Game Preview: Gators seek redemption while challenging Wake Forest
The Florida Gators return to the hardwood on Wednesday night, but they’ll be on the road as they travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to challenge the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
It’ll be the third consecutive away game for the Gators, after the team traveled to Brooklyn, New York, for the NIT Tip-Off. Florida took down the Pittsburgh Panthers, 86-71, but then fell to the Baylor Bears, 95-91.
The team has proven they can hang with anyone til the end, despite having a young roster and plenty of transfers who are finding their chemistry on the floor.
Here’s what the Gators and Demon Deacons are bringing to the floor on Wednesday night.
Expected Starters: Florida Gators
Player | Pos | H/W | Class |
Walter Clayton Jr. | G | 6-2/195 | Junior |
Riley Kugel | G | 6-5 /207 | Sophomore |
Will Richard | G | 6-4 /206 | Junior |
Tyrese Samuel | F | 6-10/239 | Graduate |
Zyon Pullin | G | 6-4/206 | Graduate |
Center Micah Handlogten is questionable with an ankle injury. He went down during the contest with Pittsburgh.
The Gators will go with a smaller lineup going into the Demon Deacons matchup.
Expected Starters: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Andrew Carr | F | 6-10/220 | Senior |
Zach Keller | F | 6-10/228 | Sophomore |
Kevin Miller | G | 6-0/175 | R. Sophomore |
Cameron Hildreth | G | 6-4/195 | Junior |
Hunter Sallis | G | 6-5/185 | Junior |
Key Player: Zyon Pullin
UC-Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin is the man to watch on Wednesday night, as he helps to fill the floor in the absence of center Micah Handlogten. The Florida Gators are expected to go with a small lineup to start the game, and it almost worked in the four-point loss to Baylor.
Pullin racked up 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in his only start of the season, and the graduate student is looking to repeat the performance on Wednesday night.
Key Player: Cameron Hildreth
Hailing from Worthing, England, the Demon Deacons starting guard Cameron Hildreth was the leading scorer in his team’s last contest, shooting for 21 points while going 6-for-9 from the floor.
The junior also managed to collect seven rebounds in Wake Forest’s recent victory over Charleston Southern last Friday.
Hildreth is the team leader while shooting from 3-point range, going 45% from downtown and is near-perfect from the free-throw line. The British native knows how to command the floor from all angles and will look to expose the smaller lineup of the Gators.
Prediction
Although the Demon Deacons have shown the resiliency to stay on top until the end, but they haven’t been able to topple a competent power-5 team, something the Gators are starting to look like, and it’s still early in the season.
The loss of Florida center Micah Handlogten didn’t seem to slow down the Gators against the No. 13 Baylor Bears. I expect the Gators to come out shooting from the opening tip to gain an early advantage and continue to step on the gas pedal til the final buzzer.
I’ll expect another exceptional performance from Zyon Pullin and look out for a standout game by sophomore guard Riley Kugel.
Florida 86, Wake Forest 77
How to Watch
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2023
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPNU
Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Read more
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Florida F Tyrese Samuel earns SEC Player of the Week honors
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Florida still voteless in AP Poll despite solid showing this week
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