Marshall @ Florida preview

After opening the year as the sixth-ranked team in the nation, Florida struggled under the glare of the spotlight and soon fell out of the top 25. Now, after capturing the Charleston Classic with three straight victories, including a 70-65 triumph over No. 23 Xavier in the championship game, the Gators have made their way back to the 25th spot as they return home for the school's first ever meeting with Marshall on Friday.

"I probably didn't address the hype enough," said Gators head coach Mike White, acknowledging that he chose to ignore the preseason attention rather than discuss it. "But really for the first time, (last) week, I addressed it. I think that meeting probably helped us a little bit, to get it out of the way. ... Now, it's the same thing. You win three here, you win a championship at an event like this, we just have to continue to grow and get better. There are so many things we didn't do very well here, but we are improving and that is what we have to hang our hat on." The biggest difference is the play of an offense that is finally showing signs of coming together after entering the Charleston Classic shooting 38.4 percent from the field and a miserable 24.1 percent from long distance. The Gators, after tournament wins against Saint Joseph's, Miami and Xavier, increased those percentages and they are now averaging 43.3 percent overall and 31.2 from beyond the arc. Marshall is looking for its own turnaround after a slow start to the season but on the heels of last Thursday's skid-ending 91-63 win over Howard, head coach Dan D'Antoni is hoping his team will begin to show much-needed mental toughness.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT MARSHALL (2-3): The Thundering Herd halted their three-game losing streak with the win over Howard, with sophomore guard Taevion Kinsey making plays to lead the way with 14 assists, tied for eighth most in a game in school history. Kinsey added 14 points to finish third on the team behind redshirt sophomore forward Iran Bennett, who had a career-high 17, and redshirt junior forward Jannson Williams, who went 6-of-8, including 3-for-5 from deep, for 15 points. Marshall had its best shooting performance since January 2019, hitting 58.2 percent of its shots from the field, while holding Howard to 32.7 percent.

ABOUT FLORIDA (5-2): Grad transfer Kerry Blackshear has been a huge addition to the Gators, leading the team in scoring (13.3) and rebounds (9.6) for the season after recording double-doubles in the semifinal win over Miami (20 points, 11 rebounds) and the final win over Xavier (14 points, 10 rebounds). Sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson ranks just behind Blackshear in scoring (13.0) and rebounds (6.6) and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament after averaging 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds. Sophomore point guard Andrew Nembhard recorded four steals against Miami and fellow soph Noah Locke totaled a career-high four against Xavier as the Gators totaled 17 steals in the last two games.

TIP-INS

1. Florida has held all seven opponents to 65 points or less.

2. The Gators nailed 16 of their 25 shots (64 percent) in the first half against Xavier.

3. Former Gators head coach Billy Donovan was hired away from Marshall in 1996.

PREDICTION: Florida 74, Marshall 61