So-called “secret scrimmages” have become a regular part of college basketball, closed-door exhibitions where two teams get an opportunity to run their guys out against fresh competition for the first time in months after simply competing against each other in practice for the last couple of months.
Once upon a time, these games truly were a secret. They option went without anyone knowing outside of the two teams participating. The NCAA didn’t allow video, or fans, so anything that happened in these games was not much more than instant legend. There have likely been some truly legendary secret scrimmages that have happened in the past, and some tremendous teams that have fallen to the lowest of low-major teams, though these games never saw the light of day due to the fact they aren’t truly sanctioned events. Nowadays these games aren’t anywhere near as secret, with many getting openly announced by teams. While oftentimes there is still no video allowed, often there is a box score made available to those who dig deep enough to find it.
For many high-major teams, including the Gators, secret scrimmages are to be played against mid-major competition, usually the really good ones. You know, the type of mid-major team that is so good that the high-major team wouldn’t want to put them on their regular schedule, lest they risk the chance at a loss. South Florida and Richmond are two teams the Gators have faced in the past, and that’s usually the type of squad they’d go against.
However, this year looks different.
A North Carolina source tells me that the Tar Heels and Gators are set to take part in a “secret scrimmage,” meaning the Gators are going to battle not a plucky mid-major upstart, but a blue blood.
For a veteran team like the Gators with a lot of pieces that need to come together, this is a tremendous challenge. What better way for Mike White to see which of his guys can hang at the high-major level than to, well, play a high-major opponent, and a really good one at that.
North Carolina might not be the perennial national title contender they have been in recent memory but they are still a fantastic team that will certainly be in the preseason top-25, likely somewhere between 12th and 18th. One of the reasons they might be ranked lower than they normally would is the fact that longtime head coach Roy Williams announced his retirement this offseason, leading the way for Hubert Davis to take the mantle.
Under Roy Williams the Tar Heels were known as a team that would play two huge frontcourt players at the same time and play bully ball on the inside. They were also known for their famous “secondary break” offense where they would get early actions to score before the defense was set up.
Now under Hubert Davis, some things are set to change. He says he’s still planning on playing fast (North Carolina has been one of the fastest high major teams over the last decade) and running the secondary break, but he’s playing a bit smaller and is only planning on having one big on the floor at a time. Playing against the transition attack of the Tar Heels will be a great challenge for Mike White and Florida, a team that has wanted to play fast but hasn’t yet learned how to do it consistently at the high-major level.
Armando Bacot is the returning bruiser at center that the Gators will need to be aware of, a physical 6’10” monster who will be a great challenge for Colin Castleton. He averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds last year and loves to seal opposing big men on the block for easy dunks. It will be a huge physical challenge for Castleton, one that should set him up well for another year of SEC rigors.
Hubert Davis landed two excellent stretch fours in the transfer portal in Marquette’s Dawson Garcia and Oklahoma’s Brady Manek. Both are excellent shooters on the outside, and both are still long (6’11” for Garcia, 6’9” for Manek) and they’ll provide matchup challenges. Garcia is the more true stretch big men who can stroke it from deep and Manek, while also possessing a great outside shot, can also get busy in the low post and get interior buckets.
Carolina’s backcourt doesn’t have a clear star but it has a number of capable guards with good size in Caleb Love, Leaky Black, Kerwin Walton, and RJ Davis, all who have been 7-10 point scorers at North Carolina. None have yet shown they can shoulder the offensive load on their own, but the Tar Heels are hoping one or more of them can break out and lead the team offensively. North Carolina doesn’t have a clear star on their roster but they have excellent depth, which, well, looks a bit like what the Gators are looking at this year. For that reason it’s an excellent matchup and one that should be extremely helpful to both teams.
It’s unknown exactly how this scrimmage will look, as different teams use them in a number of ways. Some do true exhibition matches, while others stop the game and trade special situations. Again, these are completely closed door scrimmages only for the sake of both teams getting better, so they want to make sure they get some run in a number of situations.
Unfortunately none of us will get to see what takes place in this game but it’s a perfect opportunity for the Gators to see where they’re at and where they need to get to. Playing a secret scrimmage like this should help them get ready for the season in a hurry and it could pay dividends in the early matchups, such as Florida State in the second contest of the season.