Florida basketball lost center Micah Handlogten to injury this week, but transfer forward [autotag]Tyrese Samuel[/autotag] stepped up in a big way for the Gators, earning Player of the Week honors from the SEC office.
Samuel averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks against Bayor and Pitt this week at the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York. He was named to the All-Tournament team and posted the SEC’s first 20/10/3/3/3 stat line in more than seven years.
That’s exactly the kind of impact Todd Golden hoped Samuel would make when he plucked him from the transfer portal. A four-year player at Seton Hall, Samuel was looking for a bigger stage to show off his talent, and Florida needed big men to replace Colin Castleton and Alex Fudge.
So far, so good. Samuel shouldn’t have to do so much heavy lifting once Handlogten returns, but it is good to know he’s capable of holding down the frontcourt without another major threat in rotation.
The Gators are on the road this week at Wake Forest. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
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