Florida basketball returns to the parquet on Saturday after a 10-day layoff against the Arizona State Sun Devils Holiday Hoopsgiving Event. The Gators are off to their best start in nearly two decades but their upcoming opponent might be the toughest yet.
[autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s gang has run off nine straight wins to open the 2024-25 campaign and is looking to keep that success going in Atlanta. Every victory so far has come by a double-digit margin, including their 87-69 win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the SEC-ACC Challenge last time out.
Ahead of Game 10 of this season’s schedule, Golden spoke with the press about the status of the team, including its high rankings, as well as a look forward at Florida’s upcoming opponent.
On being top-10 team in AP poll
“Obviously, a great honor and kind of part of the process we’re trying to complete as far as being one of the top programs in the country. Obviously, off to a good start and starting to get some recognition for that nationally.
“But in our building these next two games will determine a lot in terms of our non-conference and how we feel it’ll got. Grateful right now, but all that can change based on the result Saturday.
“Happy in the meantime, but still very hungry and determined to make sure we keep rising and go in the right direction.”
On handling the 10-day break
“It came at a good time for us. Those first nine games felt like they came one after another. Obviously, knock on wood, we’re in good health, but I felt we were starting to fatigue a little bit. The end of the semester, with finals, you’re first real stretch of games, you can get a little drained.
“We did a good job letting the guys take some time off last weekend, making sure that all their books and finals aligned. Pretty standard week. Practiced Monday, Tuesday, off Wednesday, will practice hard today, little lighter tomorrow getting ready for Saturday.”
Thoughts on Bobby Hurley, Arizona State
“I think they’re really good. Really good. He’s done a great job there. I grew up in Phoenix and have a pretty good understanding what that program is. The consistency with which they’ve just been good, going to tournaments and all that. They weren’t as good as they have been last year, but I thought he and his staff did a good job of putting together this roster.
“They have two really, really talented freshmen in Quaintance and Senon — those are guys who like will play in the NBA – and some really, really solid and good seniors that came from different places. One of the things I think we’ve done a really good job of is getting guys to play together and to their credit I feel like (ASU) looks really well-connected on the floor.
“Between Austin, Freeman, Miller, Basheer they have really good players. They really probably six or seven deep, but all those guys are really tough. It’s going to be a good challenge for us. I think the best team we’ve played to this point. We’ve got to play well to beat them.”
Does ASU have best frontcourt faced so far?
“I think those two guys (Jihad and Quaintance), yeah, I think talent-wise. Basheer is a tough cover. I think he’s going to be interesting for us. We’ll throw a couple different guys at him, but he does a lot of things well. He can shoot the 3. One of the best four-drawers in America. Gets to the line a ton. Pretty efficient from 2.
“So you got to figure out the best way to not allow him to beat you. And Jayden, we know him very well. Obviously had him on a visit and recruited him really hard. You see his talent when you watch the film. He’s not as efficient probably as he will be in a month or two, but he still makes some plays where you go, ‘Wow! That’s ridiculous.’ I think he leads the nation in shot-blocking. So the talent is there.
“It’s going to be a good challenge for our front court. Obviously, we think we have great depth, and we got to be really physical with them. I think that’s an area where we got to set the tone and kind of control the paint. If we can do that, it’ll help give us a better chance.”
Will his team handle the extra attention well?
“I’m confident. We talk about it a lot. Our conversation on Monday getting back was like, ‘Listen, if there’s any content behavior in this locker room or on the floor, we’re just not who we think we are.’
“It’s something that we pride ourselves on all through the summer, fall, kind of getting ready for the season, is being a really emotionally mature team that doesn’t allow ourselves to get too high or too low depending on the circumstances.
“You’re fighting human nature a little bit. But our coaching staff is doing what we can to make sure we don’t lose ourselves in that.”
Are UF’s lofty expectations a benefit?
“I hope, you know. That’s kind of the mentality. Nothing that we do between now and March is going to satisfy us. That’s kind of the mentality that we want to have. We can play great and win all the games, but our end goal is to go deep in the NCAA Tournament.
“So we’ve obviously played well. We’ve done some good things. We have plenty of areas that we can improve. But my expectation is guys like Walter, Alijah and Will, they want to make a deep run. Being 9-0 and being top 10 is nice, but it’s not the end game. It’s just not the end game. It’s just part of the process, and it’s been a good part of the process, and we just got to keep going.
“But, yeah, I don’t feel like our guys are like satisfied, like, ‘Hey, we made it. We’re good. That’s not the mentality we have right now.”
On drawing contact, getting free throws
“I feel like we have a couple guys that that’s a big part of their game, and a couple guys that it’s not, you know. Condo, to your point, is he’s up there with (Basheer) Jihad, like he’s almost like a 90% free throw rate, which is incredible. You know, he’s great at drawing contact, getting to the line.
“You know, Alijah has done a better job getting to the line, but, you know, a guy like Walter, he’s just not at the line that much because he just is such a uniquely talented player that he’s able to get a shot off a lot easier, you know. And there’s some games where he gets to the line, but that’s just not kind of his M.O., you know, and as a team, we’re just nationally average, you know, at getting to the line, but we’re pretty dang good in the three other areas, which is effective field-goal, taking care of the ball and getting on the glass.
“So, you know, having Condo kind of be that stabilizing force inside is important, you know, because you don’t want to get, you know, in a situation where you’re not getting to the line at all, and then you’re relying upon shot-making for extended periods of time, like the free throw stabilizes you a little bit, but, and he’s done a great job that way, like, I think he’s really gotten comfortable operating in the paint and on the block, and so it helps us a lot.
“But, you know, we’re that’s not one of our huge strengths, but him doing that makes us better, for sure.”
On keeping players grounded
“I think being consistent, to be honest, like, with our film study, where I wouldn’t say we’re like a critical staff, but I think we’re pretty realistic, and so we show a lot of really good things on film, and we’re not afraid to give constructive criticism either.
“We challenged the guys at the beginning of the week that we needed four great practices this week, and I think we did a good job the first two days, but just kind of constantly coaching them and kind of keeping our mindset in the right place. You know, this team is mature. This team’s done a really good job being consistent, but the second you take it for granted, I feel like it goes away.
“So we’re gonna try to keep our foot on the gas that way.”
On desiring better starts in games
“Yeah I mean, every game, you know. But when you play like, I mean, cv is a good team. They’re not a great team, they’re a good team. They’re well-coached, they have good players, like, you can’t necessarily control all 40 minutes to go your way, right?
“So, like, you got to be able – obviously, want to get off to a good start, want to build a lead, but it’s not going to always happen the way we want it. And the area that this team, I feel like, has done a good job this year, is kind of handling a little bit – not that we’ve been in crazy adverse situations – but the USF start, the Virginia start, the Wake start, you know, we were down seven or eight in all those games in the first half, and, you know, we’re able to get it pretty close to tie it or with the lead at halftime.
“So yes, I would love to be able to, you know, get off to a great start that allows us to play with the lead and play confident and freely. But we got to be able to play regardless, you know. But yeah, that’s a goal of ours for sure.”
Indications of team implementing alterations
“Yeah I mean, they’re definitely coachable, you know. And usually there’s pretty specific things that we got to get right, you know, to make those changes.
“For example, in the USF game, I thought we did a really poor job in our transition defense early. We were not rebounding, you know, and those are two things that we hang our hat on, and so, ‘hey, got to do this, or it’s not going to get better’.
“Virginia, we didn’t guard the three point line well in the first half, and that was an area that we knew with their personnel, and, you know, when they beat Villanova, I think they made 14 threes in that game, and it was a big emphasis going in. ‘Hey, we gotta guard the line tonight, make them try to beat us from two’ and we gave up four threes in the first six minutes of the game that they made.
“So it’s like, ‘Hey, do what we’re asked to do, and things will work out’ and we guarded the line better the rest of the game. But yeah, I think this team is receptive to coaching, which is obviously the most important thing.”
Importance of guarding 3-point line vs ASU
“You know me. Even when it might not be the most important thing in terms of stopping a team, it’s something that playing for Randy Bennett, coming up in that coaching tree, it’s always been stop 3s, no middle of the floor, force tough 2s over hands. That’s the goal of a defense.
“They have 3 guys though that really poke it. Sanon is one of the best shotmakers I’ve seen nationally, honestly, with his ability to shoot off screens and shoot off balance. Then (Adam) Miller, the LSU transfer is playing very well this year, and then Alston (Mason) is a very good point guard.
“He’s a good shooter, the Missouri State transfer. All 3 of those guys have been high-level shotmakers. Amier Ali comes off the bench and he’s a good shotmaker at the 4. So yes, I’ll be really upset if they make a lot of 3s.”
On ASU’s 39% three-point shooting
“Yes, they shoot a very high percentage. They are very good at making baskets. I’d say they are above average from 2 and pretty elite from 3. I think it’s going to be a little bit of a ‘Margins Game’ for us where the 3 areas I’ve talked about– rebounding, defending without fouling, and taking care of the ball, we’re going to have to win those battles.
“If we do that, we’ll put ourselves in a good spot.”
What he learned from Gonzaga’s win vs ASU
“They scored well. But they did not guard them. Arizona State played really good in that game. It was funny because I watched Arizona State play Duke in their exhibition game or whatever it was and I thought, ‘Man, they have a long way to go (Duke won by 56 points).’
“Then here it was 3 weeks later and I was like ‘They went there. They got there quick!’ It was really impressive. Jayden Quaintance was really good early in that game. They just didn’t seem flustered playing in the Kennel. From experience, that’s a very tough place to play. And so I was like Dang, I was hoping they would mature around January or February. No, credit to Bobby Hurley and his players.
“They are so much better and they have continued to look better. They played really well against good competition. They beat my alma mater, Saint Mary’s in a really tough game. They beat New Mexico on a neutral court. They have had a really good year so far.
“They only have 1 loss, at Gonzaga. We are definitely a respect everyone, fear no one program, but this is a really good team we are going to try to get one from on Saturday.”
On Hoopsgiving Event as a scouting opportunity
“The good thing is we don’t have to do that these days with Synergy and stuff like that. I don’t know what the rules specifically are at these events if we’re allowed to be there or things like that.
“But to be honest, I’ve seen Auburn play 8 times this year already. I think I’ve seen Georgia play 5 times. We have a pretty good feel for those days. But it will be a good opportunity to catch up with Bruce and Steven (Pearl) at some point. I’d like to see those guys.
“I hope the three of us are able to do what the league has done in the past few weeks where we get opportunities in these events to play great games. We play a Big 12 team, I think Georgia plays Grand Canyon which is a really good game, and Auburn plays Ohio State, a B1G team. It’s a really good event and there should be some good basketball.”
How to watch Florida-ASU
The Gators will face the Sun Devils on Saturday, Dec. 14 as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving Event in Atlanta, Georgia. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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