Gators take on Xavier in Phil Knight Legacy Tournament

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators men’s basketball team (3-1) will tip off its Phil Knight Legacy Event run against Xavier (3-1) on Thanksgiving.

It will be the fifth game of the tournament and is scheduled for at 5:30 p.m. ET at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on ESPN2.

Thursday’s matchup will be the sixth meeting between the Gators and the Musketeers. Xavier most recently took down Florida just a season ago in the second round of the NIT, 72-56.

As of Tuesday morning, early projections have UF as one of the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament. Xavier, on the other hand, is a 7-seed.

“This is a great event,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said of the PK Invitational. “Sixteen great teams from across the country, eight on our side, premier TV time on Thanksgiving Day, and Phil Knight sponsors it. It’s one of if not the best MTEs in the country this year, and we’re just grateful to be a part of it. It’s a great opportunity for us.” 

Height advantage goes to Xavier

The Musketeers roster features some serious size with leading scorer Jack Nunge (17 ppg), who stands at 7 feet. He’s also putting up 6.8 rebounds per game and can be a threat from 3-point land.

Nunge doesn’t even lead the team in rebounds. Instead, it’s Zach Freemantle, who averages 7.2 rebounds and stands at 6-foot-9.

Xavier even has size at guard with 6-foot-6 Colby Jones. He’s posting an average 13.3 points, 5 rebounds and leads the team in assists (6.7), steals (2) and blocks (1.7).

“Xavier is a really talented team. They’re old, they’re talented. Actually their point guard is a guy I signed as an assistant at San Francisco, six years ago, five years ago, Souley Boum, so it will be exciting to see him again,” Golden said. “They’re between Souley, [Adam] Kunkel, Cobe Jones. Freemantle is a very good inside scorer but Nunge is a very good player as well.

“They have some really good players, good coaching staff. This will be a great challenge for us. I think we can build off of Friday a little bit but we’re going to have to be more of a 40-minute team on Thursday to get this thing done. There are different things about Xavier that concern us, so we’ve got to be ready to address it for 40 minutes.” 

Golden said he expects Colin Castleton to be efficient after 25-plus points in his last three contests. Considering he’s the nation’s second-highest scorer (25.3 per game), the Gators should be able to rely on him once again.

However, this game will be won by the players in the frontcourt with Castleton.

Who the Gators need to step up on Thursday

CJ Felder is expected to start for Florida at the four, but he will certainly be splitting that time with Alex Fudge after his play in Tallahassee.

These two will have to match Xavier at the glass with rebounds and second-chance points. Will Richard will also have to make his impact near the rim.

“I think CJ had four or five offensive rebounds in the second half (at FSU). I think Alex had some really highlight plays on both ends of the floor,” Golden said. “Then Myreon [Jones] really did a good job as a secondary ball handler. I think he had two or three assists there in the second half. You saw guys kind of start getting a little bit more comfortable, finding way to impact winning. The hope and the goal is to continue that.”

Jones, Richard and Kowacie Reeves must also shoot well from beyond the arc to match the Musketeers’ 44.3 percent from 3-point range.

Regardless of Thursday’s outcome, this is a game for Golden and his staff to get another look at their team against a potential NCAA Tournament team.

“Obviously, if we were to win on Thursday, we would have an opportunity to play a higher-ranked team. But at the end of the day, they’re basketball games and each of them are going to be very, very valuable. Regardless of the result in the first one, I expect whether we’re playing Duke or Oregon State on Friday for us to be playing with our hair on fire and like our butts are on the line,” Golden said.

“And the same goes for whoever we’re playing on Sunday. Because, at the end of the day, just because you’re not playing Duke on Friday, if you lose it’s going to hurt and it’s going to be an issue. So, we’ll treat them all individually, regardless of the opponent, and understand they’re opportunities to build our resumes and show everyone who they are.”

With a win, the Gators will face the winner between Duke and Oregon State on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. A loss would send the Gators into Friday with a game against the loser of Duke and Oregon State at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

WHO: Florida Gators (3-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Xavier Musketeers (3-1, 0-0 SEC)

WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 24, 5:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: Memorial Coliseum

WATCH: ESPN2

RADIO: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD