Tre Mann, Scottie Lewis to lead Florida Basketball versus Virginia Tech

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: Keyontae Johnson #11, Tre Mann #1, and Scottie Lewis #23 of the Florida Gators look on against the Utah State Aggies during the second half of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at BB&T Center on December 21, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

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Florida Basketball Tyree Appleby Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Control Tempo

Another way for the Gators to slow the Hokies is by controlling the tempo. UF will try to this in a few different ways. UF will be attempting to do this by using their full-court press, whether man-to-man or zone. Florida does not necessarily need to force a turnover though the Gators do a good job at that. They will want to speed up Tech, which could lead to unforced errors or bad shot selection.

Another way Florida may try to control the pace of play is by hitting the offensive boards hard. Virginia Tech is an excellent defensive rebounding team as a result of them being fundamentally sound. However, the Gators — who are nabbing nearly 31% of all available boards on that end — have an advantage athletically and could send four or five players to the glass as Tech does not run unless they get steals.

Speaking of turnovers, UF will need to do a better job at protecting the ball. Florida is turning the ball at a rate of 20.7% rate. Tyree Appleby has been the main culprit recently as he has registered an assist-to-turnover rate of 18-to-15 over the last five games.

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