The Florida Gators will be back on the hardwood Thursday as the NCAA tournament gets underway. Florida landed the No. 4 seed in the East region that matches them up against ETSU in Orlando on Thursday. ETSU enters the tournament after winning the Southern Conference Championship and holds a 27-7(14-4) record.
The Buc’s are coached by a face that is similar to the SEC. Steve Forbes spent time at Texas A&M as an assistant from 2004-2006, then returned to the league to coach under Bruce Pearl at Tennessee from 2006-2011. Forbes also was mentored by another notable head coach in Coach Greg Marshall at Wichita State, where he worked from 2013-2015. It is easy to see the things that Forbes has taken with him from his time working under Pearl and Marshall: up-tempo offense and high-pressure defense.
High-octane offense and pressure defense are what the Southern conference champs’ pride themselves on. Averaging nearly 80 points per game (79.9) and also shooting the ball at a high rate from behind the arc (.383). Tempo is the name of the game for the Bucs, who are 14th in the country in steals. The offense flows from the production that occurs on the defensive end. Getting to the line for some freebies is a huge part of what they do, as they are 9th in the country in free throws attempted.
TJ Comer is the engine that makes the Bucs go. The 6’3 senior Guard leads the team with 19.1 PPG and is a 40% 3pt shooter. Comer can score at a high rate, as we saw with his 41 point performance in the conference tournament against Samford (9-12) from behind the arc. His backcourt mate is Desonta Bradford a 6’4 Jr guard who averages 10.6 PPG 4.5 RPG. Bradford prides himself on being an elite defender and crashing the glass. Bradford will have the task of guarding Gators guard KeVaughn Allen. The front court presence for the Bucs is Tevin Glass (Wichita State transfer) who is an athletic 6’8 senior who averages 8.9 PPG 6.2 RPG. Unlike many mid-major programs, the Bucs have rim protectors and Glass is a major reason for that.
”The first thing we like to do as a staff is studying their computer numbers and synergy numbers, and then we will watch their last five or six games and maybe watch a few more from the begging of the season,” Florida coach Mike White said of preparing for ETSU. “At the same time, we don’t want it to be paralysis by analysis. A lot of it needs to be about us and our approach and cleaning up some of our own stuff.”
After watching the game film I left very impressed with what the Bucs do. Comer is a guy who can get to the bucket at ease, as well as kill you from distance. The Big are athletic and can move up and down the court at a great pace which makes them a dangerous team in the open court. However, I see many ways that the Gators can exploit the weakness that the Bucs have.
The Bucs foul a lot due to the aggressive nature in which they play which allows the Gators to earn it from the line. Turnovers are also an issue that the Gators will have to take advantage of.
The matchup to watch in this game is Kasey Hill and TJ Comer. Both wear #0 and both are pivotal pieces in the success of their teams. I believe that Hill is a guy that can slow down Comers production and forces someone else to make shots for the Bucs. Kevarrius Hayes, who didn’t match up well against Luke Kornet at all last game, should have a better matchup against Tevin Glass. Both are similar players and this allows Hayes to be more comfortable and play his type of game.