Florida Gators

[Deleted]

No. 4 Florida has the look of an NCAA title contender


Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports 1:56 a.m. EST February 16, 2014


LEXINGTON, Ky. — From the joy of winning SEC regular-season championships to the pain of losing games that cost them a trip to the Final Four, there are many things these Florida seniors have experienced.

But here's something they hadn't, until Saturday night: A win at Kentucky's Rupp Arena.

Steadied by senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin down the stretch and buoyed by yet another high-scoring performance from senior forward Casey Prather, No. 4 Florida defeated No. 13 Kentucky, 69-59, in front of a raucous Rupp crowd Saturday night.

"It was surreal – I couldn't believe it," Florida center Patric Young said. "When we were walking off the court, it didn't seem real. It was so hard for us. Last year, we let it slip away. Years before, we weren't even in the game."

Saturday's was the Gators' first win in Lexington since 2007, which, if you remember correctly, was a pretty darn good Florida team.

So good in fact that coach Billy Donovan was asked after Saturday's win if he could compare that national championship-winning team to this year's squad – one many think is another title-caliber team itself. The current Florida team is not nearly as talented, Donovan said; three of his starters in '07 went on to be lottery picks in the NBA draft that June.

"But the comparison I would make is the way those guys tried to play for each other, the way they cared for each other, there are some similarities," Donovan said.

And perhaps, when all is said and done come April, they'll have similar hardware to show for it. It's time to talk about Florida as a true title contender, and perhaps the most complete team in the country in the aftermath of Arizona's recent injury to starting forward Brandon Ashley.

It took some time for Donovan's pieces to come together; he dealt with suspensions and injuries much of the fall, switching up lineups and rotations as he went. But now, the roster that on paper looked to be one of the nation's most talented and deepest has come to fruition.

He's got Wilbekin, who anchors the team both offensively and defensively and showed he can hit free throws with the game on the line Saturday night. He's got Prather, arguably the most improved player in the country and the kind of big man who can pull down the game's most important rebound in the midst of three Kentucky defenders with 90 seconds left to play. (And score 24 points to boot.) Plus, he's got a nice mix of other veteran players, with a few talented freshmen sprinkled in.

Still, he's not satisfied – which means this particular team is not playing at its peak just yet. Donovan said after Saturday's game that freshman guard Kasey Hill is dealing with a groin injury. He thinks freshman forward Chris Walker, who just became eligible earlier this month, can provide more of a boost of the bench. He believes Dorian Finney-Smith can grow more.

"I like the direction we're moving, but I'm also very guarded," he said. "That stuff can change. Different things can happen within your team to break that flow. Right now, we're moving in the right direction, but we have to continue to move in the right direction."

On the court, it's clear the Gators are doing just that – and doing so in important areas. After a first half in which they appeared timid at times and shied away from Kentucky's length and size down low, they adjusted in the second half, attacked in the paint and responded well to Kentucky's runs. In a tightly contested game down the stretch, Florida scored 31 points over its last 13 possessions, an astounding 2.38 points per possession during a stretch that also included a pair of free throws from a John Calipari technical foul. The Gators made 15 of 17 free throws to close out the game, to go along with an excellent defensive effort and extend their winning streak to 17 games.

Florida held Kentucky to a season-low eight second-chance points Saturday. Entering the game, the Wildcats were one of the country's best offensive rebounding teams. Kentucky scored on just three of its final nine trips down the court.

"What they did, they've done, I'm guessing, 10 games this year, where, with five minutes to go, four minutes to go, three minutes to go, it's anybody's ballgame," Calipari said. "Then they just grinded better than the other team grinds it, like they did us. They were just a little too experienced for us down the stretch. … (Donovan has) had a bunch of good teams, but this is a veteran team that has a lot of things going for it, whether it be defensively, rebounding the ball."

So, maybe this isn't the most talented team Donovan has ever coached at Florida. (It's not.) But it is one that appears deep enough and experienced enough to cut down the same nets.

You know, winning a national championship is something this group of seniors hasn't done yet, either.

[mscott59]

Feb 16, 2014 12:27:49 GMT -5 ETGator1 said:

No. 4 Florida has the look of an NCAA title contender


Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports 1:56 a.m. EST February 16, 2014


LEXINGTON, Ky. — From the joy of winning SEC regular-season championships to the pain of losing games that cost them a trip to the Final Four, there are many things these Florida seniors have experienced.

But here's something they hadn't, until Saturday night: A win at Kentucky's Rupp Arena.

Steadied by senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin down the stretch and buoyed by yet another high-scoring performance from senior forward Casey Prather, No. 4 Florida defeated No. 13 Kentucky, 69-59, in front of a raucous Rupp crowd Saturday night.

"It was surreal – I couldn't believe it," Florida center Patric Young said. "When we were walking off the court, it didn't seem real. It was so hard for us. Last year, we let it slip away. Years before, we weren't even in the game."

Saturday's was the Gators' first win in Lexington since 2007, which, if you remember correctly, was a pretty darn good Florida team.

So good in fact that coach Billy Donovan was asked after Saturday's win if he could compare that national championship-winning team to this year's squad – one many think is another title-caliber team itself. The current Florida team is not nearly as talented, Donovan said; three of his starters in '07 went on to be lottery picks in the NBA draft that June.

"But the comparison I would make is the way those guys tried to play for each other, the way they cared for each other, there are some similarities," Donovan said.

And perhaps, when all is said and done come April, they'll have similar hardware to show for it. It's time to talk about Florida as a true title contender, and perhaps the most complete team in the country in the aftermath of Arizona's recent injury to starting forward Brandon Ashley.

It took some time for Donovan's pieces to come together; he dealt with suspensions and injuries much of the fall, switching up lineups and rotations as he went. But now, the roster that on paper looked to be one of the nation's most talented and deepest has come to fruition.

He's got Wilbekin, who anchors the team both offensively and defensively and showed he can hit free throws with the game on the line Saturday night. He's got Prather, arguably the most improved player in the country and the kind of big man who can pull down the game's most important rebound in the midst of three Kentucky defenders with 90 seconds left to play. (And score 24 points to boot.) Plus, he's got a nice mix of other veteran players, with a few talented freshmen sprinkled in.

Still, he's not satisfied – which means this particular team is not playing at its peak just yet. Donovan said after Saturday's game that freshman guard Kasey Hill is dealing with a groin injury. He thinks freshman forward Chris Walker, who just became eligible earlier this month, can provide more of a boost of the bench. He believes Dorian Finney-Smith can grow more.

"I like the direction we're moving, but I'm also very guarded," he said. "That stuff can change. Different things can happen within your team to break that flow. Right now, we're moving in the right direction, but we have to continue to move in the right direction."

On the court, it's clear the Gators are doing just that – and doing so in important areas. After a first half in which they appeared timid at times and shied away from Kentucky's length and size down low, they adjusted in the second half, attacked in the paint and responded well to Kentucky's runs. In a tightly contested game down the stretch, Florida scored 31 points over its last 13 possessions, an astounding 2.38 points per possession during a stretch that also included a pair of free throws from a John Calipari technical foul. The Gators made 15 of 17 free throws to close out the game, to go along with an excellent defensive effort and extend their winning streak to 17 games.

Florida held Kentucky to a season-low eight second-chance points Saturday. Entering the game, the Wildcats were one of the country's best offensive rebounding teams. Kentucky scored on just three of its final nine trips down the court.

"What they did, they've done, I'm guessing, 10 games this year, where, with five minutes to go, four minutes to go, three minutes to go, it's anybody's ballgame," Calipari said. "Then they just grinded better than the other team grinds it, like they did us. They were just a little too experienced for us down the stretch. … (Donovan has) had a bunch of good teams, but this is a veteran team that has a lot of things going for it, whether it be defensively, rebounding the ball."

So, maybe this isn't the most talented team Donovan has ever coached at Florida. (It's not.) But it is one that appears deep enough and experienced enough to cut down the same nets.

You know, winning a national championship is something this group of seniors hasn't done yet, either.

flipped over for the 2nd half after watching osu sleepwalk thru its in at illinois. uk doesn't have a pg, and it shows when they play a good team. way too much 1x1 for the cats. for uf, wilbekin has both matured and improved his game tenfold. very very impressed w/how he played on both ends. nice win. i also loved calipari complaining about his 't' w/his sweatstained dress shirt. lol.

mark scott
tosu 81

[Deleted]

Mark, UK has two PGs, a senior (Polson) and a freshman. However, Calipari is committed to starting and playing the Harrison twins as they are his favored one and done at the position. The twins should be SG/SF. Calipari would sell his soul to get the best players he can get whether they work in a system or not.

When UK won the national championship two years ago, Calipari used a more balanced team in terms of classes used to produce the wins. He had his star freshmen, but he had supporting players around them who were winners and he used them. Alex Poythress is an outstanding sophomore SF/PF. He got 11 minutes against UF. That is an incredibly poor use of a talented player.

Calipari complains about the youth and the needed learning curve to win. This UK team doesn't use it's personnel very well and hasn't learned enough to win championships, SEC and NCAA, which is all the big blue nation cares about.

[Deleted]

Hoops Scoop

Beyond the arc: 3 takeaways from UF’s win over Kentucky

Sunday, February 16, 2014 at 3:36 by Kevin Brockway


Some observations following UF’s win over Kentucky on Saturday night at Rupp Arena:

– In a hostile environment against the best rebounding team in the Southeastern Conference, Florida manned up on the boards. Granted, Kentucky outrebounded the Gators 31-28, but Florida finished with more offensive rebounds (10 to Kentucky’s 9) and more second-chance points (12-8). Kentucky freshman forward Julius Randle got his double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) but was kept from becoming a factor with putbacks.

– If Kentucky sophomore forward Alex Poythress somehow wins SEC sixth-man of the year over Florida sophomore forward Dorian Finney-Smith, there ought to be an investigation. Finney-Smith got the best of the first matchup, finishing with 8 points and 5 rebounds to Poythress’ 0 points and 2 rebounds. Finney-Smith had some effective drives on head-fakes, but is in a shooting funk. He missed three more 3-point attempts against Kentucky and has missed his last 14 3-point tries dating back to Jan. 30 at Mississippi State.

– Florida kept Kentucky’s transition buckets to a minimum as well. The Gators actually outscored the Wildcats 10-9 in fast-break points. Florida coach Billy Donovan said part of the game plan defensively was to get back on break and force Kentucky into tough-shot attempts. The Wildcats shot 47.6 percent, but Donovan felt several buckets came on challenged shot attempts.

[Deleted]

Monday February 17, 2014
Wilbekin Scores SEC Player of the Week Honors
Gainesville, Fla.


Florida point guard Scottie Wilbekin scored SEC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season as announced by the league office today.

Wilbekin posted a career-high of 21 points against the Volunteers last Tuesday but then topped that with a 23-point output at No. 18 Kentucky on Saturday night. The senior dished eight assists and recorded no turnovers in 71 minutes of action last week. He went an impressive 21-of-24 (88 percent) from the charity stripe, including a notable 18-of-20 in the second half. While Wilbekin averaged 22 points over the week, he averaged 16 points in the second half of competition alone.

On the year, Wilbekin is averaging 13.5 points per game with a 39.6 field goal percentage and is hitting 78.8 percent from the free throw line.

Florida will return home this week to face Auburn on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the Stephen C O’Connell Center as the Gators look for their 30th consecutive home win and to remain unbeaten in the conference.

[Deleted]

Similarities between the 13/14 team and the 05/06 and 06/07 national championship teams:

Team Stats:

--------05/06----06/07----13/14 (through games played on 2/15/14)

PPG-----78.3-----79.6-----71.1----------Points Per Game

OPPG----63.5-----62.6----58.0---------Opponent Points Per Game

SM------+14.8----+17.0---+13.1---------Scoring Margin

RPG-----36-------38-------37------------Rebounds Per Game

RMPG--+3.6-----+8.5-----+5.5----------Rebound Margin Per Game

APG-----16.7------15.4-----12.8----------Assists Per Game

SPG------7.6------6.7------6.8-----------Steals Per Game

BPG------5.3------4.9------3.0-----------Blocks Per Game

TPG-----14.4-----14.1-----11.2-----------Turnovers Per Game

OTPG----15.5-----12.8----13.9----------Opponents Turnovers Per Game

TMPG--- -1.10----+1.30-- -2.70---------Turnover Margin Per Game

FG%-----.500-----.526-----.460----------Field Goal %

FT%-----.744-----.690-----.669----------Free Throw %

3P%-----.392-----.409-----.341----------3 Point



The following shows a depth similarity between the rosters as well:

13/14--------------------------05/06-------------------------06/07

Starters

Patric Young 6'9"/240----------Al Horford 6'9"/235-----------Al Horford 6'10"/245

Will Yeguete 6'8"/230----------Joakim Noah 6'11"/230---------Joakim Noah 6'11"/230

Casey Prather 6'6"/212---------Corey Brewer 6'8"/185---------Corey Brewer 6'8"/185

Michael Frazier II 6'4"/199----Lee Humphrey 6'2"/192---------Lee Humphrey 6'2"/192

Scottie Wilbekin 6'2"/178------Taurean Green 6'0"/177--------Taurean Green 6'0"/177

Bench

Dorian Finney-Smith 6'8"/212----Chris Richard 6'9"/255-------Chris Richard 6'9"/255

Chris Walker 6'10"/220----------Adrian Moss 6'9"/247---------Marreese Speights 6'10"/245

Kasey Hill 6'1"/181-------------Walter Hodge 6'0"/170--------Walter Hodge 6'0"/170

DeVon Walker 6'6"/195-----------David Huertas 6'5"/185-------Dan Werner 6'7"/235

[Deleted]

UF also going for 24-2 which would equal the best start ever in Gator history with the 06/07 national championship team. UF is a 17 point favorite over Auburn. This from Franz Beard at Gator Country:

GOING FOR A NEW SCHOOL RECORD

A couple of winning streaks are on the line tonight when the 2nd-ranked Gators (23-2, 12-0 SEC) play host to Auburn (12-11, 4-8 SEC) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (7 p.m., Sun Sports/Fox Sports Network). The Gators have won 17 games in a row and a win over Auburn will set a new school record. Florida has also won 29 straight games at the O-Dome, one of the longest streaks in the nation. The O-Dome has a well-deserved reputation as a very difficult place for opponents to play and the UAA has done its part to make it even more intimidating by distributing more student tickets, particularly for midweek games when it’s difficult for season ticket holders from as far away as Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville to get to Gainesville. The midweek games have been selling out and the students tend to stay until the end of the game no matter the score, unlike so many of the boosters and season ticket holders who start heading for the exits at the 8-minute mark if the Gators have a double digit lead.

[Deleted]

UF played the first half like a bunch of entitled brats falling behind Auburn 38-30. Thank goodness the game wasn't on national television being televised on Sun Sports/Fox Sports.

I've been watching American Idol so I'll watch the recorded second half after Idol goes off, but, UF pulled out a 71-66 win.

This team is record setting:

The Gators advanced to 24-2 (13-0). The 24-2 matches the best start ever in Gator history along with the 06/07 national championship team.

The Gators are tied with Duke and Stephen Austin with 30 consecutive home wins.

Not having lost since December 2nd, the Gators set a new UF win streak record at 18.

[mscott59]

Feb 19, 2014 21:52:54 GMT -5 ETGator1 said:

UF played the first half like a bunch of entitled brats falling behind Auburn 38-30. Thank goodness the game wasn't on national television being televised on Sun Sports/Fox Sports.

I've been watching American Idol so I'll watch the recorded second half after Idol goes off, but, UF pulled out a 71-66 win.

This team is record setting:

The Gators advanced to 24-2 (13-0). The 24-2 matches the best start ever in Gator history along with the 06/07 national championship team.

The Gators are tied with Duke and Stephen Austin with 30 consecutive home wins.

Not having lost since December 2nd, the Gators set a new UF win streak record at 18.

you chose to watch american idol instead of uf hoops?

mark scott
tosu 81

[Deleted]

Feb 19, 2014 22:38:49 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Feb 19, 2014 21:52:54 GMT -5 ETGator1 said:

UF played the first half like a bunch of entitled brats falling behind Auburn 38-30. Thank goodness the game wasn't on national television being televised on Sun Sports/Fox Sports.

I've been watching American Idol so I'll watch the recorded second half after Idol goes off, but, UF pulled out a 71-66 win.

This team is record setting:

The Gators advanced to 24-2 (13-0). The 24-2 matches the best start ever in Gator history along with the 06/07 national championship team.

The Gators are tied with Duke and Stephen Austin with 30 consecutive home wins.

Not having lost since December 2nd, the Gators set a new UF win streak record at 18.

you chose to watch american idol instead of uf hoops?

mark scott
tosu 81

I did it so I could spend time with my wife. I thought UF would come back. I hoped they would come back.

After playing and winning two tough road games at UT and at UK, the team definitely had a hard time getting up for Auburn. A focused UF team would have won the game by 15-20 instead of 5. If it was football, Auburn would have been the trap game tucked between at UK and at Ole Miss this coming Saturday.

[Deleted]

By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer



Published: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 8:58 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 8:58 p.m.


Florida won its school-record 18th straight game. But it didn’t come easy Wednesday night.


The No. 2 Gators needed a clutch 3-pointer from Michael Frazier II and clutch free throws from Patric Young down the stretch to beat Auburn 71-66 at the O’Connell Center

Young scored all of his game-high 17 points for the Gators (24-2, 13-0 SEC) in the second half. None were bigger than the two free throws he made with 19.4 seconds left, putting Florida up 68-66.

Auburn threw the following in-bounds pass out of bounds and senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin followed with two more free throws with 17.4 seconds left, putting Florida ahead 70-66.

Senior forward Casey Prather added 16 points for the Gators, and Wilbekin had 15 points and 4 assists.

Frazier’s 3-pointer put Florida ahead 66-65 with 40.5 seconds left, but Auburn senior guard Chris Denson tied the score at 66 after making 1-of-2 free throws on a foul call against senior Will Yeguete with 20.7 seconds remaining.

On Denson’s miss, Young was fouled on the rebound attempt, setting up his heroics at the line.

Auburn (12-12, 4-9 SEC) went 10 of 19 from 3-point range. Freshman guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen led the Tigers with 17 points and Denson added 15 points.

Florida won its 30 straight at home and matched the 2006-07 team for the best start to a season in school history (24-2).

The Gators play at Ole Miss on Saturday.

[lz2112]

Feb 19, 2014 22:38:49 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Feb 19, 2014 21:52:54 GMT -5 ETGator1 said:

UF played the first half like a bunch of entitled brats falling behind Auburn 38-30. Thank goodness the game wasn't on national television being televised on Sun Sports/Fox Sports.

I've been watching American Idol so I'll watch the recorded second half after Idol goes off, but, UF pulled out a 71-66 win.

This team is record setting:

The Gators advanced to 24-2 (13-0). The 24-2 matches the best start ever in Gator history along with the 06/07 national championship team.

The Gators are tied with Duke and Stephen Austin with 30 consecutive home wins.

Not having lost since December 2nd, the Gators set a new UF win streak record at 18.

you chose to watch american idol instead of uf hoops?

mark scott
tosu 81

I chose to ignore that fact. ET WTF

[Deleted]

The Gators are closing in on setting another record for best UF record ever in the SEC. The following are UF's best finishes ever in SEC play:

1. 13-3 - 2007 and 2011
3. 14-4 - 1967 and 2013
5. 12-4 - 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005
10. 6-2 - 1941
11. 13-5 - 1989

If the Gators can get a win at Ole Miss this weekend, they will add to the current record 18 game winning streak and set the record for best start ever at 25-2 breaking the current tie with the 06/07 national championship team.

[Deleted]

Slow Starts A Concern & Patric Young = Academic All-American:

By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer



Published: Friday, February 21, 2014 at 6:01 a.m.



Last Modified: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 11:48 p.m.


Florida has maintained its school-record 18-game winning streak with strong finishes.


Facts

Saturday's game

Who: No. 2 Florida at Ole Miss
When: Noon
TV: CBS
Radio: WRUF


But how the No. 2 Gators have started games of late has been a different story. Florida has trailed at halftime in four of its last five games. On Feb. 8 at home against Alabama, the Gators were tied at 38 with Alabama before pulling away in the second half.

Getting off to a better start will be a priority on Saturday when the Gators play at Ole Miss in an 11 a.m. local tip time (noon ET, CBS). Florida (24-2, 13-0 SEC) has a chance to vault to No. 1 in the country with a win over the Rebels. But it will be hard to achieve if the Gators again fail to play well in the first 20 minutes.

“We just have to do a better job coming out with more energy, I think, and not putting ourselves in a hole like that because it’s so hard to work out of it,” Florida sophomore guard Michael Frazier II said. “Not to take anything from Auburn, but if we play a better team and they get us down like that, it won’t be easy to come back.”

UF’s eight-point halftime deficit against Auburn (38-30) was the largest it’s faced this season. The Gators rallied to win 71-66, but needed a clutch 3-pointer from Frazier and clutch free throws from senior center Patric Young down the stretch to win.

“We can’t get complacent and allow human nature to say, ‘Oh, we’re good, we’re going to come back,’ ” Young said. “It’s going to get to the point if we come in with the mindset we’ve had in previous first halves, we’re going to come in down 15 points and it’s really tough to come back from that.

“It all starts with our approach coming into next game. Coach is going to do a much better job of helping us and make sure we don’t take these games for granted.”

Florida’s struggles in the first half against Auburn were two-fold. On defense, Florida failed to lock down on Auburn’s shooters, allowing the Tigers to shoot 56.5 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3-point range (6 of 9). On offense, Florida was at times stagnant, finishing with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 7 to 5. The Gators failed to work the ball inside, scoring just 4 points in the paint in the first half. Florida senior center Patric Young, who scored all of his team-high 17 points in the second half, had just one shot attempt in the first 20 minutes.

“We have to do a better job getting him the ball inside,” Frazier said. “He’s a force down there.”

Young named Academic All-American

Young received an honor off the court on Thursday when he was named to Capital One’s Academic All-America team.

A two-time SEC scholar athlete of the year, Young maintains a 3.37 grade point average at UF in Telecommunications. He’s on track to earn his degree in May.

Young is the seventh Gator all-time to earn the honor and third under current UF head coach Billy Donovan.

[Deleted]

RobbieAndreu: In last three games, #Gators are 62-78 from the FT line (79.5 pct).