1. Florida Gators – 12/2, Cameron Indoor Stadium
Without a doubt, the biggest game of the season is the matchup against the reigning National Champions. Duke should have met Florida in the National title game last season but the basketball gods disagreed. Florida brings an elite frontcourt back with a ton of size. The big loss is Walter Clayton but they replace him with Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland who are both excellent guards.
Florida will be able to beat teams in a variety of ways this year. The one thing that they will lack slightly more is floor spacing. Florida loves to play multiple bigs and this year it seems like they will play three guys 6’10 or taller at all times. They play fast, attack the rim, and get putbacks regularly. They also have the two transfer guards who are so shifty and excel at breaking down defenders.
Duke will have their hands full in this one. The big plus is it will be in Cameron Indoor as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Without a doubt, this game will draw massive ratings. For Duke to win, the Crazies must live up to their namesake. Duke will also need to avoid foul trouble in the frontcourt and have the backcourt play well.
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