After playing a Towson team that was comfortable with a slow, physical game the Gators will need to make a hard pivot to take on the UConn Huskies, a team that’s as fast as anyone in the country that will be looking to keep the pace accelerated in front of their home crowd. They currently sit 3rd in the country in average possession length making them easily the fastest playing non-low major team in the country and against a Gators team that plays the opposite pace this could be fascinating matchup. Florida hasn’t played like a cohesive unit up until this point of the season and it could be tough for them to get their rhythm against the frenetic Huskies but if they can pull off this win on the road it would be a valuable addition to their resume.
Program Outlook/Season To Date
UConn is in their second season under Dan Hurley, a firecracker on the sideline who always makes sure his guys play with the intensity he possesses. Last season saw the Huskies go 16-17 in an injury-riddled season but now they are fully healthy and we’ll be able to see what Hurley’s teams can really do. Florida gets the return game from UConn in Gainesville next season so this is matchup you can get used to. What makes this season big for UConn is that next year they are returning to the Big East and they are certainly looking to gain some momentum before getting back to one of the best conferences in college basketball. Their season has seen them go 1-1 with a loss to Saint Joseph’s, a team the Gators will see on Thursday of next week. In that game they were all out of sorts defensively which allowed Saint Joseph’s to win 96-87 and the way UConn struggled to guard should give Florida’s coaching staff some confidence heading into their matchup.
UConn’s Defensive Woes
In giving up 96 points to Saint Joseph’s there were definitely some cracks exposed in UConn’s armor, one of which is how they can struggle with physical guards. The Huskies have an undersized backcourt rotating through 6’0 Alterique Gilbert, 6’2” Christian Vital, and 6’2” Jalen Gaffney and while those are all talented players they all struggled with some physicality from Saint Joseph’s more stout perimeter players. Countless times Saint Joseph’s had straight line drives to the hoop where they simply shielded the ball and bullied their way to the hoop and this will be a game where Scottie Lewis and Andrew Nembhard will hopefully be able to do the same.
Against Towson Coach White used Nembhard on the low block on multiple plays, allowing him to post up and either get a shot for himself or wait for the defense to collapse before finding the open man. This was effective against Towson with Nembhard getting a few buckets and assists from this position and considering the fact he’ll likely be guarded by 6’0”, 180 pound Alterique Gilbert for most of the game it’s likely they’ll go back to him in the post.
Another area where UConn struggled was in the defensive rebounding column where they gave up a boatload of extra possessions to Saint Joseph’s who had a number of key baskets on offense rebound put backs. UConn has a 6’11, 260 pound bruiser in Josh Carlton that will likely start at center but he doesn’t play normal starter’s minutes as Hurley would prefer to play small with slender freshman Akok Akok (6’9”, 195 pounds) at the center spot. Florida has the frontcourt bodies to really pound the glass and against a UConn team that struggles on the boards the Gators need to win this battle. If Florida’s offense isn’t clicking yet they’ll need to rebound the ball to get second chance opportunities and they should be able to do that Sunday. The Gators are currently 62nd in offensive rebound percentage and that number will hopefully climb after they play the Huskies. One player to watch will be Omar Payne who has been productive when he’s gotten on the floor but only played 14 minutes against Towson. If the Gators roll out Kerry Blackshear Jr. next to Payne they could be a handful for UConn to try to keep off the glass and it might bring Florida some success.
One area where the Huskies are excellent defensively is in transition where they haven’t given teams any easy buckets. You aren’t going to find many teams as fast as UConn and not only do they have wheels but they communicate well, find shooters, and simply don’t have breakdowns that allow their opposition to get easy points. Florida hasn’t been able to do much when it comes to transition offense so far this season and UConn won’t be the opponent to start getting fast break buckets against. Obviously the Gators would love to get easy points in transition but those are tough to come by when you’re playing the Huskies.
Dynamic Backcourt
UConn’s backcourt might give up some buckets on their own end but when they get the ball they are electric. Christian Vital is leading the way averaging a staggering 21.5 points per game while Alterique Gilbert, a former McDonald’s All-American who hasn’t been able to find his footing in college, averages 14. For them everything starts in transition where they’ll try to push the ball off a make or a miss. Both players are blurs in transition and if they get past their opponent’s 3-point line with defenders still backpedalling they’ll change directions and get easy looks at the rim with regularity. Florida’s transition defense is sure to be tested on Sunday with UConn’s speed and dedication to transition and if they don’t hustle back and communicate defensively they’ll be a victim of one of the best fast break attacks in the league.
Vital is a bit more of a shooter than Gilbert and plays well off the ball whereas Gilbert is someone who wants to bounce the ball, probe defenses, and get the hoop. Vital often leads the break but once they get into the half court it’s usually Gilbert handling the ball and using ball screens with an intent to get into the paint and finish. Who the Gators decide to use as defensive players for these matchups will be interesting as it’s a bit of a pick-your-poison situation. Obviously the points per game category makes Vital look like a drastically better scorer but a lot of what he does is in transition where you’re not focusing on individual defensive matchups but in the half court they’re both about equally deadly.
Huskie System
Offensively UConn uses a lot of dribble handoff, weave-type action that has the goal of getting their guards going downhill towards the hoop. From there they are always looking to hit cutters, something you don’t always see in modern college basketball where nearly everyone is looking to spot up. Their constant weaves can make for miscommunication as to who is in help defense position and if there are any lapses they can often exploit it. They have a couple of hot shooters in 6’9” Tyler Polley (5-9 from three) and Akok Akok (2-3) but generally this is a team looking for easy layups at the rim.
Keys For The Gators
Stopping UConn’s transition attack will be their number one goal and if they accomplish that they should be in good shape. A whopping 21.5% of UConn’s shots come on the fast break and they are noticeably more efficient in transition than in the half court so if the Gators can keep the pace of the game down, something they did extremely well against fast teams last season, they’ll have an advantage. In the frontcourt battle the Gators definitely have the advantage and utilizing Kerry Blackshear Jr. has to be a focus, something they have tried to do so far this season but with mixed results. Blackshear Jr. has had double-digit rebounds in every game this season and he’ll need to stay active on the glass against UConn where, if he does, he should have some easy put back attempts.
Andrew Nembhard, Noah Locke, and Tre Mann have all had some defensive issues to start the season, especially when it comes to stopping drives and they’re going to be tested against Alterique Gilbert and Christian Vital. Those two players are going to look to get to the paint every time down the floor and if Florida’s guards can’t move their feet and stop penetration the Gators could have a frustrating day defensively. Kerry Blackshear Jr. doesn’t offer the same shot blocking that Kevarrius Hayes did last year when Florida gave up drives so if Gilbert and Vital get past their man they might get all the way to the hoop. Florida hasn’t proven yet that they can outscore opponents and right now they need to win games with their defense and that could be the scenario on Sunday where if they don’t defend, they don’t win.
Matchup Outlook
UConn is a team that has thrived in transition defense but hasn’t looked good in half court defense and considering that Florida doesn’t look to score in transition and wants to play in the half court that should benefit them. The Gators are primed to dominate the rebounding category of this game and if they can prevent UConn from running out by pressuring them with offensive rebounding than Florida should like their chances defensively. There is definitely a chance that Alterique Gilbert or Christian Vital stresses Florida’s defense but as long as at least one of them is contained the Gators should be in good shape.