Gators Have Patiently Waited for Will Richard’s Scoring Outburst

Photo: Will Richard; Credit: Zach Goodall

Will Richard broke out of his shell in Athens, Ga.

Accounting for a career-high 24 points on 73% from the floor, Richard dominated the Dawgs en route to a ten-point victory over the state-line rivals on Tuesday.

The Gators have been waiting for that version of Richard to emerge after flashing the knockdown shooting prowess the team has noticeably missed throughout the year. They got it against Georgia, realizing what they bargained for in the transfer portal last offseason. The impressive scoring outburst was a long time coming for the former Belmont transfer, who entered the fold in Gainesville with high consideration to bring explosiveness to the scoring department.

He's fluttered at points during his lone campaign at UF, failing to find his niche in an offense that has neglected running sets to get the spot-up shooter looks at the volume that would benefit him — although he's excelled as a multi-positional defender with great length to alter shots and eliminate passing lanes. However, even when he got some of those opportunities, he failed to capitalize. 

Head coach Todd Golden equates Richard's lack of impact in that area to the game plans of opposing coaches they've faced.

"There's good coaches in this league. There's guys that know how to take away what guys want to do," Golden said postgame.

UConn's Dan Hurley notably named Richard their primary focus — outside of Colin Castleton at the time — when the Huskies traveled to Exactech Arena earlier in the year. Likewise, Oklahoma's Porter Moser shared similar praise for him when the two programs faced in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C., this December.

That reality remained in league play.

However, Richard flipped the script on Tuesday as he showcased his pro-level 3-and-D talents to aid Florida in the season sweep of the Dawgs.

"I thought Will did a good job of finding those shots as well," Golden said. "Lifting up on penetration and making the right decisions that way. It was huge. He stepped up and knocked them down. It's one thing to get them, but he made them, too."

When asked about his performance, Richard was candid about his desire to improve creating open looks for himself via his preparation, rather than relying on how the opposition played him. 

That was evident as he put up 10 or more shots for just the fifth time this season.

"I watched a lot of film with Coach [Carlin] Hartman and Coach [Kevin] Hovde this week, just to try to find more ways to get myself open," he said. "A lot of times when people are driving, guys can't see me, so it's up to me to find those open spaces and get behind defenders."

He found the gaps in the Georgia defense at a high rate, sliding into passing windows with high efficiency to present an easy target for his teammates. He's not a player that will run himself open per se, but his added lateral movement from the wing to the corner benefitted him greatly.

Operating smoothly within his role, Richard oozed the confidence as a shooter he showcased early in the season when he opened the year as Florida's leading scorer. He took shots without hesitation after settling into a rhythm with an early three between the right wing and the corner.

Richard lit up the scoreboard to produce four threes for 15 points heading into halftime. That hot start compiled into a career-best performance.

His decisiveness led to shots falling at a 62.5% clip from long range. He built off his first-half success from beyond the arc to expand his offensive prowess, taking advantage of the tighter coverage Georgia applied out of the locker room.

Winning with cuts where he produced on the receiving end of dribble handoffs and occasionally off the dribble, Richard found a way to connect with the bottom of the net at the hoop and from midrange in the second period.