Florida @ Saint Joseph's preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2015 ) Florida 74, St. Joseph's 63

It didn't take long for Florida to drop out of the Top 25 Coaches Poll. A much-hyped Gators team opened the season at No. 6, but after two losses in the first four games, Mike White's team is now unranked heading into Thursday's first-round meeting with Saint Joseph's in the 12th annual Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.

It's no secret why the Gators, considered a preseason contender for the national championship, have plummeted as they are completely out of sync offensively, sitting 310th in the nation in scoring (62.5 points per game), with the team shooting 38.4 percent from the field and a miserable 24.1 percent from long distance. "I think we're just in a slump right now," sophomore point guard Andrew Nembhard told reporters. "I think we've all shot our worst kind of game so far. So I think you can only go up from there." The guards have been particularly ice cold, with Nembhard (4-of-14), Noah Locke (2-of-8), Scottie Lewis (2-of-7) and Tre Mann (1-of-4) combining to hit just 27.2 percent of their shots last time out in a 62-59 loss to unranked Connecticut. Saint Joseph's comes in off a loss of its own as it fell to Loyola-Chicago 85-68 Saturday, but the Hawks are quite familiar with that Connecticut team that stunned the Gators as they hung tough to beat them 96-87 last Wednesday.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT FLORIDA (2-2): Forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. is the top scorer (14.5 per game) and rebounder (11 per game) in his first season with the Gators after coming over as a graduate transfer and finished the Connecticut game with team highs of 15 points and eight rebounds despite fouling out with about three minutes left. While the guards have been struggling to put the ball in the basket, the team has been doing the job defensively, limiting all four opponents to 63 points or less while holding the opposition to 37.9 shooting from the floor and 28.3 from 3-point land. "We're behind offensively, and I've got to figure it out," White told reporters after the Connecticut loss. "We've all got to figure it out together. Talking to the staff after the game, it's a mystery to me (why) we're passing up open ones and we're shooting ones we shouldn't shoot. ... We're not playing with as much confidence as I thought we'd play with."

ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH'S (2-2): Five Hawks are averaging in double figures, led by guard Ryan Daly (19.3 per game), who had a double-double last time out (13 points, 10 rebounds) after scoring a career-high 30 points against Connecticut. Rahmir Moore and Lorenzo Edwards are each averaging 12.3 points per game, with Edwards topping the team with nine 3-pointers, while Daly leads the team in rebounds (9.0) and assists (6.0). The defense struggled against Loyola, allowing the Ramblers to hit 56.5 percent of their shots from the floor, including 60.7 percent in the second half.

TIP-INS

1. Florida owns a 2-1 lead in the series after beating Saint Joseph's 74-63 in the 2015 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic.

2. The last meeting was White’s third game as Florida’s head coach and this matchup is Billy Lange's fifth at Saint Joseph's.

3. Blackshear is 20-of-25 from the free-throw line.

PREDICTION: Florida 64, Saint Joseph's 61