Finishing out their last game before a quick holiday break the Florida Gators (7-4) will look to end on a high note when they host the Colgate Raiders (6-5) on Sunday. With most of Florida’s buy game scheduling they chose to pick teams well into the 300s of the NET in order to ensure some high margins of victory, but when it came to scheduling Colgate the Gators anticipated a sneaky good low major team that would outperform its preseason projections and help the metrics, and it’s entirely possible that this will work out. The Raiders are currently outperforming their preseason metrics by quite a bit and stand right now at 167th in KenPom, so you can expect tougher competition than what the Gators just saw with Saint Francis.
This will also be a reunion for assistant coach Dave Klatsky, as he spent a number of years on the Colgate bench during an incredible stretch for the program that saw them absolutely dominate the Patriot League. Between 2019 and 2024 the Raiders won the league and made the NCAA Tournament in 5 of 6 years while boasting a potent offense for which Klatsky was in part responsible for. Colgate are still the presumed favorite going into every season in that league, but they aren’t the same runaway favorites that they were for the better part of a decade.
So far Colgate is 6-5 with a couple of requisite high-major losses, but also a couple of losses they wish they had back. Hosting Northeastern was a game they would have liked to have taken care of business in but fell just short, and they also lost a double overtime thriller at Cornell where they had multiple chances to come away victorious. In terms of buy game scenarios Colgate played Michigan State tough losing 80-69 and gave St. Bonaventure a push, losing 85-77, but they were overwhelmed by Illinois 84-65. Currently, their best win has come over Siena who comes in at 167th in KenPom.
In year 15 under head coach Matt Langel, this year’s Colgate team looks a little bit different. Langel is known as one of the top offensive minds in the country, and often when they have dominated the Patriot League they have done so with their potent scoring attack. This year they haven’t had the same level of offensive punch so they’ve had to work a lot on improving their defense, and while they still have a good way to go on that end–they’ve been playing in lower-scoring games which has allowed them to stay within striking distance of Michigan State and St. Bonaventure.
Stylistically, Colgate is a team that is going to slow the game down and be methodical in the half court, valuing every single possession and making the defense guard multiple actions. An excellent cutting and passing team, you can bet that every game Colgate is going to get a few easy points on cuts–the kind of buckets that always frustrate the opposing coach.
Leading the way for Colgate is a guard named Jalen Cox whose return to Colgate after a productive sophomore season was massive. The 6’3” Los Angeles native is averaging 16.0 points, 5.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game while hitting over 42% of threes, and he’s got the type of game and statistical profile that lights up no matter which way you look at it. Whether it’s going to score on his own, getting Colgate through their offensive progressions, or ending a possession with a jumper, Cox does everything at a high level. His ability to create extra possessions by coming away with steals is also huge for Colgate given that they don’t always get a lot of transition opportunities, and Florida’s guards will have to be careful with the ball any time he’s around.
If I had to guess, Colgate will win the Patriot League once again, and in addition to the excellent play of Cox it will likely be due to the play of their frontcourt where they have a much better rotation than most low-major teams. Sam Wright, a 6’9”, 235 pound junior brings some experience to the position, and he has also shown the ability to step out and hit threes earlier in his career, though he’s off to a slow start in that area. A huge boost to Colgate has been freshman Andrew Alekseyenko, a 6’8”, 230 forward who is averaging 14.9 points and 5.5 rebounds, often playing the “four” and providing a size mismatch at the position. Another freshman playing an important role is 6’10” Ayomi Odetoyinbo, who comes off the bench yet is averaging 2.2 blocks per game, rounding out a frontcourt that will have more size and skill than what you’d expect in a buy game scenario for the Gators.
Despite the size, Colgate was hammered on the glass against Michigan State, Illinois, and St. Bonaventure (they allowed 11, count it, 11 offensive rebounds to just one player–Frank Mitchell) so Florida will still have a massive edge on the glass, though Colgate should provide some more resistance when it comes to the Gators finishing around the rim.
Right now the Gators are looking to increase their lineup chemistry and sharpen their offense, and Colgate will provide a solid challenge while they look to do so.
Florida and Colgate will tip off Sunday, December 21st at 12 PM ET and it will be televised on SEC Network+.