Florida basketball: First games will tell a lot about the Gators
Florida basketball coach Mike White elected to have one pre-season game before starting the regular season. Now, we see how that decision may, or may not pay off.
Florida basketball forward/center Kerry Blackshear said the one thing the No. 6 Gators understand is that they will be undersized in a lot of matchups.
“We always have to be ready to be accountable and box out our man,” Blackshear said. “But, we also have to help out our teammates when we have the opportunity.”
No. 6 Florida basketball will start the quest to see what they are made up when they host North Florida at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The Ospreys — picked to challenge for the Atlantic Sun Conference title this season — boasts a pair of seniors in Wajid Aminu and Garrett Sams who both stand 6-foot-7.
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While the Gators have several players who stand that tall — Blackshear himself at 6-10 — both Dontay Bassett and Gorjok Gak are likely out for the start of the season.
Other height, like Omar Payne, are only freshmen, leaving Florida basketball coach Mike White the challenge of melding a top 10 recruiting class with returning talent like Andrew Nembhard, Noah Locke and Keyontae Johnson, and, not to mention, the graduate transfer and preseason SEC Player of the Year in Blackshear.
What it translates to is White has a few games this season in which to make this team a top 10 power nationally.
And seven of the Gators’ first 11 games are not in Gainesville, meaning this team is going to have to grow together on the road.
Even after North Florida, the Gators will face big challenges.
Florida State features two players — Dominik Olejniczak and Balsa Koprivica — who stand 7 feet tall or more. At Ole Miss, Olejniczak had a career shooting percentage of .608.
Even UConn — which Florida basketball plays in Storrs, Connecticut on Nov. 17, has several big players such as Josh Carlton, Sidney Wilson, Akok Akok and Tyler Polley.
In the Charleston Classic beginning Nov. 21, Florida will face tough competition from St. Joseph’s, Miami, Missouri State and Xavier.
And, following Florida’s 89-71 win over Lynn — the lone exhibition game of the season — the Gators learned they still had a lot to work on.
But, they also learned the starting five of Nembhard, Blackshear, Johnson, Locke and freshman Tre Mann could produce. All expect Locke scored in double-digits while Blackshear picked up where he left off at Virginia Tech with 10 rebounds.
Freshman Payne showed flashes of strength with nine points and seven rebounds in just 19 minutes on the floor.
All-in-all, the Gators have a very short turnaround between the early-season games — the time when they can really gel as a team — and the SEC opener against Alabama on Jan. 4.
And, it will be a question of quickness over height as Florida basketball will likely be undersized as Blackshear suggested.
However, White has the pieces in place to make for some exciting basketball for the Gators.
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No. 6 Florida basketball will take on North Florida at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville.