Florida vs No. 5 Connecticut (Wednesday, 9 pm)

Florida vs. No. 5 Connecticut

* When: Wednesday, 9 p.m. (ET)
* Where: Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
* Records: Florida (6-3); Connecticut (9-0)
* TV: ESPN2 (Kevin Fitzgerald and Jimmy Dykes)
* Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD (Sean Kelley and Lee Humphrey)

Possible Starters

Florida	Position	Height / Weight	Class	Statistics
Alex Fudge	F	6-7 / 240	Senior	8.0 pts / 4.9 reb /
Colin Castleton	F	6-11 / 231	R-Senior	16.6 pts / 7.4 reb / 2.9 blx
Riley Kugel	G	6-5 / 207	Freshman	5.6 pts / 1.7 reb
Will Richard	G	6-5 / 206	Sophomore	13.6 pts / 4.4 reb
Trey Bonham	G	6-0 / 170	Junior	10.2 pts / 3.2 reb / 2.2 ast

UConn	Position	Height / Weight	Class	Statistics
Adam Sanogo	F	6-9 / 245	Junior	18.7 pts / 6.9 reb
Alex Karaban	F	6-8 / 210	R-Freshman	9.7 pts / 3.8 reb
Andre Jackson Jr.	G	6-6 / 210	Junior	5.0 pts / 5.8 reb
Jordan Hawkins	G	6-5 / 195	Sophomore	13.3 pts / 2.7 reb
Tristen Newton	G	6-5 / 190	Senior	11.4 pts / 4.6 reb / 4.2 ast

The Breakdown

Sophomore guard **Will Richard's** season's shooting percentages are off the charts, including 58.6 from 3 after going 4-for-4 against Stetson.

Setup / Series / Last Meeting

Florida and Connecticut square off for the Gators' end of a home-and-home contract that was finalized five years ago, but has taken longer to complete due to circumstances ranging from the Huskies postponing the game, COVID, and, of course, the annual O'Dome crafts fair. The game is big for both teams, as it will represent a Quadrant-1 opportunity for both, with the Gators in need of a quality win and the Huskies looking to remain unbeaten, build on an already ready impressive resume and scale the Associated Press rankings. ... Florida is 8-30 all-time against non-conference opponents ranked in the top 10, including 4-7 at home and 2-6 during the so-called O'Dome era (1981-present). ... UF is 10 days removed from its embarrassing 29-point loss to West Virginia -- the program's most lopsided defeat in 24 years -- in the final game of the Phil Knight Legacy. In their two games since, the Gators drummed Florida A&M and Stetson at home by 40 and 38 points, respectively, but UConn presents an altogether different challenge. Where UF went 1-2 in the PK85, UConn tore through the PK Invitational -- the other eight-team tournament in Portland -- by smashing Oregon, Alabama and Iowa State all by double-digits, then came home and beat Oklahoma State by 10 last week. That's four straight wins all against high-major programs from power conferences. ... UConn leads the all-time series 4-1, with four straight wins, including a couple (one early in the 2013-14 season, the other very late) that certainly represent painful memories for UF fans. ... In the Huskies' home game of this contract, played Nov. 17, 2019, guard Christian Vital sank two free throws with 17 seconds left and survived one last the final Florida possession for a 62-59 win at sold-out Gampel Pavilion at Storrs, Conn. The Gators scored just 20 points on 31-percent shooting in the first half and trailed by eight late before rallying to make it a one-possession game after standout forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. (15 points, 8 rebounds) fouled out. Point guard Andrew Nembhard missed a driving two-point attempt, grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked a pass to forward Keyontae Johnson at the 3-point line. Johnson, though, bypassed the shot and went for the extra pass attended for 3-point specialist Noah Locke. The pass was intercepted by Vital, who raced down the floor and dribbled out the clock. ... Florida is 23-21 all time against teams currently in the Big East Conference, with a loss this season to Xavier in the PK85. ... UF coach Todd Golden is 0-1 against Big East teams.

Tale of the Tape

Florida	Statistics	UConn
81.0	Scoring	82.9
.476	Field-goal percentage	.475
.384	3-point percentage	.368
69.0	Scoring defense	58.7
.414	Field-goal percentage defense	.385
.365	3-point percentage defense	.280
78th	KenPom.com overall ranking	4th
44th	KenPom.com offensive efficiency	9th
56th	KenPom.com defensive efficiency	10th
22nd	KenPom.com adjusted tempo	136th
68th	NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking	2nd
262nd	Overall strength of schedule ranking	38th

Team Snapshots

The Gators

They've beaten their last two opponents by a combined 78 points, which given the competition is not overly impressive. What Golden liked, however, was seeing his team check key boxes on the scouting reports, which was something it did not do in prior games. The result was better offense (55 percent

combined), better defense (33.9 percent allowed), especially in transition, and a little momentum heading into the toughest assignment of the season. Will it, can it, carry over? ... The status of fifth-year point guard Kyle Lofton (9.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.1 apg), who has missed the last two games with a sore back, will be a game-time decision. ... Guard Will Richard, the transfer from Belmont, has put up remarkable early numbers in his first UF season. After being held out in the win against FAMU with a sore knee, Richard returned to action (off the bench) against Stetson and scored 14 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor (4-4 from 3) on his way to a team-high 14 points. He's now shooting 60.7 overall, 58.6 from distance and 94.7 at the free-throw line. His mere presence on the court spaces the floor and makes everybody better. ... Forward Colin Castleton, after being held to just three points in the loss to WVU, averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 blocks in the last two wins. He will be a marked man against the beastly, physical UConn frontcourt. ... Forward Alex Fudge got the first start of his UF career (the second overall for the LSU transfer) against Stetson, replacing CJ Felder (3.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg) at the "4". Fudge, who had his first career double-double against FAMU, responded with 11 points and eight rebounds over 27 minutes against the Hatters. Felder came off the bench and made all three of his field-goal tries for six points and two boards. ... Which direction the staff goes at the wing spot -- freshman Riley Kugel or sophomore Kowacie Reeves (9.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg) -- remains to be seen. Both have started the last two games, but a healthy Richard figures to punch his way back into the first unit. If Lofton can go, the issue is moot. Both, however, will play. Kugel, despite some inexplicable point-blank misses, seems to be getting more and more comfortable, as his athleticism and all-around game show up. Reeves, given the difficult circumstances he dealt with in Portland, has responded well since flushing things out with Golden and the staff. He averaged 15.5 points and went 5-for-12 from deep against FAMU and Stetson. ... Trey Bonham didn't go 7-for-7 from the 3-point line against the Hatters, like he did against the Rattlers, but 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and one turnover was a nice stat line in second straight game as the primary playmaker. ... Guard Myreon Jones took on backup point guard duties the last two games. Give Jones credit for fighting through a difficult offensive start to his fifth-year season. The Stetson game was his best all-around performance. Jones hit three of four shots, two of three 3s, plus posted season highs of six rebounds and five assists without a turnover.

The Huskies

It's the fifth season under Dan Hurley and they're well on their way to a third straight NCAA Tournament berth. Hurley came to UConn after six seasons at Rhode Island (and two at Wagner before that) and boasts a 13-season record of 233-152 (.605), including an 82-47 mark in Storrs that breaks down to

47-18 over the last three seasons. ... UConn's '22-23 resume to date stacks up against any in the country, with its sights set on a fifth straight defeat of a high-major opponent; this one in a true road environment. The Huskies 10-point win over Oklahoma State last week was their smallest margin of victory this season, and it really wasn't that close. The Cowboys actually led by three with seven minutes remaining in the first half when the Huskies ripped off a 23-3 tear to end the period and take a 17-point lead to the break. They were never threatened after that. ... It took a couple years, but the program has rediscovered the Northeast, tough-guy identity that helped define UConn during its run of four NCAA titles over 15 years, including an upset of No. 1-seed Florida, winner of 30 in a row, at the 2014 Final Four. ... The Huskies are a prolific 3-point shooting team (25.3 pg) and also force 17 turnovers per game, so UF's improvements in transition defense absolutely need to carry over. ... Three-year starting "4" man Adama Sanoga figures to be a handful down low for Fudge, Felder or whoever is there. He's a thick, physical presence that is shooting 61.5 percent from the floor, can take his man outside (43.8 on 16 attempts from 3) and excels at getting to the free throw line, where he is 33-for-40 on the season (82.5 percent). Nearly a third of his season's rebounds have come on the offensive end. ... Guard Jordan Hawkins is another returning starter and a high-level defender on the perimeter. Hawkins is shooting statistically better (barely) from the 3-point line (.397) than overall (.396). ... Guard Tristen Newton is UConn's biggest impact transfer, coming by way of East Carolina. He runs the offense, but can beat teams from deep (39.6 percent) and the free-throw line (79.6). ... Forward Alex Karaban is another tough guy down low who can score the ball inside and out (46.7 floor, 36.8 arc). He red-shirted as a freshman last season, got stronger and will team with returning starter Andre Johnson Jr. to do the dirty work up front. ... Reserve freshman center Donovan Clingan (8.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) was a top-25 prospect from nearby Bristol, Conn., who will dwarf Castleton in the post. He's making better than 67 percent of his field-goal tries as a rookie. ... Guard Joey Calcaterra (9.0 ppg), a transfer from San Diego, will come off the bench firing from 3. And why not? He's at 58.6 percent (17 of 29). And anyone remember Nahiem Alleyne? He's in his first year as a senior backup guard after transferring from Virginia Tech. All he did was hang 28 on the Gators over 38 minutes in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, though UF won that game (thank you, Tre Mann), 75-70, in overtime. ... Oh, and anyone recall UF's crushing at-the-buzzer loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament at Tampa last season? When Aggies guard Hassan Diarra, an 18-percent 3-point shooter in league play, bombed a trey (his third of the game, of course) from the top of the key with one second left? Diarra (3.6 ppg) transferred to UConn and is a reserve also.

Numbers of Note

UF forward **Andrew DeClercq** (right) bodies up UConn forward **Donyell Marshall** during their 1994 NCAA East Region semifinal game at Miami. If you know Gator hoops history, you know. If not, see below.

* .500 — Backup center Jason Jitoboh's career 3-point shooting percentage after making the first of his career against the Rattlers.

* .765 — Jitoboh's overall shooting percentage for the season, based on 13-for-17 from the floor. Jitoboh is averaging 3.8 points per game.

* 10 — UF final deficit in its NCAA semifinal loss to UConn in 2014. The Gators, champions of the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament and winners of a school-record 30 in a row, were the field's top seed, but played their worst game of the season that night in Arlington, Texas. The Huskies shot 56 percent for the game (including 64 in the second half), while the Gators hit just 38 percent and went 1-for-10 from the 3-point line in falling 63-53 in the final game for the beloved senior foursome of Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, Will Yeguete and Casey Prather.

* 24.2 — Average margin of victory in UConn's games this season. This is not a fluky state, either. The Huskies beat Oregon by 24, Alabama by 15 and Iowa State by 18.

* 1994 — Year of the Donyell Marshall game in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Miami Arena. Marshall, the Big East Player of the Year, first-team All-American and career 77-percent free-throw shooter, went to the line for a pair with less than three seconds to play and the game tied. He missed both. The Gators won 69-60 in overtime, then two days later defeated Boston College to reach the first Final Four in program history.

Bottom Line

Yes, it's only one game, but the opportunity this one presents for the Gators (and the potential growth and confidence of this team) cannot be overemphasized. Frankly, this may be the best team, certainly one of the most complete, Florida faces all season.

Gators Calendar

Florida vs No. 5 Connecticut (Wednesday, 9 pm)