How to watch: Florida Gators vs. Quinnipiac basketball
The Florida Gators seem to be gaining some momentum with the start of SEC play now only a week away. But one more non-conference hurdle remains.
Florida (9-3) plays host to Quinnipiac (9-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Exactech Arena.
The game will air on ESPNU, and it will also be streaming on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
The Gators enter the game having won five straight. And, they’re unbeaten in the month of December.
But while Quinnipiac certainly is not a household name when it comes to college basketball, the program appears to be on an upward path. The Bobcats play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, an 11-team league whose members mostly are located in the northeast.
Quinnipiac, just 9-15 three seasons ago, was 20-12 last season and placed third in the league, which was won by Rick Pitino-coached Iona.
Baker Dunleavy, who coached the Bobcats the last six seasons, left to become general manager at his alma mater, Villanova, last spring. Tom Pecora, one of Dunleavy’s assistants, replaced him as coach. Pecora is a veteran of the northeast having previously been head coach at both Hofstra and Fordham.
Quinnipiac has won four of its last five games, losing only to Yale in that stretch.
Senior guard Matt Balanc leads the team in scoring (18.7) and is third in rebounding (4.8). Forward Amarri Tice, listed at 6-foot-7, is second in points (11.3) and first in boards (6.8).
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Quinnipiac shoots 44.9 percent from the floor and 36.3 percent from 3-point range. They attempt 21.5 3-pointers per game — one fewer on average than the Gators.
The Florida Gators have a five-game winning streak
For Florida, the current winning streak is the best under second-year coach Todd Golden.
“Keeping the momentum we’ve built up over the last month is really important coming out of this break,” Golden told Chris Harry of FloridaGators.com. “This team has made big strides over that time. We’ve finished out some close ball games, we’ve improved on the defensive end and we are beginning to play more cohesively on the offensive end. We can’t afford to regress in any of these areas.”
Guard Walter Clayton Jr. is Florida’s top scorer; he averages 15.4 points per game. Power-foward Tyrese Samuel is next at 14.6 points. Additionally, Samuel leads the Gators in rebounding (8.8).
Florida’s offensive balance continues to be a strength as five players average double-figures in scoring.
This is the first-ever meeting between Florida and Quinnipiac.
