Florida will try to build off of its weekend victory over Charleston Southern when it hosts La Salle on Wednesday night.
The Gators rebounded from their blowout loss to Florida State with the 30-point win over the Bucs, which should’ve been a nice confidence booster.
Meanwhile, La Salle is still searching for its first win in the Ashley Howard era, as the Explorers have suffered losses to Temple and Lafayette to open the season.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this matchup.
Game Details
- La Salle (0-2) at Florida (1-1)
- Location: O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL
- Game Date: Nov. 14
- Game Time: 7 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network+
Players to Watch
KeVaughn Allen (Florida)
After being held scoreless in the Florida State game, the 6-2 senior came out on a mission in scoring quick points against Charleston Southern.
Allen finished the game with 14 points and five steals in 21 minutes.
If Florida wants to be an SEC title contender this season, it needs Allen to provide a consistent scoring threat each and every game.
Andrew Nembhard (Florida)
Just as we expected, the 5-star freshman is already making a huge impact for Mike White and company this season.
Nembhard has filled the stat sheet with an average of 9.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals through the team’s first two games.
Another sign of the confidence that White and his staff have in Nembhard is the fact that he is far and away Florida’s leader in on-court time in playing 32.0 minutes per contest.
Pookie Powell (La Salle)
It’s no surprise to see the new staff leaning on Powell early on, as the 6-0 senior has been one of the team’s top playmakers the past several seasons.
After averaging 16.9 points per game last year, he’s off to a great start this season and most recently had 26 points in the loss to Lafayette.
Powell and sophomore Isiah Deas (19.5 points per game and eight made 3-pointers) are going to be the driving force for the Explorers, and they will present some challenges for the Gators in this game.
Key Stats
Florida has finished in the top 25 in defensive efficiency in each of the past six seasons, and White’s squad currently ranks eighth through two games.
However, in a somewhat surprising development, what the Gators have done particularly well is shoot the ball from outside.
Florida is just 14 of 52 from 3-point range right now (26.9 percent), and that’s an area that should improve dramatically as the season progresses. If it doesn’t, this team will have to be more aggressive and physical in the lane to find better inside scoring opportunities.
As for the Explorers, they’re having their own struggles shooting-wise, with Howard’s squad making just 38.2 percent of its shot from inside the arc (307th nationally).
Game Outlook
- Spread: Florida – 16.5
- Over/Under: 142
- KenPom Projection: Florida, 95 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Florida 92.7 percent chance to win
I’m still not entirely sure what we’re going to see from this Florida team on a nightly basis in non-conference action.
There are going to be more tweaks made as we march towards SEC play in January, and there may be some inconsistency along the way.
However, I was very impressed with the way that the Gators responded from the lackluster showing in Tallahassee. They come out on a mission and were much more focused on defense.
That performance gives me enough confidence to pick them over a rebuilding La Salle squad.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 24-4
Game Prediction: Florida 77, La Salle 63
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.