Inside the box score: UF 71, FSU 55

Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports In what has become the Ham Special, sophomore Caleb Mills committed two fouls in the first 2:55 of the game (well, he was called for two) and then promptly sat on the bench until the 2nd half started. It probably doesn’t matter this game, but it’s difficult to stay mentally focused when you know you aren’t going to see the court for an hour of real time. It makes even less sense on a team that is 10-deep. The end result of this ultra conservative move was that Caleb Mills picked up his 3rd foul with less than five minutes left in the game and the outcome already decided, and he finished the game with three fouls. Thus far in the early season, 76 teams have faced at least 25 minutes with a roster that included a 2-foul player in the first half, and 90% of the coaches have chosen to allow the player to play more minutes in the first half, whereas FSU has not allowed a single possession. In the past seven years, FSU’s most aggressive 2-foul participation was 324th out of 351 teams. In the past three years, FSU has finished 345th, 341st, and 345th.

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