GAINESVILLE — The Florida men’s basketball team remains unbeaten, but also has been untested.
The No. 18 Gators will begin to gauge their considerable potential during this week’s ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee.
UF (6-0) opens at 2:30 p.m. Thursday against Wake Forest (6-1) aiming to avenge a November 2023 loss to the Demon Deacons. Minnesota (5-1) and Wichita State (5-0) meet at noon, with the winners and losers squaring off Friday at the intimate, 5,000-seat State Farm Field House.
“This 48 hours down in Orlando will give us a good experience to see what we’re made of in a different setting, playing two games back to back,” coach Todd Golden said Tuesday.
The Gators last appeared in the event in 2016 when it featured eight teams, finishing third during a season that ended at the 2017 Elite Eight.
Golden’s third Florida team could have the make-up for a postseason run.
Before opening SEC play Jan. 4 at Kentucky, the Gators will have several growth opportunities, beginning with this week’s event followed by a Dec. 4 visit from Virginia and neutral-floor matchups with Arizona State (Dec. 14, Atlanta) and North Carolina (Dec. 17, Charlotte).
“It’s a start of hopefully a little run in the next few weeks, when we have this tough schedule,” sophomore post player Alex Condon said.
Following Friday’s 93-68 win against Southern Illinois, FAU transfer Alijah Martin said the Gators boast superior talent and depth to the Owls’ 2023 Final Four squad.
Each aspect will be tested during consecutive games against quality opponents as UF seeks its first 7-0 start since 2012-13, when the Gators also reached the Elite Eight.
The current Gators have proven to have a lot of pieces and answers winning by an average of 20.3 points.
Five different players have led UF in scoring, with four averaging double figures — led by Martin (16.7 points per game) and Walter Clayton Jr. (16.5).
Martin also leads the Gators in rebounding (6.7) and is second in assists (3.5) to Clayton (4.2). The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Martin, who has 12 steals, also sets the tone for a defense determined to improve after allowing 79.7 points — more than any Florida team other than the 1974-75 Gators who finished 12-16 under John Lotz.
“He brings it defensively, which is a little bit different from last year,” Condon said. “It’s awesome to have, just bringing that dog mindset.”
Martin is sure to cross paths Thursday with Wake Forest star Hunter Sallis, who scored 24 points to help his team erase a nine-point deficit during the second half of an 82-71 home win against the Gators last season. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard averages a team-leading 18.9 points and 4.3 assists.
Everything runs through Sallis and senior Cameron Hildreth, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard averaging 11 points and 4.3 assists.
“They are able to play with the ball in their hands quite a bit,” Golden said. “Those two guys make a majority of their decisions, whether it’s in transition or in the pick-and-roll.”
The 6-foot-11, 230-pound Condon said the Gators will be ready for the Demon Deacons’ 1-2 punch after last year’s defeat.
“Everyone who’s returning is carrying a chip on their shoulder,” he said. “We really need this game.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Florida vs. Wake Forest
When: 2:30, Thursday, State Farm Field House in Kissimmee
TV: ESPN
