Pregame Stuff: Tampa at Florida (exhibition), Sunday, 2 pm
Saturday, November 4, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
A nuts and bolts look at UF's preseason finale and Exactech Arena 2017-18 debut.
FLORIDA vs TAMPA When: Sunday, 2 p.m. (ET)
Where: Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Records: N/A
TV: Streaming on SEC+ Network (Mick Hubert and Bill Koss)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis)
STAKES (The Setup)
UF STARTERS and TOP SUBS
| STARTERS | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | 2016-17 Per Game |
| Egor Koulechov | F | 6-5 | 205 | G-Senior | 18.2 pts / 8.9 reb (at Rice) |
| Keith Stone | F | 6-8 | 245 | R-Sophomore | 3.6 pts / 2.2 reb |
| Kevarrius Hayes | C | 6-9 | 220 | Junior | 6.2 pts / 4.4 reb |
| Jalen Hudson | SG | 6-6 | 192 | R-Junior | 8.4 pts / 2.3 reb (at Virginia Tech in '15-16) |
| KeVaughn Allen | PG | 6-2 | 183 | Junior | 14.0 pts / 2.4 reb |
| OFF BENCH | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | 2016-17 Per Game |
| Chase Johnson | F | 6-9 | 205 | Freshman | N/A |
| Gorjok Gak | C | 6-11 | 265 | Sophomore | 1.5 pts / 1.5 reb |
| Dontay Bassett | C/F | 6-9 | 240 | R-Freshman | N/A |
| Deaundrae Ballard | G/F | 6-5 | 195 | Freshman | N/A |
| Mike Okauru | G | 6-3 | 180 | Freshman | N/A |
STANDING OUT (One to Watch)
STUFF (Need-to-Know Info)
ABOUT THE GATORS: After Chiozza, they do not have a tried-and-true point guard, with KeVaughn Allen the next-closest thing. The UF coaching staff's plan heading into the season was to let Allen take the No. 2 reps at the point, with maybe some small doses of Hudson, as well, but all the while gauging the readiness of Michael Okauru, the true freshman from Raleigh, N.C. ... Allen was pretty darn solid Thursday in relief of Chiozza. Not only did he score 17 points, he made three of his four shots from deep, grabbed four rebounds, dished six assists and only turned it over once. ... Okauru had seven points (on 1-for-7 shooting from the floor, but 4-for-4 from the free-throw line), two assists and two turnovers in 20 minutes against the Dolphins. ... With two centers, fifth-year senior John Egbunu and freshman Isaiah Stokes, rehabbing from knee surgeries and not expected to be available until January, the Gators need some big minutes from sophomore Gorjok Gak and redshirt freshman Dontay Bassett. Gak hit both his field goals against JU and grabbed seven rebounds. Bassett did not convert from the floor (just two free throws), but cleared a game-high nine boards. ... Stone figures to back in the starting lineup against UT, after coming off the bench for eight points and four rebounds, but freshman Chase Johnson, out nearly two weeks in concussion protocol, is cleared to make his Florida debut in this game. ... Freshman guard/forward Deaundrae Ballard was only 1-for-7 from the 3-point line, but 4-for-7 inside it in a team-high 29 minutes. He is not bashful. ... ABOUT THE SPARTANS: Their history is kind of interesting. The program dates to 1951, minus an 11-year hiatus from 1972-83 when the men's basketball program was shut down, only to return for the 1983-84 season with Coach Richard Schmidt at the helm. Schmidt took on the UT reboot after he was fired after two seasons at Vanderbilt, where he went 28-27 overall and 7-11 in Southeastern Conference play, including an upset of Kentucky and run to the SEC Tournament final his second season. In those two years with the Commodores, Schmidt also beat Iowa State, Memphis, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and, yes, Florida -- four times, actually. ... Schmidt remains the Spartans coach, entering his 34th season with a 657-338 record that includes 16 D-II NCAA Tournament berths and one Final Four. ... UT returns four starters, all of whom averaged double-figure scoring last season, led by 6-8, 215-pound forward Duke Shelton (14.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg) and 6-5, 220-pound Marcel Robinson (10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg). Shelton shot 63.4 percent from the floor last season.
STATS (Some Numbers of Note)
* 8 — Days until the Gators open the season against Gardner-Webb.
* 48 — Points sophomore LSU guard "Pistol" Pete Maravich dropped on Tampa in the 1967-68 season opener, the first game of Maravich's collegiate career. He went on, of course, to become the all-time scorer in college basketball history. Maravich went 20-for-50 from the floor that day, including 8-for-9 from the free-throw line, to go with 16 rebounds and four assists. "The Pistol" finished his career with 3,667 points (with no 3-point line and no freshman eligibility at the time) and an average of 44.2 per game over his three seasons.
* 55.9 — Combined shooting percentage Thursday of Hudson, Koulechov and Allen, based on 19-for-34 from the floor.
* 58.8 — Combined shooting percentage Thursday of Hudson, Koulechov and Allen from the 3-point line, based on 10-for-17 marksmanship.
STATEMENT (Random thought)
One step closer to the real thing ... but the Gators need a healthy Chiozza.
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