Riley Kugel, Tyrese Samuel react to Florida's win vs. Loyola Maryland

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators opened their 2023-24 season Monday with a 93-73 win over Loyola Maryland. Four different UF players scored in double figures, led by star sophomore guard Riley Kugel.

Kugel had a team-high 23 points, including a 10-for-12 showing from 2-point range. It marked his fourth career 20-point game and one point shy of matching his career high. His career-high six steals marked the most by a Gator since Kevarrius Hayes had six in the 2017 NCAA Tournament vs. Virginia.

Graduate transfer forward Tyrese Samuel scored 15 points and tied the team-high with eight rebounds. He was one of three bigs to finish in double figures, along with sophomore Micah Handlogten (16), and freshman Alex Condon (13), both of whom hit a pair of 3-pointers.

Here is everything Kugel and Samuel said after Florida’s win over the Greyhounds.

Riley Kugel Q&A

On what went into his performance:

Kugel: “I’m definitely more than just a scorer, I think. I feel like last year, you saw a glimpse, a tiny bit of my game. Now, this year, I can show y’all everything I can bring to the table.”

On how much he’s improved:

Kugel: “I would say I get better each year just by the confidence I get every year and it really just starts with the guys around me and just being able to mesh well with them.”

On Golden’s message at halftime:

Kugel: “Honestly, we were kind of just letting up on defense. We just started getting tired. Fatigue started hitting us and we just weren’t playing solid defense like we should be. But that’s all just — we can work on those things. It’ll just get better next time.”

On having a sense of urgency ahead of facing Virginia on Friday:

Kugel: “I say just keep attacking practice every day like we should be. Just stack days. Each day we get better and better.”

On Walter Clayton Jr. running point:

Kugel: “He did a great job. You know, he really like came from a high school that was fast-paced, tempo. So, it’s like now it’s starting translate and you’re really starting to see the player he is.”

On how having more capable athletes around him benefits his game:

Kugel: “It opens up a lot. You know, we got two big men on the court at the same time that can pass and handle ball, then we got two wings that can jump high, shoot the ball good and then you got a great point guard that pushes the ball well, facilitates to the right people. Everybody just has a good opportunity to score, to pass and it’s just endless possibilities for us to score the ball.”

Tyrese Samuel Q&A

On getting the season started and thoughts on the game:

Samuel: “It felt good. We got to play someone different. Obviously, we had some exhibition games, but this is the real thing and people get to see all the hard work we put in all summer and all fall so it was good to finally play in front of some fans and play against someone different.”

On getting ready for a big game on Friday against Virginia and the importance of the opener against Loyola MD:

Samuel: “It’s like a confidence booster, especially for freshmen and even us, just finding new ways and things — everyone has a different play style so just knowing what we need to do to adjust and just kind of learn from every game. It doesn’t matter who we play, it’s just going to help our team in the long run at the end of the day.”

On playing with Handlogten and their chemistry:

Samuel: “It was great. I practice with him every day. We work well together I feel like. We all work well together. I just think that we’re going to continue to get better. We’re going to play different teams and everyone is going to have their night one day. One night it will be Micah, one night it will be Condo. It is what it is and we’re fine with that as long as we play together, that’s all that matters.”

On Condon and Handlogten hitting 3s:

Samuel: “Condo, I knew because he shoots them in practice. Micah, he didn’t shoot one all year so when I saw him shoot both and make both, I was kind of like, ‘Woah, he really makes them.’ He made two in a row so I was like, ‘OK, keep on shooting them, I don’t mind.'”

On the benefit for being surrounded by frontcourt players with diverse skill sets:

Samuel: “I think it’s really key because it opens the floor for all the guards and we have athletic guards who can finish at the rim. As long as we can shoot, they can’t pack up the paint.”

On what he said to Handlogten when he made the 3s:

Samuel: “I just opened my eyes and was like, ‘Who just shot that?’ When I saw it was Micah, I just put my 3s up for him.”

On how he would assess his performance:

Samuel: “I think I did OK. I think I did alright. Free-throw line, I was like ah, bad one today. But it’s OK, I promise I’ll be better. But I think I did OK. I give my game 6.5 out of 10.”

On having a sense of urgency ahead of facing Virginia on Friday:

Samuel: “Yeah, it’s not going to get easier so we just got to keep on practicing, don’t worry about who we’re playing just lock and play hard. We got enough talent and enough depth to do amazing things.”

On Florida’s fastbreak performance:

Samuel: “We emphasize it in practice. We got to run, run, run. So, it’s kinda like no surprise to us. I feel like we emphasize scoring and running in transition a lot. Twenty-one? I feel like we can do better. I feel like there will be better games.”

On Florida’s chemistry:

Samuel: “I think we play unselfish right now. I think it’s only going to get better the more we play against other teams and things. Just knowing each other and what everyone’s niches are. It’s still good right now. It’s obviously going to get better but it’s nothing bad right now. I think we’re good right now for the first game.”

On Alex Condon:

Samuel: “I think he handled it really well. I think he embraced it, which was really good. He just went out there and just played his game, stayed confident, hit the open ones. For his first game, I think it’s good. That means it can only get better. Obviously, if he has a bad game, we’ll have to talk to him to make sure he doesn’t get in his head and stuff, because you can’t always have a good game. But, I think he’s going to be a great piece for our team this year.”