Tyrese Samuel excited for his SEC debut in ‘big opportunity’ vs. UK

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After watching SEC basketball from afar, Florida graduate transfer forward Tyrese Samuel is excited to experience it firsthand. The Gators (10-3) open conference play Saturday against No. 6 Kentucky (10-2) at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Samuel is averaging 14.3 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds, which ranks third in the SEC. He also leads the conference in field goal percentage at 64.6%. Here is everything Samuel said about the matchup with the Wildcats and the start of the SEC slate.

Tyrese Samuel Q&A

On the opportunity against Kentucky with a sellout crowd:

Samuel: “Most definitely. I think it’s a big opportunity. I think if we get this one, it will be our first real big win. All the big games that we have we came close but fell short a little bit. So, if we got this one it’s going to be a really important one – and it’s probably going to put us in the rankings. So, it’s a really important game for us right now.”

On the energy for this game around the building, community:

Samuel: “I think it’s going to be important. I think us getting this win is really going to show us … it’s going to give us confidence that if we beat Kentucky it’s going to give us good confidence just going into other games in SEC play.”

On his rebounding mentality with 6 double-doubles so far this year:

Samuel: “They emphasize it in practice, so in the game my goal is to get seven or six by the first half. So, by the second half comes around, it’s a little easier to get my next four, next three. I think I just do it like that. So that little process kind of helps me and keeps me engaged in getting as many rebounds as I can.”

On how critical the matchup inside will be against Kentucky:

Samuel: “We’re ready. We bang against each other every day. So, I’m ready. We’re not worrying about the physicality part because we come to practice every day, very physical.”

On how many times he’s had 6 or more rebounds in the first half:

Samuel: “I’m not sure actually. I’m not sure.”

On how much confidence the team gained from non-conference play:

Samuel: “A lot. It showed that we’re capable of rebounding the ball. We were able to score when we kind of wanted to. We just got to just pick a guarding the 3-point line a little bit better, get our ball screen coverages a little bit better. But for the most part, we’re really confident. We know we have a good team and we’re able to play. A lot of people might not think so, but we’re gonna show them in SEC play that we can play with anyone in the country. We played some of the best teams and came very close. But it was off of our errors. It wasn’t about like, ‘Oh they just beat us.’ It was just off our errors. So, we’re really comfortable.”

On if he watched the Wildcats from afar and ever wanted to play them:

Samuel: “Oh, most definitely. The SEC, especially in the last few years, is probably the best conference in college basketball. They had the most ranked teams and things like that. So, I’m kind of excited. It’s always fast and athletic. I feel like I fit that kind of style of play. So, I’m kind of excited to play in the SEC.”

On what Kentucky has accomplished as a program:

Samuel: “Most definitely. They’re a great school, great history, great program. They do it for a reason. They get good recruits. They always keep on winning. They’re able to win, so I really appreciate what they do over there.”

On the points of emphasis defensively for Florida:

Samuel: “We just got to stop the ball early and transition, that’s probably like the main goal right there because they’re fast – make open 3s in transition. They can make big plays. So, we just got to start the ball in transition. I think we’ll be alright.”

On how much pace matters offensively in this game:

Samuel: “I think it is really important, especially with our size. We have a lot of big guys that run really hard. I think we can get some easy points, sealing at the basket, getting some high lows and stuff like that.”

On how much extra time he’s spent free-throw shooting:

Samuel: “A whole lot. I’m in there, too.”

On whether he has a number or a goal:

Samuel: “Nah, I go in every day, every night. Well, obviously, before practice and after practice, probably a little later. There’s a game today, but I’ll probably go shoot and try to make 100 every day. Try to get my percentage higher and higher every day.”

On how much free throw shooting issues are mental versus more reps:

Samuel: “It’s most definitely mental. Obviously just being in the gym with the whole crowd is obviously a little bit different. Because every free-throw is important. Obviously, it matters whenyour percentages go down, so you just think about a little bit more. But we’re putting up the reps now, so hopefully we go out there and cash in.”

On the emphasis on sharing the ball, 46 assists in the last two games:

Samuel: “I think that helps us a lot because we have a lot of our bigs that are able to push the ball. So, making us push the ball just kind of makes a defense discombobulated. So, us making easier passes for everyone, us making our guards run the wings and making them drive to the basket and get fouled and get shots it’s great for us. We’re very versatile and a great passing team.”

On Golden giving him the freedom to bring the ball up court:

Samuel: “That’s great. It shows that he trusts us. If he trusts us, it gives us confidence to do it so we don’t turn the ball over and stuff like that. It gives us a whole lot of confidence.”