Florida Men’s Basketball (4-2) at Wake Forest (3-3)
Florida Game Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/11/28/2023.11.29_atWakeForest.pdf> | 2023-24 Media Guide<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/10/30/2023-24_Media_Guide_Web.pdf> | Media Resources<https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iv6cc1nl98a49pv/AAD_LkZm6hKvVz7FpyboOUR1a?dl=0>
ACC/SEC Challenge | Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Winston-Salem, N.C.
Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023 | 7:15 p.m.
TV/Streaming
ESPNU | ESPN App<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/afaf160e-2607-4b38-885f-31239014cd21>
Play-by-Play: Anish Shroff | Analyst: Richard Hendrix
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 209/192 & SXM App<https://siriusxm.us/SXM963>
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida travels to Wake Forest for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge to cap a November that served as the Gators’ own personal ACC challenge. The Demon Deacons mark UF’s fourth ACC opponent this month, following wins vs. Florida State and Pitt and a loss vs. Virginia.
* While the visit to Winston-Salem marks the lone true road game of UF’s nonconference season, the game will be Florida’s third straight outside of Gainesville, coming on the heels of two games in Brooklyn. Florida plays six of seven in neutral or road environments from Nov. 22 to Dec 19.
2023-24 Highlights
* Florida came up just short against 13th-ranked Baylor in the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game as Riley Kugel exploded for 25 points and nine rebounds, both career highs. All-Tournament Team honorees Tyrese Samuel (18 points) and Zyon Pullin (17 points) also had big performances vs. Baylor, and Pullin finished the two-game tournament with 13 assists vs. one turnover. Samuel’s tournament performance netted him SEC Player of the Week honors.
* The Gators topped Pitt in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off behind 28 points from Walter Clayton on 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, a 20-point, 10-rebound performance from Tyrese Samuel and a 24-to-8 assist-to-turnover showing as a team.
* Florida blitzed Florida State, leading 27-5 before taking a 52-22 advantage into halftime. The Gators shot .643 and held the Seminoles to .258 from the field during the first half. Walter Clayton Jr. led UF with 19 points, while Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel added 15 each and Thomas Haugh grabbed 10 rebounds.
* Will Richard knocked down four 3-pointers in a hard-fought loss vs. Virginia and posted a team-leading 16 points as all five starters scored in double figures. Micah Handlogten (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Tyrese Samuel (10 points, 11 rebounds) both posted their first double-double as Gators vs. UVA.
* The Gators started their season hot, going on a 16-0 run over the first six minutes of the season-opening win vs. Loyola Maryland, led by Riley Kugel’s 23 points and six steals.
2023-24 Outlook
* Florida moves into its second season under head coach Todd Golden, who brought in eight newcomers with five transfers and three freshmen.
* Florida returns four scholarship players, including a pair of starters in Will Richard and Riley Kugel. Richard posted 18 double-figure scoring games last season, while Kugel shone late in the season and earned SEC All-Freshman honors after averaging 17.3 points over the last 10 games of the season. Point guard Denzel Aberdeen and forward Aleks Szymczyk also return as sophomores looking to make a jump.
* UF’s transfer class includes guards Walter Clayton Jr., Zyon Pullin and Julian Rishwain along with the frontcourt duo of Micah Handlogten and Tyrese Samuel. The Gators’ freshmen include 6-foot-9 forward Thomas Haugh from Pennsylvania, 6-foot-11 Australian Alex Condon and Lithuanian point guard Kajus Kublickas.
