Florida basketball guard Riley Kugel looks to regain groove in Lakeland return

Florida basketball guard Riley Kugel is learning to deal with the pressure that comes with high expectations.

A preseason All-SEC guard, Kugel has been up and down while adjusting to eight new teammates through the first nine games of his sophomore season.

“I would say I’m just finding my groove," Kugel said. "I haven’t really been in a basketball state, I mean I haven’t been in myself state. I usually am."

Kugel can get back on track in an arena where he celebrated the high points of his high school career when the Florida Gators (6-3) play East Carolina (6-4) at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Thursday (7 p.m., SEC Network).

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In high school, Kugel played for three state titles in Lakeland, winning two, as a freshman at Central Florida Christian Academy and as a junior at Dr. Phillips High School.

An Orlando native, Kugel also will have a strong contingent of family and friends who will make the 45-minute drive to Lakeland to watch him play.

“I’m going to have a good amount," Kugel said. "Just bringing back times – state championships. It’ll be fun.” 

UF basketball guard Riley Kugel adjusting to new role

Kugel took on the role of primary scorer late last season when All-SEC forward Colin Castleton went down with a broken hand, averaging 18.2 points over UF's final seven games.

The offseason additions of transfer guards Zyon Pullin (13.0 ppg) and Walter Clayton Jr. (15.9 ppg) have brought more firepower to UF's backcourt. Kugel is averaging 13.6 points per game but has found himself in and out of shooting slumps during the course of the season. After averaging 24.5 points in back-to-back games against Baylor and Wake Forst, he's gone 6 for his last 21 from the floor and 1 for 10 from 3-point range. He's also been careless with the ball of late, turning the ball over 10 times in his last three games.

Against Merrimack, Florida coach Todd Golden benched Kugel for a long stretch during the second half after he turned the ball over on a soft pass against Merrimack's press. After the game, Golden said he felt Kugel was being "too casual."

"We’ve talked about it a lot," Golden said. "It’s a new situation. Different role, different team, and, you know, it’s going to be, some nights it’s going to be his night like it was against Baylor and against Wake, and there are going to be other nights where other guys are scoring it."

Kugel said the lapses in focus aren't a result of not being more involved scoring the basketball.

"We have a couple of players who can really get buckets when they want to, so, when it’s their time, when it’s their game, we’re going to keep feeding them," Kugel said. "We’re going to keep feeding the hot hand, whoever is the hot hand is that night we’re just going to keep going to it. I mean honestly, it’s going pretty good.”  

Lapses haven't affected Riley Kugel's defense

Kugel has excelled as a perimeter defender this season, with 14 steals in nine games this season. Though Kugel went just 4 for 16 from the floor last Saturday against Richmond in the Orange Bowl Classic, he helped hold Richmond leading scorer Jordan King (20.2 ppg) to 14 points on 6 of 15 shooting from the field and 0 for 4 shooting from 3-point range.

"He did a wonderful job on King," Golden said. "You know, the whole time he was on him, to start the game specifically, that guy had been really, really good offensively, and was a really big threat to us, and for him to be able to go out and kind of set the tone, and I don’t think he gave up a point to him all game when he was guarding him, and that’s really hard to do."

At 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, Kugel has the size and athletic ability to develop into a lock down defender.

"I’ve improved a lot more just because I just want it more," Kugel said. "Defense is really just if you’re willing to do it."