Everyone here knows that Florida has gotten better. But do we know why Florida has gotten better? I feel that it’s important to examine exactly what’s making the young Gators tick right now. Hopefully, we’ll be able to take this data and use it for next season.

Below are the averages for assorted statistics of three starters (Nick Calathes, Mareesse Speights, Walter Hodge) and one often-played reserve (Chandler Parsons) before and after Gymgate:

Calathes before NIT: 15.7 PPG , 4.9 RPG, 6.0 APG
Calathes during NIT: 12.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 8.3 APG

Speights before NIT: 14.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 24.0 MPG
Speights during NIT: 15.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 26.3 MPG

Parsons before NIT: 3.9 RPG, 0.4 SPG, 20.1 MPG
Parsons during NIT: 5.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 24.0 MPG

Hodge before NIT: 10.3 PPG, 2.8 APG
Hodge during NIT: 13.3 PPG, 4.0 APG

What does this mean for each young man?

Hodge: Exhibited the most dramatic improvement by far. He’s taken more responsibility as the team’s lone upperclassman. I like that, I like that, I like that.

Parsons: He appears to have worked on his conditioning during the postseason hiatus. He’s been doing more of the dirty work on the court (+1.1 RPG, +0.9 SPG) and will develop into one of the Gators’ most dangerous weapons. Consider Arizona State.

Speights: Another guy who’s been playing more minutes, having clocked 30 on two separate occasions. Talk about irony: The Gators have won more games even though Speights’ rebounding production has markedly declined. However, other guys have been stepping up and helping him out on the glass; thus, the team as a whole has grabbed more boards than in the past.

Calathes: Exhibited the most marked transformation. He’s been shooting less, but he’s been making more high-percentage baskets. Yes, the rebounding average was skewed by a 13-board performance against Creighton. But even there, he still had to grab the rock against guys two and three inches taller. As more guys have gotten open, Nick’s assist numbers have spiked. At his NIT pace, he will break the single season SEC record for assists (Held by Kentucky’s Roger Harden with 232 in ‘86) if UF reaches the NIT finals.