Game preview: Florida Gators looking for revenge against Kentucky
Florida basketball started the year with a loss to Kentucky in Gainesville, but now the Gators have a chance to upset the Wildcats on the road to close out January.
The Orange and Blue are shooting for a fourth-straight win after surviving a comeback bid from Georgia that required double overtime to decide. Still, the team has performed much better since suffering a 19-point beatdown at the hand of the Tennessee Volunteers on Jan. 16.
Micah Handlogten is coming off a career night (23 points, 17 rebounds), but Florida will need its guards to come up big against Kentucky. The Gators blew an eight-point lead at halftime to the Wildcats earlier this month, and Todd Golden’s group has struggled away from the O’Dome.
Here’s how both teams will line up on Wednesday night.
Starting lineup: Florida Gators
Player | Pos | H/W | Class | Min. | Pts. | Reb. |
Walter Clayton Jr. | G | 6-2/195 | Junior | 30.4 | 15.9 | 3.8 |
Zyon Pullin | G | 6-4 /206 | Sophomore | 31.5 | 14.9 | 3.6 |
Will Richard | G | 6-4 /206 | Junior | 28.8 | 11.4 | 3.8 |
Tyrese Samuel | F | 6-10/239 | Graduate | 27.4 | 13.2 | 8.3 |
Micah Handlogten | C | 7-1/235 | Sophomore | 19.9 | 7.4 | 7.9 |
Starting lineup: Kentucky Wildcats
Starting lineup: Kentucky Wildcats
Player | Pos | H/W | Class | Min. | Pts. | Reb. |
D.J. Wagner | G | 6-4/192 | Freshman | 28.4 | 12.0 | 1.9 |
Antonio Reeves | G | 6-6/195 | 5th-Year Senior | 30.9 | 19.5 | 4.4 |
Adou Thiero | G | 6-8/222 | Sophomore | 22.0 | 7.0 | 5.6 |
Tre Mitchell | F | 6-9/231 | Graduate | 34.0 | 13.4 | 7.7 |
Aaron Bradshaw | F | 7-1/226 | Freshman | 19.9 | 6.4 | 4.6 |
Key Player: Will Richard
While much of Gator Nation is growing impatient with Riley Kugel still coming off the bench, it’s been Will Richard who’s been the most important scorer on the team this season. When he scores, the Gators tend to win.
That’s not to say Kugel, Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin aren’t important, but Richard seems to carry the offense more often in big moments. If he has a bad game, things could get ugly for Florida in Lexington.
Key Player: Adou Thiero
Florida should know what to expect from Kentucky, but the Wildcats will have Adou Thiero back from injury. Thiero replaced Justin Edwards in the starting lineup for Kentucky’s matchup with Arkansas over the weekend and is in the projected lineup for Wednesday’s matchup.
While he isn’t a major scoring threat, Thiero is a physical presence that could slow down Florida’s frenetic offense. He’s usually good for a steal or block each game and had six rebounds in his return to the lineup.
Prediction
The odds simply aren’t in favor of the Gators here. Florida is 0-6 against Quadrant 1 opponents this season and struggles away from home. Kentucky already handled Florida’s best in the first half of the first matchup, so there’s no path to victory for Florida aside from playing a complete (and perhaps near-perfect) game.
Prediction: Kentucky 85, Florida 82
BPI Prediction
Using the Basketball Power Index, ESPN is giving the Kentucky Wildcats 71.8% odds to come out on top by a projected 6.9 points over the Tigers. The matchup quality earns an 83.6-point grade, putting it third among the games being played on Saturday.
Florida an underdog in rematch with Kentucky, per ESPN BPI
How to watch
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN
Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
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