Florida Gators vs. FAU: Preview, Info, Odds, Where to Watch and More

The Florida Gators look to close out their three-game home stretch with their third victory in a row as FAU Owls visit Gainesville on Monday night.

Following a contest that remained a little too close for comfort — although Florida maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half — the Gators take another step up in mid-major opponents by facing an experienced FAU squad. The contest is set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET.

You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.

Florida Gators vs. FAU Owls

Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

When: Monday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: SEC Network

Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network, Sirius Channel: 191 | SXM App 962

Odds: Florida is a 12.5-point favorite over FAU, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 144.5 points.

Series history: Florida is 3-0 all-time against FAU. In their last matchup, the Gators took down the Owls 79-66 in November 2010.

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The rundown

As the Florida Gators vie for their third-straight win to begin the Todd Golden era, they enter the contest just three days removed from a 10-point victory over Kennesaw State.

The Owls from Boca Raton enter the contest at 1-1 with a win over Lynn to enter the year and a loss on the road to another SEC opponent in Ole Miss on Friday.

However, they presented some late difficulty to the Rebels by pulling within six with just over four minutes remaining that could carry over to their trip north to Gainesville.

The Owls bring a more traditional lineup to the hardwood than Kennesaw State did for Florida, with added length in the front court. While they still possess four starters standing 6-foot-4 or below — which can bring some height and length advantages to the Gators in the backcourt — they also court 7-foot-1 center, Vladislav Goldin to operate down low on both ends.

He's proven to be the main entity for offensive success thus far this season, averaging 13.5 points and six rebounds per contest to aid the 74 points per game over the Owls' first two appearances.

That will give Florida a formidable opponent as they attempt to bounce back from a below-par defensive outing against KSU.

Goldin's presence gives FAU a cornerstone piece down low.

That won't stop the Gators from looking inside on the offensive end, however, as a supremely in-form center, Colin Castleton looks to capitalize off a career-high 33-point outing.

The Gators star will once again assume the primary scoring role against the Owls as he works his finesse game in the paint. Despite the two-inch height advantage in favor of Goldin, Castleton's rare mix of size and body control give him the advantage as a scorer.

He is just four points away from earning his 800 total points for his Florida career. He would join Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Hudson as the only transfer to reach that number at UF if he can eclipse that number on Monday.

Even if he doesn't maintain his level of success as a scorer against FAU, Castleton could make his presence felt more as a facilitator from the interior as he's flashed to begin the year.

That will likely result in cutters from behind the three-point penetrating the inside for rim twos or interior midrange buckets inside 15 feet. More attempts from beyond the arc — compared to the 11 total attempts on Friday — will come, as a result, as well.

That will production in both regards likely comes from the wings for Florida.

Will Richard and Kowacie Reeves Jr. present the biggest threat to the Owls from a scoring standpoint aside from Castleton for their ability to attack the cup and knock down triples?

The implementation of four guards by the Owls in the starting lineup could provide similar issues that the talented backcourt of Kennesaw State brought to the hardwood against the Gators.

However, the speed and athletics that KSU brought won't appear to the same extent in FAU, although that could be replaced via the experience they have with four returning starters and their top six scorers from 2021-22.

The Florida starting unit projects to be the same as the first two contests, with Kyle Lofton, Richard, Reeves, CJ Felder and Castleton stepping on the court first. Alex Fudge, Myreon Jones and Riley Kugel have quickly emerged as the three consistent rotational pieces with Trey Bonham and Jason Jitoboh operating on the basis of need.

This contest will be Florida's last tune-up opportunity against a mid-major opponent — as 13-point favorites, per the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook — before traveling to Tallahassee for their annual in-state rivalry matchup against Florida State for game four on Friday.

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