Florida vs. West Virginia: 2018-19 College Basketball game preview, TV schedule
Florida and West Virginia compete in the 2018 Jimmy V Classic. Which team will leave Madison Square Garden with a win?
TV schedule: Tuesday, December 4, 9:00 p.m. ET. ESPN
Arena: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
When Florida (4-3) started out the season, they were projected to be an NCAA Tournament team, filled with a talented recruiting class combined with returning leading scorer Jalen Hudson.
Unfortunately for the Gators, that hasn’t worked out. They suffered a blowout loss to start the season to Florida State, then lost two out of three games in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. The defense hasn’t been the issue, with the team not giving up more than 69 points in a game since the opener.
Offensively, it’s been dreadful, to say the least. Against power conference opponents, Florida is averaging just above 60 ppg. And individually, not a single Gator is scoring over 11 ppg. Hudson‘s fall from grace has been a head-scratcher, averaging just 6.9 ppg in 18 mpg. He led the team a year ago with 15.5 ppg. Unless he and others get better immediately, they’ll lose games against better teams.
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West Virginia (5-2) also lost to open the season to Buffalo in overtime. But they’ve rebounded to win their last four games, albeit against inferior competition. Unlike previous seasons, it’s been the offense that’s carried the team, with the Mountaineers ranking in the top-25 in both scoring average and efficiency. The defense has been the bigger question, with the team still finding an identity with WVU legend Jevon Carter.
Four players provide the bulk of the scoring for West Virginia, led by Esa Ahmad‘s 16.6 ppg. He along with fellow forwards Lamont West and Sagaba Konate will provide a tough test to Florida’s frontcourt defensively. On the other hand, the Mountaineers will have to have all hands on deck to stop the balanced attack of the Gators.
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Florida will have trouble keeping up offensively against West Virginia, so they’ll have to make it an ugly game and grind it out until the end. Traditionally, Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers would’ve preferred that style of play. Now they’ll want to outscore their opponents, something I expect to happen in the Jimmy V Classic matchup.