Tyrese Samuel, Gators ready for another shot at No. 10 Kentucky

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After an 87-85 loss to open SEC play, the Gators get a rematch Wednesday night with No. 10 Kentucky. The game will tip at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Florida starting senior forward Tyrese Samuel had his worst performance of the season against the Wildcats in Gainesville, scoring a season-low 3 points.

“It was just a rough game,” Samuel said. ” I just gotta go out there for this game and just to be a little bit more patient, take my time. I feel like I was probably rushing a little bit. But I feel like I’m capable of doing anything I kind of want on the court, so I really just being patient and just using my God-given abilities to do what I gotta do.”

Samuel averages 13.2 points, leads the SEC in field goal percentage (59.4%) and ranks third in rebounds per game (8.3), one spot ahead of fellow Florida big Micah Handlogten (7.9). The Gators are on a three-game winning streak and Samuel is confident in their chances at Rupp Arena.

A win would mark UF’s first road victory against an AP Top-10 opponent since 2003.

“I think it’s big,” he said of the opportunity against Kentucy. “We came (up) short last time, unfortunately, but I think we’re ready. I think we understand what we did wrong the last game and I think we’re going to be ready and find a way to execute to win this game.”

Tyrese Samuel Q&A

On his thoughts about the UGA win:

Samuel: “First half was great, second half not so great. Overtime I was pretty confident that we were going to probably win the game, but second half not so good. We’ve got to be better at closing out games.”

On UF’s inability to close out recent games:

Samuel: “I think we’ve just got to be not as lackadaisical when it comes to the second half. We had such a big lead we’ve got to keep on punching the team and you know, expand the lead. It’s going to make it better for us in the NET rankings and those type of things. So, just finishing out games stronger, really.”

On if it’s a mental hurdle for the players:

Samuel: “It’s becoming too much of a common theme. I feel like we’re having big leads and letting teams come back, or even getting a little closer in the game. I think we’ve just got to figure it out what we need to do and just kind of fix that little problem going on. Well, it’s not really a little problem, it’s a big problem. We’ve got to fix it, especially coming down to the end of the season. Every game is going to get harder. Every team is going to be dying for wins. So, we’ve got to learn how to finish out games better.”

On whether lack of motivation is an issue late:

Samuel: “Yeah, maybe. It’s probably like in the game we’re winning by so much, then the game starts getting a little bit too slow and we kind of relax. They’re dying for everything, they need everything, so now they’re playing at full potential and we’re just playing at this 50 percent level. So, maybe it’s like a lack of motivation thing I think.”

On the downside of Florida’s pace of play:

Samuel: “We’re really heavy on transition, we play really fast and when the game starts to slow down maybe that’s the time we struggle a little bit, but I think if we continue to run and play like how we play in the first half, just running and playing fast and points and stuff like that, we’ll be alright.”

On his first time playing at Rupp Arena:

Samuel: “Yeah, I just talked to Duke (trainer Duke Werner). He’s just like, ‘The one thing that’s good about it is none of the 24,000 people are going to come on the court and shoot or try to block my shot.’ But I heard it’s crazy there and I heard it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be an intense game, so I’m excited.”

On if the last road win at Missouri can carry over:

Samuel: “Yeah. Obviously, they’ve got the crowd, the homecourt advantage. I think it’s kind of just coming down to playing defense and just being positive out there. It’s a game of runs, you know. They’re going to go on runs, it’s going to get crazy, it’s going to get loud. We’ve got to just stay focused and stay on the right path. I think we’ll have a good chance to win.”

On the recent play of Micah Handlogten:

Samuel: “Yeah, I’m happy for him. He’s been playing great, especially in practice, whether it’s altering shots, tip-ins. That last game, had a great game. I’m happy for him. So now, team’s gonna have to watch out for Michah. But that was his coming-out party and I think he’s only gonna get better from here.”

On handling the hostile environment at Rupp:

Samuel: “Just going out there and knowing it’s gonna be hostile, so you just gotta be ready. The team that punches first. Don’t let them punch and try to be a counter-puncher. Just go on their punch first, and I think we should be all right.”

On whether he cares about the Top-25 rankings:

Samuel: “Most definitely. I feel like we lost to a lot of ranked games. I think we should be ranked. I think we’re up there with the top 10 teams in the country. No question. I think we just fell short, just kind of being undisciplined a little bit. But most definitely once we’re ranked, I think it might change like a little  bit of energy that we got. Right now, we’re on a three-game winning streak and you feel the energy change. So, I think if we were ranked, we’re gonna want to stay ranked. So, we’re gonna have a little bit different type of energy going into every game.”

On the chance to improve your resumé these next couple games:

Samuel: “Most definitely. But I think every game is important at this point. I know we won three games in a row, but I think if we become lax and kind of have that kind of mindset, I don’t think it’s gonna be too good for us. So, we got to play like we’re 0-3. So, I think if we just go out there and play with a losing record mindset, then I think we’ll be alright.”

On whether players discuss Quad 1 wins in the locker room:

Samuel: “Yeah, yeah. But if I heard if Richmond gets a couple of more wins, we might change that to a Quad 1. So hopefully they start winning and hold on. We just need a lot to start winning so we got some Quad 1 wins.”

On the need for Florida to keep winning:

Samuel: “Yeah, and also we got to win some.”

On the toughest place in to play in the Big East:

Samuel: “Villanova has been good. Xavier’s pretty good. Butler’s pretty good, as well. And I think, but they’re not in the Big East, Rutgers because them and Seton Hall is like a little rivalry game. So playing there is insane too. So probably those.”

On playing at UConn?

Samuel: “UConn’s pretty good. Yeah, especially because they always want to play us on campus. They never want to play in [Hartford]. They never want to play us there.”

On what’s made Zyon Pullin effective at PG:

Samuel: “I think it just comes with he’s a senior, or a graduate student, is his experience. You can tell he plays at a great pace, he doesn’t let anything kind of rush him,. He takes his time, he’s able to find everyone, especially because our guys have a lot of … our teammates are very good scorers. So I think he puts a lot of trust in us to make the shots. So I feel he’s a great passer, he’s just very paced. I think that all comes with experience.”