Florida vs. Gonzaga: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
After easily dispatching both of their opening round opponents, the No. 7 Florida Gators will take on the No. 17 Gonzaga Bulldogs for a spot in the finals in the Motion Bracket of the PK80 Invitational. Who gets to move on?
TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 24, 11:30 p.m. ET. ESPN2
Arena: Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon
Mark Few and the defending national runner-ups Gonzaga Bulldogs (4-0) have reloaded after losing a ton of talent to remain a top-20 team to start off this season.
They’re led by junior point guard Josh Perkins and senior forward Johnathan Williams, who each had big games in the first round win versus Ohio State. After each team got off to a hot start from distance, it was the Zags and Perkins, who kept it going.
The point guard had 20 points, with a bunch of deep first-half threes going in. Williams led the blowout in the second half as a 17-0 run made the game unreachable for the Buckeyes. Despite only playing three minutes in the first 20 minutes due to foul trouble, freshman wing Corey Kispert scored eight big points to start the second half off. They won by 27 points, 86-59.
The Florida Gators (4-0) just ran right through Stanford, basically from the get-go. Rice grad transfer Egor Koulechov continues being the best off-season acquisition from the free agent market, leading all scorers with 26 points and hitting all five three-pointers. Point guard Chris Chiozza gave the ball to everyone all night, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists. Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Hudson chipped in 17 as well.
This game is a rematch of the semis in the Advocare Invitational, in which the Gators held a first-half double-digit lead before the Zags stormed back to win. It was Williams break out game for the Zags, after struggling in his first few games.
Things will be a bit different in this game, as both teams won’t have their primary centers from a year ago. Przemek Karnowski graduated for Gonzaga, while John Egbunu will be out until January with an injury. This will be the first true test for either team in terms of “elite” competition.
Next: Preview of the PK80 Motion Bracket
Both teams like to score but are also great team defenses. While the stars of both teams are upperclassmen, the Zags have a few more “green” players that need some more experience in these moments, while the Gators don’t have to worry. This will be a different team in March for Gonzaga, but for now, the Gators are the more composed team. Still, it should be a great late-night battle.
Prediction: Florida 80 – Gonzaga 74