Gators hoops’ free-fall doesn’t mean Mike White is another Jim McElwain

The Gators’ basketball free fall in has been atrocious. The litany of blown second half leads have become comically predictable. Even when Florida went up by 11 in the second half Saturday at Vanderbilt, most fans watching on TV sort of sat back and waited for the inevitable.

Not to disappoint, UF frittered away the lead by allowing frighteningly wide open threes, by not boxing out on a free throw and missing numerous layups down the stretch. The resulting 71-68 loss to the Commodores marked the fifth time the Gators blew a double-digit lead in the final 20 minutes and lost a game, a truly astounding stat.

With the loss, the Gators — losers of four of their last six — dropped to 17-10, 8-6 in…