Florida Gators Vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Men’s Basketball Preview
Game previews are back and hopefully here to stay. Although – as with everything around here – that’s far from guaranteed.
The Florida Gators men’s basketball team travels to Piscataway, NJ to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Thursday night. Florida has been off for the last week, but rides a five-game winning streak into Rutgers. With the start of the SEC schedule only nine days away, it’s important for the Gators to continue to build momentum heading into conference play.
The Facts
Opponent: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
When: Thursday, December 29, 2011 – 7:00 PM
Where: Piscataway, NJ
Television/Radio: ESPN2, Gator Sports Network, Sirius 220, XM 201
Records: Florida: 10-2 (0-2 Away), Rutgers: 7-5 (6-2 Home)
Rankings: Florida: 10/10, Rutgers: NR/NR
Point Spread: Florida -11
Over/Under: 144
Calculated Score: Florida 77-66/78-67
Scoring Offenses: Florida: 85.8, Rutgers: 68.8
Scoring Defenses: Florida: 65.6, Rutgers: 61.3
The Preview
This game is being touted as Mike Rosario’s return to Rutgers, although we’re not sure if we’ll even see him on the court. The transfer guard – that played his first two collegiate seasons with the Scarlet Knights – didn’t appear in the Gators’ last two games. He’s been cleared to play against Rutgers, but exactly how many minutes he’ll get is anyone’s guess. A lingering back strain could limit him, but so could his performance on the court. Billy Donovan was quick to pull Rosario earlier this season against the Syracuse Orange when the guard wasn’t playing up to the coach’s standards.
Realistically, the key won’t be Rosario’s play. He could provide a spark off the bench against his former team if he can go, but the other Florida scorers will be the focus. The Gators come into the game averaging 85.8 points per game – good for fifth in the nation. Even in losses to the Ohio State Buckeyes and Syracuse, Florida averaged 71 points, which is more than Rutgers has averaged the entire season. The Gators will have to continuing scoring against the Knights, which could be easier said than done.
Although Rutgers’ schedule to this point doesn’t put fear into the hearts of anyone, the Knights have only allowed opponents to score more than 66 points in three of their 12 games. Those three instances all came within the first five games of the season. Yes, Rutgers is 7-5 overall, but four of those losses came by a combined 18 points. This will be the first true test the Knights have faced, but one they’ll push themselves for, being their last game before they begin Big East play.
With losses to only No. 1 Syracuse and No. 2 Ohio State, Florida is one of the hottest teams in the nation. Since losing to the Orange, the No. 10 Gators have defeated Arizona in overtime, the then No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies by 20 and the Florida State Seminoles by 18. This game should be no different as Florida looks to extend its win streak to six games before returning to Gainesville to close out 2011 against the Yale Bulldogs.
One of the Gators’ strengths is their ability to find scoring from a number of options. Four players average double-digits in points with two others just below the 10 per game mark. If someone is having an off night, it’s easy for another player to pick up the slack. With nine players averaging more than 10 minutes per game and only two getting more than 30, expect a heavy rotation to keep Florida fresh. Rutgers also has a solid rotation with seven players averaging over 20 minutes per game, but with no one scoring even 12 points per contest, it will be difficult for the Knights to match the Gators’ scoring ability.
Playing a true away game will be a good test for Florida as the Gators have only had two of those so far this season. In recent seasons, Florida has dropped an early game or two they really shouldn’t have. Look for the Gators to not allow that to happen against the Knights, but also watch this game closely as it should give us a good read on Florida’s ability to handle a crowd. While crowds at Ohio State and Syracuse were certainly different, this is still a nationally televised game. Crowds always are a little louder when the entire country is watching. The Gators should have little trouble outpacing the Knights, but this could be a telling game at this point in the season.