Florida Basketball: Former Gator Riley Kugel is staying in the SEC

Former Florida Basketball guard Riley Kugel has had an interesting journey in the transfer portal. Kugel initially seemed like he was going to make his way to Kansas before that plan fell through.

Kugel announced yesterday he has found a new home and he is going to be staying in the SEC.

Florida Basketball: The Hump

Kugel will be transferring the Mississippi State. The Bulldogs went 21-14 this past season and were 8-10 during conference play. They made the NCAA Tournament as an eight seed, but were bounced in the first round by Michigan State.

Kugel is coming off two seasons in Gainesville where he saw his playing time reduced during the back half of this past season. Kugel averaged 9.2 points per game, but averaged 1.7 turnovers per game compared to just 1.5 assists per game.

Kugel started off the 2023/24 campaign as a starter, but was eventually relegated to coming off the bench. Against Alabama and Vanderbilt, Kugel only saw the court for three minutes and six minutes respectively.

If Kugel's goal is to see an uptick in playing time, he has a much better chance of doing that at Mississippi State than he did at Kansas.

The Gators will play the Bulldogs in Starkville during the 2024/25 season.