NCAAB Game Preview - Florida at UConn
Sun Nov 17, 2019 3:00 PM EST

NCC
58
Lou
87
F
Seton
83
StLou
66
F
TexAr
47
Oreg
67
F
Fla
59
UConn
62
F
CAPoly
48
StMar
79
F
NMSt
53
Ariz
83
F
VMI
89
UCDav
84
F(2OT)
JSU
65
VCU
93
F
MTSt
52
TNTec
39
F
(N/A)
54
JU
44
F
Marq
61
Wisc
77
F
Mobil
58
SeLA
65
F
Stony
64
NDSU
57
F
UCF
67
IlSt
65
F
Copp
70
NoKY
82
F
How
68
Toled
112
F
Yale
57
OkSt
64
F
UND
60
Valpa
74
F
Ida
68
ArkSt
82
F
ArkLR
76
CenAR
56
F
NOrl
59
MissSt
82
F
Detr
65
Clem
87
F
Dart
80
UMassL
75
F(OT)
IdaSt
61
WaSt
72
F
(N/A)
53
Drake
98
F
CSNor
62
Rich
90
F
UTRGV
55
TXAMC
63
F
Ball
69
IndSt
55
F
(N/A)
47
Fres
92
F
UCRiv
51
Pacif
58
F
Rider
55
AzSt
92
F
Wake
65
UNCC
67
F(OT)
Fairf
75
LoyMD
84
F(OT)
(N/A)
60
SJSU
85
F
GASt
83
GTown
91
F
No. 15 Florida heads to UConn still looking for offense
Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:33 AM

The No. 15 Florida Gators hit the road for the first time this season, hoping to hit their stride on offense when they play the Connecticut Huskies on Sunday in Storrs, Conn.

The Gators (2-1) have been underwhelming offensively to start the season, and they narrowly escaped a disaster at home Thursday night, needing all 40 minutes to dispatch Towson, 66-60, despite being 18-point favorites.

The Huskies are 1-1 to start the season and coming off a 96-87 loss at home to Saint Joseph's on Wednesday night.

The revamped Gators have struggled to find where the points are going to come from on a consistent basis.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. has three double-doubles to start the season and is the Gators' leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, but he's shooting just 4 of 19 from the floor in his past two outings.

Help from the outside has been hard to come by. The Gators are shooting just 11 of 44 from the 3-point line the past two games, one of those a bitter loss at home to Florida State.

The Gators are tied for 296th in the country with 63.7 points per game (entering Friday's games). Some of that is to be expected with a rotation that includes five freshmen and three sophomores to complement Blackshear, who's a senior but in his first season with the Gators.

Florida coach Mike White tried to keep it positive after the Gators' win over Towson, a game in which they trailed by as many as six in the first half.

"Towson is really good. Their guards are fantastic. Their bigs really move well, defend well, rebound well," White said. "They play with poise, with confidence."

The Gators are sure to find a lot of that against UConn.

The Huskies are averaging 88.0 points per game in just their first two games, one of those a 22-point win over Sacred Heart.

Senior guard Christian Vital comes in averaging a double-double to lead the Huskies, with 21.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds.

The Huskies boast a starting frontcourt of 6-foot-9 Tyler Polley, 6-9 Akok Akok and 6-11 Josh Carlton. The Gators need to connect on some outside shooting to clear up space inside for Blackshear.

The Huskies got off to a poor start against St. Joe's, finding themselves down 14-0 to start the game. But they ended up 14-of-29 from the 3-point line to make it a game. But Vital and guard Alterique Gilbert combined to shoot 10-for-40.

"Obviously we've got a lot of work to do," UConn coach Dan Hurley said afterward. "I've got a ton of work to do. Man, we've got a long way to go."

Gilbert is second on UConn with 14.0 points per game, and he leads the team in assists with 3.5.

The Gators did get 31 points from their freshmen against Towson, with highly celebrated Scottie Lewis leading the way with 15. The five who logged minutes shot 12-for-21 for the game.

Omar Payne has put together three nice games so far in limited action. The 6-10 frosh is a combined 8-for-11 from the floor, averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds.

--Field Level Media

Team Record Comparison

Standings GB W-L Aw/Hm Stk L10
Florida  
UConn  

Hot Players (Last 10 team games)

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