Scouting Report: FSU men's basketball hosts No. 20 Florida Gators

The Florida State men’s basketball team will take on the 20th-ranked Florida Gators today at 6 p.m. in the Tucker Center. Both teams enter this game at 3-0 after facing some lower-level competition to start the year, and this game will offer each team its toughest test yet.

The Seminoles are on a three-game losing streak against the Gators and are hoping to break that trend to begin the season 4-0 for the second straight year.

“The’re a high-intensity team,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said of UF’s squad. “They probably have a few more veterans mixed in with some younger players. They’re big and they’re strong. … I like what I’ve seen from them from a challenge standpoint. That’s the kind of game you need this time of year to let everybody know that this is the level we’ve got to be effective enough to compete against. This is similar to what we’ve got to compete against in the ACC.”

Today’s game will air on the ACC Network.

Here is a scouting report of the Florida Gators and how they match up with Florida State:

Offensive Outlook

The Gators have been a very efficient and potent team on the offensive side of the ball under head coach Todd Golden. The Gators are averaging 88.3 points through their first three games while shooting 50 percent from the floor. Golden and the Gators love to get out in transition and play fast in hopes of controlling the tempo of the game.

If their fast-break opportunities are stopped, UF has a heavy emphasis on the deep ball in the half court. The Gators run a lot of high screens to create space or get the correct matchups in their halfcourt sets. They have not been the most efficient 3-point shooting team so far, only converting from deep at a 26-percent clip, however, the next component of their dangerous offense comes from rebounding bigs like Alex Condon and Sam Alexis. They do a very good job of converting those outside misses into second-chance points. They rank fourth in the SEC in offensive rebounding.

Rebounding and finishing possessions has been an issue at times in this young season for Florida State. The Seminoles have won the rebounding advantage in two of the first three games, but there also have been lapses against smaller lineups.

UF also prides itself on taking care of the basketball and refusing to waste possessions. The Gators rank 37th in the country in turnover margin, and this allows them to capitalize on the majority of their possessions. Florida State will look to take the Gators out of their rhythm with full-court, man-to-man defense. And if the Seminoles can create turnovers, they will need to capitalize on those opportunities with points in transition.

Defensive Outlook

The Gators excel at protecting the rim. Many of their opponents have been able to get through the first line of UF defenders only to be met by either the 6-foot-11 Condon, 6-10 Rueben Chinyelu or 6-8 Alexis. The Gators are tied for third in the SEC in blocks and 23rd in the country in blocks per game. Florida State’s offense relies heavily on points in the paint, and the Seminoles have dominated that category in the first three games of the season. But the Gators will offer more resistance inside than the ‘Noles have seen so far.

There does appear to be a weakness in the Gators’ defense early this season — their perimeter defending. With their aggressive style of play at that end of the floor, they average 9.67 steals per game. But they sometimes can over-commit to that approach and leave shooters open. The Gators are allowing teams to shoot 35 percent from the 3-point line, which ranks 256th in the country.

To take advantage of that, Florida State will also have to convert its long-range opportunities much better than it has so far. Through three games, the Seminoles rank second-to-last in the ACC in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. They also are are sitting in the bottom half of the ACC in free-throw shooting; they have only shot 75 or better from the line in one game so far.

Look for Florida State to use its defense and depth to try to take control of the game. The Seminoles have worn down their first three opponents in the second halves of those games, and this appears to be a textbook Leonard Hamilton team with a group of long and athletic players who constantly create deflections and steals. FSU ranks 20th nationally with 12.0 steals per game and 30th in blocked shots.

Players to Watch

Florida State
G – Jamir Watkins – Second-team preseason All-ACC, 18.3 pts (team high), 4.7 rebs, 3.0 stls
F – Taylor Bol Bowen – 9.0 pts, 6.0 rebs, 2.0 stls, 2.0 blks
G – Justin Thomas – 7.0 pts, 2.3 rebs, 2.7 asts, 1.3 stls

University of Florida
G – Walter Clayton Jr. – First-team preseason All-SEC, 16.7 pts, 3.0 rebs, 4.0 asts
G – Will Richard – 16.0 pts, 5.3 rebs, 3.3 stls
F – Alex Condon – 15.3 pts, 4.7 rebs, 1.7 blks, 82.4% FG, 50% 3PT

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