Gators set to take on Oklahoma in Jumpman Invitational
The Florida Gators men’s basketball team (7-4) is slated to face the Oklahoma Sooners (8-3) on Tuesday night at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte.
The all-time series is deadlocked at two wins for each team, with the Sooners defeating the Gators 74-67 in Norman just a season ago.
This season, Florida has been up and down so far. Most recently, it took down Ohio in convincing fashion and will look to use that momentum to take down a strong Oklahoma team on Tuesday.
“Having some separation between these games, felt like we looked like a team that was more prepared coming out against Ohio,” Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden said Monday. “Had some good time to prep for that game and had a good result. That was a good building block for us heading into this Oklahoma game.
“Obviously, a really good opponent, a team that’s played really well, especially on the offensive end all year. We needed to have some time to get ready for them. We’ve put ourselves in a good spot getting into this game.”
Sooners to keep an eye out for
Grant Sherfield will garner much of Florida’s attention for 40 minutes as he leads the Sooners with an average 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.9 steals. What makes him so dangerous is his off-ball movement on the offensive end.
Oklahoma will scheme him to get open beyond the arc off inbounds. He’ll also run a number of set plays from the top of the key.
The Gators will have to keep an eye on the OU frontcourt as well, led by the Groves brothers, Tanner and Jacob. Both are averaging double figures in the scoring column.
Alongside the Groves brothers are Jalen Hill and Sam Godwin, who add extra size to the Oklahoma lineup.
“They’re top five in the country in effective field-goal percentage, so they score it well,” Golden said of the Sooners. “They’re well coached. They don’t crash the glass very hard; they get back in transition and make you try to beat them in the half court.
“But if we slow them down offensively, we’ll give ourselves a chance. Because they’re a team that is very good all the way around. But defensively, we can take advantage of some things if we execute well.”
What Florida needs to do to win
Colin Castleton will draw plenty of attention on Tuesday night near the glass. That means players such as Alex Fudge and Will Richard will have to step up to the plate.
“With teams that have a player just around his height, like 6-11 or 7-foot, they’ll play him one-on-one,” Fudge said of Castleton. “But with teams that have a guy who’s 6-9 or maybe 6-10 they’ll send two. Colin makes the great reads. That’s what makes him so special.”
In those positions, Castleton often comes as a ball handler. His teammates will have to make the right moves off-ball to get open looks for him against the Sooners.
Kowacie Reeves is coming off a season-high 20 points against Ohio a week ago. If he’s at his best, he can be the top player on the court on Tuesday night.
“And ‘Wace, he’s continuing to get more consistent in those other areas,” Golden said of Reeves. “The scoring is obviously really beneficial. We’re going to need that over the rest of the year.
“But for him and for us to be the best, [Kowacie] needs to continue to become more of a complete player like he has played over the past week. And he has the ability to do so.”
Stay tuned to Gators Online.
WHO: Florida Gators (7-4) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (8-3)
WHAT: Jumpman Invitational
WHEN: Tuesday, December 20, 9:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
WATCH: ESPN2 or ESPN App; Play-by-Play: Jon Sciambi, Color: Jay Bilas, Reporter: Angel Gray
RADIO: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD (SiriusXM 385, SXM App 975); Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley; Analyst: Lee Humphrey
BETTING LINES: Line: UF (-3); Over/Under: 134.5
