Duke vs. Florida: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
After a couple of compelling overtime games, the Florida Gators and the Duke Blue Devils will battle it out in the final of the PK80 Motion Bracket. Will Mike White and the Gators hand the top-ranked team their first loss?
TV schedule: Sunday, Nov. 26, 10:30 p.m. ET. ESPN
Arena: Moda Center in Portland, Oregon
For those who thought that the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (7-0) would just cakewalk throughout the non-conference after beating Michigan State in the Champions Classic, you’ve been sadly mistaken.
They gave up 49 first-half points to the Portland State Vikings before pulling ahead for an 18 point win. The Big Sky school was more than ready to compete for long stretches of the game.
Next was Texas, who has as formidable a defense as Duke will see all season. It clearly had an effect on the freshmen players, as they couldn’t muster much offense, losing by a dozen after 20 minutes and being down by 16 in the second half. Thanks in large part to Marvin Bagley and his season-high 34 points and 15 boards, however, Duke tied it up in regulation before winning it outright in overtime, 85-78.
Gary Trent Jr. was second on the day with 17 points, and Wendell Carter had another double-double with 14 and 11. Grayson Allen and Trevon Duval combined for 16 points, which is considered an off night for them. While fans may not like the close games, it’s better for this young team to experience adversity now — before it’s too late in March.
Speaking of close, that’s what the game was all night between the No. 7 Florida Gators (5-0) and Gonzaga. The game was never out of reach for either team and after surviving several close calls in the first overtime, the Gators’ three-pointers doomed the Zags in a 111-105 win in two extra periods.
Senior point guard Chris Chiozza had his best game in a Florida uniform, with 26 points, ten assists, and eight boards to go along with a number of blazing drives to the basket. His speed while at the same time being under control is amazing to watch, and few if any guards can handle him with he puts his head down and goes for it.
But it was former Virginia Tech wing Jalen Hudson who was the star of the show, going for 35 points against Gonzaga, thanks to eight made three-pointers. He’s currently shooting over 50% from deep, and when he gets the ball in rhythm off a pass it’s nearly automatic. All of this was done without Rice graduate transfer Egor Koulechov, who only had one made field goal in the game.
Florida is now currently second in the nation in scoring offense at 100.5 ppg, which is scary considering they’re known as a solid defensive unit. The addition of the transfers has infused the kind of offense needed to go further than their elite eight run from a season ago.
Last season, Florida gave Duke a run for their money a year ago, losing just by ten points. It was the start of the national attention starting to be shown for the Gators, which will only rise this season. Of the main players who played in last year’s game that returned, Allen struggled with the defense, only getting six points.
On the side of Florida, now senior center John Egbunu had nine points and 12 rebounds, while displaying top-notched defense and rebounding. Unfortunately, he won’t be available for at least another month while recovering from an ACL injury. This puts coach White at a bid disadvantage while dealing with Carter and Bagley.
Next: Duke vs. Florida by position
This is a difficult game to predict, as the bigs for Duke should dominate this game. But the Blue Devils defense isn’t very good right now, and if Florida hits their threes it could be a game changer. It’s hard to pick against Duke, and I won’t do it now, but by no means would I be surprised if Florida pulls out a win where a lot of points will be scored.
Prediction: Duke 92 – Florida 86