Posted: Monday, November 18, 2002

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the second consecutive season, Louisiana Techwill open its season on television against a Top 10 team when the Bulldogs travel to play No. 7 Florida at the O’Connell Center in the Preseason NIT Tuesday night.

The game will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on ESPN with Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale calling the action.

“It’s exciting to be in the Preseason NIT and we are honored to be selected to be in this game,” said Louisiana Tech head coach Keith Richard. “The fact that it is on national television is something that is good for our program and for our school. We are looking forward to playing the game.”

Last season, the Bulldogs (0-0) opened the year against No. 9 ranked Iowa and will have their hands full again this season, playing in front of a packed crowd at the 12,000 seat O’Connell Center.

“It’s always tough to win in Gainesville. The Gators have proven that over the last four or five years,” Richard said. “It’s extremely tough to go in there and win.”

Florida (0-0) finished last season with a 22-9 record and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators return eight lettermen, including three starters and feature a quick uptempo style of play.

“It’s a team that is hard to prepare for because they throw a lot at you, especially for a first game,” Richard said. “They have good halfcourt defense, both man to man and zone. They are very uptempo and probably have over 50 plays offensively. It’s a lot to think about for a first game but in a way it’s good too. Preparing for this type of opponent, we’ve had to throw a lot at our guys early.”

The top returning scorer for Florida will be 6-10 senior forward Matt Bonner, an All-American candidate who averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season. The Gators may be without the services of another All-American candidate in senior guard Brett Nelson, who suffered a preseason injury. Nelson topped the team with a school-record 98 three pointers last season while averaging 14.6 points per game.

The Gators employ a multitude of offenses and defenses causing the Bulldogs to prepare for a variety of different styles of basketball.

“It’s going to expose our team to a lot of different aspects of the game of basketball all in one game,” Richard said. “I like that because it is a challenge for us and we are really going to be able to see where we are at in different phases of the game.”

Louisiana Tech will counter with an experienced team that features eight lettermen and six seniors. Last season, the Bulldogs finished with a 22-10 record and advanced to the second round of the NIT.

“If you are going to play this caliber of opponent this early in the season, you want it in a year where you have some lettermen returning,” Richard said. “We have six seniors, five of whom have played a lot here. It’s good to have that experience on your team to tackle this type of competition.”

Senior forward Antonio Meeking is the top returning scorer for the Bulldogs, averaging 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. The Louisiana Tech starting lineup will feature five starters who have combined for a total of 172 starts.

“I would hope that our team will be able to handle the environment with the lights and the camera,” Richard said. “That’s what you hope when you have some experience, that they are not awed by the fact that we are in Gainesville. You hope that our returning players will show some composure and some maturity and hopefully that will be a strength for us.”

The winner of Tuesday night’s game will advance to play Eastern Illnois.

“For a first game of the season, this is a bad game and yet this is a great game for us to play,” Richard said. “It’s a bad game because the game is in Gainesville and they are the seventh ranked team in the country. It is a great game because we are playing the seventh ranked team in the country on national television. It’s a tremendous opportunity for our team.”

The game will also be broadcast on the Louisiana Tech Sports Network on flagship station KXKZ 107.5 FM (Ruston) as well as KYLA 106.7 FM (Shreveport) and KBYO 104.5 FM (Tallulah/Vicksburg).