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FINAL: FLORIDA 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66

GAINESVILLE, FL-  On January 18 the Florida Gators were defeated by the tough defense of South Carolina and failed to make a three-point shot for the first time since 1992.

On Tuesday night, sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen made sure that wouldn’t happen again. Allen made a deep three on Florida’s first possession that set the tone for the rest of the night. 

The Gators made nine of their nineteen attempts from deep and shot 49% from the field overall. In the previous matchup with the Gamecocks Florida only shot at a 35% clip.  

Florida jumped quickly in the first half and built a 12-point lead with less than 5:30 to play in the first, but South Carolina would go on a 17-2 run over the next four minutes and take a 33-30 lead in the final minute of the period. Chris Chiozza would finish the half accounting for a 5-0 Gators run by making a three and assisting on a breakaway Allen dunk. 

The Gators dominated the second half of play an route to their ninth straight victory. This is Florida’s longest win streak of the Mike White era. 

Allen led the Gators in scoring with 26 points and added 7 rebounds. Devin Robinson contributed 14 points and 6 rebounds while Chiozza finished with 12 points off the bench. 

South Carolina was led by potential SEC MVP senior Sendarius Thronwell with 23 points and 10 rebounds. 

Florida is tied for first place in the SEC after Kentucky escaped Missouri with a ten point victory. South Carolina has lost three games in a row and four of their last five. 
ATTENDANCE:  11,051

RECORDS:

• SOUTH CAROLINA: 20-8   (10-5 SEC)
• FLORIDA:                   23-5. (13-2 SEC)

Team Stats:

What’s Next:

FLORIDA GATORS vs KENTUCKY 

FEBRUARY 25, 2017 at 2:00 PM

CBS

FINAL: FLORIDA 57, MISSISSIPPI STATE 52

STARKVILLE, MS-  On Saturday Florida defeated Mississippi State in an overall ugly game 57-52 to improve to 22-5 on the season.  Florida only managed half of the points they scored in their midweek win at Auburn.  The Gators were playing their first game since center John Egbunu was lost for the season with a torn ACL.  Florida had to rely on tough defense and the play of sophomore Kevarrius Hayes.

Hayes, taking on Egbunu’s role, scored 9 points and added 10 rebounds and blocked four Bulldogs shots including one in the final crucial minute of play.  Junior Chris Chiozza scored 14 points to lead the Gators while KeVaughn Allen added 11 points.  Junior Devin Robinson failed to score a point, but added 10 rebounds to help Florida’s cause.  Canyon Barry scored seven points, but was taken out for the remainder of the game after a foot injury.  Barry was on the bench asking to come back in, so the injury does appear to be minor.

The Bulldogs were led by Quinndary Weatherspoon with 17 points.  No other Mississippi State player scored in double figures.

Florida has won eight in a row which is the longest streak in head coach Mike White’s tenure at Florida.  The Gators remain atop the SEC standings with Kentucky.  Florida will play Tuesday night against South Carolina in a rematch of one of Florida’s two conference losses.
ATTENDANCE:  10,732

RECORDS:

• FLORIDA:                                       22-5   (12-2 SEC)
• MISSISSIPPI STATE:                   24-12  (5-9 SEC)

Team Stats:

What’s Next:

FLORIDA GATORS vs SOUTH CAROLINA

FEBRUARY 21, 2017 at 7:00 PM

ESPN

FINAL: MISSOURI 74, FLORIDA 67

GAINESVILLE, FL-  The Florida Gators entered Thursday’s SEC matchup with Missouri riding a two game winning streak. Missouri put that to an end with timely three-point shooting and solid fourth quarter defense. Florida allowed the Tigers to shoot 46 percent from the three-point line making an incredible 13 of 28 shots including three in the final five minutes as Florida was mounting a comeback bid. 

Senior Ronni Williams led the Gators with 17 points and 7 rebounds while junior Haley Lorenzen and freshman Delicia Washington each added 16 points. Lorenzen missed several minutes in the third and fourth quarters after injuring her leg.  Lorenzen did return to an ovation from Gator fans midway through the fourth quarter. Brooke Copeland scored 10 points in 28 minutes off the bench and made three three-point shots. 

Sophomore Sophie Cunningham led the Tigers with a game high 28 points and made four of her seven attempts at three pointers. Cunningham has scored twenty or more in seven Missouri games this season. 

Florida is now 13-13 overall and 4-9 in SEC play while Missouri improves to 18-9 and 8-5 during SEC action. 

TEAM STATS:

WHAT’S NEXT:

FLORIDA VS KENTUCKY

FEBRUARY 19, 2017 at 1:00 PM

SEC NETWORK

FINAL: FLORIDA 71, TEXAS A&M 62

GAINESVILLE, FL-  The Florida Gators proved their depth on Saturday against Texas A&M.  The Gators defeated the Aggies 71-62 at Exactech Arena to improve to 10-2 in the SEC.  Senior forward Justin Leon led Florida with 18 points and the Gators overcame their poorest performance since losing to Vanderbilt.  Center John Egbunu had his best performance of the year with his first double-double this season.  Egbunu finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Aggies started a huge lineup which included two centers, sophomore Tyler Davis and junior Tonny Trocha-Morelos.  With such a big lineup, the Aggies easily outrebounded Florida 40-34.

Canyon Barry provided relief off the bench for the Gators as he added 12 points.  Barry also made all four of his free-throw attempts and extended his consecutive made free-throw streak to a total of 39.  The 38^th make was a Florida program record previously held by Taurean Green in 2005-06.  Chris Chiozza also figured in double-figure scoring with 11 points.  Chiozza, playing extended minutes due to Kasey Hill being in foul trouble, also added 4 rebound and 5 assists while ony turning the ball over twice.

The Aggies were led  by Robert Williams with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Davis and Admon Gilder added 12 each.

Florida is now 20-5 overall and 10-2 in the SEC.  Texas A&M falls to 13-11 overall and 5-7 in SEC play.  Florida is tied atop the SEC standings with Kentucky (South Carolina is playing at Mississippi State at the time of this writing.)
ATTENDANCE:  10,732

RECORDS:

• TEXAS A&M:                                 13-11 (5-7 SEC)
• FLORIDA:                                     20-5   (10-2 SEC)

Team Stats:

What’s Next:

FLORIDA GATORS at AUBURN TIGERS

FEBRUARY 14, 2017 at 7:00 PM

SEC NETWORK

Gator Nation, if you’ve been waiting for a basketball team worthy of National title hopes and dreams then we have the team for you.

The Florida men’s basketball team is currently ranked #17 in both the Associated Press and the USA TODAY Coaches Polls.  Florida is also eighth in RPI ranking (mostly due to playing so many neutral court games).  RPI is one of the metrics that qualify the wins and losses for a team.

I wanted to write this article on Monday after Florida routed a top-10 team (Kentucky), but decided I needed to see how the team would respond on the road, against a rival no less.  The Florida team that played Georgia impressed me more than the team that beat Kentucky.

Florida had nothing to gain, but everything to lose with their trip to Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday.  If Florida had lost, it would significantly diminish the value of the win against Kentucky, but if Florida won, their shot at winning the SEC was still alive.  Florida fought hard and earned the victory.  Despite allowing Georgia to come back from a 30-14 first half advantage, Florida held on, and more importantly got the win.  These are the types of games Florida has lost the last two years.

Follow along as I tell you why you should believe in this Florida Gators team.

COACHING:

Mike White was relatively unheard of when Florida announced his hiring May 7, 2015.  White had coached at Louisiana Tech for the previous four seasons, but never made the NCAA Tournament.  Many fans disliked this hiring, figuring that a program as established as Florida should be able to hire a much more distinguished head coach.

White had the unenviable task of taking over a Florida program in the wake of the Billy Donovan departure to the NBA.  Billy Donovan’s last team at Florida finished with a 16-17 record.  Mike White wasn’t exactly dropped into a “perfect situation.”

Gator Nation has been tough on White, and sometimes deservedly so.  Florida played terrible down the stretch last year, seemingly playing their way out of the NCAA tournament.  The Gators made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT before falling to George Washington.

White’s coaching this year has been exceptional.  White calls time outs when it feels like it’s necessary and is willing to make tough decisions (such as subbing in your entire second unit in the first minute of the second half).  White also has an exceptional memory as he often remembers specific plays during press conferences.  White has also proven that he can adjust on the fly, which is necessary, especially in the SEC with Kentucky and South Carolina.

STARTING LINEUP:

White has used the same starting lineup for much of the season.  John Egbunu at center (when not injured), Justin Leon at forward, Devin Robinson at forward, KeVaughn Allen at guard, and Kasey Hill at the point.  Allen leads the team with 13.3 points per game.  Robinson averages 11.8 while Hill adds 10 per game.  Egbunu leads the Gators averaging 6.5 rebounds per game while Hill paces the team in assists with 118 on the year.

But when the starters are ineffective at the beginning of games (or halves) as we’ve seen several times this year:

THE BENCH (DEPTH):

Perhaps the most important aspect to the Gators impressive run thus far has been the play of their bench.  Florida easily and often runs with a five-deep bench.  G/F Canyon Barry should easily win the SEC Sixth Man of the Year award.  Barry plays an important role as he has the ability to drive the lane, but is best known for being a sharpshooter.  Barry shoots free-throws so well that he is often on the court at the end of the game.  Barry is averaging 12.7 points, while shooting 44% from the field.

Chris Chiozza plays backup point guard, but would be starting on many teams in the country.  Chiozza earned a triple-double last week and was named the SEC Player of the Week for the effort.  Chiozza’s triple-double off the bench was the first such instance in the nation since 2008.

KeVarrius Hayes has subbed for Egbunu and played well while Egbunu was out with a hamstring injury.  Hayes has played well against some of the top talent in the SEC, and has allowed Florida fans to breathe easier when Egbunu is subbed for.

Freshmen Eric Hester and Keith Stone have also contributed when called upon.  Walk-on Schuyler Rimmer has proven that he can spell Egbunu and Hayes when both are in foul trouble.

Florida’s depth is one reason you can’t count this team out of any game.

DEFENSE:

Every player on the Gators roster has bought in to a defense-first mentality.  Florida has allowed the opposition to score eighty or more points only twice all season, not surprisingly, those are two of Florida’s losses.  Florida has also held their opponents to sixty or less points in nine contests.  The Gators have held teams to their season-lows in points scored and shooting percentage on several occasions, including most recently against Kentucky.

LEADERSHIP:

Florida has four seniors.  Hill, Leon, Barry, and Rimmer are the only seniors on the roster, but the team has much familiarity.  Robinson, Allen, Chiozza, Hayes, and Egbunu have all spent multiple years in Mike White’s system.

_______________

Barry is often seen on court encouraging the Rowdy Reptiles to get louder while Hill is leading with strong, passionate drives.  Chiozza dazzles with passes that leave you with your mouth hanging open, wondering,  “how?”  Every player on this team has a role, and no one seems to have an issue with theirs.  That alone, may be the single biggest thing that Mike White has accomplished in Gainesville.

Maybe it’s time to get excited about Gators basketball again.  Maybe we can finally start to believe that Mike White was the right hire and will lead us to the promised land.  Maybe, just maybe, this team is much more special than any of us realized at the beginning of the season.

When the 2005-06 Florida team won the first championship in program history, no one had expected it.  Why does this have to be different?  In the age of the one-and-done, any team that has familiarity has a chance.  So what do you think Gator Nation?  Why not Florida?

(I’m not saying that Florida will win a title this year, but I am saying it wouldn’t surprise me.)