The opening game of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge will air on ESPN.
Pregame Shootaround -- No. 9 West Virginia at Florida (Saturday, noon)
Friday, January 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
No. 9 WEST VIRGINIA at FLORIDA
When: Saturday, noon (ET) Where: O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla. Records: UF (13-7); West Virginia (17-3) TV: ESPN (with Mark Jones and Kara Lawson) Radio: Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (with Mick Hubert and Bill Koss). Check for availability here.
STAKES, STARS AND STATS
>>> Florida and West Virginia were paired by ESPN for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, which the network this season moved from early December to the open NFL weekend -- and thus into the middle of conference play -- to take advantage of viewership potential. There will be eight games between the two leagues over the next two days, with UF-WVU leading it off. The last two years, the Gators face Kansas and in the event, both teams winning on their home floor. ... The Gators and Mountaineers have played seven times, with Florida holding a 4-3 edge, with the last meeting coming Dec. 20, 2003 in the Orange Bowl Classic at Miami. UF won 70-57 behind 17 points from Matt Walsh and 15 each from David Lee and Christian Drejer.
KeVaughn Allen>>> UF's hot shooting took a major step back in Tuesday night's loss at Vanderbilt, where the Gators went a dismal 7-for-33 in the first half (.212) in scoring just 19 points and missed their first 12 shots from the 3-point line on the way -- thanks to a late-game flurry of points -- a 60-59 loss that snapped the team's three-game winning streak in Southeastern Conference play. ... Florida is ranked 13th among SEC teams in field-goal percentage (.318) and last in free-throw shooting (.623), but second in scoring defense (64.7 ppg), 3-point percentage defense (.301) and rebounding (42.2 pg). ... Senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith is coming off his fourth double-double over the last six games and is now averaging 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds in SEC play, while also shooting 48.8 percent from the floor, 43.2 from 3 and 77.1 from the free-throw line. ... Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen scored 11 of his 16 points in the final 32 seconds of the Vandy game and is at 14.6 points per game and 43.6 percent from 3-point range in conference. ... Florida likely will be without starting forward Justin Leon, the team's top 3-point shooter (.565), who suffered took a forearm to the head Tuesday. His status will be a game-time decision -- Coach Mike White referred Friday to Leon's "probable absence" -- so the Gators must brace for being without their glue-guy and No. 1 hustle player. ... Sophomore center John Egbunu's tendency to get foul trouble reared itself again at Vandy (2 points, 4 rebounds in 23 minutes). Egbunu (10.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) needs to avoid unnecessary, careless fouls and stay on the court. ... Point guard Chris Chiozza (6.9 ppg, 4.5 apg) had just three assists, equaling his fewest in 12 games since assuming the starting job. ... Backup guard Kasey Hill (8.5 ppg, 3.1 apg) had a season-high 16 points against the Commodores and hit two 3-pointers, equaling his career high.
Bob Huggins>>> West Virginia is coached by Bob Huggins, making his first appearance at the O'Dome in his 34-year coaching career. Huggins is 192-104 in nine seasons with the Mountaineers and 782-315 overall. His teams have a reputation of playing with unabashed and relentless passion. This one -- ranked No. 1 nationally in turnovers forced (19.8 pg), steals (10.8 pg) and 3-pointers allowed (4.5 pg), plus secondin 3-point percentage defense (.268) and offensive rebounding (16.7 pg) -- is no different. ... Just two weeks ago, WVU played the No. 1 and 2 teams in the country back-to-back, defeating top-ranked Kansas at home 74-63 and four days later losing on a tip-in with one second left at No. 2 Oklahoma ... The Mountaineers, whose only other loss this season was a neutral-site defeat against 10th-ranked Virginia, followed that OU loss with a 56-49 home defeat against Texas, but since has won at Texas Tech and defeated Kansas State at home. ... WVU's top scorer among starters is 6-9, 255-pound forward Devin Williams (13.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg), but the Mountaineers go as their pack-of-wolves backcourt goes and that starts with defense from Jevon Carter (11.0 ppg, 3.2 apg) and Daxter Miles Jr. (10.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg), who start, and backups Jaysean Paige (13.6 ppg) and Tarik Phillip (8.1 ppg). Paige may come off the bench, but among guards he leads the team in field-goal percentage (.476) and is an excellent offensive rebounder. ... WVU announced Thursday night 6-7, 220-pound forward Jonathan Holton (8.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) had been suspended for this game for violation of team rules. Holton, who's hitting 54 percent from the floor and 73 percent from the free-throw line, had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win earlier this week against K-State.
SOME NUMBERS OF NOTE
Darris Nichols as a Moutaineer* 6 -- Years since UF last played a non-conference in the middle of the SEC season. On Feb. 13, 2010, the Gators defeated Xavier on the O'Connell Center.
* 13 -- Games since Florida junior forward DeVon Walker made a field goal, missing his last 17 shots and scoring two points over 109 minutes.
* 23 -- Points needed by Finney-Smith to become the 51st player in UF history to score 1,000 points in a Gators uniform.
* 993 -- Points scored by Florida assistant coach Darris Nicholsduring his four seasons (2004-08) as a point guard for both John Beilein and Huggins at WVU. Nichols also had 399 assists during his time in Morgantown, W.Va. Nichols went on to become a graduate assistant alongside Huggins at WVU in 2011-12.
* 2010 -- The last year a non-conference opponent ranked in the top 10 came into the O'Dome. No. 4 Ohio State defeated No. 9 Florida 93-75 on Nov. 16 of that year behind 26 points from both forward Jared Sullinger and guard David Lighty. UF got 21 points from sophomore Kenny Boynton.
WATCH FOR IT
West Virginia ranks 346th (out of 351 Division I teams) in fouls committed. More than 24 per game. Guess what that means. Lots of free throws for the Gators, who rank 334th nationally in shooting percentage from the line.
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No. 9 WEST VIRGINIA at FLORIDA 
