Few matchups in Tuesday night’s Florida-Florida State game will draw more attention than the battle inside, where Gators center Rueben Chinyelu may run into a true heavyweight in Seminoles big man Marcis Ponder.
Chinyelu, a 6-foot-10, 265-pound force for the nation’s top-ranked team, has built a reputation as a relentless rebounder and rim protector. But Ponder is no ordinary freshman-sized test. The 19-year-old, nicknamed “Baby Shaq” after Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, stands 7 feet and weighs 285 pounds, and he has already become a fan favorite in Tallahassee.
“He’s just a huge human being,” Florida coach Todd Golden said Monday. “My hope is that our experience attacks his youth a little bit tomorrow night.”
Florida’s edge may come from more than Chinyelu alone. The Gators have size, depth and production across the front line, starting with Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh.
Condon, a 6-foot-11, 236-pound power forward, is coming off a double-double and also handed out eight assists. Haugh, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound senior, entered the season as an Associated Press first-team preseason All-America and has backed it up so far, averaging 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists while committing just one turnover in two games. Golden said both are expected to rise to the moment.
“I expect them to step up in a big way being a road game,” Golden said of the forward duo.
But Florida State has its own size to throw around. Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 230-pound junior, is averaging 21.5 points, while Shon Abaev, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound versatile forward, is putting up 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and six assists. Golden didn’t sugarcoat the challenge.
“They got some real dudes on the front line,” Golden said. “It’ll be a huge challenge for us.”
Ponder has already flashed why the Seminoles are excited about him. In Florida State’s 113-69 season-opening win over Florida A&M in Tampa, he posted 15 points and 11 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double, and the crowd was chanting his name in the first half. He also turned heads in an exhibition against Auburn, grabbing 21 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass, while scoring 13 points.
Now he gets a bigger stage, with a national TV audience watching him go against Chinyelu, 23, and a Florida team that comes in as a 10.5-point favorite.
Florida State nearly caught the Gators last November, when second-year coach Luke Loucks’ team pushed Florida before falling 78-76 in Gainesville. The Seminoles used switching defenses and aggressive ball pressure to force 18 turnovers, six of them by Condon.
That turnover battle is a major focus for Florida this time around. The Gators have averaged 13 turnovers through their first two games, and Golden made it clear that won’t cut it on the road.
“We need to value the basketball,” Golden said. “We can’t expect to have 15 or 16 turnovers and walk out of there with a win.”
No. 1 Florida (2-0 SEC) visits Florida State (2-0) Tuesday night on ESPN2.
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