Tag: Samson Ruzhentsev

Here’s what the Gators need to do to defeat Georgia on the road

The Gators are tipping off against the ‘Dawgs this afternoon – here’s what they need to do to turn their win over Tennessee into a streak.

The Florida Gators are slated to tip off against the Georgia Bulldogs in a Saturday afternoon matchup. The teams are both 2-of-5 in their recent games against SEC opponents, with Georgia defeating Kentucky on a buzzer-beater and the Gators coming off a shocking blowout of Tennessee in their last game, respectively.

Without a doubt, Florida has been the better team this season despite their seemingly endless string of setbacks. The expert consensus seems to be that the Gators will come out on top in this game. BetMGM gives Florida a 4.5 point advantage, and other sportsbooks echo that sentiment with similar spreads across the board. The ESPN Basketball Power Index puts UF’s chances of victory at 74.6 percent, which is nearly the highest it’s been since the team entered conference play.

Almost nothing has come easily to this team, though, and the Gators need to stay locked in if they’re going to turn their win over Tennessee into a streak. Here are three keys to a Florida win over the Bulldogs.

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs. Georgia, per BetMGM

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball at Georgia

Florida basketball’s prized freshman ‘waiting his turn’ according to ESPN

For the Florida Gators, their promising prospect Samson Ruzhentsev caught ESPN’s eye as one who is patiently waiting his turn. 

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team has an appreciable amount of young talent on its roster as head coach Mike White tried his best to restore the program to its previous prominence under the legendary Billy Donovan. Their most recent top recruit is one with a great deal of promise, but also a great deal of work ahead.

ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello compiled his list of college basketball freshmen who are the biggest stars, the biggest surprises and the ones who are waiting on-deck for their chance to shine. For the Florida Gators, their promising prospect Samson Ruzhentsev caught his eye as one who is patiently waiting his turn.

Here is what Borzello had to say about the 6-foot-7-inch top recruit for Florida.

Samson Ruzhentsev, Florida: It’s been an obviously difficult first two months of the season for the Gators so far, and the lack of practice time and number of canceled games has likely slowed Ruzhentsev’s development. The Russia native has appeared in four of seven games, making 2-for-7 from 3-point range.

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2020-21 Florida Gators Men’s Basketball Profile Card: Samson Ruzhentsev

The Gators added Ruzhentsev as a high-end recruit, but he’s more of a play for the future than a readymade contributor.

Name: Samson Ruzhentsev

Number: 2

Position: Small Forward

Class: Freshman

Height: 6’7″

Weight: 231 lbs

Hometown: Chattanooga, TN

High School: Hamilton Heights Christian Academy

Twitter: @thesame_sam27

2019-20 Stats:

New roster addition in 2020-21

Overview:

The top recruit among Florida’s freshman this season, the 6-foot-7-inch Ruzhentsev was fairly well-known as a prep player especially thanks to his win in the Dr. Pepper Classic Dunk Contest. Searching his name on Twitter reveals a bumper crop of highlights, mostly of Ruzhentsev dominating at the rim and overpowering some unfortunate kid for an acrobatic layup or dunk.

As a Gator, he hasn’t been able to find much time on the floor yet through his first handful of games. It’s a predictable decision on the part of head coach Mike White to keep him on the bench, as Ruzhentsev is considered more of a project player than a polished one. However, if they play their cards right, Florida could have an exceptional player on their hands in a year or two.

The 247Sports scouting report on Ruzhentsev described him as a “confident scorer with ability to put up points from all three levels.” They them went on to praise his body control and defensive versatility. However, they note, to actualize his full potential, he’ll have to level up his “feel and shot selection.” Additionally, there’s room for him to add muscle to his frame as he grows into his adult body.

Don’t expect to see too much of Ruzhentsev on the court this season unless another important member of the Gators’ roster succumbs to injury. He’s a good candidate to be redshirted as the Florida coaching staff helps him transform his potential into realized talent and molds him into a feature player.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-__2vW7TKQ

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