No. 18 Florida will try to remain unbeaten as it takes on one of its tougher challengers so far in Wake Forest on Thursday afternoon as part of the ESPN Events Invitational at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The Gators (6-0) and Demon Deacons (6-1) will meet for the second consecutive season and the 14th time ever. Florida leads the all-time series 7-6 but lost to Wake Forest last November, 82-71, on the road at Winston-Salem, N.C.
The teams would next take on either Minnesota or Wichita State on Friday.
Florida enters the contest with its record unscathed thanks largely to one of the most potent scoring rosters in college basketball. The Gators have averaged 88.2 points per game so far and are shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Florida has four players with scoring averages in double figures, led by Alijah Martin (16.7 points per game) and Walter Clayton Jr. (16.5).
The Gators have also been one of the better rebounding teams in the nation, averaging 42.8 per game thanks to their size. Martin, Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon are each averaging 6.3 or more rebounds.
Martin had 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting, nine rebounds and five assists in Florida’s most recent win, a 93-68 triumph over Southern Illinois.
“(We) had a good stretch back half of the first half where, you know, we kind of put it all together from the defensive side, clean rebounds, getting out and running in transition, obviously, shooting the ball well, and we’re able to stretch that lead out pretty good in the first half,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “I thought the second half, we played very well offensively. Again, we have not been able to play 40 complete minutes defensively or on the glass.”
Wake Forest is in its fifth season under head coach Steve Forbes and is looking for a big early season victory to justify its NCAA Tournament expectations. The Demon Deacons have won back-to-back games since a disappointing loss to Xavier but will also take on their toughest challenge to date as they enter a daunting stretch, which includes a game Dec. 3 against Texas A&M.
The Deacons, who were predicted to finish third in the ACC, just missed the NCAA Tournament last season and have not made it since the 2016-17 season. Wake Forest is hoping to secure wins over programs like Florida to bolster its resume.
Wake Forest’s defense, which has allowed 66.3 points per game, knows it will be put to the test by the Gators.
Hunter Sallis, who scored a season-high 31 points in Wake’s most recent win over Detroit Mercy, has paced the Deacons with 18.9 points per game as well as 4.3 assists. He eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career and was 12 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
“It was great to see Hunter break out from 3 and just overall, he looked really good,” Forbes said.
–Field Level Media
