Florida Men’s Basketball Tips Off Season Against Loyola Maryland

The Florida men’s basketball team will look a lot different this year. The 2023-24 squad will be defined by some old faces, and many new ones.

Of the 15 players on last year’s roster, only six returned. Head coach Todd Golden brought in nine new players, with five transfers and four freshmen. After a disappointing season in year one under Golden, the new-look Gators hope to start strong against Loyola Maryland on Monday.

https://twitter.com/GatorsMBK/status/1721521190068502825

Returning Production

Of the six returners, just two played a major role on last year’s team. Guards Riley Kugel and Will Richard were the team’s second and third leading scorers last season, with both expected to have a major impact again this year.

Kugel averaged just under 10 points per game last year, with his biggest impact coming late in the season. He dropped 12 plus points in each of the Gators’ last 10 games, including a career-high 24 against Kentucky. After an impressive freshman campaign, Kugel was named to the preseason All-SEC team this year, looking to pick up where he left off.

Kug.#GoGators pic.twitter.com/dliWYpu8mT

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 2, 2023

Richard finished just ahead of Kugel in points-per-game last season, with 10.4. Although Richard did not have quite the finish that his teammate did, he impressed throughout the season. His best performance came against rival Georgia with a career-high 24 points, but perhaps his biggest impact was at the free throw line, where he shot a team-leading 85.7% on the year.

The junior guard figures to be part of an electric backcourt this season, alongside his preseason All-SEC running mate.

New Faces

With not a lot of turnover from last year’s team, perhaps the biggest hole to fill will be at center. Colin Castleton was the Gators’ leading scorer and rebounder last season, and was a dominant force in the paint on both sides of the ball.

While replacing a player like that is not easy, Todd Golden has brought in a center who he hopes can fill Castleton’s shoes. His name is Micah Handlogten, a Marshall transfer, and reigning Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year. At 7-foot-1, Handlogten provides even more height than the 6-foot-10 Castleton under the rim.

Also transferring in are guards Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr.

Pullin comes in from California-Riverside, where he averaged 18.3 points per game last season, and earned First-Team All-Big West Conference honors.

Clayton Jr. transferred from Iona, where he averaged 16.8 points per game and was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Loyola Maryland

The Greyhounds belong to the Patriot League Conference, in which they went 7-11 last year, with a 13-20 overall record. Notable games last season include three losses to conference-champion Colgate. The Greyhounds also suffered 25-plus point losses to Penn St and Clemson.

The Greyhounds were picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League preseason, after finishing eighth last year.

Guard Deon Perry is a player to watch. He was the team’s leading scorer last season with 11.4 points per game, and will be a crucial piece for Loyola to compete with the Gators.

The game begins at 8:30 in the O’Dome, following the Gators women’s basketball season opener against UNF.