After starting the season perfect, Florida basketball heads to Oklahoma

After finishing the month of November with an unblemished record for the first time since 2012-13, Florida basketball is set to face a transitioning Oklahoma program on Wednesday.

Defense has been the name of the game for the Gators, and key wins over Florida State and Ohio State has Florida ranked No. 14 in the latest AP Poll. The Seminoles lost to No. 2 Purdue by nearly 30 points on Tuesday so the early win over FSU might not age too well outside of Gainesville, but Ohio State managed to upset No. 1 Duke on the same night. The differing outcomes might not paint the clearest picture of where Florida sits in the grand scheme of things, but a top-10 ranking is becoming more reasonable for the Gators by the day.

The matchup against Oklahoma won’t be as easy as Florida’s blowout win over Troy on Sunday. Similar to Florida, Oklahoma made good use of the transfer portal in the offseason by adding 6-foot-10-inch, 235-pound forward Tanner Groves to the team. Groves leads the team with 14.6 points per game and uses his size to pull down 6.3 rebounds per game. That size should come in handy against Florida’s big man Colin Castleton.

If Castleton does have the toughest matchup on the floor, then Florida’s guards should be able to step up offensively for the team. Tyree Appleby was the hero late against Ohio State hitting a buzzer-beating three to seal the tournament victory. Myreon Jones got things going with some early threes against Troy, and the Gators never trailed in that one.

On defense, the switch to an aggressive 2-2-1 zone has seemed to pay off for Florida. The Gators like to play gritty basketball, and every loose ball is worth diving for to them. That energy has helped Florida win the turnover battle in every game so far this year, and the team record speaks for itself. “Defense wins championships” might be overused these days in sports, but it’s repeated because the adage has proven to be true time after time.

Projected Starting Lineup: FLORIDA