Florida Gators

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Kasey Hill still not practicing due to groin strain. He will miss at Ole Miss tomorrow. This hurts as Ole Miss plays a 3 guard lineup and it will be more difficult to defense them, see Auburn. Kasey Hill, get well quick.

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Patric Young Apologizes To Boston College:

brockway.blogs.gatorsports.com/12384/young-apologizes-to-boston-college-for-remark-2/

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Focus on free throws pays off big time for Gators - this from Harry at Gatorzone:


Thursday February 20, 2014

Focus on free throws pays off big time for Gators.

Patric free throws GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In the locker room Wednesday night after second-ranked Florida’s come-from behind 71-66 defeat of Auburn, the subject of free throws was put to Scottie Wilbekin.

The senior point guard had made good on all four of his attempts in the game, including two with 17.5 seconds left to help ice the outcome. As a team, the Gators hit 23 of 28. Senior center Patric Young (left), whose 57.1 percent for the season was a team-low among UF regulars, went 7-for-9 from the line and hit a mega-clutch pair with 19.4 seconds to give the Gators the lead. For good, as it turned out.

Young, it was pointed out to Wilbekin, had made 15 of his last 20.

Wilbekin’s eyes got a little wide. He was impressed.

“That’s pretty good,” Wilbekin said. “He must be learning from me.”

Maybe the Gators are learning from each other.

A month ago, 16 games into the season, UF was making 66.2 percent of its free throws. That ranked 270th in the nation. In six of those 16 games, the Gators had made less than 60 percent. The fact they had two games of more than 80 percent with at least 30 attempts suggested what the team was capable of, but pointed to their drastic inconsistency.

Now, the Gators have not only improved, but they’re doing it each game.

Scottie FT Coach Billy Donovan ordered up more practice time dedicated to free-throw shooting, oftentimes with players breaking up and going to baskets in pairs, with half the team in the men’s gym and the other half heading to the women’s gym, for 20-25 minutes of free throws at the end of practice. One hundred for each guy, with the results written up on a greaseboard for the entire team to see.

That's when Wilbekin made 83 in a row and had a few words about it.

Or when Michael Frazier II made 96 and was upset about it.

Players have also taken it upon themselves to get more shots up, be it by showing up at random times to shoot on their own or staying after practice to do so.

It shows.

Boy, does it show.

Some numbers:

* Over the last 10 games, UF has made 69.8 percent.

* Last five: 75.5 percent.

* Last three: 79.5 percent.

* Last two: 80.4 percent.

Wilbekin gets a big assist here. Upon joining the team five games into the season following a suspension, Wilbekin made just 10 of his first 20 from the line, but has gone 71 of his last 91 since. That’s 82 percent.

He’s 25-of-28 over the last three games. That’s 89.3 percent.

And that's borderline automatic.

Then there’s Young. A career 55.4 from the line coming into the season, Young was shooting at his average for the better part of the season (54.2 through 20 games), with games of 0-for-4 and 2-for-7 along the way. Over the last six games, though, Young has gone 20 of his last 28, which converts to 71.4 percent.

For a big man who gets a lot of 3-point opportunities, that’s significant.

Let’s not forget Will Yeguete, either. The senior forward started the season at a woeful 41.5 from his career. After going 5-for-6 against Auburn, Yeguete is nine of his last 11 over five games and at 64.1 for the season.

Casey FTs at UK Note: Casey Prather (left at Kentucky) certainly warrants mention, given the fact he was at 50 percent for his career entering the season and is now at 67.9. Fact is, though, Prather has been hovering at that average most of the season while leading the team -- by far -- in free-throw attempts with 134 He’s been a huge factor in UF’s ability to close out games.

These are all really good numbers and certainly indicate practice and repetition. But as Donovan pointed out after Wednesday’s narrow victory, statistics are merely an indication of things that already have happened.

No guarantees for the Gators (24-2, 13-0) in future games, starting Saturday at Ole Miss (16-10, 7-6).

"These guys have spent time [and] we’ve gotten better there, but we’ve got to keep getting better,” Donovan said. “All this stuff is so fragile. One minute you’re looked at like, ‘Hey, we’re the best defensive team in the country,’ and we’re this and this -- and I don’t think we were the best defensive team in the country (against Auburn). But we were a really poor free-throw shooting team and now we’re an unbelievable free-throw shooting team.”

The goal, obviously, is to keep those numbers trending up. The way to do that, is keep the practice shots going up. There's no reason to believe, given recent results, that won't continue happening.

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The Ole Miss starters look a lot like Auburn in stats and with a 3 guard lineup so the tigers were a good tuneup. However, the rebs play to a 10 deep bench which AU couldn't do. It's going to be a tough game at Ole Miss tomorrow. Probable Starters:

FLORIDA PROBABLE STARTERS

# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. P/RPG
15 Will Yeguete F 6-8 230 Sr. 5.3/5.3
24 Casey Prather F 6-6 212 Sr. 15.7/5.4
4 Patric Young C 6-9 240 Sr. 10.7/6.3
5 Scottie Wilbekin G 6-2 176 Sr. 13.6/3.7a
20 Michael Frazier II G 6-4 199 So. 12.1/3.4

OLE MISS PROBABLE STARTERS

# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. P/RPG
34 Aaron Jones F 6-9 220 Jr. 6.3/6.9
23 Dwight Coleby C 6-9 236 Fr. 1.9/1.6
10 LaDarius White G 6-6 211 Jr. 7.9/3.3
22 Marshall Henderson G 6-2 177 Sr. 19.4/2.2a
32 Jarvis Summers G 6-3 186 Jr. 17.0/3.8a

It doesn't help to have Kasey Hill out with a groin strain. UF had trouble with AU's 3 guard lineup. The Gators have to play better on ball defense if they expect to win. Michael Frazier II, DeVon Walker, and Dorian Finney-Smith, need to pick up the slack to help Scottie Wilbekin with the Ole Miss guards. Casey Prather may have to chip in too.

Dorian Finney-Smith breaking out of his shooting slump would help put more points on the board. The kid is struggling missing wide open shots that he made earlier in the season. He's the leading candidate for the SEC's 6th Man Award. I hope he doesn't shoot himself out of consideration.

While I'm wishful thinking, it would be nice if Chris Walker could start giving more productive minutes. At this point, I don't know that we will see the real Chris Walker this season. Coming in at mid-year and then being suspended for 12 games has really put Chris behind in his development. The important thing is for him to improve a little with each game. What he can do to help during March Madness is far more important than what he can do now.

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Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops · 3h
Good news for #Gators, sprained wrist for Michael Frazier II on his non-shooting (left) hand. He'll play Saturday v. Ole Miss.


Retweeted by Kevin Brockway


Cody Jones ‏@cjonesscout · 3h
Michael Frazier has a sprained left wrist from Auburn game that is still bothering him but shouldn't impact his status for Saturday.


Retweeted by Kevin Brockway


Cody Jones ‏@cjonesscout · 3h
Kasey Hill still doubtful with groin injury.


Retweeted by Kevin Brockway


Cody Jones ‏@cjonesscout · 3h
Billy Donovan said he talked to Dorian Finney-Smith yesterday, wants him to keep playing aggressive but take good shots.


Retweeted by Kevin Brockway


Cody Jones ‏@cjonesscout · 3h
Patric Young said Florida has video playing through the facility of Marshall Henderson doing the Gator chomp last year in the SEC Tourney.

[Deleted]

UF 75
Ole Miss 71

UF is making new records by the game:

25-2 is alone as the best start in Florida history
19 wins in a row continues the record this season that broke the previous best of 17
At 14-0 in SEC play, the Gators will likely set a new UF all-time best SEC record

When the rebs won the SEC tourney championship over UF last season, Marshall Henderson was all over the news with his running around the court Gator chomping. After the game was over, Scottie Wilbekin returned the favor on Ole Miss' home court. I doubt it will be all over the news though. (G) Henderson got his 22 in the first half, but the Gator D held him scoreless in the second half:


By Chris Harry
GatorZone.com Senior Writer


AT THE BUZZER --
Florida 75, Ole Miss 71

WHAT HAPPENED: Locked up at halftime and being bombed by Marshall Henderson, the second-ranked Gators locked down on Henderson and closed out a huge Southeastern Conference road win behind a defense that held the Rebels to just 32-percent shooting in the second half. Senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin scored 18 points and sophomore guard Michael Frazier threw in 18 more as UF extended its school record for consecutive wins to 19.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators maintained their three-game lead over Kentucky in the SEC standings. With just four league games left, that means UF can clinch at least a share of the regular-season crown with a single win. Florida also is the likely heir to the No. 1 ranking in both polls, given top-ranked Syracuse’s home loss to Boston College earlier this week.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: “The Marshall Henderson Show” was blowing up in the first half, with the mad-bombing Rebels guard raining 22 points on the Gators through the first 20 minutes, including 5-for-11 from behind the 3-point line. UF racheted up its defense on Henderson after intermission, though, and dared his teammates to do the damage. A couple did, but Henderson went 0-6 in the second half, failed to score and the Gators closed another one out on the road.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: Yet another awesome performance by the Gators from the free-throw line. They went 15-for-19 (nearly 79 percent) and have now made 77 of the last 99 -- that’s 77.7 percent.

SUBPLOT: Frazier sprained his wrist in Wednesday night’s win over Auburn, but he fought through whatever pain lingered to go 5-for-10 from distance. Clearly, he’s OK.

UP NEXT: The Gators (25-2, 14-0) are back on the road for the fourth time in the last five games, this time at Vanderbilt (14-11, 6-7), which plays Auburn Saturday night at 6. Florida has traditionally struggled at Nashville, with a 7-9 record at old Memorial Gym under Coach Billy Donovan.

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It looks like free throw shooting is no longer a Gator weakness:

Florida Gators

STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Patric Young, C 29 4-5 0-0 4-4 1 4 5 1 0 0 1 2 12
Will Yeguete, F 26 2-3 0-1 3-4 2 3 5 1 0 0 1 3 7
Casey Prather, F 27 3-10 0-1 1-2 2 3 5 2 0 0 3 2 7
Scottie Wilbekin, G 38 6-12 4-10 2-2 0 2 2 7 1 0 5 3 18
Michael Frazier II, G 29 5-12 5-10 2-2 1 2 3 2 1 0 3 2 17
BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Chris Walker, F 6 1-1 0-0 0-1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Dorian Finney-Smith, F 28 1-5 1-5 2-2 2 3 5 4 0 1 1 0 5
Jacob Kurtz, F 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
DeVon Walker, G 15 2-6 2-6 1-2 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 7
TOTALS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
24-54 12-33 15-19 15 19 34 19 4 1 14 12 75
44.4% 36.4% 78.9%

Ole Miss Rebels

STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Dwight Coleby, C 22 2-3 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 1 6
Aaron Jones, F 36 3-8 0-1 0-0 6 3 9 0 0 3 0 2 6
Anthony Perez, F 25 4-9 0-3 2-2 2 1 3 2 3 0 5 2 10
Jarvis Summers, G 31 8-12 2-3 2-4 1 2 3 4 2 0 4 2 20
Marshall Henderson, G 37 7-20 5-16 3-3 0 1 1 1 2 0 2 2 22
BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Demarco Cox, C 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Sebastian Saiz, F 11 1-4 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 2
Derrick Millinghaus, G 9 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0
Martavious Newby, G 17 2-3 1-1 0-0 2 4 6 0 0 0 0 4 5
Ladarius White, G 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
TOTALS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
27-60 8-25 9-11 15 17 32 15 10 3 13 16 71
45.0% 32.0% 81.8%

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O'Connell Center:

www.panoramas.com/images/P/UFL3.jpg

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The Vandy game in Nashville will be shown by ESPN on Tuesday at & 7 PM EST. Probable starters for the game:

FLORIDA PROBABLE STARTERS

# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. P/RPG
15 Will Yeguete F 6-8 230 Sr. 5.4/5.3
24 Casey Prather F 6-6 212 Sr. 15.4/5.4
4 Patric Young C 6-9 240 Sr. 10.8/6.3
5 Scottie Wilbekin G 6-2 176 Sr. 13.8/3.8a
20 Michael Frazier II G 6-4 199 So. 12.3/3.4

VANDERBILT PROBABLE STARTERS

# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. P/RPG
0 Rod Odom F 6-9 212 Sr. 14.2/5.7
35 James Siakam F 6-7 215 RJr. 7.8/5.4
30 Damian Jones C 6-10 235 Fr. 11.6/5.8
11 Kyle Fuller G 6-1 188 Sr. 11.6/4.5a
24 Dai-Jon Parker G 6-3 190 Jr. 7.5/4.2

Vandy plays out to a 9 deep bench:

Luke Kornet F 7-0 216 Fr 3.6
Shelby Moats F 6-8 227 Jr 1.4
Carter Josephs G 6-0 185 So 0.0
Nathan Watkins G 6-5 195 So 1.6

Kevin Stallings is in the running for SEC coy for his good coaching job.

There is a revenge factor to be concerned about. UF beat Vandy in Gainesville 66-40 last season. Seven of Vandy's 9 deep was there. To be sure, Vandy will be motivated for UF as much and maybe more than most SEC teams.

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Kasey Hill will miss Vandy game due to continued recovery from groin strain. The coaches do not want to risk a setback just when Kasey is starting to get better. Just a guess, but I'm thinking Kasey will be back by the weekend game (LSU).

Casey Prather missed practice on Sunday nursing ankle and knee aches, but he will definitely play against Vandy. Casey's mobility and explosion around the basket have been diminished, but not enough to hold him out of games.

There are no other injuries to report.

I liked Chris Walker's progress this week at Ole Miss. He scored a bucket while playing for Patric Young over the last 4 minutes of the first half. With UF running its regular offense, Walker scored out of a set play using a left hook shot. Walker's previous scores were on lob dunks fed by Kasey Hill. Walker is gradually learning the offense. He is looking less lost and more like he may be able to contribute within the framework of the team when called upon.

[Deleted]

Gators ranked #1 for first time since 2007:


Monday February 24, 2014
Gators Rise to No. 1 in Polls
Gainesville, Fla.


The Florida men’s basketball team has been granted the nation’s top spot by the Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coaches’ poll this week.

For the first time since 2007, the Gators have ascended to No. 1 in the polls, the first time the honor has been this late in the season. The last time UF was ranked first during the season was the week of Feb. 12, 2007.

Overall, Florida owns a 15-5 record when ranked as the nation’s top team, as this year marks the fourth different season in which UF has attained the top spot. In 2006-07, the Gators spent eight weeks as the number one squad, going an impressive 14-2. In 2002-03 and 2003-04, UF reached No. 1 one week each season, going 1-1 and 0-2, respectively.

Defeating Ole Miss on the road on Saturday, the Orange and Blue are off to their best start in program history with a 25-2 record, surpassing UF’s previous best start of 24-2 in 2007. The Gators are on a program-record 19-game winning streak and also improved to 14-0 in conference play with the win.

Florida will take on Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in their first meeting of the year and then return home on Mar. 1 to battle LSU.

[Deleted]

Gators are No. 1 in AP men's basketball poll

By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer


Published: Monday, February 24, 2014 at 11:49 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 24, 2014 at 2:05 p.m.


Florida coach Billy Donovan said an argument could be made for a number of teams being labeled as the best in the country.


“On any given night, anybody could play to that level,” Donovan said. “I'm sure there's times Michigan State has looked like the No. 1 team. I'm sure there's been nights where Arizona, being No. 1, looked like No. 1 or Wichita State or Michigan.”

But for this week, it’s Florida. The Gators (25-2, 14-0 SEC) moved up to No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, receiving 47 of 65 first-place votes, and in the USA Today Coaches’ rankings Monday. Florida takes a 19-game winning streak into its matchup Tuesday night at Vanderbilt.

“We’ve been given a number,” Donovan said. “That’s about the extent of it.”

It’s the 11th time the Gators have been ranked No. 1 in school history and the first time the Gators have been ranked No. 1 in the regular season since Feb. 12, 2007. Florida was ranked No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll after winning the 2007 national title.

"Anytime that happens, it's an honor," Donovan said. "In reality, that means nothing for our preparation for Vanderbilt. I don't think our guys are playing for rankings.”

[Deleted]

KASEY HILL UPDATE: The Gators might have to face Vanderbilt without backup point guard Kasey Hill, who missed the Ole Miss game with a strained groin.

“He’s getting better,” Donovan said. “It’s probably going to be a decision that’s going to be made tomorrow if he’s going to be available. My guess right now, I don’t think he will play.”

With Hill unable to go against Ole Miss, Scottie Wilbekin played 38 minutes, about eight more than Donovan would like. DeVon Walker moved up a spot in the rotation off the bench and played a couple of minutes at the point, but mostly on the wing where he delivered seven points.

[Deleted]

Gators win share of SEC championship - It wasn't pretty, but it counts the same as a rout - Adds to best start (26-2) and longest winning streak (20) in Gator history - Next win in SEC play will give UF best record ever in SEC play:


By Chris Harry
GatorZone.com Senior Writer


AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 57, VANDERBILT 54

WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore forward Dorian Finney-Smith came off the bench to score 19 points, including a dagger 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds to play, to lead the top-ranked Gators to victory Tuesday night in their first game since being anointed the No. 1 team in both major polls. Vandy guard Kyle Fuller had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but his 3-point shot clanged off the back iron and time expired on the upset-minded Commodores. Finney-Smith, the transfer from Virginia Tech, came into the game having made just one for his last 25 shots from beyond the arc, dating back his previous eight games. He went 3-for-6 from long distance against the Commodores to go with a game-high nine rebounds. It was by far his best performance since scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 boards in UF’s overtime win at Arkansas back on Jan. 11.

WHAT IT MEANS: The victory was UF’s 20 straight and clinched at least a piece of the SEC title with a perfect 15-0 mark in league play to date. The Gators, though, don’t want to share anything. They can win their third outright league title in four seasons with victories in just one of their final three regular-season games.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: This was “Doe-Doe’s” night. He needed a game like this, having struggled so much with his shot, hitting just 36.1 from the floor overall and 27.3 from 3-point range (not bad, actually, given that abysmal run over the last month). Finney-Smith is one of the most-liked players on the team and is selfless in his approach to the game. This was big for him.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators have now allowed their last six opponents to shoot a combined 48 percent from the floor and 42.8 percent from the 3-point line -- and have won all six games. Scary, scary, scary.

SUBPLOT: The Commodores began the night 8-16 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the nation, but had won four of the last five, including a victory over the 2007 Gators who went on to a second straight NCAA championship. Vandy hyped the game up as the next installment of “Memorial Magic,” but the Commodores needed more than history and intangibles to pull off the upset.

UP NEXT: After playing two straight on the road (and four of the last five), the Gators (26-2, 15-0) are home Saturday against a solid LSU (16-10, 7-7) squad that earlier this season defeated Kentucky and last weekend lost at Rupp Arena on a Julius Randle putback with less than four seconds to play. The Tigers are one of several middle-of-the-pack SEC teams in need of a big win to bolster their NCAA resume. They’re home against Texas A&M Wednesday before the trip to Gainesville.

[mscott59]

I'm just sorry you had to miss the game to watch glee on fox.

Mark Scott
Tosu 81[


quote author="ETGator1" source="/post/120163/thread" timestamp="1393391189"]Gators win share of SEC championship - It wasn't pretty, but it counts the same as a rout - Adds to best start (26-2) and longest winning streak (20) in Gator history - Next win in SEC play will give UF best record ever in SEC play:


By Chris Harry
GatorZone.com Senior Writer


AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 57, VANDERBILT 54

WHAT HAPPENED: Sophomore forward Dorian Finney-Smith came off the bench to score 19 points, including a dagger 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds to play, to lead the top-ranked Gators to victory Tuesday night in their first game since being anointed the No. 1 team in both major polls. Vandy guard Kyle Fuller had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but his 3-point shot clanged off the back iron and time expired on the upset-minded Commodores. Finney-Smith, the transfer from Virginia Tech, came into the game having made just one for his last 25 shots from beyond the arc, dating back his previous eight games. He went 3-for-6 from long distance against the Commodores to go with a game-high nine rebounds. It was by far his best performance since scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 boards in UF’s overtime win at Arkansas back on Jan. 11.

WHAT IT MEANS: The victory was UF’s 20 straight and clinched at least a piece of the SEC title with a perfect 15-0 mark in league play to date. The Gators, though, don’t want to share anything. They can win their third outright league title in four seasons with victories in just one of their final three regular-season games.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: This was “Doe-Doe’s” night. He needed a game like this, having struggled so much with his shot, hitting just 36.1 from the floor overall and 27.3 from 3-point range (not bad, actually, given that abysmal run over the last month). Finney-Smith is one of the most-liked players on the team and is selfless in his approach to the game. This was big for him.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators have now allowed their last six opponents to shoot a combined 48 percent from the floor and 42.8 percent from the 3-point line -- and have won all six games. Scary, scary, scary.

SUBPLOT: The Commodores began the night 8-16 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the nation, but had won four of the last five, including a victory over the 2007 Gators who went on to a second straight NCAA championship. Vandy hyped the game up as the next installment of “Memorial Magic,” but the Commodores needed more than history and intangibles to pull off the upset.

UP NEXT: After playing two straight on the road (and four of the last five), the Gators (26-2, 15-0) are home Saturday against a solid LSU (16-10, 7-7) squad that earlier this season defeated Kentucky and last weekend lost at Rupp Arena on a Julius Randle putback with less than four seconds to play. The Tigers are one of several middle-of-the-pack SEC teams in need of a big win to bolster their NCAA resume. They’re home against Texas A&M Wednesday before the trip to Gainesville.
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