Preview: (22) Wisconsin at (10) Florida

Preview: (22) Wisconsin at (10) Florida

#22 Wisconsin Badgers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) versus #10 Florida Gators (1-0, 0-0 SEC)

Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, FL

Broadcast Information

TV: ESPN2; Mark Jones (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst)

Radio: WRUF/Gator IMG Sports Network; Mick Hubert (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst)

Streaming: ESPN3.com

Head Coaches:

Wisconsin: Bo Ryan (269-101, 12^th season at Wisconsin; 652-204 overall, 29^th season)

University of Florida: Billy Donovan (387-158, 17th season at Florida; 422-178 overall, 19th season)

Probable Starters:

Wisconsin Badgers

#3 George Marshall (5’11”, 185 lbs RS-FR) Season stats: 5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg

#1 Ben Brust (6’1”, 195 lbs JR) Season stats: 14.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg

#5 Ryan Evans (6’6”, 208 lbs SR) Season stats: 9.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg

#40 Jared Berggren (6’10”, 235 lbs SR) Season stats: 19.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg

#44 Frank Kaminsky (6’11”, 230 lbs SO) Season stats: 6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Florida Gators

#1 Kenny Boynton (6'2", 190 lbs SR) Season stats: 20.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg

#3 Mike Rosario (6'3", 183 lbs RS-SR) Season stats: 14.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg

#15 Will Yeguete (6'7", 240 lbs JR) Season stats: 3.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg

 #33 Erik Murphy (6'10", 238 lbs SR) Season stats: 15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg

#4 Patric Young (6'9", 249 lbs JR) Season stats: 12.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg

*Scottie Wilbekin remains suspended indefinitely for an unspecified reason.

Injury News

Casey Prather remains unavailable from a concussion sustained in practice on November 5th.  He will be re-evaluated before Sunday’s game versus Middle Tennessee State…Erik Murphy hasn’t practiced since Sunday because he’s experiencing migraines.  Coach Donovan has stated that he can’t see Murphy not playing.

Last Game:

Wisconsin: Defeated Southeast Louisiana on Sunday, 87-47

Florida: Defeated Alabama State on Sunday, 84-35

What I’m Wondering:

1.      First, and foremost, how will the Gators perform against their first “tough” opponent of the season?

2.     Wisconsin is known for being very much of a half-court team.  They like to keep the pace to a minimum and almost lull their opponents to sleep.  The Gators have been able to go up and down with ease in their first few games of the season.  The change in style could change the way that Florida operates, but how will the Badgers’ style affect the Gators, if at all?

3.     I’m interested to see how many fans turn out for the second home game of the season.  I know the Rowdies will be noisy as usual, but the fans need to show up to the games, no matter who we’re playing.  I’m a big fan of both Kentucky (I know) and Indiana, and the way that their fans support their teams is remarkable.  Let’s see if the Gator faithful can deliver tonight.

4.     The overriding question with Patric Young is which Patric Young will show up?  Coach Donovan has pointed out time and time again that he’ll get great energy for the big man for 2-3 minutes at a time, then either he gets tired or needs a kick up the backside to get him psyched up again.  I want to see some consistency with Pat, like we saw against Alabama State.

5.     Florida has only been able to practice with eight guys due to Cody Larson leaving the team, Scottie Wilbekin’s suspension, Casey Prather’s concussion, Erik Murphy’s illness, Damontre Harris’s shoulder surgery, and Billy Donovan Jr.’s injury.  Will depth play a role in tonight’s game?

Final Score Prediction: Florida 63 – Wisconsin 58