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  • Former Gator Parsons suffers possible career-ending injuries in car crash

    Former Gator Parsons suffers possible career-ending injuries in car crash

    Photo by Austin McAfee / Getty Images

    Atlanta Hawks forward and former Florida Gator Chandler Parsons was involved in a serious car accident on Wednesday at 2 p.m. He was traveling home from practice when he was struck by a driver who was arrested for driving under the influence. Three cars were involved in the crash, which occurred in a busy intersection.

    Parsons suffered a number of serious injuries including a traumatic brain injury, a disc herniation and a torn labrum. The injuries are potentially career-ending according to a statement released by his attorneys, John Morgan and Nick Panagakis of Morgan & Morgan.

    “Chandler was in peak physical condition at the time of the wreck,” the statement said, per Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes. “He is now working with a team of doctors to regain his health, and at this time, his ability to return to play is unclear.

    “Our focus right now is helping him make a full recovery, while we also work to hold any and all responsible parties fully accountable.”

    Parsons made five appearances on the court for the Hawks this season. His last in-game action occurred on Dec. 27.

    He is currently designated on the NBA’s injury report as having a concussion/whiplash.

    Mark Stine is a contributing writer to Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.

  • MBB: Powered by Payne, Gators rout No. 4 Auburn

    MBB: Powered by Payne, Gators rout No. 4 Auburn

    Photo by Rich Graessle / Getty Images

    The Gators put on a defensive clinic in front of a rowdy home crowd and absolutely took it to the number four ranked team in the country on Saturday.

    Florida defeated the Auburn Tigers 69-47 behind the effort of freshman Omar Payne, who recorded his first career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

    The Gators are now 12-5 on the season and 4-1 in SEC play. The Tigers fell to 15-2 overall.

    How it happened:

    Florida opened the game hot, streaking out to a 9-0 lead thanks to the duo of Payne and Noah Locke. Auburn came back and tied it up at 13 with 8:20 to go in the first half. By the intermission, the Gators held a 28-23 advantage.

    Auburn’s Anfernee McLemore opened the second half with a jumper to close the gap to within three, but Florida used a quick 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 34-25.

    Florida’s defense held the Tigers without a field goal for the final 8:40 of the game and went on a 20-1 run to complete the rout.

    The Gators limited AU to just 25% from the floor and 17% from beyond the three point line. Florida shot 27-54 including 8-17 from deep.

    Payne recoded seven offensive rebounds and had three putback baskets. Kerry Blackshear also finished with a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

    Auburn entered as the SEC’s top rebounding unit, but Florida outgained them 44-29.

    Individual Stats:

    • Omar Payne: 19 points, 9-9 FG, 11 rebounds
    • Kerry Blackshear: 11 points, 16 rebounds,
    • Noah Locke: 11 points, 4-9 FG, 3-6 3FG
    • Andrew Nembhard: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

    Team Stats:

    • FG% : 50
    • 3FG% : 47
    • FT% : 78
    • Reb+/- : +15
    • Assists: 12
    • TOs: 15
    • Bench Points: 14

    What’s Next:

    Florida will travel to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers on Tuesday.

    The Tigers are 12-5 and face Ole Miss at 8:00 PM on Saturday.

    Florida and LSU will be aired on SEC Network with tipoff set for 7:00 PM.

  • WGYM Liveblog: No. 2 Florida at No. 19 Missouri

    WGYM Liveblog: No. 2 Florida at No. 19 Missouri

    After an impressive first outing last week, setting the program record for highest opening week team score, the Gators hit the road this week against an upstart Missouri team that has shown shades of greatness throughout its last two meets. In the last two seasons, Florida’s problems with beam resurfaced most frequently on the road, so tonight will be the team’s first real test to see if beam consistency will be a problem yet again this year, or if this year really is as different as it feels.

    Besides beam consistency and confidence, there are a few other key things to watch tonight. Vault landings were last week’s biggest visible weakness for the Gators, so those will be a good gauge as to whether improvements or regressions are happening. Tumbling coach Adrian Burde is also keeping several floor upgrades under lock and key, waiting to give his athletes the go-ahead to unveil them. I’d file the appearance of anything major this week under “Highly Unlikely,” but that doesn’t mean impossible, and we could still see something like Alyssa Baumann’s double layout pop up, if she’s got it turned on tonight. Keep an eye on freshman Payton Richards, as she was crucial to her team’s success last week and held several key lineup positions during the meet. Trinity Thomas was also a huge part of last week’s win, winning three individual event crowns and the all-around with what was the second-highest score in the nation at the time, and is still just the third-highest to date this season.

    Missouri has several key players to watch during this meet as well, especially senior Morgan Porter, junior Aspen Tucker, transfer sophomore Alisa Sheremeta, and freshman Helen Hu. All four are capable of huge scores and exciting gymnastics, with each of them sporting some spectacular, unique skills.

    Without further ado, let’s get this thing started!

    7:03pm: Schreiber, VT: FTY, hop on the landing.

    Richards, UB: Maloney to bail, solid. Last handstand looked good. DLO, little bounce in place.

    7:04pm: Gottula, VT: FTY, pikes down a little but sticks! That’s great.

    Gowey, UB: Ray is good, not as big as she can go. Pak is lovely. DLO, came in a little short? Deep knee bend and feet arch. Slow mo replay of her handstand is 100% perfect, becuase Gowey things.

    7:06pm: Tucker, VT: FTY, good height, a little off to the side. Slide back on the landing.

    Hundley, UB: good first handstand, Maloney to pak, a little leg sep in there. van Leeuwen with the usual sep, slings her dismount out a little and has to shuffle forward.

    7:09pm: Porter, VT: Y1.5, a little short, medium size knee bend and has to shuffle back. Slow mo shows she had some KNEES in the air.

    Schoenherr, UB: toe on to blind change is good, Jaeger super floaty. Bail is fine, last handstand good. Double front half out is comfortable but small bounce back.

    7:11pm: Brandt, VT: FHS pike half, good block, great position in the air. Slides back.

    Skaggs, UB: Mixing up the order between her and Trin this week, apparently. Short first handstand? Tkachev to pak, oooh big leg sep there. Last handstand looked better. DLO, holds it for the stiiiiiick let’s go!

    7:13pm: McCrary, VT: Y1.5, also a little short, good height off the table, landing surprised her though. Lunged back to secure herself.

    Thomas, UB: Maloney to immediate uprise. Pak is good, a little knee sep .Van Leeuwen is good, but she goes over the wrong way on a handstand! Nooooo! Tries to save it, get going again, but she came down to regroup instead. Gets back up, great last handstand. DLO slide back. Damn.

    AFTER ONE: UF 49.125, MIZ 48.65

    Woof, that is NOT the bars rotation the Gators were looking for there. They still lead by a decent margin, but leg separations all over the place in their transitions, as well as a bizarre inability to stick dismounts (save for Skaggs) definitely hurt them. Let’s hope that’s not an omen for landings to come.

    https://twitter.com/samisadancer/status/1218326205927215106?s=20

    https://twitter.com/Chazelena/status/1218325647111663618?s=20

    Ahh okay, that explains the small crowd. I wonder if the weather affected the team getting there at all?

    7:22pm: Looks like Skaggs is in the vault lineup??? Yas!

    Skaggs, VT: FTY, good block. Nice dynamics, small slide back.

    Tucker, UB: Almost goes over on first handstand, woof. Pike Jaeger, good. Bail looks a little wonky in the air but hits handstand fine. Full pirouette to double back, looked stuck to me? Slow mo shows another gorgeous handstand.

    7:25pm: Alexander, VT: HUGE FTY as always, step back to steady herself. Slow mo shows her chest six feet high and landing nine feet away from the table. Huge.

    Christensen, UB: Tkachev looked okay, maybe some flexed feet. Bail was good. Blind full to double tuck, another stick!

    7:26pm: Reed, VT: Y1.5, almost a carbon copy of last week! Just a little stutter forward, looked more controlled tonight too. Good for her!

    Schreiber, UB: Maloney to bail good, moving through really quickly. Last handstand a little short. DLO, slide back.

    7:28pm: Schoenherr, VT: Y1.5, big knee bend and had to hop forward. A little angled in the slow mo, and her face afterward shows she’s not happy, haha.

    Sheremeta, UB: Blind change to Jaeger is lovely. A little short on her free hip handstand. Bail, little leg sep. Blind half to front 1.5 twist, that’s fun! Bringing some different skills to stand out in the sea of FTDTs and DLOs in the SEC.

    7:30pm: Thomas, VT: Y1.5, gorgeous form, little squat and slide back on the landing. It shows on her face, it’s angry gymnastics time.

    Porter, UB: Blind change is good. Jaeger nice. Toe on hadnstand great, bail a little wiggly but hits 90. Double front, slide back. Slow mo shows some flexed feet in the Jaeger but hard to see in real time.

    7:32pm: Richards, VT: Y1.5, great distance! Good form in the air, just a hop off to the side on the landing.

    Hu, UB: Great first handstand. Church to pak is a dream, van Leeuwen legs are glued together. Toe full to double back STUCK – textbook.

    AFTER TWO: UF 98.050, MIZ 97.850

    Landings overall looked better this week, especially from Thomas. Schoenherr is clearly making the corrections from last week, but perhaps overcorrected. Alexander and Reed looked identical to last week, and it was great to see Skaggs in there. Have to wonder how Baumann warmed up to be taken out of the lineup, especially since the commentators specifically said it was a last-minute change based on warmups.

    Mizzou actually outscored Florida in terms of bar rotations – which is a big warning sign for the Gators. They need to go back to the gym next week and figure out what happened tonight, and then make sure it never happens again.

    Rotation 3 let’s go!

    7:41pm: Schreiber, BB: Bhs loso, dead on. Good for her. Switch half to split to beat, maybe a little shy of 180 there. Lots of confidence for a freshman. Punch Rudi dismount, wow! Small slide but still, some great stuff in there.

    7:42pm: SJS, FX: Double pike to open, good control. Giving good sass here but you can tell she’s not used to performing in such an empty arena. Her energy isn’t as high. Combo pass is good. love the 60’s surfer choreo section. Double back to finish, maybe a little short? Oh yeah, slow mo shows definitely short. A good opening overall but not as good as she was last week.

    7:44pm: McCrary, BB: Front toss to open, nice. Bhs loso, leans to her left a little but covers really well. Split to stag ring, good positions. Bhs double full dismount, step. I really like her style on beam, very calm but shows some finesse for sure. Slow mo shows a gorgeous split position.

    7:46pm: Gowey, FX: Getting the nod again this week! Front lay to Rudi to open, great form. Dance elements are great, gorgeous splits as always and a definitive wolf position. Double tuck, chest a little low but landing was good.

    7:48pm: Sheremeta, BB: Bhs loso, bobble, foot comes off the beam but she stays on. Switch to switch side, nice. Front aerial to split, wow her splits are really nice. Gainer full, hop in place. Just gorgeous throughout, a shame she had that break on her series.

    7:50pm: Hundley, FX: Whip to double tuck to open, yes, good. Apparently the classic rock medley is a tribute to dad? That’s awesome! Double pike, chest a little low. Great straddle positions in her dance series. 1.5 to front lay is good to close, and she still has so much energy to finish out her choreo sequence. She has so much fun with this routine and it makes her performance that much better.

    7:52pm: Porter, BB: Missed the first section but good based on commentators. Front aerial, bobbles and doesn’t connect through. Has to try again, front aerial to back tuck. Connection still a little unclear, I don’t know that I would give it to her. Front toss, good. Roundoff 1.5, step on the landing. Not the hit they were hoping for, but not a disaster.

    7:54pm: Reed, FX: DLO to open is maybe not as powerful as I’m used to but still great height and a good landing. Front lay to Rudi, twists looked a little crazy in there. Drumline section, not having quite as much fun as last week. Product of being away, I suppose. Double pike to finish, another good one for her. She’s really finding the landings on these last weeks.

    7:56pm: Gottula, BB: Sounds like they didn’t give Porter her series. Triple series for Gottula, lovely. Switch to split 3/4, big bobble and doesn’t hit 180, no way. Cartwheel to gainer full, stuck? Looked like it to me.

    7:58pm: Thomas, FX: DLO gorgeous as always, good control. It’s time, Trin, let’s go. 1.5 to front lay, split jump out with perfect control. Great split and straddle positions, hitting all her moments in the music. Worm and oversplit, team is cheering her on like crazy. Double pike, maybe a little overpowered? Front foot moved a little bit.

    8:00pm: Hu, BB: Bhs loso, a little off but locks her arms down and doesn’t wobble. Switch to split, lovely. Front aerial to beat, just moving through this like it’s nothing. Front aerial to scale, and shows off her flexibility in a Y scale. Unique dismount sequence – I think that’s a Valdez to gainer full? That’s cool as heck. Slow mo shows her textbook splits with beautiful toe point. Mizzou hooked a great one in her.

    8:02pm: Baumann, FX: Opens with just her double tuck, better control than last week. 1.5 to front full, a little awkward transition into her dance? Maybe that was just me. Kills it through the dance break. Double pike, great landing, not as good as Nya or Trin but solid. They’ll want more out of her if they want this score building thing to work though.

    AFTER THREE: UF 147.525, MIZ 146.7

    https://twitter.com/Chazelena/status/1218336498543747073?s=20

    https://twitter.com/samisadancer/status/1218338510274469888?s=20

    Have to give props to Hu, that beam routine will be hard for the Gators to beat in terms of presentation and technique combined. Unfortunately for Mizzou, the rest of that lineup didn’t really deliver, and Florida now has a huge lead, over eight tenths. Still, Florida still has beam to go, which can be tricky for them when not at home.

    8:11pm: Hundley, BB: Front aerial, already a bobble, damn. Bhs loso, way more solid, good for her. Beat to switch side, good position in the air. Full turn, steady. Switch to split, positions I think were fine, not amazing but I think met the 180. Roundoff 1.5, little step. Handled it like a pro, but not the start they wanted.

    8:13pm: Sheremeta, FX: Front double full! Good control coming out of it. Rudi to loso, super floaty. Wish there was more to this middle choreo section. 1.5 to front layout stepout, channeling some Nichols in there. Great start!

    8:15pm: Clapper, BB: Series, big break at the hips but stayed on somehow?? Dance series had another big break, yiiikes. Switch to split, side aerial to back full, stuck I think? Low chest though. This is the one to drop for sure.

    8:17pm: Schreiber, FX: Double pike, a little low chest but good control. Rudi to loso for the second pass, a little crooked in her punch? Good finish, if a little run of the mill in the dance.

    8:18pm: Richards, BB: Full turn off the bat, looks calm here. Bhs loso loso, small check to the side but brings it back quickly. Switch to straddle, great. Side aerial back full stuck! It’s a quick and efficient routine, but she hit the reset button after Clapper, which is what they needed her to do. Talk about a valuable freshman!

    8:20pm: Brandt, FX: Double pike to open, HUGE power but not enough control, front foot slides back when she lunges. Front lay to front full, missed her punch and her feet slipped out from under her on the front full landing. Double tuck to finish, short and falls to her hands and knees. Just couldn’t really recover.

    8:22pm: Baumann, BB: Interesting lineup order choice here. Dance series is great, split positions gorgeous. Series is good, dead on. Switch half, lovely. Full turn, steady. Giving us that ice in her veins, even with the tiny bobble on the side aerial, she keeps it small. Roundoff 1.5 stuck cold! Great.

    8:24pm: Gottula, FX: Double pike, chest down a little but fine control. Punch half to… is that a double full? Yes it was! Commentator called it a Rudi but it was definitely an even number of twists. Straddles seemed a little tight to me. Does a little two steppin in the last choreo section, finished with a double back, again a little low. A good reset for them as well.

    8:27pm: Gowey, BB: Switch to split, back leg looks a little low? For her? Bhs loso loso, dead on. Go Gowey! Front aerial to sissone, strong. Full turn is good. Gainer full, shuffle back.

    8:29pm: McCrary, FX: Front lay to Rudi to open, clean. Double pike, two foot stuck! Wow! Second straddle position looked maybe a little shy, but the the first was gorgeous. Back 2.5 to finish, great difficulty throughout for her. That’ll be a good one.

    8:31pm: Thomas, BB: Switch to split leap, lovely. Full turn, sharp choreo coming out of it, moving constantly. One arm bhs to loso, perfectly steady. Front aerial to beat to korbut, effortlessly connecting each one to the last. Side aerial to back full, little slide? They’ll drop Clapper and end up with a good beam score, but there are definitely some things to fix.

    8:32pm: Porter, FX: Opens with a double pike, again a two foot stick, steps out into a lunge like two seconds later just because she can. Brings out the sass in this choreo section, fun. 1.5 to front lay, dances right out of it.  Performing the heck out of this. Double back to finish, easily the highlight of their rotation.

    FINAL: UF 196.850, MIZ 195.600

    Reed will once again win vault with a 9.875, for the second week in a row. Helen Hu wins bars with a 9.95, something the Gators won’t soon forget on what should be their best apparatus. Trinity Thomas takes beam and floor with a 9.925 and 9.95 respectively, and Sienna Schreiber wins AA kind of by default with a 39.0, as she was the only all-arounder who didn’t have a fall.

    Florida will take away several things from this, including needing some landing work on unfamiliar surfaces. Sticking at home clearly doesn’t equal sticking always, and that needs to not be a factor when they’re in high pressure situations like… literally all of postseason. Bars needs a second look, especially on her transitions. Beam nerves are still a problem – maybe Richards needs to lead there too? Hundley has been good in the past but she doesn’t do as well at away meets with the steadiness. I would be interested to see Skaggs in place of either her or Clapper, too. Floor was good but the whole team needs to find a way to let the energy fly when they don’t have the crowd behind them – again, an away problem. Ironing those things out will probably come with time, as they get more away meets under their belt.

    Thanks for joining me again guys! See you next week!

  • SB: Florida picked fifth in SEC Preseason Coaches Poll

    SB: Florida picked fifth in SEC Preseason Coaches Poll

    Photo by Brian Fox / ChompTalk.com

    The SEC’s softball Preseason Coaches Poll was released on Wednesday and the Florida Gators are expected to finish fifth in the conference.

    Alabama was named the favorite, receiving 11 of 13 first place votes. Second place Tennessee received the other two first place votes.

    Florida finished SEC play with a 12-12 record in 2019, but won the SEC Tournament for the fifth time.

    The Gators lost All-American pitcher Kelly Barnhill and All-American outfielder Amanda Lorenz, both of whom more than left their mark on the UF program.

    Florida opens the season at the USF – Rawlings Invitational on February 7 against Iowa State.

    2020 SEC Coaches Poll:

    1. Alabama (11)
    2. Tennessee (2)
    3. LSU
    4. Kentucky
    5. Florida
    6. Georgia
    7. Arkansas
    8. Mississippi
    9. South Carolina
    10. Missouri
    11. Auburn
    12. Mississippi State
    13. Texas A&M
  • MBB: Gators bounce back with rout of Ole Miss

    MBB: Gators bounce back with rout of Ole Miss

    Final: Florida 71, Ole Miss 55

    Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images

    Coming off their worst performance of the season, the Gators needed a bounce back effort against Mississippi on Tuesday.

    Florida received just that as they routed the Rebels 71-55 at Exactech Arena. The win improves the Gators’ record to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in SEC play.

    How it happened:

    Florida started quick offensively as Andrew Nembhard hit a mid-range jumper just :14 into the game. The Gators had already scored eight points by the time Ole Miss made a shot at the 17:47 mark.

    The run didn’t last long. In fact, Ole Miss went on a massive run of their own. Trailing 17-6 with 14:23 remaining in the opening period, the Rebels went on a 16-2 run and claimed a 22-19 lead.

    The Gators swung the momentum late in the first half, going into intermission on a 17-4 run armed with a 40-28 advantage.

    UF scored the first seven points of the second half and was able to coast from there.

    Sophomore Keyontae Johnson led the Gators with 15 points on 6-7 from the floor while Kerry Blackshear finished with 13 points and 9 boards. Andrew Nembhard added 10 points and 6 assists to the Gators’ cause.

    For the game, Florida shot 54% and held Ole Miss to just 18 made field goals.

    In the second half, sophomore Noah Locke knocked down his second three of the contest and set a UF record in the process. Tuesday marked the thirteenth straight game with multiple treys, surpassing Brett Nelson’s program record from the 2000-01 season.

    Head coach Mike White picked up his 100th win at the helm for Florida with the victory.

    Team Stats:

    • FG% : 54
    • 3FG% : 23
    • FT% : 61
    • Reb+/- : +5
    • Assists: 12
    • TO : 12
    • Bench Points: 16

    What’s Next:

    The Gators will take on undefeated and No. 4 ranked Auburn at Exactech Arena on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 1:30 PM and the game will be aired on CBS.

  • MBB: What Went Wrong in Mizzou

    MBB: What Went Wrong in Mizzou

    Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images

    Florida experienced a jaw dropping and astonishing loss on Saturday night. The Gators came into the game on the heels of back to back SEC wins, including the 17 point comeback at home against Alabama.

    Missouri, meanwhile, entered Saturday winless in SEC play and frankly, as a dismantled team. Everything seemed to point to the Gators bringing home a third consecutive win, and finally some traction on the season.

    However, this was not the case. Florida continued its rollercoaster year, and this loss was about as ugly as it could be. This year Florida has tended to play to their competition, playing well against Butler and Utah State but looking like a different team against Towson and Missouri.

    The following are a few keys that led to Florida’s embarrassing loss in Columbia.

    Lackluster Defense

    The Florida defense looked like it had no answer for the Tigers’ offense. Missouri came into the contest averaging five threes a game, but hit twelve on Saturday.

    Missouri was 10th in the SEC in 3 point percentage coming into the game, averaging a mere 30.5% from behind the arch. However, the Tigers shot a scorching 75% (12-19) on Saturday.

    This wasn’t necessarily a product of their shooters being better tonight than any other night. This was the pure lack of self awareness on defense leading to open threes all night long. This is something Florida cannot get comfortable doing, as defense has been the constant that has kept the Gators in basketball games, not take them out of them.

    It wasn’t just the deep ball that hurt the Gators. Missouri shot 61.5% from the field as a whole. They came into the game second to last in the SEC in this department averaging just 42.6%. Most came from uncontested lay ups and put backs from clearing box outs.

    Missouri was able to tie a season high in scoring, the other team being Chicago State. That’s right, UF gave up as many points tonight as a 4-11 Chicago State allowed. Missouri was barely averaging 66 points this season. Had Florida played even average defense, this game probably ends in the Gators’ favor.

    Shooting

    Florida struggled from the field tonight, which when coupled with terrible defense, you see the result.

    It seems to happen far too often, but Florida opened the game 1-10. The Gators shot 38.5% from the field Saturday, far lower than their 43.9% average on the year.

    The Gators also turned the ball over 14 times tonight, leading to break away lay ups for Mizzou all night.

    Scheme

    Florida was simply out schemed Saturday. There is no way around this, Missouri’s game plan was better than Florida’s and their players executed their game plan to a higher level than the Gators did. This isn’t coach speak, it’s factual.

    Missouri constantly ran high ball screens early in the shot clock and cut through the middle of the Gators defense like a hot knife through butter. Florida on the other hand would routinely run the clock down and had too many players sitting on the perimeter waiting for their chance to jack up a contested jumper from 18+ feet.

    Florida had no response to anything Missouri did on offense. No way around the fact that the Gators couldn’t stay on their man. On the other hand, Noah Locke was the only Gator player that shot over 50% tonight. Missouri did exactly what they needed to to slow the Gator offense down (though Florida habitually likes to slow down the tempo, anyway).

    On the bright side Florida will be back in action twice this week, both at home where they will have the opportunity to right the ship and keep pushing towards the NCAA tournament.

  • WBB: Gators fall to No. 14 Kentucky 65-45; drop to 2-2 in SEC play

    WBB: Gators fall to No. 14 Kentucky 65-45; drop to 2-2 in SEC play

    Final: Kentucky 65, Florida 45

    Photo by Kristen Oliff / ChompTalk.com

    Basketball is a pretty simple game. Usually, if you hold your opponent to 31% shooting, 25% from beyond the three-point line, and keep the opposition’s leading scorer in check for much of the game, you will come out on top.

    Florida did just that on Sunday, but came away with a twenty point defeat, thanks largely to turnovers and second chance opportunities for conference rival Kentucky as the Wildcats rolled past Florida, 65-45.

    The Gators turned the ball over a whopping twenty five times against the Kentucky pressure. The Wildcats also pulled down 19 offensive boards and ended up with 28 more shot attempts than Florida.

    The Gators actually had a lot of momentum and kept the game tight throughout the first half. With 4:49 left in the second quarter and the Gators possessing at two point lead, UK’s leading scorer Rhyne Howard picked up her second foul and headed to the bench for the remainder of the half.

    Florida failed to capitalize and the Wildcats used a 10-2 run to finish the half and enter the break with a five point lead.

    The Gators got a quick basket from Kiki Smith to open the third quarter, but Kentucky rattled off a 9-1 run and squashed Florida’s upset hopes.

    The Gators fell to 2-2 in league play with the loss while Kentucky improved to 3-1.

    Individual Stats:

    • Kiki Smith: 16 points, 7-12 FG, 5 rebounds
    • Ariel Johnson: 10 points, 4-6 FG, 5 rebounds

    Team Stats:

    • FG% : 43
    • 3FG% : 20
    • FT% : 58
    • Reb+/- : -2
    • Assists : 5
    • TO : 25
    • Bench Points: 12

    What’s Next:

    The Gators will face their second straight ranked team as No. 23 Tennessee heads to Gainesville for Thursday’s contest.

    The Vols are 13-3 on the season after blowing out Georgia 73-56 on Sunday.

  • WGYM: Gators “Stay Normal” to Beat Arkansas, Start Off Season Right

    WGYM: Gators “Stay Normal” to Beat Arkansas, Start Off Season Right

    Photo by Brian Fox / ChompTalk.com

    In commanding fashion, the Gator gymnasts stepped onto the floor Friday night with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove – what happened last year would not happen again. This was their chance to show the nation, and themselves, that they were starting on the right track.

    Their word for the week was “take a breath,” and after last night, they can absolutely exhale knowing that their path is on course. The Gators matched the nation’s highest score so far this season with a 197.350, tying Oklahoma’s result from the Collegiate Classic last week. Sophomore Trinity Thomas won three of the four events and clinched the all-around title for a 39.7, the second-highest all-around score in the country so far this season (as of the time of the meet.)

    Despite all these accolades and pulling out the win, the road to nationals is long and difficult, but the Gators are off to a great start. Looking event by event, there’s more work to be done in some places than others.

    On vault, the Gators’ issue is primarily landings. Only Nya Reed had any real control over her landing, and even she had to wave her arms to keep her landing that tight. If the vault squad can’t zone in on their landings, those scores will not go much higher than they were last night. It’s very likely that these are the right six for the lineup this year, unless someone else upgrades or gets their Yfull to a really consistent place, to where they will score higher even with the lower start value. Thomas and Schoenherr in particular are definitely capable of better landings than they showed at this meet, so expect more from them in the coming weeks. While Florida took on vault, Arkansas went to bars and faced some difficulty, though perhaps were scored a little harshly.

    Bars for Florida was also scored a little oddly, with a lot of theoretically better routines getting stuck in the 9.8-9.85 range, but there were definitely foundations for greatness to come. The ending 1-2-3 punch in this lineup of Schoenherr, Thomas, and Skaggs is fantastic and could probably be rearranged in any order and all still score incredibly well. Freshman Payton Richards led this lineup off, and head coach Jenny Rowland could not sing enough of her praises. When asked about what made Richards a good choice for the role, she talked about how reliable and steady the freshman is. “You can put her first, you can put her last, you know without a doubt – Payton’s going to hit her routine.” Landings were much better here than on vault, but the Gators will score higher if they push themselves just a little more toward perfection. Handstands closer to 90 degrees and more amplitude and extension in their releases will be what drives these scores higher. While Florida worked through bars, Arkansas struggled on vault, with only 9.95 SV vaults in its lineup and some amplitude issues. However, they definitely had better landings than the Gators, so it was a bit of a game of opposites – neither team could get it 100% right.

    Beam held some surprises, including the lack of Megan Skaggs in the lineup, but all six Gators delivered. Again, the back half of the lineup delivers in a major way, with Baumann, Gowey, and Thomas all being almost interchangeable in terms of placement and all scoring 9.9 or higher. To get the rest of the lineup to that level, Florida will want to focus on eliminating any moments of weakness or hesitation that can lead to bobbles or fluidity deductions. Rachel Gowey was the highlight of the rotation, scoring a 9.95 for a routine that was virtually flawless. Arkansas took to floor in the third rotation, showing off the newfound stamina and style that came with their new head coach, Jordyn Wieber of London 2012 fame. Their best rotation of the night, floor was the only event of the night where the Razorbacks broke 49.0.

    The Gators ended the meet on floor, where the energy that had been building all night in the O-Dome was finally unleashed. This team was absolutely on fire on floor, so I’m going to talk about all of them! Sydney Johnson-Scharpf gave her best competitive performance to date (if only in entertainment and not in score), Gowey showed off her new two-pass routine that brings drama and mystery to the table, and Amelia Hundley brought the crowd to their feet with her engaging classic rock routine. Reed nailed all of her tumbling and had Gator Nation roaring for her, Thomas earned the tenth 9.975, a score so close to perfection it hurts, of her career to date for an electric performance, and Alyssa Baumann embraced the ice queen persona she’s known for on Twitter and owned every minute. Arkansas finished the meet on beam, where they had several significant bobbles and breaks, being forced to count several scores in the 9.5-9.65 range to avoid counting a fall. For the Gators, there is still some work to be done, on endurance with the tumbling as well as in some of the finer details of the dance elements and exactness of choreography. But in terms of commitment to performance, energy, and control, the Gators are exactly where they want to be.

    Overall, this was a great start to Florida’s season. As coach Rowland said, “Now we can all exhale,” and the team can continue to do what they’ve set out to do since last March – prove that they have what it takes.

  • MBB: Gators embarrassed at Mizzou

    MBB: Gators embarrassed at Mizzou

    Final: Missouri 91, Florida 75

    Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images

    The Gators traveled to a snowy Columbia, Missouri and faced a team that entered Saturday’s game winless in league play.

    Unfortunately, Florida left their defense in Gainesville and allowed the Tigers to set or tie season-highs in points, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage.

    Despite playing in a mostly empty arena due to the weather, the Gators put forth their most embarrassing effort of the season.

    For that reason, I have opted to not do our usual recap. I have already put this much effort into it, which might actually be more than Florida gave on Saturday.

    We will continue our coverage of the men’s basketball team tomorrow morning with a “What Went Wrong at Mizzou” feature.

    There will be better days, but tonight was rough.

  • Gators in the NBA: Horford, 76ers break losing streak, Beal day-to-day

    Gators in the NBA: Horford, 76ers break losing streak, Beal day-to-day

    Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Images

    The recent four-game road trip proved difficult for five-time All-Star Al Horford (center/power forward, Philadelphia 76ers).

    Big Al didn’t register a single game in the stretch with at least 10 points or 10 rebounds, as the 76ers (24-14) dropped all four contests to slide to fifth in the Eastern Conference.

    However, order was restored when Phili took its home floor against Oklahoma City on Monday night. Horford had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists, as the 76ers returned to their winning ways in a 120-113 triumph.

    If you look on the surface of his statistics, yes, Horford’s production has taken a nosedive. His 12.3 points per game is the lowest average since his second year in the Association (11.5, 2008-09), and his 6.5 rebounds per game is a career low. However, Horford’s in a position with Philadelphia that he has never been in before, and aside from his recent road-trip woes, he has been a decent offensive presence for his squad.

    Since entering the NBA, Big Al’s been a primary scoring option for every team in which he’s played. He was a reliable inside presence with the Hawks (alongside Jeff Teague and Josh Smith) and with the Celtics, where he complimented Isaiah Thomas then Kyrie Irving. But with the 76ers, he’s the fifth option, falling behind Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson and Ben Simmons.

    But look at Horford’s stats per 100 possessions, and it’s impressive that he is hanging around his career averages despite taking an offensive back seat to Philly’s youth.

    This year, Horford is averaging an estimated 113 points produced per 100 possessions with a field goal attempt. That’s actually on par with his 2015-16 All-Star season. And sure, he’s averaging a career-worst 10.2 rebounds per 100 possessions, but that’s very close to the 10.5 he averaged in his first season in Boston.

    As Horford continues to gel with Philadelphia, expect his consistency to improve, and therefore, his numbers. He’ll look to do so Thursday against the Boston Celtics at 7 p.m.

    Update: With star big man Joel Embiid out with a finger injury, Horford filled in at the five admirably. In 32 minutes of action, he came away with 17 points on 7-11 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. He also dished out six assists in th 76ers 109-98 victory.

    Meanwhile, Bradley Beal’s (guard, Washington Wizards) production has ground to a halt, as he has been day-to-day with a lower leg injury. Beal was inactive for five of the last six games and is questionable to play against the Hawks on Friday night.

    Dorian Finney-Smith (forward, Dallas Mavericks) continues to be a productive cog in the NBA’s top-ranked offense. He averages 9.0 points per game, good for fifth on the team, and is first in offensive rebounding with 1.9. He scored in double digits in Dallas’ last two games, and he’ll look to make it three-straight for the second time this season when the Lakers come to town on Friday night.

    It has been a while since Chandler Parsons, Chris Chiozza or Udonis Haslem have seen the floor. Parsons last played for Atlanta in 26-point loss against Milwaukee on Dec. 27. Chiozza last saw action for the Wizards in a 17-point loss at Memphis on Dec. 14. And Haslem has yet to play for Miami since a 24-point win over Cleveland on Nov. 20.

    Mark Stine is a contributing writer for Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.