O’Dome rematch: Scouting report, prediction for No. 3 Florida basketball vs South Carolina

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Florida basketball coach Todd Golden is well aware of the challenge South Carolina presents on Saturday night at the O’Connell Center (8:30 p.m., SEC Network).

The No. 3 Florida Gators (21-3, 8-3 SEC) fell behind by as many as 14 points in the second half against the Gamecocks in the first meeting between the two schools on Jan. 22, before UF rallied back for a 70-69 win on a driving shot by senior guard Will Richard with 4.8 seconds left.

South Carolina (10-14, 0-11 SEC) is still seeking its first win in SEC, but of its 11 conference losses, six have come by five points or less. The Gamecocks are coming off a 72-68 loss to No. 23 Ole Miss last Wednesday.

“We definitely won’t underappreciate South Carolina,” Golden said. “Obviously their record it has not been good in SEC play, but I think they’ve lost five or six games by one possession. And one of them was against us, and one of them was against Auburn, Mississippi State overtime game, they almost beat Ole Miss the other night. Like, you don’t play those types of opponents to that level without being a good team.”

Here are three storylines to watch for UF’s game against the Gamecocks:

How will C Micah Handlogten’s return impact the Florida basketball frontcourt rotation?

The 7-foot-1, 235-pound Handlogten has been practicing for close to two months but hasn’t appeared in live game action since suffering a compound fracture in his lower leg last March 17 in the SEC Tournament Finals against Auburn.

Florida may need Handlogten for extended time if starters Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh experience fatigue or foul trouble because UF will be without forward Alex Condon (sprained ankle) and Sam Alexis (undisclosed) on Saturday,

“Obviously, I’m probably not in, like, game shape quite yet,” Handlogten said. “But as much as my cardio can uphold..”

South Carolina’s frontcourt, led by sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles (15.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg), had its way with UF’s frontcourt in the first meeting, as the Gamecocks finished with a 32-9…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/odome-rematch-scouting-report-prediction-220937421.html

Author : The Gainesville Sun

Publish date : 2025-02-14 22:09:00

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