Florida Men’s Basketball vs. #13 Baylor
Florida Game Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/11/23/2023.11.24_vsBaylor.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>
NIT Season Tip-Off Championship Game | Barclays Center | Brooklyn, N.Y.
Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 | 5:30 p.m.
TV/Streaming
ESPN | ESPN App<http://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=64d2f40f-dfca-4694-98e4-11f59ef5e80f>
Play-by-Play: Kevin Brown | Analyst: Fran Fraschilla
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM Channel TBD
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida and Baylor square off in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off as the Gators look for their third holiday tournament title in the last five seasons, previously claiming the 2021 Fort Myers Tip-Off and the 2019 Charleston Classic.
* Florida trails the all-time series, 2-1, and the teams split a pair of meetings in Gainesville in the erstwhile SEC/Big 12 Challenge (Jan. 2018 and 2020), the most recent coming when the Bears were the #1 team in the nation.
* The Gators have scored 86 points or more and shot .470 or better in their four wins this season.
2023-24 Highlights
* The Gators topped Pitt 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 team showing.
* 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 led the Gators to a pair of top-25 wins and a postseason berth in his first season leading the program.
* The Gators had a busy spring in the transfer portal, bringing in one of the top transfer classes in the nation, along with its freshman class.
* Florida returns four scholarship players, including a pair of starters in Will Richard and Riley Kugel.
* Richard posted 18 double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 24 at Georgia, 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 welcome several freshmen to the program with 6-foot-9 forward Thomas Haugh from Pennsylvania, 6-foot-11 Australian Alex Condon and Lithuanian point guard Kajus Kublickas joining the squad.
* Walk-ons Alex Klatsky and Jack May both return, while the Gators also added freshman Cooper Josefsberg and former team manager Bennett Andersen to the roster in the walk-on role.