Who Else is in the Rady Children's Invitational with Florida?

The Florida Gators will play two games across two days in San Diego in the Rady Children's Invitational.

The Florida Gators have won four straight since their season-opening loss to Arizona. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The No. 10 Florida Gators head west to San Diego, Calif., to take part in the Rady Children’s Invitational that begins on Thursday. They open with the TCU Horned Frogs and end with a contest against either Providence or Wisconsin on Friday. 

Each poses its own threat and weakness that the Gators will look to exploit on the court, which brings us to the quick preview of TCU, Providence and Wisconsin. 

TCU

TCU forward Micah Robinson is shooting 50 percent from deep. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Let’s start with the Gators' first match-up in the mid-season tournament. They are 3-2 on the season, but have yet to take down a team within one of the Power Four conferences. TCU started its season with a rough loss to New Orleans, falling 78-74. Since then, they are 3-1, with the only loss in this stretch coming at the hands of No. 7 Michigan. 

This year, the Horned Frogs are averaging 80 points per game (T-170th in the NCAA) through five contests. Moreover, TCU is shooting 43.5 percent from the field (255th in NCAA) and 32.6 percent from deep (218th in NCAA). They are averaging 37 rebounds per game (T-204th in NCAA) and 16.2 assists (T-118th in NCAA). The offense is also struggling with turnovers, averaging 12.4 per game (T-169th in NCAA). 

Two TCU players to watch out for are guard Jayden Pierre and forward Micah Robinson. Pierre is contributing a team-high 12.2 points per game and is connecting on 37.9 percent of his threes. Robinson's 10.8 points are second on the team, and he is shooting 50 percent from 3-point range on 16 attempts through five games off the bench. 

Providence

Providence guard Jason Edwards is a part of a three-guard trio for the Friars. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Providence enters the Rady Children’s Invitational with a 4-2 record. They begin against Wisconsin on Thursday. Unlike TCU, they have collected a win over a Power Four opponent. 

However, they are 1-2 overall against that level of competition. They have losses to Virginia Tech and Colorado on the books, but a win over Penn State in their most recent outing. 

The offense for Providence has not really been the problem to start the year. It is averaging 93.2 points per game (T-27th in NCAA) and shooting 48.1 percent from the field overall (95th in NCAA). One stain on its record is that it has struggled shooting from deep. Providence is making just 30.6 percent (276th in NCAA) of its 3-pointers on the year in 173 attempts. 

Defensively, Providence is surrendering 82.5 points per game to opponents (315th in NCAA). It is holding opposing offenses to 42.2 percent shooting (146th in NCAA). The defense is also forcing 11.7 turnovers per game (T-264th in NCAA). 

Five Providence players are averaging 10 or more points per game, with three north of 14. 

Like Florida last year, Providence is led by a trio of guards: Jason Edwards, Jaylin Sellers and Stefan Vaaks. 

Edwards averages the most, producing 19.3 points per game. Sellers closely trails him with exactly 16 points per game. Finally, Vaaks is adding 14.8 points per game. Lastly, while all have consistently taken them, Vaaks has been the only real threat from deep, connecting on 38.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. 

Wisconsin

Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd leads the Badgers with 19.2 points per game. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Badgers hold a 4-1 record. BYU dealt them their only loss of the campaign last Friday, 98-70. This game was also their only real competition up to that point. Nonetheless, they have dealt with every other opponent comfortably. 

Wisconsin’s offense is averaging 88.6 points (60th in NCAA), shooting 46.5 percent from the field (144th in NCAA) and making 33.9 percent of its triples (167th in NCAA) through the first five games. 

It is spearheaded by a three-man attack of Nick Boyd, John Blackwell and Nolan Winter. These three are combining for 51.8 of the team's 88.6 points per game. Boyd leads the way with 19.2, Blackwell is adding 18.4, and Winter is in third with 14.2. The most dangerous shooter of the bunch is Blackwell, who is knocking down threes at a commanding 45.2 percent.