Following one of the toughest losses in the Mike White era the 6-2 Gators will try to turn things around in a hurry on Wednesday back at home against the North Florida Ospreys who are 0-8 on the season against division-I competition.
On Monday the Gators were soundly thumped 69-54 by Texas Southern, who entered the game winless at 0-7, so Florida will desperately try not to play slumpbuster two times in the same week.
North Florida, coached by Matthew Driscoll, have become a fairly regular opponent on Florida’s non-conference schedule. In his 13th year at North Florida, Driscoll has become a familiar face on the landscape of college basketball and his free-flowing style has always been a good test for the Gators in the early season.
So far the Ospreys have got two wins against division-II opponents but are 0-8 against D-I competition. They’re schedule has been extremely challenging as they go through a series of buy games, many of which have been on the west coast. They played Texas Tech and Texas A&M on back to back nights before heading out west to play Grand Canyon, Arizona State, and UCLA, an extremely challenging road trip. They then played Kentucky before rounding out their schedule with FIU and Florida Atlantic. Many of their losses have been blowouts, though they did play Arizona State within 9 points which was probably their best game of the season so far.
Driscoll and the Ospreys have given the Gators some decent contests through the last couple of years, though this year the program has a bit of a different look. In the transfer-heavy world of college basketball it can be tough to keep players around but Driscoll has been able to keep a number of classes together for multiple seasons. Ivan Gandia-Rosa, JT Escobar, Garrett Sams, and Wajid Aminu were players that played against the Gators for four seasons and battled hard but they have since graduated, ushering in a bit of a rebuild for the Ospreys.
North Florida starts a trio of third year players in Emmanuel Adedoyin, Jose Placer, and Dorian James, next to a second year center in Jadyn Parker, a 6’10”, 180 pound center who will probably play a key role against the Gators.
These four players work around Carter Hendricksen, the featured offensive talent on the roster. The fourth year forward was someone who got considerable minutes as a young player playing next to the Gandia-Rosa-Escobar-Sams-Amniu class and that experience has helped him become a leader in the next phase of Osprey basketball. He leads the team with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game and is the most important player to their offense. At 6’7” he isn’t particularly imposing but he’s an intelligent player with plenty of savvy and he’s the focus of their offensive attack.
You may remember from past battles with North Florida that they have a very defined style of play–and that’s a heavy focus on getting up three-point shots. Focusing so much on getting up a high number of long balls the Ospreys have earned the nickname “Birds Of Trey,” something extremely fitting. Against any opponent they try to let threes fly, but it usually goes to another level when they take on a high major opponent. Hitting a bunch of threes is a great way for an underdog to take down the favorite, so you know they’ll come into Gainesville with a green light.
North Florida takes nearly half of their shots from three, for better or for worse. They have only hit 32% from three this season, 223rd in the country, but they’re banking on the possibility of getting hot and catching an opponent on a night where they’re struggling offensively.
While many of North Florida’s shooters are a bit more of the streaky variety, third year Emmanuel Adedoyin is one of the more consistent. He’s shooting 45% on the season, though that is aided by an 8-11 night against D2 Webber International. He’s still someone to locate on the perimeter and show a little bit of extra care while guarding North Florida’s actions.
For the Gators, this game is all about getting right after one of the most shocking losses in recent program history. A lot of that will start on the offensive end, as that’s the side of the ball where the Gators have had more issues. Florida has shown very little rhythm and flow on the offensive side of the ball through the last couple of games and it has cost them in games where they have probably defended well enough to win but couldn’t muster up enough buckets to come out on top. Does Mike White change up his rotation to try and catch a spark from a fresh lineup, or does he stick with his seven man rotation and look to continue to build chemistry? That will be something to watch for, and perhaps the biggest storyline of the contest unless the Gators come out flat once again.
The game takes place Wednesday, December 8th at 7 PM ET, and will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.