Hail WV
Fansided

Florida and WVU basketball teams have deep rotations

By Matthew Peaslee

Jan 20, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; The West Virginia Mountaineers dance team performs during a timeout at the WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; The West Virginia Mountaineers dance team performs during a timeout at the WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The West Virginia and Florida basketball teams match up well in a number of ways.

The first, of which, is in their sheer numbers. Both teams have a rotation where anywhere from 10 to 13 players will make an appearance in any given game.

Usually, the Mountaineers trot out an 11-man rotation and the Gators utilize 10 players. Also, 10 different players have started for UF.

"“The one constant has been forward Dorian Finney-Smith (Sr., 6-8 220 lbs.), who leads the team with a 14.4 points per game average,” says BlueGoldNews.com. “He’s also on the court far more than anyone else, and as a result is also first in shot attempts of all types. He’s UF’s best volume 3-point shooter, and is a threat to score off the bounce, via offensive rebound and at the end of a sequence as a spot up shooter. Sophomore center John Egbunu (6-10, lbs.) has struggled to stay on the floor of late, but when he does he’s a very good complement to Finney-Smith, averaging 10.6 points and 6.6 boards per outing.”"

The Gators now sport a record of 13-7 and sit in fifth place in the Southeastern Conference after falling to Vanderbilt, 60-59, on Tuesday.

Florida opened SEC play with a win over Georgia, prompting our friends at Hail Florida Hail to suggest that the Gators could win the conference title.

"“The key to the game was the Gators ability to make threes – a very welcome sight in Gainesville,” Daniel Taylor wrote after that win over the Bulldogs. “They converted on 9 of 22 shots (41%) a number that would spell out great things in the south-east if they can continue to hit near that mark. As a team, they are shooting only 28 percent this season.”"

Since that Georgia game, Florida has gone 4-3 in conference play. The early prediction of its 3-ball shooting has been debunked, though. The Gators are now shooting 31.8-percent from behind-the-arc as a team. Finney-Smith has taken the most 3-pointers (101) and made the most 3-pointers (40) and leads the team with a 14.4 points per game scoring average.

The WVU basketball team is seeing its shooting woes as a major problem, too. The Mountaineers are worse off from 3-point land than the Gators.

As a team, West Virginia is shooting 30.7-percent from behind-the-arc. The team’s leading scorer, Jaysean Paige with 13.6 points per game, is also the leading deep ball threat going 30 for 82.

It’s safe to say neither team will be living by the three in their match up on Saturday.

Home/WVU Basketball