Florida @ Xavier preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2010 ) Florida 71, Xavier 67

Florida coach Mike White called Friday's 20-point win over Miami in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic "our best performance." The Gators will try to match that effort Sunday night when they meet an unbeaten Xavier squad coming off a double-overtime victory in its last contest in the championship game of this event in Charleston, S.C.

After watching the Hurricanes erase its early 12-point lead about four minutes into the second half, Florida went on a 31-8 run to turn a tie game into a rout before settling for a 78-58 victory over its in-state rival. "We're still picking our spots with a bunch of new pieces … in terms of our tempo, and figuring out where we're best pushing or playing in the halfcourt. I thought our shot selection was good. … For the most part, we were good on both ends," White said. The 21st-ranked Musketeers appeared on the verge of suffering their first loss before they got a game-tying 3-pointer from Naji Marshall with 22 seconds left to send the game into overtime and two free throws with 10 seconds remaining in the second extra period from Jason Carter to account for the final tallies in a 75-74 thriller. "This year we all came together, we all want to win, we all have one goal. It's never-say-die. That's just what it is. We find a way," Marshall said afterward.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT FLORIDA (4-2): Kerry Blackshear Jr. (13.2 points, 9.5 rebounds), who was limited to one point in five minutes Thursday after he was ejected for a Flagrant-2 foul, tied a season high with 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists for his fourth double-double this season. Freshman guard Scottie Lewis (9.5 points, 5.7 assists) tallied 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals and keyed the Gators' second-half run with his stifling defense, holding Chris Lykes to two points after the Miami guard tormented the Gators for the first 24-plus minutes. Sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson (12.7 points, 6.8 rebounds), who stepped up in Blackshear's absence Thursday with a career-high 22 points and 12 boards, is averaging 17 points and 9.5 rebounds in Charleston.

ABOUT XAVIER (6-0): The Musketeers found a way to survive the Huskies despite losing three starters to foul trouble, including Marshall (16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds), who scored a game- and season-high 21 points - matching his total from the previous two games combined. Tyrique Jones (14.5, 9.0) posted his second consecutive double-double and his third of the season with 17 points and 11 boards to increase his averages in Charleston to 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. Paul Scruggs (13.6 points) set season highs with three 3-pointers and 19 points before fouling out in 37 minutes, while freshman forward Zach Freemantle (6.3 points, 1.7 blocks) recorded personal bests with five blocks and two steals over a season-high 23 minutes.

TIP-INS

1. Xavier has won three of its last four contests by five points or fewer - including two in overtime.

2. The Gators shot 10-of-19 beyond the arc Friday after connecting on 26 of their first 101 attempts of the season.

3. The Musketeers are 6-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 Elite Eight team opened with seven straight wins.

PREDICTION: Xavier 72, Florida 71