Ga8or22
Eventis sultorum magister.
Florida will get a chance to avenge at least one of its two 2013-14 losses on Saturday at At&T Stadium in Arlington, TX as it is set to take on UConn for the opportunity to advance to championship game of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies and Gators fought down to the wire in their regular-season match-up on Dec. 2, 2013 with UConn taking down Florida 65-64 at home in Stoors, CT by outscoring UF 6-2 over the final 34 seconds with point guard Shabazz Napier draining a second-chance game-winner at the buzzer.
Connecticut’s team is entirely different. It was led by a three-guard lineup during the first meeting, but Omar Calhoun has played his way out of the starting lineup and even the team’s rotation. He didn’t play a minute in Sunday’s win over Michigan State.
With Calhoun out of the starting lineup, it’s still Ryan Boatright and Napier in the starting backcourt but Kevin Ollie now starts a more traditional lineup. DeAndre Daniels, who had 14 points and seven rebounds in the first matchup, is joined by senior Niels Giffey in the starting lineup. His 6-7 frame gives the Huskies more size.
Phillip Nolan, who started the first matchup and played only 11 minutes, is now the team’s starting center. The sophomore is 6-10 and 212 pounds, but he struggled while guarding Young on December 2.
Both teams will downplay the significance of the rematch this week, and it likely doesn’t have any predictive value for what will happen on Saturday in Texas. However, there has to be an extra chip on Florida’s shoulder while getting another chance at a team it last lost to.
The Huskies and Gators fought down to the wire in their regular-season match-up on Dec. 2, 2013 with UConn taking down Florida 65-64 at home in Stoors, CT by outscoring UF 6-2 over the final 34 seconds with point guard Shabazz Napier draining a second-chance game-winner at the buzzer.
Connecticut’s team is entirely different. It was led by a three-guard lineup during the first meeting, but Omar Calhoun has played his way out of the starting lineup and even the team’s rotation. He didn’t play a minute in Sunday’s win over Michigan State.
With Calhoun out of the starting lineup, it’s still Ryan Boatright and Napier in the starting backcourt but Kevin Ollie now starts a more traditional lineup. DeAndre Daniels, who had 14 points and seven rebounds in the first matchup, is joined by senior Niels Giffey in the starting lineup. His 6-7 frame gives the Huskies more size.
Phillip Nolan, who started the first matchup and played only 11 minutes, is now the team’s starting center. The sophomore is 6-10 and 212 pounds, but he struggled while guarding Young on December 2.
Both teams will downplay the significance of the rematch this week, and it likely doesn’t have any predictive value for what will happen on Saturday in Texas. However, there has to be an extra chip on Florida’s shoulder while getting another chance at a team it last lost to.