Things went according to plan for the Gators on opening night of the season as they controlled Loyola Maryland from start to finish winning 93-73. Jumping out to a 16-0 lead to begin the game it was clear that the Gators had energy and focus coming out in front of their home crowd and while the Greyhounds were able to keep things within reason near the close of the first half, ultimately this game was all orange and blue. Transition was where the Gators did their best work, pushing the ball at every opportunity which turned into layups and open threes. This was Florida’s 41st consecutive home opening win, and luckily the game was never in jeopardy.
Returning Star
When Riley Kugel announced that he would be returning to Florida he immediately landed on every “breakout” list from national media and he lived up to the billing on Monday scoring 23 points and adding 4 assists and 3 rebounds. It hardly seemed like Kugel broke a sweat in doing so, looking relaxed as he blew by defenders with a lightning quick first step finished around the rim with power. It was clear that Kugel was looking to distribute the ball and find teammates as much as possible and he was rewarded with 4 assists, many of which came where he could have forced up his own shot and instead chose to look for a better shot for the team. An even more impressive stat was 6 steals for Kugel who was a menace in passing lanes picking off a number of wing to point passes that turned into transition buckets on the other end. If Kugel’s season goes at all like it did on Monday, watch out.
Welcome, Newcomers
Fans got their first look at Florida’s incoming freshmen and transfers, and the welcome was warm. Micah Handlogten was the leader among freshmen with 16 points and 6 rebounds, scoring in a number of ways (more on that later). Tyrese Samuel was impactful from the jump with 15 points and 8 rebounds, including a smooth midrange jumper off a few dribbles. Walter Clayton had 9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and a massive chasedown block that shows athleticism the Gators haven’t had from the guard spot in a number of years. Julian Rishwain came into the game and knocked down a three, an incredible story since it was thought he might not be able to play until 2024 due to an injury it looks like he has bounced back from.
Now, for the freshmen. Alex Condon was a monster off the bench with 13 points and 3 rebounds, and his energy and physicality was noticeable the moment he checked into the game. Thomas Haugh was also able to see the scoreboard with 6 points and 3 rebounds, while Kajus Kublickas had 2 points in the final minutes of the game.
Stretch Bigs
Florida was 6-16 from the three-point line Monday (38%) and 4 of those threes came from unlikely sources. Alex Condon checked into the game and immediately knocked down a pair of confident threes, finishing 2-3 from deep. Condon was not a good three-point shooter in his past year in Australia, but a completely reworked form looks to have had great results. Next, Micah Handlogten, who only had one single three-pointer made in his freshman season, decided to start firing from deep, hitting not one but two deep balls. It’s been a while since the Gators have had stretch fives on the roster, and it looks like this year they might just have two.
One area the Gators would like to see some improved shooting is from the charity stripe where they were only 15-30. Tyrese Samuel was one of the offenders at 5-10, with perhaps the most surprising numbers coming from Walter Clayton at 0-3. Last year at Iona Clayton was one of the best free throw shooters in the country at 95%, missing only 5 free throws also season long. He’s unfortunately well on his way to matching that total number of misses after only one game.
Final Thoughts
Things went about as well as the Gators could have hoped on opening night. The energy level was extremely high and what Golden wanted most from his team was executed–rebounding and tempo. Florida will have a much bigger test on Friday when they take on Virginia in Charlotte.