Tag: riley kugel

Quick takeaways from Florida’s first SEC win vs Georgia Bulldogs

Pat Dooley gives his instant reactions to Florida’s first SEC win in three tries.

Maybe it took an appearance by [autotag]Mike White[/autotag] in the O’Dome to get the Gators back in sync.

And to get it to sound like it used to.

In front of a raucous crowd, the Gators fell behind early but were efficient late to get Florida coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] his first SEC win of the season, 82-75, against the Georgia Bulldogs.

UF is now 8-7, 1-2 in conference play.

The finish was crazy with Florida losing most of a 13-point lead before [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] hit four big free throws down the stretch as Florida finally finished a game after two tough close conference losses.

“For our team, it was really important,” said Golden. “There are so many blows you can take before it becomes an issue.”

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida’s home loss to No. 5 UConn Huskies

Florida basketball took the 75-54 loss in a late-night tangle in the O’Connell Center on Wednesday against UConn Huskies who arrived in Gainesville with a perfect 9-0 record along with a No. 5 ranking. The game went pretty much as expected as the visitors overmatched the home team to win its tenth game of the season.

The loss sent Todd Golden’s team packing with a 6-4 record overall — a rough mark before Southeastern Conference play even begins. Three Gators scored in double digits, with [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] dropping 13 apiece while [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] added a dozen of his own; the big man also paced the Orange and Blue with eight boards.

Take a look below at a handful of highlights from Florida’s double-digit loss at the hands of the UConn Huskies on Wednesday night.

PHOTOS: Florida basketball’s bounce-back win over Oregon State

Take a look at some highlights from the men’s basketball team’s big win on Friday evening.

Florida basketball got back on the winning track on Friday evening against the Oregon State Beavers with an 81-68 win in the consolation game of the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland, Oregon. The Gators went wire-to-wire in this one, scoring the first nine points before prevailing by a double-digit margin.

[autotag]Tre Bonham[/autotag] led the way for the Orange and Blue with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists while [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag], [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] also finished in double-digits scoring with 13, 12 and 10 points respectively. The comfortable lead throughout the game allowed [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] to use his bench liberally, giving 10 players time on the court.

Take a look below at highlights from Florida’s fourth win of the season coming on the other side of the country against Oregon State.

Breaking down Florida’s grinding loss to Xavier on Thanksgiving

Here’s a look at how Florida’s loss to Xavier went down in the opener of the Phil Knight Legacy.

Florida basketball opened up the Phil Night Legacy in Portland, Oregon, on Thanksgiving Day with a loss to the Xavier Musketeers by a final score of 90-83. The matchup between a Southeastern Conference school and a Big East representative did not go quite how Gators fans would have liked after having stuffed themselves with dinner on this evening.

[autotag]Tre Bonham[/autotag]’s 23 points led the way while [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] followed with 18 and [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] with 12 to round out the Gators in double digits; Richard also paced the squad with three steals and [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] maxed out the assists with six. [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] sat this one out due to a coach’s decision that was not elaborated upon.

The biggest story was [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag]’s general ineffectiveness on offense throughout the game, scoring just 11 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking four shots. That is a rather modest double-double given his 5-for-14 effort from the field as well as going just 1-for-2 from the free-throw line in 32 minutes played.

Take a look below at a chronological breakdown of the game action as Florida’s second loss of the season unfurled.

Florida basketball erases 17-point halftime deficit to beat FSU in Tallahassee

Florida was down 17 points at the half, but Colin Castleton took over in the second period and led the Gators to victory, 76-67.

The Florida Gators mounted a comeback for the ages on Friday night, taking down the Florida State Seminoles by a final score of 76-67 after trailing by nearly 20 at the half.

Although it’s a cliche in sports, this truly was a tale of two halves. The Gators scored twice as many points in the second half of the game and slowed down a red-hot FSU offense until a lead was firmly established. The Seminoles could not stop turning the ball over in the second half, allowing the Gators to go on a 20-3 run through the first 6:15 of the period that erased a 17-point halftime lead.

Florida’s big man [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] contributed 10 of his 25 points during that stretch and completely took over a game he appeared to be struggling in before the half. As the clock whittled down, it became clear that there would be no slowing down the Gators’ offense and the FSU faithful began filing out of the building.

[autotag]Will Richard[/autotag]’s 13 points were good enough for the second-best number on the team, and [autotag]Trey Bonham[/autotag] finally played meaningful minutes off the bench, seemingly in place of true freshman [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] who struggled.

As good as it feels to leave Tallahassee with a win, there’s clearly a lot for Florida to work on if the Gators are going to be successful in the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament, which begins in just under a week on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are five takeaways from Florida’s first win in Tallahassee since 2012.

247Sports praises recent commitment as ‘first step’ to in-state dominance

The acquisition of the former Mississippi State commit was a major coup for a program looking to lock down the borders.

Monday afternoon, highly-rated guard [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] announced his commitment to Florida basketball. The four-star recruit had initially given his pledge to the Mississippi State Bulldogs but decommitted in March. Now, [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s Gators own his allegiance and it’s easy to be positive about where this team is headed.

247Sports evidently shares that opinion. The recruiting experts employed there are higher than the national average rating him as the 49th prospect in the nation, compared to the composite’s less optimistic placement at 78th overall.

After praising the fine work Golden has done in the transfer portal, 247Sports’ Jacob Rudner asserted that Kugel’s commitment could be an even bigger victory. “It was Golden’s first win in his quest to dominate what he called the university’s “footprint,'” wrote Rudner.

Of course, this is a reference to Golden’s introductory press conference after being hired as the head coach of Florida’s men’s basketball team. “We’re going to try to build a fence around the state of Florida and make sure that we’re involved with every great student-athlete within this footprint,” said the newly appointed Golden.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Golden plucked up [autotag]Korey McCray[/autotag] — Mississippi State’s lead recruiter on Kugel — as soon as he became available during the Bulldog’s leadership change. A win is a win, though, and it’s impossible to be cross about it no matter how Golden pulled it off.

With the final scholarship currently available on the Gators’ men’s roster, the team has been chasing a big man to compliment [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] in the transfer portal. Don’t expect another big in-state win this year, but keep your eyes peeled for highly-ranked homegrown players as the basketball staff builds out next year’s recruiting class. Golden is a man on a mission, and Kugel is a good first step.

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Florida basketball lands this top-50 prospect for its 2022 class

The Gators snagged this top-50 recruit from the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Florida basketball’s recruiting efforts were bleak this offseason after a pair of top prospects reneged on their commitments to find greener pastures elsewhere. The turnover from the [autotag]Mike White[/autotag] to the [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] era has not helped at all, but the former was not exactly setting the world on fire with his recruiting efforts either before the latter arrived.

Fortunately, Golden has managed to steady the ship as it traverses rough waters and his latest coup will certainly help the program set its course. On Monday, shooting guard Riley Kugel out of Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, Florida, committed to playing in the O’Connell Center for his collegiate career according to his post on Twitter.

According to On3, he picked the Gators “because (he) feel(s) like it will be the best place for me to develop myself and get to where I want to be in these next few years. And of course, it’s HOME.” With just an hour and a half separating Gainesville and Orlando, it is easy to see why he feels the way he does.

Jamie Shaw, On3’s national recruiting analyst, offered the following scouting report.

“At 6-5, Kugel has long arms and a physically developed frame. He is comfortable on the ball, showcasing great vision to set up his teammates and his jump shot extends well beyond the arc. His explosion has become a weapon as he gets past his man and is a threat to get on the rim when he touches the paint. Plays with a competitive fire. Good in the passing lanes. Three-level scorer.”

Kugel ranks No. 78 overall and No. 8 at his position nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus has him a Nos. 46 and 5, respectively. He joins high school teammate Denzel Aberdeen, who was the previous lone commit remaining, in the 2022 UF recruiting class.

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4-star SG Riley Kugel is ready to commit

Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs are among the top three schools for elite shooting guard Riley Kugel.

Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs are among the top three schools for elite shooting guard Riley Kugel. Georgia is still looking to add to its roster ahead of the 2022-2023 college basketball season.

The Bulldogs could use a talented player like Riley Kugel, who previously signed with Mississippi State. Kugel, a four-star shooting guard, backed off his commitment to Mississippi State after they changed coaches following the 2021-2022 college basketball season.

Kugel is considering committing to Georgia, Florida, and LSU. All three of Kugel’s potential homes have undergone some serious change this offseason. Georgia basketball coach Mike White is competing against his former school in what should be a very interesting decision.

Riley Kugel is the No. 78 recruit in the country, the No. 8 shooting guard, and the No. 14 recruit in Florida. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard played high school basketball for Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida.

The four-star shooting guard will be a great, late addition one lucky team’s class of 2022. Kugel has won a pair of state championships.

Now, he is set to commit to where he will play college basketball at 6:00 p.m. EDT on May 23. Kugel will announce his decision via Instagram.

The four-star shooting guard is a late riser in the class of 2022 rankings. Riley Kugel recently visited Florida on April 21.

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