Pregame Stuff: UF vs Eckerd (exhibition), 7 p.m. at Jacksonville

FLORIDA vs ECKERD (exhibition)

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m. (ET)
Where: Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.
Records: N/A
TV: None
Radio: None

STAKES (The Setup)

Year 2 of the Coach Mike White era won't officially begin until next month — Nov. 11 vs. Florida Gulf Coast — but a tune-up exhibition against the Division II Tritons, out of the Sunshine State Conference, will serve as a preview of coming attractions. … The game is being played in Jacksonville because, back in Gainesville, the O'Connell Center is in the final months of its $64.5 million renovation, with both the opener against FGCU and date with Mercer on Nov. 13 also scheduled for the same venue. The Gators are expected to return to the O'Dome on Dec. 21 against Arkansas-Little Rock for the building's grand re-opening. … UF has won 25 straight exhibition games, a run that includes a 90-70 defeat of Eckerd in 2004. … This is the fourth straight year the Gators have played an opponent from the SSC, with wins over Palm Beach Atlantic in 2015, Barry in '14 and Florida Southern in 13.

STARTERS (Probable Lineup)

Florida	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Class	Per Game
Devin Robinson	F	6-8	200	Junior	9.0 pts / 5.6 reb
Justin Leon	F	6-8	206	Senior	5.3 pts / 3.1 reb
John Egbunu	C	6-11	255	R-Junior	11.5 pts / 6.5 reb
KeVaughn Allen	G	6-2	183	Sophomore	11.6 pts / 2.7 reb
Chris Chiozza	PG	6-0	176	Junior	7.2 pts / 4.3 asts

Top backups	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Class	Per Game
Keith Stone	F	6-8	206	R-Freshman	N/A
Canyon Barry	G/F	6-6	215	G-Senior	19.7 pts / 3.4 reb
Kevarrius Hayes	C/F	6-9	218	Sophomore	2.8 pts / 2.6 reb
Kasey Hill	PG	6-1	175	Senior	9.1 pts / 3.3 asts
Eric Hester	G	6-3	167	Freshman	N/A

STANDING OUT (One to Watch)

Canyon Barry, the graduate transfer swingman by way of College of Charleston, will make his UF debut against the Tritons. The 6-6, 215-pound fifth-year is expected to provide the Gators with some scoring punch on the perimeter and leadership on and off the floor. Whether that comes from the starting lineup or off the bench remains to be seen. Barry, a two-time Academic All American who is seeking a master's in nuclear engineering, was averaging 19.7 points per game for CoC when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last December. For his career, he averaged 12.8 points in 70 games, shot 33 percent from the 3-point line and made 76.5 percent of his free throws (all of them underhanded). Three times in his career with the Panthers he scored at least 30 points.

STUFF (Miscellaneous Info)

The Gators return seven players who had prominent roles on a 2015-16 squad that went 21-15 overall, tied for eighth in the Southeastern Conference with a 9-9 record and advanced three games into the NIT. Of those seven players, five started at least half the games. Point guard Kasey Hill, who played some of the best basketball of his career at the end of last season, will be held out of the game due to a sore hamstring that has shelved him from practices the last few days. … Both forward Devin Robinson and center John Egbunu are coming off surgeries that sidelined them for the bulk of the offseason. Robinson put his name into the NBA Draft pool for feedback before learning he had a stress fracture in his left foot. Egbunu tore ligaments in his left thumb just before the start of the postseason, but played two games in the SEC Tournament and one in the NIT with a splint on his hand before surgery shut him down. … With Robinson and Egbunu back, plus three seasons from Hill and the 70 games Canyon Barry played at College of Charleston, the Gators will be one of the most experienced teams in the SEC. … Guard KeVaughn Allen, who started all but two games last season, finished second to senior Dorian Finney-Smith in scoring. He figures to lead the Gators this season, but his defense and stamina need to take the next step. Look for Allen to get some possessions at the point guard spot, what with Hill unable to go. … Forward Justin Leon led UF in 3-point shooting last season at 37.3 percent, despite a midseason 1-for-19 tailspin after suffering a concussion at Vanderbilt. His range from deep and across-the-board hustle will have a great impact on the team's success this season. …Guard Chris Chiozza went on a December tear last season that carried into the early portion of the SEC slate and eventually got him into the starting lineup. His production, however, hit something of a wall. That experience should serve him well this season. … Backup center Kevarrius Hayes figures to get a big jump in his minutes after averaging just 11.5 per game as a freshman. Hayes replaced Egbunu in the starting lineup in the final two games and went 11-for-12 from the floor and hit all six of his free throws in averaging 14 points against Ohio State and George Washington. This season, he's much stronger and should be more capable of withstanding the physicality inside. … Say hello to redshirt freshman forward Keith Stone, out of Deerfield Beach, Fla. After using last season as a developmental year, Stone will be a regular in the rotation and should give the team some offensive punch with his ability to create and his touch from deep. ... The game will mark the collegiate debut for freshman guard Eric Hester, but his classmate and former Oldsmar (Fla.) Christian teammate, forward Dontay Bassett, will sit out the '16-17 season as a medical redshirt after suffering a stress fracture in his foot.

STATS (Some Numbers of Note)

UF coach Mike White with senior point guard Kasey Hill.

* 9 — Improvement, in terms of victories, made by White's program at Louisiana Tech from his first to second season. The Bulldogs went 18-16 (with a 6-8 mark in the Western Athletic Conference) in White's inaugural '11-12 season, then made a jump to 27-7 overall and 16-2 in league play in '12-13.

* 33.7 — UF's 3-point field-goal percentage last season. Needs to be better.

* 64.0 — UF's free-throw shooting percentage last season. Needs to be much, much better.

* 101 — Career games for Hill, including 57 starts (with eight during UF's 2013-14 Final Four season), which is far and away the most on the team.

* 14,091 — Seating capacity for the Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena. It will not be full for this one.

RANDOM THOUGHT

Any Gator fans making two trips to Jacksonville this week?

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Pregame Stuff: UF vs Eckerd (exhibition), 7 p.m. at Jacksonville

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Players Mentioned

KeVaughn Allen

Canyon Barry

Dontay Bassett

Chris Chiozza

John Egbunu

Dorian Finney-Smith

Kevarrius Hayes

Eric Hester

Kasey Hill

Justin Leon

Devin Robinson

Keith Stone

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Pregame Stuff: UF vs Eckerd (exhibition), 7 p.m. at Jacksonville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

KeVaughn Allen

Canyon Barry

Dontay Bassett

Chris Chiozza

John Egbunu

Dorian Finney-Smith

Kevarrius Hayes

Eric Hester

Kasey Hill

Justin Leon

Devin Robinson

Keith Stone

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