MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Ryan Saunders remembers it well. Only thing is he’s still trying to figure out how he was penalized for getting punished.
As a senior in 2006-07, Saunders under then-coach Cesar Odio, met defending NCAA champion Florida in an exhibition game in Gainesville. What Barry University’s current assistant coach would like to forget is the elbow he took in the face from Al Horford, now in his eighth season with the Atlanta Hawks, in that Nov. 5, 2006 game.
“Still recovering, and trying to figure out how I got called for a foul on the play,” Saunders said late Tuesday night.
Thursday, Saunders and the Bucs will make a return to Gainesville to play their second Top 10 opponent in six days when they meet the No. 7 Gators in a 7 p.m. tipoff at the O’Connell Center. The game will be carried on the SEC Network+/WatchESPN.com and WatchESPN app via live streaming. Larry Vettel and Mark Wise will handle the call.
Barry, which played at No. 8 Louisville on Saturday, will mark the first opponent for the Gators this season. Both the Bucs and Gators open the regular season Friday, Nov. 14.
Florida junior guard Michael Frazier II, who set the school single-season record with 118 three-pointers last season, is the Gators’ only returning starter from a Final Four team that went 36-3 last year. He averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting .447 from beyond the arc. Junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith averaged 8.7 ppg and 6.7 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kasey Hill was good for 5.5 ppg and 3.1 assists as a backup. Hill was named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list Tuesday as a candidate for the nation’s top point guard.
The Buccaneers shot poorly in the exhibition opener, going 24 of 72 for 33.3 percent – an area that will need to improve in a hurry as the regular season approaches.
“We didn’t shoot it well,” Barry coach Butch Estes said, following the loss to the Cardinals. “We had a lot of shots that we normally take that most often we’ll put down. We had a lot of really good shots that didn’t go down.”
Still, Barry was not all gloom and doom at the KFC Yum! Center. Not after welcoming the addition of 6-foot-8 power forwards Tray Leonard and Jevoni Robinson for the first time in Buccaneer Red Saturday. Both delivered double-doubles, accounting for 28 points and 24 rebounds, 15 of which were on the offensive glass. Robinson also had three assists and three steals. Combined, the two shot 10 of 19 from the field.
The Gators were one of the nation’s better defensive teams a year ago, allowing 57.8 points per game.
For Saunders, who along with the Bucs will see another Horford on the floor this time around as Michigan transfer Jon Horford, the younger brother of Al, suits up for the first time as a Gator.
“We are excited for another opportunity to face one of the best teams and best coaches in all of college basketball,” Saunders said. “The experience we gain from playing a consistent, tough and disciplined team like Florida will help us set the bar extremely high as we look to begin our regular season. We sort of put our guys through the ringer with the exhibition schedule, but they have been more than willing to accept the challenges that these teams present.”
GAME NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: Barry lost to No. 8 Louisville, 91-71, on Saturday in the KFC Yum! Center ... Jevoni Robinson had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Tray Leonard had 15 points and 11 boards ... Robinson’s highlight dunk was considered for SCTop 10 plays and appeared on ESPN’s website.
SERIES RECORD: Barry lost to defending national champ Florida in an exhibition, 83-47, on Nov. 5, 2006 ... Current assistant coach Ryan Saunders, a former player, took an elbow in the face from Al Horford, but still finished with five assists, despite sitting some of the game.
EYES ON OPPONENTS: Florida had the third-best defense in the country last year, yielding 57.8 points per game ... The Gators were picked to finish second in the SEC.
ESTES & DIVISION I: Barry second-year coach Butch Estes had a nine-year record of 135-122 while coaching at Division I Furman ... His teams beat Wake Forest, 80-68, on the road in 1987 and Villanova, 77-73, in overtime at home in 1989 ... At Presbyterian, his team beat Texas-San Antonio.
BARRY AGAINST BEST: Barry scored 71 points against Louisville ... The Cardinals were the 15th-ranked defense in the country last year at 61.1 points per game ... The Bucs outrebounded the Cards, 53-41.
WORTH MENTIONING: Jr. F Yunio Barrueta was named a preseason Honorable Mention All-American by Sporting News ... He had 12 double-doubles last season, ranking 20th in the country ... Barrueta scored in double figures in the final 22 games ... He reached double figures in 25 of the 28 games in 2013-14 ... He was a Second Team All-South Region choice.
SECOND TO 1: Barry was picked second in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll behind No. 6 Division II Bulletin-ranked Florida Southern.
RECORD SETTER: Last year Deric Hill broke the school season records for assists (215) and steals (70) ... He was fourth in the nation in assists per game (7.6) and total assists ... He was seventh in the country in steals per game (2.5) ... He is the only player in school history with 200 assists in a season ... Hill was a Second Team all-conference pick.
RAINING 3s: Barry Sr. G Juan Ferrales’ 83 3-point FG made last season is second in school history ... Cliff DuBois holds the record of 89 in 1997-98.
SEC Network+/WatchESPN LIVE STREAM