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No. 6 Florida beats Alabama, but it wasn’t exactly pretty

Florida v Auburn

AUBURN, AL - JANUARY 18: Scottie Wilbekin #5 of the Florida Gators attempts to maneuver by Tahj Shamsid-Deen #13 of the Auburn Tigers during the second half of play at Auburn Arena on January 18, 2014 in Auburn, Alabama. Florida defeated Auburn 68-61. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Michael Chang

Michael Frazier II had 18 points and Casey Prather added 14 points and six boards as No. 6 Florida overcame a sluggish performance to knock off Alabama, 68-62.

It feels like we’ve said this before.

When the Gators played at Arkansas, they needed overtime to knock off the Razorbacks. When they played at Auburn, they only managed to beat the Tigers by seven.

Now, the SEC may not be all that good this season, but that doesn’t change the fact that winning on the road in league play is a tough thing to do. It doesn’t matter what league you’re in.

But it’s also fair to say that the Gators have been less than impressive on the offensive end of the floor in recent weeks. For a team that plays a lot of minutes with two point guards on the floor, the Gators have a tendency to go through stretches where they just aren’t that good offensively.

It makes sense when you think about it. Their leading scorer is Prather, who is a slasher who game is more or less limited to five feet and in. Frazier is pigeon-holed as a spot-up shooter. Patric Young and Dorian Finney-Smith are good, but they aren’t exactly known for being able to create their own shots.

Quite a bit of the pressure to create falls on Scottie Wilbekin and Kasey Hill as a result, and while both missed time earlier in the year, they should be healthy -- and in Billy Donovan’s good graces -- at this point.

So here’s my question: are these recent offensive funks a sign of playing on the road, or are they a precursor for bigger issues?