With Florida starting their season with more high-major opponents than has been the case in quite a while you might think that the Gators are getting ready for an easy showing on Friday when they take on the Merrimack Warriors, but this could sneakily be a more challenging game than one could expect. Right now the Gators sit at 3-1, though they haven’t exactly been playing at the level they think they should be at, and while they’ll look to build their confidence in a buy game scenario–Merrimack (1-3) is no easy out.
If you haven’t heard of the way Merrimack plays basketball, you are in for one of the more unique teams in the country. Ever since joining the division-I level in 2019-20, the Warriors have been a force in the Northeast Conference (and now the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) by playing essentially 100% of their possessions in a 2-3 zone defense. While zone usage is steadily increasing around the country there are few teams that commit to it fully, but Merrimack has done it for years and it has made them a difficult team to prepare for as they are as disciplined in the zone as really any team in not just the country–but the world. Head coach Joe Gallo is one of the best teachers in the country, and someone who you will likely see coaching at a much bigger program in short order. Not only has his Merrimack teams seen success under him and his tremendous zone coaching, but he is sought after around the world as someone to teach the finer points of the 2-3, known by multiple NBA teams who look to him to gain an edge.
What makes the Merrimack zone so special is that they aren’t just stuck in a base 2-3 that is predictable–they still scout with it, making adjustments based on opponents just like anyone in a man-to-man scheme would, and they will throw some different looking alignments that can mess up conventional zone offenses such as having their wings much higher than what you would expect. Notably–Merrimack does not give up many threes in their 2-3 zone which is something that most zone teams are willing to give up. Last season the Warriors were 94th in the country in terms of limiting three-point attempts, and in this short season so far they come in at 84th. Given how Florida’s three-point shooting has been so crooked you do wonder if they will be willing to allow more three-point looks, but this will be an adjustment to monitor.
While Merrimack can really frustrate opponents with their connectivity in the zone and with tremendous coaching from Gallo, they are yet to have really upset any high-major teams early in seasons because ultimately, they are a very small school in a small league that does not have resources to get talent, and they are going to be quite undersized and under-athletic relative to a team like Florida. Gallo’s ability to maximize talent and put a strong team on the floor every year is nothing short of remarkable, and while he will scheme up a way to at least keep the Warriors in the game–they don’t have the kind of athlete that can comfortably hang with the top teams in D-1. Florida did play Merrimack in the 2023-24 season and we saw this exact script play out–it was Merrimack that actually jumped out early and had a 21-11 lead, but ultimately the Gators just overwhelmed with athleticism, grabbing 24 offensive rebounds and ultimately winning 77-57. Merrimack does a great job of limiting some of the traditional downsides of playing a 2-3 zone, such as taking away the three-point line, but they haven’t been able to overcome the inherent struggles of defensive rebounding in a zone and will give up a ton of offensive rebounds. For a Florida team that has struggled to shoot the three but is excellent on the glass, this could be an opportunity for them to put up their strongest offensive rebounding night of the season. Merrimack’s center rotation consists of 6’7”, 220 pound Todd Brogna, 6’8”, 230 pound KC Ugwuakazi, and 6’7, 230 pound Dylan Veillette, and while these are good players who are mobile in the zone–they aren’t built for battling SEC size, and this will become a tough matchup.
Coach Gallo might be seen as a bit radical for his 2-3 zone commitment on defense, and if you think that you’ll probably think his offense is a bit radical as well as he has committed to a barrage of three-point attempts that has seen 53% of their shots come from behind the arc this season. Playing the tremendous zone on defense and then bombing away from three on the other end is a great strategy for overcoming teams that might be more talented than them, so look for Merrimack to really look for deep shots against the Gators.
The number one player to watch offensively for Merrimack is Ernest Shelton, someone who looks like one of the best value pickups in the country as he came from division-II Gannon. Through four games he is averaging 22.8 points while shooting 19-37 (51%) from three, and at 6’5” he’s capable of getting his shot off in most scenarios. In Merrimack’s lone buy game so far against Auburn he had 21 points while going 5-10 from three, so he has already proven the shooting isn’t a fluke, and the Gators will have to be diligent at keeping him away from open looks.
With Florida’s size and depth in the frontcourt it is likely they could brute force their way to a win no matter how poorly they execute in other elements of the game, but given the fact that they haven’t yet played their best basketball, it’s important the Gators treat this game with a ton of respect and have a great week of practice preparing for the Merrimack zone. With a number of days before Friday’s matchup Florida’s staff has the opportunity to install some quality zone looks, and how well the Gators execute should say a lot about their ability to adjust and execute a scout.
Florida and Merrimack will tip off Friday, November 21st at 7 PM ET, and it will be televised on SEC Network +.