By: Eric Fawcett -- November 7, 2023 Following a dominant blowout win against Loyola MD to open up the season the Gators will have a much bigger challenge on their hands Friday when they take on the Virginia Cavaliers. Florida Versus Virginia Preview | GatorCountry.com
From the article: Virginia opened the season with an 80-50 win over Tarleton State where they played the exact type of basketball you have come to expect from the Cavaliers under Coach Bennett. They controlled the glass, controlled the tempo, and suffocated Tarleton State with their patented pack line defense. This is what I'm looking forward to: How our offense responds to the suffocating Virginia defense? How we can do on the glass? Can we force some tempo and run (which makes Virginia uncomfortable historically)? Can we consistently get the ball inside for easier shots? I like how we match-up on paper. Now the kids have to go out and execute.
Good early test for our guys Virginia always wins the tempo battle. It's what makes them so brutally efficient. If the Gators can burst out to a 10-12 point early lead they may be able to get the Cavs playing a click faster, but I wouldn't count on it Should be a good test of whether Florida can play at a deliberate pace
Nice to see we'll finally have a height advantage over a power 5 conference team. Hope we can get some fast break points on them and if Kugel can break down this defense it bodes well for the season
Not many teams will be bigger than us. If we can shoot around 35% from 3 We are going to be a handful.
Can UF handle the pressure on the ball without a "true" PG? With diminished opportunities to penetrate, will Kugel get "his" points? Can we hit 3-pointers? How good are we with our pick & roll offense?
