Arizona and Florida meet in non-conference tussle

Dec 7, 2011 - 3:56 PM Gainesville, FL (Sports Network) - The Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference will take on the 12th-ranked Florida Gators of the SEC this evening in Gainesville.

Arizona has won its last two games to improve to 6-2 overall, and the most recent victory came on Saturday by a 53-39 final over Northern Arizona. The Wildcats have played just one true road game to date, and that tilt resulted in an 83-76 victory over New Mexico State. Sean Miller's team figures to be competitive in the wide open Pac-12 this season.

As for Florida, which is expected to give Kentucky a run for its money in the loaded SEC East, it hopes to score its 10th consecutive home victory dating back to last season. The Gators have lost two games already this season, but both defeats came on the road to national powerhouses Ohio State and Syracuse. The 72-68 loss to the Orange came last Friday, the most recent outing for Billy Donovan's group.

The Wildcats and Gators have split their only two previous meetings, both of which have taken place on neutral courts.

Solomon Hill has been the leading scorer for Arizona in four of the team's last five outings, and he is scoring 12.4 ppg to go along with 7.8 rpg and 25 assists. Kyle Fogg (11.0 ppg), Nick Johnson (10.8 ppg) and Jesse Perry (10.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg) are all solid offensive contributors as well. The Wildcats are generating 68.0 ppg on just 42.5 percent field goal efficiency, but they are holding foes to 62.6 ppg on 41.2 percent shooting. Hill scored 15 points to lead Arizona in the 14-point victory over Northern Arizona last time out. Fogg pitched in 11 points for the Wildcats, who turned the ball over a mere seven times and permitted the opposition to attempt only six foul shots in 40 minutes of action.

The strength of this Florida team is clearly its backcourt, as the trio of Kenny Boynton (19.0 ppg), Bradley Beal (15.6 ppg) and Erving Walker (14.1 ppg) is tough to contend with. Boynton is shooting 51.1 percent from the floor, including 47.3 percent from three-point range. As for Beal, a star freshman, he is ripping down 7.0 rpg. Mike Rosario (10.6 ppg) and Erik Murphy (10.0 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers on the roster for UF, which is generating 87.6 ppg while limiting foes to 66.3 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor. Boynton scored 22 points in the loss to Syracuse last Friday, and Walker managed 17 points in that affair. Murphy missed the game with a knee injury suffered in practice, and it is unclear when he will be back on the court. The Gators turned the ball over 20 times against the Orange and were outscored 17-7 from the foul line. A 40-33 rebounding deficit also hurt the cause.