Three subtle factors may end up dictating Florida’s fate against UConn

The Florida Gators dropped to No. 18 in the AP Poll following its tough loss at Duke last week. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Florida as the Gators will take on UConn in New York City as part of the Jimmy V Classic.

This will be a rematch of the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament when Florida had to gut out a 77-75 win to advance to the Sweet 16.

These are the three key factors that will decide Florida’s fate against the Huskies.

Will UConn mitigate Florida on the glass?

For as gloom and doom as it may feel for the Gators, they had a wide-open three to tie the game against Arizona and had a lead with under 30 seconds to play against Duke. But one of the things that allowed Florida to hang around last week against the Blue Devils was their ability to get offensive rebounds and take advantage of a smaller Duke lineup.

UConn, however, is a solid defensive rebounding team and is 28th in the country in defensive rebounding percentage. If the Huskies are able to limit second chance opportunities, it could turn into a long night for Florida because...

Can anyone make a three-point shot for Florida?

Part of what saved the Gators back in March against UConn was going 9-19 from three, including Walter Clayton Jr. going 5-8.

Spoiler alert, he’s not walking through that door. In fact, no one who made a three in the March contest is still with the program this year.

The Gators are currently 341st out of 365 teams in three-point shooting percentage, which is exacerbated by the fact that they are 39th in three-point shots attempted per game.

It’s no secret that transfer Xaivian Lee has been a disaster so far, and against Duke, it was clear that Todd Golden was leaning on Urban Klavzar down the stretch. But Klavzar has other limitations, so it might be a case of pick your poison for Golden.

Charity stripe

Free throws have the chance to be a hidden factor in this game. Florida is 53rd in opponent fouls per possession, drawing a foul on 28% of possessions. UConn meanwhile commits fouls on 26% of possesions, with is 226th in the country.

Now, as we saw against Duke, it will be incumbent on the refs to do their job, and we know UConn coach Dan Hurley is going to work the refs over every little thing. But if the Gators can get a bit a momentum with the foul calls, it could open up a lot of things for the offense.