Virginia vs. Florida Game Preview, Score Prediction

The Cavaliers take on their first big challenge of the season against the Gators in the Hall of Fame Series on Friday night in Charlotte

After showing lots of promising signs in a comfortable victory over Tarleton State to open the season, the competition steps up significantly for Virginia in the second game of the year as the Cavaliers head down to Charlotte to take on the Florida Gators on Friday night at the Spectrum Center. 

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Florida, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a prediction for Friday night's matchup. 

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (1-0) vs. Florida Gators (1-0)

When: Friday, November 10th at 7pm ET

Where: Spectrum Center (17,500) in Charlotte, North Carolina

How to watch: ACC Network

How to stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)

How to listen: SiriusXM 392 | Virginia Sports Radio Network - click here for affiliates

All-time series: Florida leads 2-1

Last meeting: Florida defeated Virginia 65-39 in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. 

Game Notes

• Virginia and Florida meet for the fourth time ever but for the first time in the regular season. 
• This is the first meeting between UVA and Florida since the Gators eliminated the Cavaliers from the 2017 NCAA Tournament in a second-round blowout. 
• Virginia defeated Florida in the first-ever meeting between these two programs in the semifinals of the 1992 NIT at Madison Square Garden, but the Gators have won each of the two matchups since. 
• Virginia is 13-19 all-time in games played in the city of Charlotte and 3-4 in the arena now known as the Spectrum Center. One of those losses was UVA's historic first-round loss to UMBC in 2018. 
• The last time Virginia played at the Spectrum Center, the top-seeded Cavaliers advanced to the semifinals of the 2019 ACC Tournament, where they fell to Florida State. 

Opponent Scouting Report: Florida

2022-2023: 16-17, 9-9 SEC, Lost in 1st Round of NIT Tournament
2023-2024: 1-0

Once regarded as one of the premier basketball programs in the country, Florida has experienced a decline over the last several years and has made the NCAA Tournament only once in the last four seasons. Todd Golden is looking to change that. That name should be familiar to Virginia fans, as Golden coached San Francisco to a 61-60 upset of then-No. 4 Virginia in the second game of the 2020-2021 season in Uncasville, Connecticut. 

Golden was hired as the next head coach at Florida before the 2022-2023 season. Year 1 saw some significant growing pains, as the Gators went 16-17 overall and 9-9 in SEC play, falling in the second round of the SEC Tournament and losing to UCF in the first round of the NIT. 

This offseason saw Golden overhaul his roster with several transfer additions, particularly in the front court. In the backcourt however, Florida returns 6'5" sophomore guard and SEC All-Freshman Team selection Riley Kugel, who averaged 12.6 points per game in SEC play last season. Kugel got his sophomore campaign off to a great start with a brilliant performance in Florida's season-opening 93-73 win over Loyola. Kugel led all scorers with 23 points on 10/15 shooting and also recorded four assists, three rebounds, and a staggering six steals. Reece Beekman will likely draw the assignment of defending Kugel for Virginia. 

Joining Kugel at guard is Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. and former Belmont transfer guard Will Richard. Clayton was the MAAC Player of the Year last season after averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 43.1% from beyond the arc. Richard returns as Florida's top three-point shooter from a season ago at 39.8%. Together with Kugel, who shot 37.6% from three last season, Florida has a formidable trio of starting guards capable of lighting it up from the perimeter. 

Seton Hall transfer Tyrese Samuel and Marshall transfer Micah Handlogten start in the front court for Florida. Samuel had 15 points and Handlogten had 16 in the first game against Loyola and Florida dominated inside with 54 points in the paint. Freshman center Alex Condon also contributed 13 points off the bench. 

Samuel is 6'10" and 239 pounds, Handlogten is 7'1" and 235 pounds, and Condon is 6'11" and 230 pounds. Handlogten and Condon also knocked down two three-pointers apiece in the win over Loyola. After facing a smaller guard-heavy team in Tarleton State, Virginia's front court will be tested significantly by Florida's size. Expect a heavy dosage of Blake Buchanan and Jordan Minor in this game to match the physicality of the Gators and Ryan Dunn's play will be absolutely pivotal on the defensive end for UVA. 

What to Watch For

Beekman vs. Kugel

Both Reece Beekman and Riley Kugel could hear their names called in the first round of the NBA Draft next June. On Friday night, we'll get to see them go head-to-head. It'll be particularly interesting to see the matchup when Florida is on offense with Kugel, a Preseason First-Team All-SEC selection, going against Beekman, the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year. 

Battle in the Front Court

If Virginia is going to have a weakness this year, it'll be in the front court, where the Cavaliers lack size, depth, and experience. Jordan Minor, who didn't play much against Tarleton State's guard-heavy lineups in the opener, has played a lot of basketball in his career, but stands at just 6'8". Blake Buchanan is the tallest player on the team, but is naturally lacking experience as a true freshman. Jake Groves has the height at 6'9", but not necessarily the weight or strength to bang down low. Ryan Dunn has the physical tools to be a lockdown defender and he'll have to play up to that potential in order for Virginia to keep Florida's bigs at bay. But the play of Minor, Buchanan, and Groves will be pivotal in this matchup as well. 

Three-Point Shooting

It's too early to know for sure how well either of these teams are going to shoot the ball from three this season. Florida went 6/16 and Virginia went 10/22 in their respective season openers. With the step up in competition, it'll be interesting to see how well both teams will be able to create open looks and make them. Virginia buried Tarleton State early with a flurry of threes and Isaac McKneely and Jake Groves were responsible for seven of UVA's ten three-pointers. Can they be leaned on to produce like that again vs. Florida?

Prediction

Win or lose, this game will provide a key litmus test for where Virginia is, especially with regards to the reliability of UVA's front court. I think Beekman prove to be up to the challenge of guarding Kugel and I think the Cavalier front court will do just enough in the paint and on the glass to compete with the Gators down low. Virginia comes back from Charlotte with the W. 

Score prediction: Virginia 70, Florida 63

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