Gators basketball returns to Stephen C. O’Connell Center for the last time before taking on the brunt of their non-conference schedule, which includes games against No. 5 Duke and No. 3 Connecticut on the road.
Florida will host Merrimack in a buy-game. The Warriors are fresh off a 72-65 win over Maine on Wednesday.
“Everybody needs to be ready for tomorrow night,” said Florida head coach Todd Golden. “Merrimack brings a unique challenge playing 40 minutes to zone, and obviously we have not shot the ball well from the perimeter yet, so it will be a good challenge for us that way.”
The two met for the first time in Gainesville in 2023, with Florida prevailing 77-57. Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting, including landing 4 of his 7 shots from 3.
Here are four keys as the Gators look to grab their second win against the Warriors and advance to a 32-2 home record since the start of the 2023-24 season.
Use your size
Similar to North Florida, Merrimack runs a predominantly small lineup. The Warriors start four guards and forward Todd Brogna, who is 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds. Comparatively, Florida’s starting front court has an average height of 6-foot-10 and is the 14th-tallest lineup in the country, according to KenPom.
The tallest player in head coach Joe Gallo’s rotation is 6-foot-8, 239-pound KC Ugwuakazi. Despite leading the team with 1.2 blocks per game, his offensive productivity is limited as he comes off the bench and is averaging just 12.4 minutes per game.
This lack of size proved costly for Merrimack in their road visit to then No. 20 Auburn, where they lost 95-57. The Warriors were dominated on the glass, losing the rebound battle 55-24, including a 21-10 disadvantage on the offensive glass. As a result, the Tigers outscored the warriors 42-12 in paint points and 26-6 in second-chance points.
Shut down Merrimack’s backcourt
The heart of the Warriors’ offensive production comes from their two-man game of guards Ernest Shelton and Kevair Kennedy.
Shelton, a junior, was named MAAC Player of the Week after a strong start to the season, averaging 21 points on 47.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Against Boston University on Saturday, he set a program record by knocking down nine threes in a single game on 12 attempts. Shelton finished the night with 33 points.
Kennedy was named MAAC Rookie of the Week in Week 2. Through five games, he is averaging 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Against Maine, he led the Warriors with 23 points, along with six rebounds and five assists. In Merrimack’s contest against Boston, he finished just shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Central to Florida's ability to slow down Merrimack’s guard play is sophomore guard Boogie Fland. The Arkansas transfer is averaging 1.7 steals per game, which includes a four-steal outing against Florida State.
Take advantage of your bench
Merrimack’s offensive production is so reliant on Shelton and Kennedy that the Warriors have yet to have a player come off the bench and record double-digit points in any of their first five games.
On the flip side, Florida has had at least one double-digit performance off the bench in three of its first four games this season. Most recently, junior guard Urban Klavzar provided that spark off the bench with 15 points on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc in 26 minutes.
“The Urban Klavzar you saw tonight is the guy that we know we have on our roster,” Golden said after the game against Miami. “[He] stepped up and hit some really big shots in some moments tonight that allowed us to run out of here with a pretty big win.”
In other games, Handlogten has shone off the bench, recording double-doubles against Arizona and North Florida. However, with Golden ruling out his senior center for the game, Friday will be significant for players like Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram, who come off the bench and have faced limited time on the court this season.
Lloyd made his first appearance against North Florida, finishing the night with four points and four rebounds on 1-for-5 shooting from three. The freshman guard from Miami comes into the team as the No. 37 prospect in his class, according to ESPN.
Ingram, who was a top-25 recruit in his class, has at least 10 minutes of action in Florida's first two games against Arizona and North Florida. However, after seeing the court for one minute against Florida State, he didn’t appear against Miami.
“Everybody that is dressed has to be ready,” Golden said. “CJ and Alex are young guys who need to be ready and prepared to get some minutes tomorrow night. And the expectation is that we need to play well.”
Look for these two, along with center Viktor Mikic, to get more time on the court before Florida faces its tougher non-conference opponents.
Stay out of foul trouble
Despite cruising to an 82-68 victory over Miami on Sunday, Florida had two players exit the game early due to foul trouble, marking the second time that’s occurred this season.
Condon and Chinyelu both reached the foul limit. Condon fouled out with 9:56 left in the second half and Chinyelu exited with just over 6 minutes left.
In Florida’s season opener against Arizona, Condon and Chinyelu also fouled out. With two of the Gators’ key pieces in the paint gone, Koa Peat and Jaden Bradley were able to attack the basket en route to 57 combined points and a 93-87 victory for the Wildcats.
“Koa Peat did a really good job in the one-on-one iso situations finishing,” Golden said after the Arizona game. “We sent him to the line too many times. And Jaden Bradley stepped up in the second half. I thought we did a poor job keeping him from getting downhill.”
While Merrimack may not have the star power of Arizona or Miami, staying out of foul trouble will be crucial to Florida’s success, especially for Condon and Chinyelu, who play an important role in the Gators' ability to dominate the glass.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
