Florida Basketball: Top 5 non-conference opponents for the Gators in 2018-19
Florida Basketball has an extremely impressive non-conference schedule that is loaded with difficult competition. Who are the toughest opponents on this gauntlet of a schedule?
Non-conference schedules have begun to trickle out and Florida’s is certainly eye-catching. The Gators have loaded up on quality opponents which will only help them prepare for an intense competition at the top of the SEC.
Florida’s schedule includes tough road and neutral court games and this can only help their resume and NCAA Tournament seeding come March. It is great to see compelling match-ups in the non conference as an abundance of buy games only hurts the sport by drawing minimal interest from fans. Anything that can invalidate the “College Basketball doesn’t matter until after football season ends” argument is worth pursuing and promoting.
This article will break down Florida’s daunting non conference schedule and rank the top 5 games based on order of difficulty. Obviously, the Orange Bowl game has been excluded because it has not been announced yet (as of 7/11/18).
Before the ranking begins, we’ll take a look at the Battle for Atlantis field. Florida looks like the second best team in the field, behind Virginia, so they’ll likely get a favorable first round matchup. Middle Tennessee is clearly the worst team since they are in the midst of a rebuild with a new coach. This leads me to believe that Florida will either face Dayton or Oklahoma in the first round, both very winnable games.
Dayton should be better than they were last season since 4 of their top 5 scorers have returned, although their frontcourt is very thin. The Flyers do not look like they’ve returned to their previous status as a perennial tournament team, but the A-10 is wide open this year. Oklahoma obviously loses Trae Young and looks like a potential last place team in the deep Big 12 conference.
The second round would likely feature Wisconsin and Florida which is a pretty even matchup. Wisconsin can easily return to the Tournament, if healthy, and they feature one of the best players in the country, Ethan Happ.
Lastly, Florida would greatly benefit from making it to the Championship game to face a projected top ten team on a neutral court. Virginia’s 17-18 season will clearly be remembered for their postseason gaffe, but it is important to remember that they dominated the regular season. The Ty Jerome-Kyle Guy- DeAndre Hunter trio is among the best in College Basketball as all three are top 50 players in the sport.
Related Story: Florida Basketball: Jalen Hudson key to SEC title contention in 2018-19
5. Butler, Home, December 29th
Butler loses two of their top three players in Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman, but burgeoning star Kamar Baldwin is back to lead the Bulldogs. This is probably a quadrant two game for Florida since Butler looks like a bubble team, but it will help their resume nonetheless. Junior wing Sean McDermott is a potential breakout player and could be the team’s second leading scorer.
4. West Virginia, Neutral, December 4th
Some people have West Virginia in the top 15 or even top 10, but after losing a pair of four-year starting guards (Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles) to the NBA, they could easily take a step back. Sagaba Konate is a shot-blocking force on the interior and is one of the best players in the country. The Mountaineers have a strong collection of wings as Esa Ahmad, Wesley Harris, Lamont West, and Jermaine Haley can all contribute. However, the guard play is concerning as Beetle Bolden is more of a scorer than a PG and Jordan McCabe is a borderline top 100 freshman. Having that said, I would bet that Bob Huggins gets this team to the NCAA Tournament, but a top 15 ranking is too aggressive.
3. Michigan State, Home, December 8th
The Spartans should be a top 20 team even after losing lottery picks Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson. Cassius Winston is one of the best lead guards in the nation and Nick Ward should see a bigger offensive role as a junior. The X factor for this team is Josh Langford who needs to take another step forward for MSU to win the Big Ten. A young and unproven bench is also concerning, even though Xavier Tillman is a future star.
2. TCU, Road, January 26th
Grabbing a non-conference road win is always difficult, but this will be Florida’s best chance to do so. The Horned Frogs lose two starters, Kenrich Williams and Vlad Brodziansky, but talented lead guard Jaylen Fisher should be healthy. Desmond Bane is a strong secondary scorer, but Kouat Noi could be the player to watch this season. The stretch-four man has breakout potential and plenty of minutes are available for the taking. TCU looks like a Top 25 club.
Next: Analyzing Florida's 2018 recruiting class
1. Florida State, Road, November 6th
Florida’s toughest game will be its first one as rival FSU could crack the top 10. Seniors Terance Mann and Phil Cofer are back to lead this team, but the biggest reason for optimism lies with the potential growth of rising junior Trent Forrest and rising sophomores Mfioundu Kabengele and MJ Walker. All three should see bigger roles and build off strong end of the season performances. You cannot ask for a better opening night matchup, but more importantly for Florida, they have a chance to start their season with a bang and pickup a marquee win.