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  • Lorenzen’s double-double leads Florida past Delaware State

    Lorenzen’s double-double leads Florida past Delaware State

    FINAL: FLORIDA 85, DELAWARE STATE 51

    1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT FINAL
    DSU 10 9 21 11 X 51
    FLORIDA 22 28 19 16 X 85

    GAINESVILLE, FL- The Florida Gators are heading into SEC play winners of their last two games after defeating the Delaware State Hornets on Wednesday 85-51. Florida finished the non-conference schedule with an 8-5 record and will begin SEC play at Auburn on Sunday.

    Florida was the better team in almost all aspects of the game. The Gators outrebounded Delaware State by a 68-35 margin and held the Hornets to a 25.6% shooting clip including only 5-29 from behind the three-point line.

    In the second quarter, senior forward Haley Lorenzen, made a three-pointer to become the twenty-fifth player in Florida women’s basketball history to score 1,000 career points. Lorenzen finished with her seventh double-double of the season (18 points to go along with 12 rebounds). After the game, Lorenzen told the media about scoring her one thousandth point, “it’s quite an honor. I wouldn’t have gotten here without all my teammates and coaches.”

    “We took care of business today,” said Florida head coach Cameron Newbauer said of the win. However, “We have got to get better, and have got to get tougher” with SEC play coming up.

    Paulina Hersler added 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Funda Nakkasoglu also scored 14 points and added 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Dyandria Anderson also finished in double-figures with 11 points. Sydney Searcy contributed 11 points while shooting 3-4 from behind the arc. Searcy missed the Gator Holiday Classic while out with a concussion.

    The Hornets were led by Ryan Jones who finished with 13 points. Keke Barber added 11 points and 6 boards for Delaware State.

    Florida turned the ball over 21 times, which Delaware State turned into 16 points. The Gators only forced eight turnovers by the Hornets.

    Florida moves to 8-5 on the season, and will begin their SEC slate with a game at Auburn on Sunday.

    TEAM STATS:

    DSU FLORIDA
    FG % 26 44
    3-PT % 17 35
    FT % 55 58
    Offensive Rebounds 11 19
    Total Rebounds 35 68
    Assists 5 17
    Steals 12 3
    Blocks 0 1
    Turnovers 8 21

    WHAT’S NEXT:

    Florida will take on Auburn in Alabama on Sunday. The Tigers are 8-3 entering their game against Xavier (LA) on Thursday. On December 19, Auburn topped SE Louisiana 80-46. The Tigers’ losses have come to Northwestern, Chattanooga, and Virginia Tech.

    Florida at Auburn

    December 31, 2017

    4:00 PM / Exactech Arena

    ESPN2

  • OSU WR Trevon Grimes transfers to Florida

    OSU WR Trevon Grimes transfers to Florida

    The Florida Gators gained an incredible addition to their wide receiving corps via the transfer route, again.

    For the second time in the last week a former top receiving prospect has announced his decision to transfer to Florida. On December 18, Ole Miss WR Van Jefferson announced his intentions to transfer to Florida, and now, Ohio State WR Trevon Grimes announced his decision to transfer to UF.

    Dan Mullen has confirmed the signing of Grimes via Twitter.

    Grimes, a 6’3 200 lb wideout who attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, took a leave of absence from Ohio State after two games due to a family member’s health.

    Grimes was the #41 overall prospect in the 2017 class despite tearing his ACL early in his senior year. Grimes was the high school teammate of Gators QB Jake Allen.

  • Report: Eddy Pineiro to forgo senior season at UF

    Report: Eddy Pineiro to forgo senior season at UF

    Eddy Pineiro was the prized prospect of the 2016 recruiting cycle. We all remember seeing former Gators coach Jim McElwain riding around with Pineiro the day after losing the 2015 SEC title game, and eventually landing Pineiro at Florida over Alabama.

    Many of us have been a part of the “Ed-dy! Ed-dy! chants that have reverberated around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the past two years.

    According to The Gainesville Sun’s Robbie Andreu, Pineiro has informed Florida’s coaching staff that he will forgo his senior year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.

    Pineiro, a junior college soccer player before coming to Florida, finished his collegiate career making 38 of 43 field goals and 56 of 58 extra points.

    Earlier this month, Florida landed the commitment of the nation’s number two ranked kicker, Evan McPherson. McPherson appears to be the heir-apparent and is expected to sign his letter of intent tomorrow.

    Eddy’s response:

  • JuCo OT Noah Banks flips to Florida

    JuCo OT Noah Banks flips to Florida

    The Florida Gators are picking up steam on the recruiting trail one day before the early signing period gets underway.

    On Tuesday, OT Noah Banks committed to Florida and will sign his letter of intent Wednesday.

    Banks is a 6’7 305 lb tackle originally from Pensacola. Banks attended Iowa Western Community College last season and is rated a three-star prospect by 247sports.com. Banks was named an NJCAA All-American earlier in the day.

    Banks had been committed to Arkansas since November 8, but officially visited both Texas and Florida last weekend.

    Banks also had offers from Auburn, Nebraska, and Missouri.

    (Photo via 247sports.com)

  • Ole Miss WR Van Jefferson to transfer to Florida

    Ole Miss WR Van Jefferson to transfer to Florida

    The Florida Gators receiving corps gained a big boost via the transfer wire Monday night.

    Ole Miss WR Van Jefferson announced his intention to transfer to the University of Florida.

    Jefferson was the #106 overall recruit in the 2015 recruiting cycle per 247sports.com. Jefferson caught 91 passes for 999 yards and four touchdowns in his two seasons with the Rebels. Jefferson visited Florida last weekend.

    Jefferson must receive a waiver from the NCAA to suit up for Florida immediately, but due to Mississippi’s sanctions it’s is expected to happen. Jefferson will have two years of eligibility remaining.

  • Gators land commitment of 2018 DB John Huggins

    Gators land commitment of 2018 DB John Huggins

    The Florida Gators have gained the commitment of a three-star DB from Daytona Beach, FL.

    John Huggins of Mainland high school announced his commitment to Florida via Twitter.

    Huggins visited Florida officially this weekend and announced his intention to sign on the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday.

    Huggins is a safety that had previously been committed to Florida State, but backed off that pledge on December 1.

    Huggins was also considering the Seminoles and Nebraska prior to committing.

    (Photo via 247sports.com)

  • #22 Gators give gift of victory to Clemson with inexcusable collapse

    #22 Gators give gift of victory to Clemson with inexcusable collapse

    FINAL: CLEMSON 71, FLORIDA 69

    1st 2nd OT FINAL
    CLEMSON 33 38 X 71
    FLORIDA 40 29 X 69

    SUNRISE, FL- Let’s just face facts. Right now, the Florida Gators are not a good basketball team. This team is incredibly undersized with 7’0 center John Egbunu sidelined. Many of Florida’s players, while athletic, are playing out of position. Guard Egor Koulechov is playing the power forward position against guys three to five inches taller and with 20-30 pounds on him.

    Despite these obvious observations, Florida should have defeated the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. The Gators held a nine point lead with less than five minutes left in play. Instead of cruising to a fast finish, Florida fell apart. Clemson went on a 14-3 run to finish the game. Florida missed a number of open looks in the final five minutes, but also had some possessions that were just plain mismanaged. You certainly expect more from a senior point guard who has had a knack for making ‘clutch’ baskets in his career.

    Yes, the officiating was terribly slanted. How one team can get into the bonus less than seven minutes into the half, while the other still hasn’t with only 10 seconds remaining is beyond me. However, no matter how bad the officiating was, it doesn’t change the fact that Florida was LEADING BY NINE POINTS IN THE FINAL FEW MINUTES BEFORE FALLING APART.

    While it’s absolutely ridiculous for fans to call for head coach Mike White’s job (seriously, check social media), it is abundantly clear that White and his staff need to make recruiting a big man a top priority. Clemson had way too many points in the paint. And, this game was one of the better defensive efforts from Kevarrius Hayes.

    KEY PLAY: Clemson was behind by one point when KeVaughn Allen threw up a prayer of a three point attempt with the shot clock running out. The ball was rebounded by Marcquise Reed who threw a full-court length pass to a streaking Elijah Thomas, who slammed the Tigers into the lead. The possession by Florida pretty much summed up the final few minutes for the Gators. Clemson made the move to a 1-3-1 zone, and Florida seemed unable to adjust.

    Jalen Hudson finished with a game high 23 points for Florida, including the Gators first eleven points of the game. Senior guard Chris Chiozza finished with 14 points, and Kevaughn Allen finished with 12. Keith Stone (6-8, 245 lbs) started at center, but played very limited minutes due to foul trouble. Stone finished the game with 3 points and 3 rebounds while Hayes finished with 2 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Koulechov led Florida with nine rebounds while Chiozza and Allen each finished with three assists.

    Reed led the Tigers with 22 points while Gabe DeVoe added 19 more to the effort. Elijah Thomas finished with a game high ten rebounds for Clemson.

    Florida will face James Madison on December 20th in Gainesville. Florida has lost four of their last five outings and it appears very likely that the Gators will fall completely out of the Top-25 after this blemish, amazingly just two weeks ago this team was ranked #5 in the country. Doesn’t it seem like that was ages ago?

    RECORDS:

    • CLEMSON: 9-1
    • FLORIDA: 6-4

    Team Stats:

    CLEMSON FLORIDA
    FG % 51 41
    3-PT % 46 42
    FT % 67 53
    Offensive Rebounds 7 15
    Total Rebounds 33 35
    Assists 11 8
    Steals 7 7
    Blocks 5 2
    Turnovers 15 11

    What’s Next:

    Florida will take on Jame Madison on Wednesday in Gainesville. The Dukes are 3-8 this year and face Florida International Saturday night. Last Sunday, JMU fell to Richmond 74-71. Guard Stuckey Mosley (a legit scoring threat) finished with a game high 25 points in the loss for the Dukes.

    Florida vs James Madison

    December 20, 2017

    7:30 PM / Exactech Arena

    SEC Network

  • Gators top Stanford, advance to National Championship match

    Gators top Stanford, advance to National Championship match

    FINAL: FLORIDA 3, STANFORD 2

    1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th FINAL
    STANFORD 22 21 25 25 10 2
    FLORIDA 25 25 18 18 15 3

    KANSAS CITY, MO- The Florida Gators are going to the National Championship match after dropping Stanford 3-2 Thursday night/Friday morning. For Florida this is the program’s second berth to the title match, losing their first appearance to USC in 2003.

    Florida took the first two sets from the Cardinal, but Stanford’s resilience forced a fifth set. The Gators controlled the action for much of the final set to propel themselves to new heights.

    Florida’s All-American senior Rhamat Alhassan finished with a team high 17 kills and hit at a .517 clip. Fellow upperclassmen Carli Snyder registered 16 kills, 9 digs, and 3 services aces. Libero Caroline Knop (despite a cast on her hand) led the back row with 20 digs including an incredible effort in the fifth set.

    The first set saw Florida hit .250 compared to .205 for Stanford. Florida landed 15 kills while committing five errors. Stanford had 15 kills and 6 errors in 44 attack attempts in the opening set.

    Both teams hitting efficiency increased in the second set. Florida’s rate was a robust .312, finishing with 14 kills and 4 errors for the game. Stanford improved to a .273 clip while committing five errots to go along with 14 kills.

    Sets three and four saw a complete role reversal as Florida hit only .179 after the intermission, and only .111 in the fourth set. The Cardinal hit .452 and .345 in their dominating victories in the middle sets.

    Set five saw Florida race to a 9-4 lead. The Gators defense led the way as they forced Stanford to a negative hitting clip (-.40).

    Florida will face Nebraska in Kansas City in front of a crowd that will be dominated by red. The Gators beat the Huskers 3-2 in Gainesville back in August.

    Florida’s senior class has led this team through the Final Four, and has the opportunity to rewrite Florida’s history books as the first National Championship team. Alhassan, Snyder, Knop, and Shainah Joseph all have cemented their legacy at UF. On Saturday they have a chance to do something no one else has done at Florida. Head coach Mary Wise also has the opportunity to become the first woman to coach a championship team.

    Florida vs Nebraska

    9:00 PM / ESPN2

    Kansas City, MO

    *it’s all on the line

  • QB Matt Corral flips commitment to Ole Miss

    QB Matt Corral flips commitment to Ole Miss

    After weeks of seemingly endless speculation, 2018 QB prospect Matt Corral has completed the flip from Florida to Mississippi.

    Corral, who committed to Florida in July under former head coach Jim McElwain, visited the Oxford, MS campus last weekend on an official visit and committed after an in-home visit by Rebels head coach Matt Luke.

    Corral threw for 2,495 yards and 29 touchdowns. He is a US Army All-American and plans to enroll early. 247sports.com has Corral ranked as the #60 overall player in the 2018 recruiting cycle.

    Florida must now focus on the quarterback position with a sense of urgency as none of the current quarterbacks on the roster seem to fit new coach Dan Mullen’s system.

    (Photo via Sports Illustrated)

  • Florida’s Mary Wise named AVCA National Coach of the Year

    Florida’s Mary Wise named AVCA National Coach of the Year

    Florida volleyball head coach Mary Wise added a piece of hardware to her mantle on Thursday by being named the National Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. On Saturday, Wise hopes to hoist the National Champions trophy for the first time of her career.

    Wise has guided the Gators to a 29-1 record and a trip to Kansas City for the Final Four. Florida has also compiled a 7-1 record against nationally ranked teams. Florida will look to earn a berth into the National Championship match Thursday night.

    Wise has previously won the AVCA National Coach of the Year on two occasions, 1992 and 1996.

    Wise has earned 904 wins in her coaching career which began at the age of 21. 833 victories have come while leading the Gators.

    This year marks the eighth Final Four appearance for Wise, who looks to earn her first national title.

    (Photo via AVCA Volleyball on Twitter)