Five takeaways from Florida’s blowout win over Quinnipiac
Florida basketball cruised to a 97-72 win over Quinnipiac on Saturday, closing out the Gators’ first perfect month in 25 months.
The Orange and Blue are doing whatever it takes to win, and tonight that meant leaning on Will Richard once again. The second-year Florida guard played just 20 minutes but led all scorers with 22 points, acting as the catalyst for Florida’s early double-digit lead.
Richard rarely missed from beyond the arc and Zyon Pullin also drained a few threes to push the lead even further. The backups came in with plenty of time left in the second half, but a 25-point win never seemed in doubt.
The Gators are looking pretty good heading into conference play. Here’s what we learned on Saturday.
Three-point barrage
Florida came into this game averaging just 7.4 three-pointers per game, but the Gators were on fire from deep against Quinnipiac. Zyon Pullin and Will Richard did most of the damage, combining for an 8-of-13 night. Richard led all scorers with 22 points, but more on him later…
Florida finished the night with 10 three-pointers made. The Gators’ focus on the three has proven effective over its final two non-conference games — UF hit 11 three-pointers against Grambling State. Could this be a preview of how Todd Golden’s squad will approach the upcoming SEC schedule?
Riley Kugel is back, but is he back?
After missing the Grambling State game with a bruised foot, guard Riley Kugel returned to the court for the Gators. He finished the night with 10 points, four rebounds and one assist over 21 minutes off the bench.
The once projected-first rounder has struggled shooting the ball season, especially from deep. That trend continued on Saturday as Kugel missed all three of his attempts from deep. He’s now on a 0-for-19 stretch.
Kugel should return to the starting lineup against Kentucky on Jan. 6, and facing that level of competition could provide the spark we’ve been looking for. He showed flashes against Baylor and Wake Forest, but Kugel has publicly admitted that he struggles with playing down against lower-ranked teams.
Will Richard is finding his groove
Will Richard has been great for Florida over the past six games. He’s shooting over 50% from the field and over 40% from three over that stretch.
Richard led all scorers on Saturday with 22 points and added three rebounds to his stat line. He’s probably Florida’s best player right now, but the real test will come in a week against Kentucky’s elite guards.
We’ve already seen Richard struggle against decent competition this year. He went on a five-game skid before this run. Scoring will be tougher for Richard in 2024, but he’ll get the ball plenty with the way he finished 2023.
1,000-point man
Tyrese Samuel hit the 1,000-point mark in his career on Saturday. Not all of those have come in a Gators uniform but he’ll always remember wearing orange and blue when remembering this moment.
Samuel has been dominant down low for Florida in his first year. The Gators lost all of its frontcourt over the offseason, but Samuel has anchored the team through the first two months of the season. Getting to see him against SEC big men will be a treat.
Perfect month secured
After losing three times in November, Florida has put together its first perfect month in more than two years. The Gators took down Merrimack by 20 after a shaky first half and beat a solid Richmond team to kick off a three-game neutral-site stretch. East Carolina kept it within single digits for a scare, and Michigan pushed things to overtime, but the last two wins were convincing.
Florida beat Grambling State and Quinnipiac by a combined 55 points. All of the momentum should be in Florida’s favor heading into the SEC opener against Kentucky next week. Being at home gives Florida an even better chance to pull off the upset.
It’s easy to look past a month full of Quadrant 3 and 4 wins but runs like this help build the team chemistry necessary for championship pushes.
Next Up
Florida opens up its Southeastern Conference schedule next Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats inside the O’Connell Center on Jan. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for an early 12:30 p.m. ET start and the game can be watched on ESPN.
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