FINAL: Florida 87, Richmond 76 - Florida Gators (2024)

What Happened

Florida junior guard Will Richard scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, while grad forward Tyrese Samuel tallied 18 points and 14 rebounds, as the Gators defeated Richmond87-76 Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. The game was semi-tight about seven minutes into the second half when Richard banged three consecutive 3-pointers over an 81-second span to turn a seven-point UF lead into a 16-point advantage. The Spiders, out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, managed to creep back within seven, at 70-63, with just under seven minutes to go and had guard Dji Bailey at the line for a one-and-one to make things interesting. Bailey, though, missed the front end and UF scored six of the next nine points, including a big 3-ball from grad point guard Zyon Pullin, that got the margin back to double digits and gave the Gators some space and confidence to close. Richard, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player, hit eight of 12 shots from the floor, despite missing all four of his 3s outside that sizzling stretch when UF seized control. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Samuel, the 6-foot-10 transfer from Seton Hall, was a monster in the post, going 6-for-10 from the floor (and banging one of his three 3 attempts) to go with 14 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Pullin had 14 points and three assists off the bench, with 7-1 center Micah Handlogten, back in the starting lineup for the first time in more than two weeks, finishing with eight points and 10 in 19 quality minutes. Florida shot 44.6 percent from the floor and only 9-for-29 from deep (31 percent), but was a solid 20 of 25 from the free-throw line, including 15-for-19 in the second half. UF also blasted Richmond on the glass 49-30. The Spiders were a torrid 11-for-22 from 3 (50 percent), but just 16 of 41 from the 2-point area. The Gators played tremendous defense against A-10 scoring leader Jordan King, who came into the game averaging nearly 21 per, but was was limited to 6-for-15 overall, 0-for-4 from 3 and just 14 points by the collective unit of Gator guards.Seven-foot center Neal Quinn and forward Isaiah Bigelow led Richmond with 17 points each.

What it Means

UF improved to 19-4 all-time in the Orange Bowl Classic. That's nice, of course, but more importantlythe 2023-24 Gators improved to 2-0 in December. The players stated after the Merrimack win four nights earlier that an unbeaten was the goalheading into Southeastern Conference play. This was the first of three straight neutral-site games and, at tip-off,was a fringe top-100 NCAA Evaluation Tool opportunity (and may be end up being one down the line). Regardless, the Gators need to pad their win column heading toward league play and this was solid step.

In the Spotlight

Richard statistically (and especially analytically)was one of the most efficient offensive players in the country last season. That hasn't been the case through the first quarter of '23-24, but no one (neither his coaches, nor his teammates) were down on him in any way. Richard just played through it all and was rewarded for it Saturday.

Staggering Statistic

The UF starting backcourt tandem of Walter Clayton Jr. and Riley Kugel combined to go just 6-for-23 and one of 11 from 3, yet the Gators won the game comfortably. That speaks to the idenity of this team, which has options all over the floor when its most engaged. Kugel had 11 points, but was 0-for-7 from deep and four turnovers over 30 minutes. He also was fantastic on the defensive end, which the Gators can live with when other guys are scoring.

Up Next

Florida (6-3)starts semester exams Monday, with the Gators having a couplle light days off before resuming work and readying for a Thursday night date and rare appearance in Lakeland, Fla., where they'll face East Carolina (6-4). The Pirates lost 68-62 earlier Saturday to cross-state foe South Carolina at home.The UF-ECU game is being billed as the Florida Tip-Off and is basically a one-off neutral-site game, but it will serve as a home game for both the Gators and Clayton, the Polk Country product who starred mere minutes away at both Lake Wales and Bartow, where he won back-to-back Class 7A state championships.

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