Five takeaways from Florida’s blowout win over Quinnipiac

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Florida basketball cruised to a 97-72 win over Quinnipiac on Saturday, closing out the Gators’ first perfect month in 25 months.

The Orange and Blue are doing whatever it takes to win, and tonight that meant leaning on Will Richard once again. The second-year Florida guard played just 20 minutes but led all scorers with 22 points, acting as the catalyst for Florida’s early double-digit lead.

Richard rarely missed from beyond the arc and Zyon Pullin also drained a few threes to push the lead even further. The backups came in with plenty of time left in the second half, but a 25-point win never seemed in doubt.

The Gators are looking pretty good heading into conference play. Here’s what we learned on Saturday.

Three-point barrage

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Florida came into this game averaging just 7.4 three-pointers per game, but the Gators were on fire from deep against Quinnipiac. Zyon Pullin and Will Richard did most of the damage, combining for an 8-of-13 night. Richard led all scorers with 22 points, but more on him later…

Florida finished the night with 10 three-pointers made. The Gators’ focus on the three has proven effective over its final two non-conference games — UF hit 11 three-pointers against Grambling State. Could this be a preview of how Todd Golden’s squad will approach the upcoming SEC schedule?

Riley Kugel is back, but is he back?

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After missing the Grambling State game with a bruised foot, guard Riley Kugel returned to the court for the Gators. He finished the night with 10 points, four rebounds and one assist over 21 minutes off the bench.

The once projected-first rounder has struggled shooting the ball season, especially from deep. That trend continued on Saturday as Kugel missed all three of his attempts from deep. He’s now on a 0-for-19 stretch.

Kugel should return to the starting lineup against Kentucky on Jan. 6, and facing that level of competition could provide the spark we’ve been looking for. He…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-takeaways-florida-blowout-win-203727259.html

Author : Gators Wire

Publish date : 2023-12-30 20:37:27

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