Gators Out to Avoid Foul Mood vs Gamecocks

Junior center Kevarrius Hayes will get the first turn guarding South Carolina's beastly forward Chris Silva, who went for 27 points and eight rebounds in last week's upset of Kentucky.

Gators Out to Avoid Foul Mood vs Gamecocks

Wednesday, January 24, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

The UF-South Carolina is rematch of their 2017 Elite Eight matchup in name only.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida and South Carolina basketball basketball teams are set to meet for the first time since the two tangled last March 24 in the NCAA East Region title game at Madison Square Garden. The Gamecocks, seeded seventh, upset the fourth-seeded Gators 77-70 to claim a berth to the Final Four, the first in program history.

That marquee last game, however, has been mentioned only sparingly in the run-up to Wednesday night's next-up matchup at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Not just because the stakes are so profoundly less, but likely more so because the current teams have little in common with the ones of 10 months ago. All told, only four combined starters from the two teams are back. The No. 20 Gators (14-5, 6-1) will roll out five players who took the floor that Sunday afternoon on Broadway. The Gamecocks (12-7, 3.4) will trot out just three.

One of those USC players, however, will be forward Chris Silva.

He just might figures give UF's coaches and leftover players some flashbacks.

[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]

Silva, the 6-foot-9, 223-pounder from Gabon, is averaging a solid 14.5 points per game, which is tied for 13th in the Southeastern Conference, and 7.8 rebounds, which ranks third. He's a long and rangy "big," but it's not like he's automatic from the floor, based on his field-goal percentage of 48.4. Silva is not a threat from the 3-point line, having hit just four of 10 attempts this season.

And yet, he's probably the biggest key to the game.

"He can foul your whole team out," UF assistant coach Darris Nichols said.

Nichols coaches Florida's post players. He knows South Carolina backward and forward because he's scouted them the last three seasons, having played point guard at West Virginia under Coach Bobby Huggins, who mentored Gamecocks coach Frank Martin at both Cincinnati and Kansas State. Nichols is well aware of what Martin asks of his players, and Silva has followed in the footsteps of 2016 first-team All-SEC forward Michael Carerra and 2017 SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell as high-energy, deep-impact program-makers.

"The guy is a monster. He's one of my favorite players to watch in all of college basketball," Florida coach Mike White said of Silva, who went for 27 points and eight rebounds in South Carolina's upset of Kentucky last week. "No one plays harder in college basketball."

There's something else Silva does better than anyone in college basketball.

Get fouled.

Gamecock forward Chris Silva is the only player in Division I college basketball who has attempted more free throws (167) than field goals (153).

According to KenPom's advanced metrics, Silva ranks No. 1 in the nation in drawing fouls. His 167 free-throw attempts are three times more than anyone on his team — and 77 more than UF guard and leading scorer Jalen Hudson's team-high 90 free-throw tries on the season. Silva, in fact, is the only player in the nation (with the standard qualifying attempts) to attempt more free throws (167) than field goals (153).

He's a contact magnet.

"You have to do your best to limit his touches, but when he does get the ball you have to wall up, show your hands and just do the best you can," Florida's 6-9 junior center Kevarrius Hayes said. "He's crafty. He head-fakes. He'll do a quick look-up and get guys off their feet. It'll be a true test of our defensive discipline."

Hayes took some turns guarding Silva in the three meetings last season and will get the first crack at him this go around, but look for Florida to rotate different guys and use all its limited front court bodies on the bench to body up on the USC big man. Yes, even seldom-used 6-9 redshirt freshman Dontay Bassett (just 21 minutes in five SEC games) and backup Gorjok Gak (out the previous two and a half games due to concussion protocol).

The notion of sending a variety guys (starting forward Keith Stone and Egor Koulechov will be in the mix, too) isn't just to spread the wealth of fouls Silva is so adept at drawing. The Gators also hope different guys can get Silva to do some fouling of his own, which he does at an astoundingly high rate, as well. Nine times this season Silva has played with four fouls, including twice that ended in disqualification. Last season, he played with four fouls — get this — 25 times and fouled out of 10 games, including four straight (and five of six) during one SEC stretch. One of those DQs came when UF defeated USC 81-66 at the O'Dome on Feb. 21.

When the Gators and Gamecocks met in the Elite Eight showdown, Silva picked up two fouls in the first 11-plus minutes and had no points and just one rebound when the two teams went to the locker room at intermission. Florida led 40-33.

Silva finished with 13 points and nine rebounds (and four fouls) in just 21 minutes, as USC outscored UF by 14 after the break.

He's better this year.

"I've never seen a guy that can command so much attention who's not a shooter," Nichols said. "When he got there as a freshman he just had this crazy motor, but now he's gotten craftier and more skilled. He's always moving. When shots go up, you have to know where he is. When he has the ball or doesn't have the ball, he demands attention."

He definitely has the Gators' attention.

"The battle with him the paint is going to be something," Hayes said. "It's going to take a team effort."