Opponent Intel: Florida Gators
To learn more about who Florida is this season, I called on Eric Fawcett, a writer for GatorCountry.com. Eric is an expert on Gators hoops who is incredibly knowledgeable about the entire nation when it comes to college basketball. (We also did a preview of this matchup prior to the season right here.)
Q: This will be Round 2 between Butler and Florida. How have the Gators performed and how have they improved since that meeting at the Battle 4 Atlantis? How would you describe where the team is at right now both nationally and in the SEC and what seems to be the pulse of the fanbase?
A: There are times that it has seemed like the Gators have been improved offensively since the first matchup with Butler but then it also seems at times like they haven’t made strides at all. Luckily for the Gators, Jalen Hudson has started to find some rhythm, a necessity if they’re going to come anywhere near their ceiling this year. Hudson and KeVaughn Allen, who were expected to be the two best scorers on the team, combined for five points in the matchup with Butler in the Battle 4 Atlantis but have both started to find their way. Nationally, I think Florida’s slow start has taken them off everyone’s radar and they’ll have to rattle off some wins to gain back respect. Locally, the stagnant offense has made some fans pretty upset with Mike White. He has lots of support amongst the diehards but there is a faction of fans not happy with Coach White right now.
Q: Florida is an extremely balanced offensive team this season. With that said, though, who do you think has the most potential to emerge as a “go-to scorer” for the team during the rest of this season?
A: Right now, I think KeVaughn Allen is the most trusted scorer in the clutch. He has struggled to finish at the rim but has been great on pull-up jumpers and that could be relied on when the Gators need a bucket. He’s pretty hot-and-cold but if Jalen Hudson doesn’t get back to last season’s form, Allen is the guy.
Q: Florida’s defense, which is ranked at eighth in the nation by KenPom, has been superb so far this season. What do you think makes this team so special defensively and how would you describe their defensive scheme?
A: Florida’s defense is all about pressure on the perimeter. They get up into the face of ball handlers and often force them to pick up their dribble while players one pass away deny and look for steals. Florida’s ability to force turnovers has been huge given their struggles to score but the pressure away from the hoop sometimes hurts them when it comes to rebounding.
Q: Are there any Florida players that you believe will be “matchup nightmares” for the Dawgs in this matchup?
A: He hasn’t had any explosive games yet so I wouldn’t call him a nightmare matchup quite yet but Isaiah Stokes (6-foot-8, 270 lbs), who didn’t play in the Bahamas matchup, is now available and offers the Gators an inside scoring presence they lacked. I think the Gators will see if his ability on the block can challenge Butler’s frontcourt.
Q: Lastly, what are your final thoughts on this rematch?
A: Florida played absolutely horrendously on offense in the first matchup and was still in the game so I’m thinking they might hit some shots on their home rims and make the outcome different this time around. The Gators will need to find a way to run good offense and not have Kamar Baldwin single-handedly blow up every set by hounding the ball carrier as he did in the Bahamas.
Now that we have a better understanding of where Florida stands at this point in time, let’s dive into three keys to success for Butler in this matchup.