from the field
to lead Florida (7-2) to the easy win.
Florida led by 26 midway through the second half, but Donovan was upset when the Gators got sloppy and went cold, failing to score a field goal for eight minutes.
Lee, a junior, tied his career high with 24 points and became the fifth SEC player to take a dozen shots and make every one. Most came from inside the paint after good passes from Matt Walsh, Christian Drejer and Anthony Roberson, who combined for the majority of Florida's 30 assists.
``I've been working with the coaches on finishing strong,'' said Lee, who also hit one from the top of the key and a 14-footer from the baseline.
The perfect night broke the school record of 10-for-10, set in 1981 by Randall Leath. The 12-of-12 SEC mark was last accomplished by Jarrell Evans of Mississippi and Rodney Dent of Kentucky, both in 1994.
Lee, who leads the team with 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, has been outstanding of late. The forward is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds in his last three games.
Eastern Kentucky (3-5) is coming off a 101-72 loss to No. 2 Kentucky on Tuesday. The Colonels have dropped two of three after snapping a two-game losing streak.
``Playing a great team like Kentucky highlights your weaknesses and what you need to work on,'' Eastern Kentucky coach Travis Ford said. ``Now when we play Florida, our guys should have a better understanding of what to expect when we play bigger teams.''
Michael Haney scored 15 points to lead the overmatched Colonels. Haney tops the team with 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
This is the first meeting between the teams.