Florida’s Freshmen Pave Way to Victory

Florida freshman Matt Walsh found new ways to shine Thursday night in a 99-65 victory over Eastern Illinois in the Preseason NIT at Gainesville, Fla.

Walsh had 20 points, nine assists, six rebounds and five steals to lift the eighth-ranked Gators (2-0) to an easy victory, helping them earn a trip to New York to face Stanford on Wednesday in the NIT semifinals.

Coach Billy Donovan got contributions from other freshmen. Anthony Roberson also scored 20 points, and Rashid Al-Kaleem went three for seven from three-point range and finished with 11 points.

Florida senior Justin Hamilton helped shut down Henry Domercant of Eastern Illinois (1-1). Domercant averaged 26 points last season and scored 36 in the opener Monday against Boise State, but finished with only seven points.

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Kentucky forward Erik Daniels was suspended for four games because he played in two summer basketball leagues. NCAA rules allow players to participate in one sanctioned league per summer. The 6-foot-8 junior won’t play in next week’s Maui Invitational or Kentucky’s home opener against High Point on Dec. 3.