Florida basketball: FSU a tall challenge for the Gators

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Some things never change. While Florida State (2-0) may be in its second year of transition after the 23-year reign of Leonard Hamilton, Luke Loucks maintains the same core philosophy of his predecessor that you can’t teach tall.

When No. 1 ranked Florida (2-0) tips off this evening (6 p.m., ESPN2) at the Tucker Center in Tallahassee, the Gators will be facing one of the tallest starting lineups they will see all season long. Down low, the Seminoles will challenge the Gators with immense freshman Marcis Ponder (7-0, 285) and talented Colorado transfer Sebastian Rancik (6-11, 230). Ponder tries to do his damage in the paint, no more than three feet from the basket. Rancik, while a very good inside player, is an effective three-point shooter who can’t be left alone. Ponder is backed up by Alex Steen (6-9, 230) while Rancik’s backup is Cooper Schwieger (6-10, 235).

The size doesn’t stop there. The Seminoles, who employ a one post, four perimeter scheme, go 6-8 (Shon Abaev) and 6-7 (Kam Taylor) on the wings with Missouri transfer Anthony Robinson (6-3) at the point.

Loucks, an NBA assistant before taking over for Hamilton, uses an NBA style that is capable of forcing collegiate opponents out of their comfort zone. The Seminoles launch a lot of threes, but rely heavily on Rancik and Ponder to get points in the paint. Rancik leads the Seminoles in scoring (21.5 per game) while shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three. Ponder (12.5 points, 10.5 rebounds) uses his size to overpower opponents down low.

“I think their kind of two-headed monster at the five between Ponder and Steen, is tough,” Florida coach Todd Golden said Monday. “They kind of play two different styles with those guys, really on both sides of the ball. They have some different tendencies when Ponder's in and when Steen's in the game, but you know those guys along with Rancik and Schwieger, they got some real dudes on the front line. So I think it'll be a huge challenge for us.”

Florida will counter FSU’s size with the nation’s best front line, which is coming off a game against Jacksonville in which they combined for 47 points, 27 rebounds, 13 assists and three blocked shots. Rueben Chinyelu had the best scoring game (21 points) of his career, while Alex Condon (12 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists) might have posted a triple-double if he had been left in the game the final 10 minutes against JU. Haugh is a picture of consistency so far, averaging 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

The Seminoles have two blowout wins (FAMU and Troy) and they’re averaging 101.5 points per game. Golden sees the Seminoles much the same way as he saw Florida’s first game opponent Miami.

“They're definitely underrated,” Golden said. “I think they are talented, they're big, they’re long, they’re athletic and they play with good purpose. I think it's going to be a really good challenge for us. Honestly, close to if not the same level as the Miami game.”

ANTICIPATED STARTING LINEUPS

No. 1 FLORIDA (2-0): Alex Condon (7-0, 236, SR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 265, SR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, SR); Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, 5th); Boogie Fland (6-3, 190, JR)

FLORIDA STATE (2-0): Sebastian Rancik (6-11, 230, JR); Marcis Ponder (7-0, 285, FR); Shon Abaev (6-8, 215, SO); Kam Taylor (6-7, 195, JR); Anthony Robinson (6-3, 190, SR)

Associated Press top 25 (SEC teams in capitals): 1. FLORIDA 2-0; 2. Duke 2-0; 3. Illinois 2-0; 4. UConn 2-0; 5. Michigan State 2-0; 6. Virginia 3-0; 7. TEXAS 2-0; 8. Houston 2-0; 9. UCLA 2-0; 10. Louisville 2-0; 11. TENNESSEE 1-0; 12. Arizona 1-1; 13. St. John’s 2-0; 14. Gonzaga 2-0; 15. Kansas 2-0; 16. Texas Tech 2-0; 17. Miami 1-1; 18. ALABAMA 2-0; 19. ARKANSAS 1-1; 20. Michigan 1-1; 21. Southern Cal 2-0; 22. VANDERBILT 2-0; 23. BYU 2-0; 24. KENTUCKY 2-0; 25. Nebraska 2-0

Coaches top 25: 1. FLORIDA 2-0; 2. Duke 2-0; 3. Illinois 2-0; 4. UConn 2-0; 5. Michigan State 2-0; 6. Virginia 3-0; 7. TEXAS 2-0; 8. Houston 2-0; 9. TENNESSEE 1-0; 10. Louisville 2-0; 11. Arizona 1-1; 12. Gonzaga 2-0; 13. St. John’s 2-0; 14. Kansas 2-0; 15. UCLA 2-0; 16. ALABAMA 2-0; 17. Texas Tech 2-0; 18. Miami 1-1; 19. VANDERBILT 2-0; 20. ARKANSAS 1-1; 21. Michigan 1-1; 22. Southern Cal 2-0; 23. Iowa State 1-1; 24. Nebraska 2-0; 25. BYU 2-0

SEC teams in kenpom.com analytics: 2. FLORIDA 2-0; 7. Vanderbilt 2-0; 8. Texas 2-0; 16. Alabama 2-0; 20. Tennessee 1-0; 22. Auburn 1-0; 24. Texas A&M 2-0; 26. Missouri 1-1; 27. Arkansas 1-1; 28. Kentucky 2-0; 33. LSU 2-0; 35. Ole Miss 2-0; 53. Oklahoma 1-1; 55. Georgia 2-0; 63. Mississippi State 2-0; 94. South Carolina 2-0

SEC BASKETBALL NEWS

No. 18 Alabama (3-0): Aden Holloway, back on the team after a drug arrest last year, saw his first action of the season Monday night, scoring 12 points in 21 minutes against Oakland.

No. 19 Arkansas (1-1): The Razorbacks’ inexperience on the front line was exposed in game two when Virginia blew the doors off Arkansas, 91-72.

Auburn (2-0): Keep an eye on gigantic (7-1, 280) freshman Narcisse Ngoy, an import from France who is the space eater in the middle the Tigers lacked last year. He’s averaging 8.0 points and 10.0 rebounds through two games, but is a physically overpowering presence in the paint.

No. 1 FLORIDA (2-0): The Gators are No. 2 nationally in offensive efficiency and No. 6 in defense per the kenpom.com analytics.

Georgia (3-0): Georgia nearly blew a 23-point lead against Florida Gulf Coast Monday night before pulling out a win with eight straight points in the final minutes.

No. 24 Kentucky (2-0): After a 4-4 start from three in game one, Milan Momcilovic went 1-8 in Kentucky’s win over James Madison.

LSU (3-0): Through three games, international imports Michael Ruzic and Saliou Niang are leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounding. Ruzic (7-0, 235), a freshman from Croatia, averages 15.7 points, while Niang (6-7, 200), from Italy and also a freshman, is averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.

Mississippi State (3-0): Josh Hubbard is off to a sizzling start, hitting 56.3 percent of his three-pointers while averaging 18 points per game.

Missouri (2-1): Freshman Jason Crowe Jr., a McDonald’s All-American, has led the Tigers in scoring in both of their wins. Averaging 21.3 per game so far, he scored 23 Monday night.

Oklahoma (2-1): Xzayvier Brown’s 19 points helped the Sooners past North Alabama Monday night, avoiding a second huge upset in three games. Head coach Porter Moser is feeling the heat.

Ole Miss (2-0): Former Gator Micah Handlogten has yet to appear in a game while waiting a decision for a medical waiver from the NCAA.

South Carolina (2-0): Spanish import Juan Fernandez leads the Gamecocks with 19 points and seven rebounds per game.

No. 11 Tennessee (2-0): Juke Harris, the Wake Forest transfer who was considered one of the real prizes in the portal, has scored only 13 points in two games. He averaged more than 21 a game last year at Wake Forest.

No. 7 Texas (3-0): Freshman Marcus Spears Jr., who skipped his senior season in high school for early entry at Texas, is off to an impressive start, averaging 12 points and 4.3 rebounds in the Longhorns’ first three games.

Texas A&M (3-0): Bucky Ball year two is being led by a three-guard offense, all of them transfers from the portal. Jordan Pope (Texas) and PJ Hagerty (K-State) lead the team at 18 per game while Tyshawn Archie (McNeese) is scoring 11.7.

No. 22 Vanderbilt (2-0): Point guard Tyler Tanner had 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the Commodores to a surprisingly easy 23-point win over Wake Forest.

MONDAY NIGHT IN THE SEC

No. 7 Texas (3-0) 93, Grambling (1-1) 62 No. 11 Tennessee (2-0) 70, Radford (0-3) 47 No. 18 Alabama (3-0) 109, Oakland (0-4) 68 Georgia (3-0) 80, Florida Gulf Coast (1-2) 72 Mississippi State (3-0) 98, Jackson State (1-2) 57 Missouri (2-1) 96, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (2-2) 58 LSU (3-0) 90, Louisiana Tech (2-1) 50 Texas A&M (3-0) 108, UL-Monroe (1-2) 67 Oklahoma (2-1) 81, North Alabama (2-1) 72 Auburn (2-0) 75, Appalachian State (2-1) 53

TUESDAY GAMES

No. 1 FLORIDA (2-0) at Florida State (2-0) Memphis (2-0) at No. 22 Vanderbilt (2-0) Southeastern Louisiana (1-1) at Ole Miss (2-0) No. 15 Kansas (2-0) vs. No. 24 Kentucky (2-0) at Chicago