On Sunday, No. 8 Florida will welcome in one of the better America East squads in the New Hampshire Wildcats.
New Hampshire returns three starters from a squad that finished tied for third in the America East conference, posting a 20-12 record under longtime head coach Bill Herrion.
This game is part of the PK80 Invitational tournament as one of the campus site games that the Gators will play before traveling to Portland to play Stanford on November 23.
The Wildcats are currently 1-1 this season, with a 95-39 victory over Wheelock College and a 78-60 loss to Mohamed Bamba-less Texas.
As for the Gators, they have been very impressive this season in their two wins, scoring over 100 points in each, while only allowing an average of 71 points per game.
Let’s take a look into the players to watch, the keys to victory, and a score prediction.
Players to Watch
KeVaughn Allen (Florida)
The Gators’ leading scorer from last season has not had as big of an offensive role thus far this season, simply because he hasn’t had to have as big of a role.
With that smaller offensive role, Allen’s advanced offensive numbers have all gone up considerably as he has become a more efficient player across the board.
Allen has been a much better shooter than he already was, which, combined with his 3-point attempt rate being at career-high levels, makes him a much more effective player amongst the other scorers on the Gators squad, namely Egor Koulechov and Jalen Hudson.
Allen has taken the role reduction in stride, although he can still score in bunches and will be counted out to give Florida a clutch presence in key moments.
Tanner Leissner (New Hampshire)
A preseason All-America East Team selection and the conference’s active leading scorer at 1,381 career points, Leissner is one of the most dynamic players in school and conference history, and his high-level scoring skillset and rebounding ability is going to need to be on display to give New Hampshire a fighting chance.
He lives inside of the arc, which makes things a little more difficult for him, seeing that Florida has a very solid frontcourt in Kevarrius Hayes and Keith Stone that can defend competently down low.
However, if Leissner can have early success getting to the line, look for New Hampshire to keep the game close early and shock the Florida crowd from the beginning.
How Florida Can Win
Getting Leissner in foul trouble early will be very key for the Gators.
The Wildcats lacks a lot of scoring punch outside of Leissner, so finding a way to get him frustrated and on the bench will be crucial to making the margin of this game insurmountable.
How New Hampshire Can Win
Finding a way to get to the line at a high rate and make those trips count will be important for New Hampshire’s momentum.
If the Wildcats can rack up an early foul advantage and get to the line, the Florida defense will find it more difficult to defend without fouling.
The key for New Hampshire is to deplete the Gators’ depth down to where multiple players are dodging fouling out, which will allow the Wildcats more space to run their offense.
Prediction
Florida has the physical advantage on both ends of the floor, and they also have the depth on New Hampshire.
Leissner will get his points for the Wildcats, but this one won’t be competitive once the second half rolls around.
Prediction: Florida 94, New Hampshire 63