Practically completed with a strong however unspectacular nonconference displaying within the new season, Florida will conclude its play exterior the Southeastern Convention when it meets the Ivy League’s Dartmouth on Monday in Gainesville, Fla.
Winners of three straight video games, the No. 22 Gators (8-4) are one in all six SEC groups within the newest AP Prime 25 and have regrouped properly after shedding consecutive video games to top-five Duke and UConn by a mixed 5 factors.
Coach Todd Golden’s crew was criticized for its backcourt play early on, however he feels Xaivian Lee (12.3 factors per sport) has been a stabilizing drive at guard alongside fellow switch Boogie Fland (11.5).
“He is taking part in with much more confidence and much more freedom,” Golden stated of Lee, a Toronto native. “He is performed with the ball in his arms a ton, and now we have him taking part in off the ball with Boog. I feel he is attacking in transition higher, and he is taking pictures the ball higher.
“So, him sort of … operating into that type has allowed us over the past six video games to play some actually constant basketball, regardless that we misplaced a few these towards actually good groups.”
A former Ivy Leaguer at Princeton for 3 seasons, Lee energized a Florida backcourt that was sporadic at finest.
“Actually, for the reason that Windfall sport, we have performed like a top-15, top-20 crew in each sport,” added Golden. “(Xaivian) approaching has been a giant a part of that.”
Lee has been on the prime of the scoresheet the previous 4 video games, together with a season-high 24 factors in an 80-70 win over George Washington, however Thomas Haugh paces the group with 17.3 factors and provides 6.3 rebounds.
Alex Condon totals 14.1 factors and eight.9 rebounds and a team-best 3.8 assists.
The Gators will open SEC play at Missouri on Saturday evening.
The Massive Inexperienced (5-6) are 2-4 on the street and haven’t performed in shut video games currently, competing in 5 consecutive contests with double-digit margins of victory during which they went 2-3 following a one-point win over New Hampshire on Dec. 3.
Coach David McLaughlin’s crew received off to a sluggish begin at Sacred Coronary heart its final day trip and was walloped 85-63 in a matchup that Dartmouth rallied to even 47-all within the second half.
McLaughlin stated he hopes his gamers return from break and look inside themselves once they take the court docket towards the defending nationwide champions.
“It is all about our id,” McLaughlin stated. “We all know who we wish to be on each ends of the court docket. We all know what is going on to assist us achieve success, and now we have to have perception in that. We’ve to have the ability to maintain one another accountable and have possession over that irrespective of how the sport goes.”
Main scorer Kareem Thomas (19.7 factors per sport) has topped the Massive Inexperienced in scoring the previous six video games and 9 of 11 total. The sophomore guard from Wilmington, Del., is taking pictures 55.3% from the ground and a whopping 59% (23 of 39) from behind the arc.
Jayden Williams scores 12.4, whereas Brandon Mitchell-Day tallies 11.5 and a team-high 8.6 rebounds.
Dartmouth’s ultimate nonconference match will probably be New 12 months’s Day afternoon when it hosts Elms Faculty.
–Discipline Degree Media
