Any underdog team can go into enemy territory and grab a win in the world of college basketball. Especially when no team has played a minute on the court for the 2023-2024 season.
In the case of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team, they’ll look to avoid this going into their season opener against the underdog Loyola Maryland Greyhounds — an opponent they’ve never faced.
Loyola went 13-20 last season and struggled on the road with only three wins on their 16 road trips outside of Baltimore.
The Greyhounds were led by former graduate student guard Kenneth Jones last season. With his departure from the program due to eligibility, Loyola will need to find a new player to build its offense behind.
Graduate student forward Golden Dike and sophomore guard Deon Perry are potential suspects to lead the team this year
Dike is going into his fifth season of collegiate basketball and has been a regular in the starting rotation since his freshman year.
The veteran played overseas in his native country of Spain for Real Madrid Baloncesto and won multiple FIBA championships for his country’s U-16 and U-18 teams before joining the Greyhounds.
Dike isn’t a high usage player, though. The Spaniard’s career average is 6.7 points per game, despite averaging playing more than 22.3 minutes per game. Dike’s game is best in the low post; boxing out for rebounds and operating with the ball in his hands with his back to the basket.
Defensively, his 6-foot-10-inch frame allows him to defend, but he’s not much of a shot blocker. He recorded more steals (22) than blocks (18) last season.
Similar to the Gators standout sophomore guard Riley Kugel, Perry exploded onto the scene in the Patriot League with exceptional offensive performances in the second half of last season. The Baltimore native averaged 17.5 points per game in the Greyhounds last 12 games.
Perry is a pure point guard with the ability to thread the needle when needed in the pick and roll. His court vision expands his game to not only passing, but the ability to score in transition with a jump shot that can be effective on the run.
The second-year is known to shoot pull-up transition 3-pointers with ease. Perry shot at a 42.3% clip from 3-point range to end his freshman year.
He showcased this ability with a career-high 28 points off of a six of 11 shooting night beyond the arc in a rare Greyhound road victory against Lehigh Feb. 11.
Perry looks to take his sophomore jump after being named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team last season. He averaged a team-high 11.6 points per game last season.
Loyola played a high, half court, man-to-man defense last season under head coach Tavaras Hardy and led the Patriot League with 7.5 steals per game.
The main weaknesses from this Greyhound squad is their transition defense and shot blocking ability in the painted area. Loyola blocked 2.4 shots per game last season and don’t have a lot of players who are versatile defensively to match with Florida’s bigs.
The Greyhounds have four newcomers this season: transfer junior guard D’Angelo Stines and freshman guards Troy Cierco Jr, Jordan Stiemke and Matt Gray. Gray is the most intriguing of the quartet.
Gray was an efficient scorer at the high school level. The 6-foot-8-inch guard averaged 17.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game at Flint Hill High School in Oakton, Virginia. He’s effective at turning defense into quick offensive possessions with his ability to deflect passes.
The freshman can score midrange jumpers and attack the basket baseline-to-baseline in transition. Gray’s style of play fits the Greyhounds system, however, it’s hard to tell if he will get playing time early in the season.
This could be answered in their season opener against UF at 8 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Monday. The game will stream on SEC Network+.
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on X @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
