Florida vs Connecticut: 2019-20 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Florida and Connecticut will meet as a pair of teams facing some early-season struggles. Can the Huskies get back on track with a big home win or will the Gators take care of business?
TV schedule: Sunday, November 17, 3:00 pm ET.
Arena: Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut
Facing some early struggles, Florida (2-1) hopes to get things rolling again this Sunday as they travel to Storrs. The Gators knocked off Towson 66-60 in a close game on Thursday, though their struggles came in the game before. They lost to rival Florida State by 12 at home, with the offense not really playing its part yet this season.
Senior forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. (14.3 ppg, 12.0 rpg) has been as good as advertised since transferring from Virginia Tech. Freshman guard Scottie Lewis (9.3 ppg) led the Gators with 15 points against Towson and they’ll need him to keep stepping up on the offensive end. They’ll need sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson (11.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg) to step up if they’re going to play like a top team.
Clearly sunk by the struggle with the Seminoles, Florida currently sits at 25th in KenPom. They play at one of the slowest tempos in the nation, a partial explanation for scoring just 63.7 ppg as a team. There’s a lot of talent on this team, but they’re going to need more from their interior offense and defense if they’re going to make a run in the SEC this year.
For the home team, the expectations were much lower but the struggles have still been real. Connecticut (1-1) took care of business against Sacred Heart in their opener but dropped a terrible 96-87 contest to Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday. Second-year head coach Dan Hurley is still working to rebuild this program, but defensive efforts like that will not help matters.
Senior guard Christian Vital (21.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg) is the playmaker for the Huskies and has clearly held that role through the first two games. This team is going to need last year’s leading scorer to lead this team, especially if these defensive struggles continue. Junior forward Josh Carlton (13.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) has emerged as the big man to watch, but freshman Akok Akok (8.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) could blossom into a solid player as the season progresses.
Two games into the season, Connecticut sits at 79th in KenPom. Based on their other projections, the expectations are low for the Huskies this season. Their struggles with Saint Joseph’s seem to show this, though the offense was also a struggle despite scoring 87 points. The Huskies were awful at 2-pointers against the Hawks (8 for 34) and they have no shot against Florida if they can’t get on track.
For the Gators, who hold a big talent edge, they need to force the Huskies to beat them in the paint and play at their own pace. The Gators have struggled to shoot from long-range and this Connecticut defense might be a great antidote for that. For those Huskies, they’ll need a similar long-range shooting effort (14-29 from 3) to stay in this game, even if it is at home. They desperately need a bounce-back performance against a team that outmatches them all over the court.
Next. . dark
Blackshear has the talent and ability to take over a game like this and the Huskies will desperately need to limit him. Unfortunately, there are other playmakers on this talented roster and I don’t think the Huskies have the answers. If they can’t take care of business against a rebuilding Saint Joseph’s squad, I don’t see how they stop a pissed off Florida team.