It’s not quite Halloween, but Gators coach Mike White already has some tricks for opposing offenses up his sleeve.
“Coach has put in a little bit of zone (defense),” center John Egbunu said.
“He just puts that as a decoy. We’re really not going to play zone ever. He really likes the man-on-man defense.”
Tricks aside, Florida is treating its fans tonight with the chance to see UF play for the first time since losing in March’s National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals.
Florida plays Eckerd College in its one and only exhibition game tonight at 7 in Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
White said the biggest factor in scheduling the preseason matchup was to give the team a chance to get used to the arena.
With the O’Connell Center under construction until late December, Florida is forced to play its first two games — both designated home games — in Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
“It’s important, just getting used to the rims, getting used to the court and all that,” Egbunu said.
“It’s going to help us because of the fact that we don’t have a home floor right now.”
A home court isn’t the only thing UF is missing right now. Kasey Hill, the team’s senior point guard, didn’t practice Tuesday and will miss tonight’s exhibition with hamstring soreness, White said.
“(Hill) has been working hard all summer but definitely he has to heal up,” Egbunu said. “There’s no point in him trying to play while he’s not 100 percent and end up hurting something.”
Hill shined in a team scrimmage on Friday, serving up eight assists with no turnovers and adding 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Luckily for Florida, its roster is deepest at the point guard position. Junior guard Chris Chiozza started 22 games last season and led the team in assists. He also found a rhythm in Friday’s scrimmage, going 4-for-6 on three pointers.
“(Chiozza) is a guy who understands what we need to do as a team,” Egbunu said. “He’s a leader himself. He understands what pace and what intensity the team needs to play at.”
After Chiozza, White said sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen is next in line to run point.
Allen played mainly as a shooting guard his freshman season, and he averaged more points per game than any returning player.
“KeVaughn Allen, he’s our shooter,” White said. “He’s been shooting really well, a high clip all Fall.”
Egbunu said improvement in Allen’s three-point shot spreads out defenses and makes it easier for him to operate in the paint.
The exhibition game will give the Gators a chance to do some evaluations of individual players and the culture and state of UF’s basketball program, White said.
“That’s where I’m most anxious,” White said.
“Just seeing where we are, how far we have to go, where we’ve gotten better this Fall, things like that.”
Contact Matt Brannon mbrannon@alligator.org at follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
John Egbunu shoots a free throw during Florida's 61-55 loss to Alabama on Feb. 13, 2016, in the O'Connell Center.
