5 Thoughts: Florida men's basketball vs. Virginia Reaction

[Zack Weiss]

Zack Weiss once again shares his five main takeaways after the latest Florida men's basketball game, this time a neutral-site loss to the Cavaliers. Read here.

 

[Zack Weiss]

1. Riley Kugel isn't picking up where he left off.

He's great. There's no doubt about that. And he absolutely is this team's best talent. But he doesn't play like a mature basketball player. He doesn't appear right now to be significantly better than he was last season. Which, on one hand, isn't stunning: He's only 19, after all. But with the way he finished his freshman campaign, many, including myself, expected to see a big step forward right away. Instead, despite the great Game 1 box score, he's been inconsistent on both ends of the floor in both games this season. I'm sure he'll continue to improve and end up with a fantastic sophomore run. But, he isn't a "put the team on his back and trust things will work out" type of player right now. So, let's be fair with our assessment of him. He's young. He's growing. He's still a bit raw. But, yes, he's an exceptional talent an absolute freak athlete.

 

[Zack Weiss]

2. Micah Handlogten is really, really good.

It's not just the height with him. I mean, that's a lot of it; don't get me wrong. But he really is a solid talent. He moves very well defensively sliding his feet and recovering and has a soft touch around the rim. His activity on the offensive glass tonight kept Florida in the game at points. Going forward, he's going to have to stay out of foul trouble (Golden really could've used him in those last two-and-a-half minutes tonight), but, if he can, he has a chance for a huge season.

 

[Zack Weiss]

3. Tyrese Samuel is what he is, and that's about as solid as they come.

He isn't going to take over a game and be a team-leading star. He hasn't showed thus far that he has the natural talent for that. But he looks like this team's most consistent player right now, like you know exactly what you're going to get out of him. He plays smart on both ends of the floor, rebounds well and has great chemistry with both the guards and other bigs (mainly Handlogten). He's the type of hard-working guy every coach wants on their roster. He's going to play big minutes in every outing he's available.

 

[Zack Weiss]

4. The bench, without Pullin at least, is untrustworthy.

When Zyon gets back, the bench will receive a big boost — either from him or whichever starter gets moved onto it. But, for now, nobody coming off the bench has really established themselves as trustworthy yet. Haugh is a nice player, but more of a glue-guy than someone you can rely on to produce points with the second unit. This could potentially be a big problem going forward.

 

[Zack Weiss]

5. Will Richard needs to be utilized more.

He's the best pure shooter on this team and has virtually no plays ran for him. He can't create his own shot, but he's this team's best catch-and-shoot weapon. I'd love to see him used similarly to how the Warriors use Klay Thompson. Especially early in games. Run some off-ball action and get him open coming off screens early on. When he's rolling, this team unlocks a new level.