Pregame Stuff: No. 8 Florida vs New Hampshire (Sunday, 6 pm)

Saturday, November 18, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

A nuts and bolts look at UF's third game of the season, a home date against the Wildcats.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

FLORIDA vs NEW HAMPSHIRE

When: Sunday, 6 p.m. (ET)
Where: Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Records: Florida 2-0; New Hampshire 1-1
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal and Pat Bradley)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (Mick Hubert and Mark Wise)

STAKES (The Setup)

For the Gators, it's a chance to go 3-0 for the third time in as many seasons under Coach Mike White. And, possibly, a chance to do something the program has never done before: Score at least 100 points in three straight games. ... UF won its first two games in lopsided fashion, defeating Gardner-Webb 116-74 in the opener Monday night, then North Florida by a 108-68 count Thursday. ... Florida is 3-0 all-time against the Wildcats, who play out of the America East Conference. The Gators last faced the Wildcats on Nov. 28, 2001, when they traveled to Manchester, N.H., as a thank-you road trip for UF standout Matt Bonner, a native of nearby Concord. UF won 108-56, as point guard Brett Nelson led seven players in double-figure scoring with 20 points. Bonner threw in 15, while center Udonis Haslem had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. ... Florida is 8-0 all-time vs. the America East.

STARTERS (Probable Lineups)

FLORIDA	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Class	Per Game
Egor Koulechov	F	6-5	205	G-Transfer	23.5 pts / 7.5 reb / 5.0 ast
Keith Stone	F	6-8	245	R-Sophomore	8.5 pts / 2.5 reb
Kevarrius Hayes	C	6-9	225	Junior	6.5 pts / 5.5 reb
KeVaughn Allen	G	6-2	193	Junior	13.5 pts / 5.0 reb
Chris Chiozza	PG	6-0	180	Senior	7.0 pts / 5.5 reb / 6.5 ast

NEW HAMPSHIRE	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Class	Per Game
Jacoby Armstrong	F	6-7	230	Graduate	13.5 pts / 1.5 reb
Iba Camara	F	6-9	230	Senior	11.0 pts / 8.0 reb
Tanner Leissner	F	6-7	230	Senior	18.0 pts / 10.0 reb
Jordan Reed	G	6-0	190	Junior	6.0pts / 4.5 reb
Elijah Jordan	G	6-1	185	Freshman	6.5 pts / 4.0 ast

STANDING OUT (One to Watch)

STUFF (Need-to-Know Info)

ABOUT THE GATORS: They're averaging 112 points per game, a figure that figures to start decreasing rapidly -- though maybe not so much after Sunday. UF, with an aggressive, attacking mentality, is shooting 55.4 percent from the floor and better than 48 percent from the 3-point line. Defensively, the Gators have OK, but nowhere near the standard White and his staff has set for this team. Their play and awareness at that end has been solid, however, with regard to the 3-point line. In the two games, Florida has given just 27.1 percent. ... Speaking of decreasing numbers, grad-transfer forward Egor Koulechov didn't have any 30-plus game against UNF. Just a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds). He also had five assists. ... Point guard Chris Chiozza is playing at a stunningly high level, with his speed and quickness the ideal compliment for a team that emphasizes playing in transition. As White has said several times already this season, Chiozza may be the best passer in the country. ... Junior center Kevarrius Hayes will be back in the starting lineup against the Wildcats. Hayes missed a tutor session Tuesday and thus didn't start Thursday, but was inserted in the lineup, but was on the floor after just two minutes and 40 seconds in. He was replaced in the starting lineup by 6-11 sophomore Gorjok Gak, who turned put in a career-high 12 points in just 10 minutes and flashed some low-post moves and agility around the basket that weren't part of his game in limited time last season. ... Swingman Jalen Hudson, the transfer from

Virginia Tech, is second on the team in scoring at 14 points a game and is shooting nearly 58 percent from the floor. ...ABOUT THE WILDCATS: They're in their 12th season under Coach Bill Herrion, who despite a 156-207 mark in those dozen years has guided UNH to seasons of 19, 20 and 20 wins over the previous three. Last year, the Wildcats went 20-12, along the way defeating Temple, Detroit and Winthrop (a trio of solid programs), but losing by 59 at West Virginia. ... UNH opened the season by beat Division III Wheelock College 96-34, then lost Tuesday night at Texas 78-60. ... The Wildcats have three starters back from last season's squad, led by top scorer Tanner Leissner, a first-team All-America East performer who averaged 17.1 points and grabbed nearly seven rebounds a game. Leissner had 14 points and six rebounds against the Longhorns. ... The list of probable starters above lists Jacoby Armstrong as a forward, but his versatility makes him basically position-less. Armstrong took turns at guard, small forward and center against Texas. ... The Wildcats are shooting 43 percent as a team and just 26.4 from the 3-point line.

STATS (Some Numbers of Note)

* 5 — Points scored by UF managers-turned-walk-ons Andrew Fava (4 points) and Mak Krause (1) late in the game against North Florida. The Rowdy Reptiles (not to mention the Florida bench) loved it. Fava was 2-for-2 from the floor, scoring on a back-door cut and driving, left-handed reverse layup (right).

* 21 — Shots taken so far by not-so-bashful freshman swingman Deaundrae Ballard. That's more shots attempted than both Hudson and KeVaughn Allen, and second on the team to Koulechov.

* 52.5 — Ballard's shooting percentage, based on 11-for-21 from the floor.

* 113.7 — Average points scored by the Gators in their three previous meetings against the Wildcats. In 1999, UF won 131-72. In 2000, it was 102-54. Then came the 108-56 win with Bonner.

* 1,570 — Career points scored by Bonner during his four seasons (1999-2003), a total that ranks 10th in UF history. When he finally said goodbye to the Gators, Bonner had appeared in more games (131) than any player at the time. Along the way, Bonner shot 50.3 percent from the floor, including 39.5 from the 3-point line, and was a three-time Academic All-American. The state of New Hampshire sent the Gators a ~~good~~ great one.

STATEMENT (Random thought)

So our family vacation took us through New Hampshire last summer. Wife, daughter and I summitted Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. Gained a new appreciation for the Granite State (which lived up to its name on the way up the mountain). That was some rugged terrain, but the rest of the of the state? Some beautiful countryside.