Florida coach Billy Donovan finally has the backcourt tandem he envisioned before the start of the season.
Scottie Wilbekin and Kasey Hill, two of the nation’s most talented point guards, each had individual issues that delayed them from playing together during the Gators’ first eight games of the season.
After seeing limited time on the floor together in a matchup with national title contender Kansas last Tuesday, the duo is ready to showcase what it can offer No. 16 Florida against No. 15 Memphis on Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V Classic (9 p.m., ESPN).
“Scottie is one of those guys you can put out there on the floor and he can play any position,” Donovan said. “Part of it, chemistry-wise, is very, very good moving Scottie off the ball some and Kasey has the ball in his hands.”
Hill, who Donovan said is fine after tweaking his left ankle in practice last week, returned against the Jayhawks after missing four games due to a high right ankle sprain and flashed his potential by creating plays in the open floor while shaking off any lingering rust. The freshman finished with six points and three assists in 20 minutes while Wilbekin showcased his improved offensive game.
Wilbekin, a senior who missed five games due to suspension to open the season, finished with a team-high 18 points, six assists and four steals while wreaking havoc on both ends of the court to help the Gators earn a beneficial nonconference victory. He earned SEC Player of the Week honors Monday for his performance.
“He’s really taking over the team and really running the team,” senior forward Will Yeguete said. “He’s done a great job just being consistent in that job and just making sure we are ready to go every single game.”
The challenge gets no easier for a UF backcourt that has been forced to deal with Connecticut’s Shabazz Napier and Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins in its past two games. Memphis boasts talented guard Joe Jackson, who enters averaging a team-best 15 points and 3.8 assists per game, as part of a three-guard starting lineup that is one of the best in the nation in creating turnovers.
Florida’s matchup with Memphis, its first since the Big Sun Tournament title game during the 1976-77 season, provides an opportunity for a win over a quality team on a neutral floor, which the Gators could point to when seeding for the NCAA tournament occurs in March.
“They’re really fast and a really good team,” Yeguete said. “We’re going to have to really, really focus on guarding them and make sure they don’t get any easy fast-break points.”
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