Tonight in Jacksonville, the USF Bulls men's basketball team will begin twin tasks: Building on last season's unprecedented success and moving forward following the recent death of Amir Abdur-Rahim, the head coach who made it all possible.
Waiting for the Bulls are the 21st-ranked Florida Gators, who advanced to the finals of the SEC Tournament last year before losing to Auburn. It will be a stiff early test for USF, which lost four key contributors from last year's 25-8 team to the transfer portal.
To get a read on what USF might expect in this game, we turned to Ben Henderson, the site expert for Fansided's Hail Florida Hail platform. If you notice a similarity between his last name and mine, it's because we're related -- he's my son.
His answers to my questions are as follows:
1. Is the hype about Walter Clayton real or can he prove that he can reduce his turnovers and increase his accuracy from 3-point land?
Walter Clayton falls into the category of someone who can have a great college season but still has to prove some things if he wants to make it into the NBA. He tested the waters of the draft last season but wasn't on radars to be picked so he came back.
As I wrote in my Bold Predictions piece, I think there is a pathway he can average 20 points a game. That would make him the first Gator since Vernon Maxwell in the 80s to pull off the feat. As you alluded to, for him to get there, he needs to get his three-point shooting north of 40%. He claims it has been a point of emphasis, but we won't know for sure until the games happen for real.
2. Who will replace starting point guard Zyon Pullin and forward Tyrese Samuel?
Will Richard is back so he will probably get increased responsibility after averaging 11 points a game last season. In addition, Florida went out and grabbed Alijah Martin from the portal. USF might be familiar with Martin as he came over from FAU and averaged 13 points a game for the Owls.
It's a similar story at forward. Alex Condon should get an increased role after averaging 7.7 points a game last season. But Todd Golden also grabbed Sam Alexis from the portal. Alexis played at Chattanooga last year and averaged 10.8 points per game, along with 9.1 rebounds.
3. After center Micah Handlogten's gruesome leg injury in the opening minutes of the SEC championship game, what should UF fans reasonably expect from him this year?
Indications seem to be that he is recovered. He took part in Florida's scrimmages during camp. The benefit for Florida, though, is that if Handlogten isn't 100%, they have an ocean of big men to fall back on. Five players on Florida's roster are listed at 6'9" or taller.
The fact that the Gators have 7'9" (yes, you read that correctly) Olivier Rioux on the roster, and he isn't expected to play that many minutes, should indicate the depth Florida has with size.
4. How do the Gators approach the game against USF, given the uncertainty around the program since the death of Amir Abdur-Rahim?
USF is a solid opening test for the Gators. The big theme for Florida in 2024/25 is if they can clean up their defensive efficiency, and given USF's ball movement last year under Amir Adbur-Rahim I think Gator fans were going to get to see if Golden had cleaned up their defensive rotations.
The approach for Florida probably doesn't change since one would assume USF isn't going to change their style. They will approach the game with respect, and Todd Golden has expressed his condolences.
Game time: 8:30 p.m., TV: SEC Network Radio: Bulls Unlimited