Florida vs. Pitt: Preview, Prediction, Odds Where to Watch and More
Coming off a dominant victory over Florida State on Friday, the Florida Gators hit the road to participate in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Florida plays Pitt in game one of the two-contest tournament-style event. Baylor or Oregon State wait on the horizon for the Gators, pending Wednesday's outcomes.
You can find an in-depth rundown and everything else you need to know about the matchup before tip-off below.
Florida Gators vs. Pitt Panthers
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 9:30 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN2
Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 139 or 190 & SXM App
Odds: Florida is a 3.5-point favorite over Pitt, according to SI Sportsbook. The over/under for the contest is set at 156.5 points.
Series history: The Gators are 3-4 against the Panthers all-time. In their most recent meeting, Florida dominated Pitt en route to a 61-45 victory in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in Orlando (Fla.).
Important stories
- Gators Roll Seminoles, 89-68
- Golden: Guard Zyon Pullin Will' Raise the Level' of Gators Squad
- Denzel Aberdeen a 'Great Example' for Gators' Program Under Todd Golden
- Gators Overcome Sluggish Start to Crawl Past FAMU, 89-68
- Florida Outlasted by Virginia in Hall of Fame Series Contest, 73-70
- Carroll's Cadence: Game One Positives/Negatives
- Gators Earn Pledge From World's Tallest Teen, Center Olivier Rioux
- SG Isaiah Brown Officially Signs with Gators
- Florida Cruises to Victory over Loyola Maryland in Season Opener
- Exclusive: Golden's Gators Striving for 'Next Step' With Reconstructed Roster
- Carroll's Cadence: Gators Season Preview
- Gators Guard Riley Kugel Named to Coaches' Preseason All-SEC First Team
- Kugel Placed on Jerry West Award Watch List
- Kugel Named to Preseason All-SEC Second Team
- Gators Transfer Julian Rishwain Medically Cleared for Full Contact
- SEC Tip-Off Media Poll Slots Gators to Finish No. 8 in 2023-24
- Gators Wing Steps Away, Pens Farewell to Basketball
- Observations From Gators Basketball's Fourth Open Practice
- Gators Guard Zyon Pullin Suspended First Three Games of 2023-24 Season
The rundown
The Florida-Pitt matchup in Brooklyn, N.Y., is a highly-anticipated bout of teams expected to enter the NCAA Tournament field in March.
Presenting an early-season preview of the madness, both squads will get a good look at where they stand during the out-of-conference slate to use as they head for league play come the turn of the year.
For Florida, this will be its third contest against a Power Six team in just five games, opening the season with a challenging, but potentially rewarding, schedule.
The Gators have split the contests thus far, dropping a neutral site bout against Virginia on Nov. 10 before rolling over Florida State on Friday in Gainesville.
They'll look to move to 2-1 against Power Six competition on Wednesday against the ACC squad. Pitt has yet to face off with a non-mid-major opponent.
On Monday, Gators head coach Todd Golden provided a brief synopsis of what Pitt brings to the table.
"They have a freshman point guard that is playing really well and kind of been the head of their snake so far, just playing at a high, high level," Golden said in reference to Carlton Carrington. "And then Blake Hinson, a fifth-year guy that has bounced around a lot and kind of found a home at Pitt. He played really well last year and is doing so again this year.
"They're just a team that's played really well so far and protected their home floor at a high level. All their numbers are really good on both sides of the ball. They've rebounded well, defended well, shot it well and they'll be a challenge for us. We'll have to prepare and see if we can try to stop those guys and keep them out of transition, make them operate in the half, you know, the normal stuff. But, yeah, it'll definitely be a challenge with their personnel."
Through four games, Pitt ranks 35th in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, after scoring over 100 points in two of its outings.
Utilizing an up-tempo approach, the Panthers have found success turning defense into offense throughout the year, averaging 15.5 points off turnovers. The Gators have notably struggled with ball security to this point.
Florida will strive to improve in that area while possessing a multifaceted attack utilizing both the backcourt and frontcourt in a pick-and-roll-based offense.
The contest is expected to be a close one, indicated by the mere 3.5-point spread. Florida aims to use its experience advantage against higher-level opponents to log a Quad-II victory.
Brandon's Prediction: Florida 74, Pitt 65
The Gators produced at a more effective clip on Friday against the Seminoles than they have in any one game over the past several seasons.
It was the first time Florida operated at full strength this season, as starting-caliber guard Zyon Pullin returned to the lineup following a three-game suspension to begin the year. Possessing a steady hand as a ball-handler — and savvy scoring effort with 15 points in his Gators debut — Pullin provided promise for UF to reconcile its worrisome ball security as the team moves forward in the 2023-24 campaign.
Against Pitt, taking a step forward in that area will be paramount, as the Panthers deploy one of the most fast-paced attacks in the nation, ranked 38th in adjusted tempo by KenPom.
Generating turnovers can allow Pitt to break off in transition, coming away with easy buckets. If that's the case, it could be detrimental for the Gators.
However, I think Florida's backcourt, consisting of Pullin alongside Clayton and Kugel, will take care of the basketball in a form that leads the Gators to win the clash of two rising programs in college basketball.
Florida produces a statement win over Jeff Capel III's squad and covers the spread, 74-65, to set up a showdown with the winner of Baylor-Oregon State.
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