Florida basketball takes down Stony Brook to kick off Golden era
Florida basketball started off the (Todd) Golden era with an 81-45 win over the Stony Brook Seawolves Monday night at the O’Connell Center.
Florida started off hot scoring 12 unanswered points and holding Stony Brook scoreless through the first six minutes of the game. After that, it was all Gators, and Florida was able to test out all of its depth pieces late in the game.
Alex Fudge, the transfer forward from LSU, led all scorers with 16 points off the bench and looks like a potential starter down the stretch. Colin Castleton, the team’s star center, led Florida with 20 minutes on the court, but there was no need to play him for the final 10 minutes of the game. UF’s new-look backcourt of Kyle Lofton and Will Richard also shined, but more on that below.
Overall, it was a fun start to the new era of Florida hoops under Todd Golden, but Stony Brook was far from a tough opponent. Florida’s non-conference schedule starts off easy, but things could get competitive in a hurry. With Florida State coming up on Nov. 18 and the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament a week later, Golden’s team will get tested early.
Here are five major takeaways from the Gators’ season opener.
Casty looks good out of the gate
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Colin Castleton is the big name on Florida’s roster once again this season. He passed on declaring for the NBA draft and is back for another year to boost his stock. The 6-foot-11-inch big man posted 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting and showed up on defense with four blocks.
The big man looked much better than his 7-foot counterparts on the other side of the court, but he did struggle from the elbow and at the free-throw line. Anyone who has watched him play knows he’s going to shoot through those struggles until Golden gives him the Cease and Desist, but a 50% night isn’t too bad to start off his final year in Gainesville.
Alex Fudge is not going to stay on the bench for long
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Alex Fudge may be coming off the bench to start the year, but the early returns from the LSU transfer indicate that he won’t stay in that role for too long. Fudge had 11 first-half points and finished with more minutes played than starting power forward [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag].
Fudge could stand to add a few pounds to his long frame, but he didn’t struggle to score down low too much and has a nice touch from distance. He nailed a pair of three-pointers and even drew a charge in the second half. Fudge shined against a weak opponent, but the real test will come when SEC play starts up.
Maybe he’ll even be in the starting lineup by then.
Stony Brook is far from a litmus test
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Stony Brook didn’t score its first bucket until the 13:40 mark in the first half. Holding the opposition scoreless for six and a half minutes is as good a start as anyone could ask for, but fans should be cautious of early-season success.
Florida isn’t making national headlines for blowing out the Seawolves. In fact, the only way the Gators make SportsCenter tonight is if Stony Brook pulls off the upset. At the end of the day, this was a Quadrant 4 win that will have little effect on Florida’s NCAA Tournament chances, but it’s still nice to start the Todd Golden era off with a win.
If the Gators put together three wins and take down Florida State in Tallahassee, then it might be time to get excited about this group.
The transfers in the backcourt are making a difference
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Golden brought in [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] through the transfer portal, and Florida’s new starting backcourt looked sharp in their first outings in Orange and Blue. Lofton shot for a high percentage (75%), only missing a three-pointer, and surprisingly racked up five rebounds.
Richard had an efficient but relatively quiet first half on 2-of-3 shooting, but he caught fire in the second half. He finished the game with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting, trailing only Fudge in points. His knack for drawing fouls and perfect free-throw percentage should serve Florida well against better teams.
Riley Kugel is the freshman to watch this year
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Riley Kugel only played 14 minutes tonight, but he might have the highest upside on the team. His lone bucket came from deep, which is honestly the worst part of his game, but a missed alley-oop gave the Rowdies a taste of what’s to come from him.
Kugel made both of his free throw attempts and picked up three rebounds to round out a relatively quiet night, but his talent is evident.
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