Virginia at Florida Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
A crucial week for the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team begins with a major opportunity as they travel to #13 Florida on Wednesday for this year's SEC/ACC Challenge. This game is set for a 7:15 pm tipoff and will air on ESPN2.
About Florida
The Florida Gators are led by head coach Todd Golden, in his third season. Golden has a career record of 105-65. Wahoo fans may remember the Hoos beating the Gators 73-70 last season. This year, the Gators are currently off to an impressive 8-0 start, with their closest margin of victory being by 13 points.
Florida pairs a trio of senior guards in the backcourt with two very talented sophomores up front. They line up:
G - #15 Alijah Martin (6’2” Covid Senior, FAU transfer, averages 15.1 points 5.9 rebounds per game)
G - #1 Walter Clayton Jr. (6’3” Senior, averages 17.4 points per game)
G - #5 Will Richard (6’4” Senior, averages 12.4 points per game)
F - #21 Alex Condon (6’11” Sophomore, averages 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game)
C - #9 Rueben Chinyelu (6’10” Sophomore, WSU transfer, averages 6.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game)
6’9” Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh plays a key role off the bench, averaging 23 minutes per game while hitting an impressive 42.1% from three-point range so far.
Uphill Battle for the Boards
One of the biggest weaknesses for the Hoos is also one of the biggest strengths for Florida. The Gators have been a top ten offensive rebounding unit, while the UVA struggles with rebounding have been fairly well documented and discussed. For the Hoos to stay competitive, they’ll have to match the Gators' toughness on the glass. UVA was outrebounded by 17 and gave up 21 offensive rebounds in last season's matchup with Florida, so you can be sure rebounding will have the staff's attention in preparation.
Part of the reason Florida has been so good on the glass is the jumbo frontcourt they play, with both starters over 6’10”. To combat this, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Hoos continue to get first-year Jacob Cofie a lot of minutes. Look for Blake Buchanan to try and also be aggressive, having had his first breakout against the Gators last season with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
Hitting Shots
So far, Florida has been a very good defensive team. They defend well both inside and outside the arc so the Hoos will have to be ready to take and make tougher looks than they were seeing last week.
The Hoos have been led by their trio of starting guards: Dai Dai Ames, Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde. They are all averaging 9 points or better while also connecting on over 44% of attempts from the field and 50% or better from three-point range. For UVA to stay competitive in a hostile environment, the talented trio will certainly have to play at a very high level.
Conference Play on the Horizon
Following Wednesday’s contest, UVA will play their first conference game of the year. They'll head to Dallas to take on ACC newcomer SMU on Saturday. Locker Room will have the entirety of the very eventful week covered, beginning with the Florida Pregame Show starting a half-hour before tip.
(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)