How to watch: Florida Gators vs. Richmond basketball
The Florida Gators looked very average in the first half — and very good in the second half — of their recent 77-57 win over Merrimack. Which Florida team will show up Saturday against Richard (5-4) at 4 p.m. at the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla.?
Florida coach Todd Golden certainly hopes it’s the latter.
That’s because the Spiders figure to be a worthy opponent.
“Really, really good offensive team” Golden said this week. “Obviously, very systematic and running a lot of the stuff we ran last year. So far, I think, they’ve been top-five in America in terms of their turnover rate. They’re a very effective field goal team. They don’t crash the glass very aggressively and haven’t been getting fouled a lot, so they’ve got to make some shots, but they do a good job of getting good shots every time down. Defensively, they’re not the most athletic team we’ll face. But I feel they do a very good job playing positional defense. Similar to Wake Forest, the way they guarded us inside-out. I think we’ve got to be prepared for that, as well.”
Saturday’s game will air on SEC Network, and it will also be streaming on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
Guard Walter Clayton Jr. led Florida with 26 points Tuesday against Merrimack but the Gators shot just 39.7 percent from the field. The difference in the game might have been Florida’s 57-33 rebounding edge as 24 of them came on the offensive end.
The Florida Gators have a balanced scoring attack
For the season, Florida shoots at a 46 percent clip. And the scoring has been incredibly balanced. Four Gators average double-figures in scoring and two more are at 8 points per game. Clayton leads the way with a 16.9 average, followed by another guard, Riley Kugel at 13.9.
Forward Tyrese Samuel has been Florida’s most consistent player in the paint; he averages 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds.
Richmond does not have a signature win this season but the Spiders lost to then-No. 18 Colorado by only five, 64-59. Guard Jordan King leads the team in scoring at 20.9 points per game. Seven-foot center Neal Quinn is second in scoring (13.8), first in rebounding (6.2) and first in assists (3.8).
“They have a very unique style in terms of playing out of a lot of Princeton actions that we ran last year,” Golden said. “And they do a really good job of playing together. Very low turnover rate. They do a really good job of getting a shot almost every time down the court.”
