Florida will look to get back into the win column after a 75-54 loss to the No. 3 Connecticut Huskies Dec. 7.
The Gators (6-4) will play in their fourth neutral site game of the season in the Victorinox Tampa Tip-Off against the Ohio University Bobcats (5-4). The game will be the first of a three-game road trip.
The Bobcats’ most recent game was a thrilling 81-79 road victory over the Youngstown State Penguins Sunday. Ohio won due to a buzzer-beater by graduate student forward Dwight Wilson III, who leads the team with 12.5 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.
Ohio scores 78.1 points per game, the third-best mark in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats hold opponents to an average of 69.2 points. However, they struggle to get wins outside of Athens, Ohio.
Ohio is 1-4 on the road, accounting for all its losses. Ohio’s most notable defeat was in overtime against the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines Nov. 20, 70-66.
The Bobcats lost 10 players from their 2021 roster due to graduation and the transfer portal. Three of Ohio's top scorers — Mark Sears, Jason Carter and Ben Vander Plas — were among the players to leave.
Guard AJ Brown is one of six freshmen to join the Bobcats. His playing time has steadily increased over the course of the season. Brown is averaging 10.4 points per game off the bench. The Gators’ reserves will need to show out Wednesday to give Florida the advantage.
With a roster as deep as Florida’s, bench production has become a deciding factor in games.
Florida’s bench only managed ten total points in its losses to Florida Atlantic and UConn. However, sophomore guard Kowacie Reeves and junior guard Trey Bonham stepped up against Stetson and Florida A&M. They filled in for injured Gators graduate student Kyle Lofton and sophomore Will Richard.
The bench scored more than 40 points in Florida’s wins over Stetson and FAMU. Sophomore forward Alex Fudge showed out with a 16-point performance against the Rattlers. Following the game, he found himself in the starting lineup against Stetson and UConn.
In Ohio’s game against Youngstown State, junior guard Jaylin Hunter balled out for the Bobcats. Hunter scored 17 points — tied for his season-high — on 7-10 shooting. Despite the strong performance, he’s been an inconsistent scorer early in the season.
Hunter has started the entire season and is a key to the Bobcats’ offense. He attacks the basket and creates opportunities in transition.
Richard, who dealt with knee inflammation, and Lofton, who is day-to-day with back tightness, are still making their way back to their old selves.
After scoring 14 points off the bench in Florida's win over Stetson, Richard only attempted two shots against UConn. The Huskies’ defense kept the ball out of the guard's hands with double teams and off-ball pressure.
In games where the six-foot-four-inch guard puts up double-digit points, Florida is 5-2. When he scores less than 10, the Gators are 0-2.
Lofton came off the bench for the first time in his five-year collegiate career against UConn. He scored zero points through 21 minutes of playing time.
This was his first game back since Nov. 27 against the West Virginia Mountaineers. It’s unknown if the St. Bonaventure transfer will be back in the starting lineup Wednesday.
Wednesday's game against Ohio — which allows opponents to shoot 42.4% from the field — could be an opportunity for the two to get back on track.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
