Florida basketball: Gator backcourt need to play well for UF to have a chance

Florida basketball has its toughest test of the season tonight as they go on the road to play fifth-ranked Kansas State. They’ll reunite with Keyontae Johnson, and play in the toughest environment they’ve visited this season.

All that said, there is a chance that the Gators can pull out a win today. Per usual, they need Colin Castleton to control the paint and protect the rim at a high level. They also need Will Richard and Kowacie Reeves to shoot the ball well from the perimeter.

But the game will likely be decided by which teams backcourt plays the better game.

Kansas State has one of the best guards in the country in Markquis Nowell, and he’s complimented well by Desi Sills.

Nowell is in his fifth year of college and is one of the best, and most confident, shooters in the country. He shoots the three-ball at a 38.5% rate and scores 17.1 points per game. He shares the ball very well with 8.3 assists per game, which is second in the country.

Sills is less of an offensive threat but still a consistent scorer. He’s a 45.7% shooter from the field and will take advantage of open looks.

Here’s where the Gators can beat them. Both Nowell and Sills are prone to turning the ball over. Nowell is averaging three turnovers per game, and Sills is just below two.

The trio of Kyle Lofton, Trey Bonham, and Myreon Jones are effective on the defensive end. Bonham averages a flat 1.0 steals per game, while Lofton and Jones are at 0.9 and 0.8 respectively.

They also take care of the ball better than the Wildcats’ guards, as Lofton has the highest rate of the three with 1.2. If the Gators can win the backcourt turnover battle and create opportunities for fastbreak points, the Gators can take the air out of the arena.

They also need consistent scoring from their guards. We’ve seen Myreon Jons getting to right around ten in his last few games, but we may need 12-15 on a great shooting day.

Kyle Lofton will have to be efficient on his drives and be a consistent finisher at the rim. And Trey Bonham needs to find the shooting he had in the Gators’ first game against Texas A&M where he scored 21.

It may be a steep climb, but there’s a path for the Gators to go get a top-5 win tonight. And it starts in the backcourt.

Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail.