Location: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN [Capacity: 19,395]
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)

TV: SEC Network
Online Video: ESPN360.com
Live Updates: OGGOA on Twitter

Odds: OFF

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» Junior forward Chandler Parsons…who has scored in double figures in eight of his last ten games and has two double-doubles in those contests. He has also helped run the point and scored 18 points with 12 rebounds and six assists in Florida’s first meeting with Mississippi State.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 14-4 when the redshirt junior center finishes in double figures. Macklin has achieved this mark in six of the eight seven games and finished with 20 points earlier this season against the Bulldogs.
» Junior F Alex Tyus…who returned to his dominating ways with a season-high 24 points Thursday against Auburn after struggling to play consistently since Feb. 2.
» Mississippi State F Jarvis Varnado…who is averaging 13.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game this season. In his first meeting against the Gators, he scored 16 points and grabbed 13 boards but only registered one block.
» The Bulldogs’ trio of guards – Ravern Johnson, Dee Bost and Barry Stewart…who all average double-digits and combine to score 37.9 of the team’s 72.8 points per game.

STREAKS:
» Florida leads the all-time series against Mississippi State 57-47, most recently adding a 69-62 win in Gainesville, FL, on Feb. 6. This is the fifth time the two teams will meet in the SEC Tournament (first time since 2005), having split the previous four 2-2.
» Florida has gone 7-0 against the SEC West this season.
» The Gators have won three prior SEC Tournament titles (2005-2007). They won the 2006 title at the site of this year’s tourney and are 5-2 all-time in Bridgestone Arena.
» Though they failed to do so against Auburn, Florida is 13-4 when out-rebounding the opposition this season.
» The Gators have made a three-pointer in a school-record 610 consecutive games beginning Jan. 11, 1992.
» Florida is 233-40 when forcing more turnovers than its opponents under Donovan.
» The Gators are 242-34 under Donovan when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
» Parsons became the 45th member of UF’s 1,000-point club Thursday night.
» Opponents are shooting just 31.5 percent from three-point range against Florida.
» The Bulldogs score 1.1 points more than the Gators on average while allowing 0.7 points less than Florida per game.
» Mississippi is 1-3 against ranked opponents this season, with their sole win coming against Ole Miss 80-75 on Jan. 9.

Coming off three consecutive losses, the Florida Gators were looking to strengthen their case for a berth in the 2010 NCAA Tournament Thursday night against the Auburn Tigers in the opening round of the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.

Junior forward Alex Tyus helped them do just that, scoring a team-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting to propel the Gators (21-11, 9-7 SEC) to a 78-69 win over the Tigers (15-17, 6-10 SEC) and a berth in the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Florida, looking to avenge a loss to Auburn in the quarterfinals of the 2009 SEC Tournament, was carried by Tyus, junior F Chandler Parsons and redshirt junior center Vernon Macklin in the first half. The trio combined to go 13-for-19 from the field while scoring 33 of the Gators’ 40 first-half points. Tyus continued his excellent play in the second half and was joined by freshman guard Kenny Boynton, who nailed three consecutive three-pointers and finished with nine points.

Read the rest of OGGOA’s Florida vs. Auburn SEC Tournament game story…
Continue Reading » Gators strengthen NCAA bid with win over Tigers

1 » For all of the flack that former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has received about his mechanics and throwing motion, perhaps forcing a player to tinker with something that they have used to reach a high level of success is not the best thing to do. (Who would have thunk it?) Bruce Feldman of ESPN breaks down an instance where adjustments like these did an injustice rather than facilitated an improvement, focusing on the story of Steve and Chris Walsh of the Miami Hurricanes.

Additional note: ESPN NFL Draft talking heads Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay have both upgraded their projections, agreeing that Tebow will likely be a second-round pick in the upcoming event. However, both made sure to state that picking him that early is indeed “a reach” by any team that does so.

Three more BITS on Tishman, LSU’s Sheppard and women’s tennis after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Tebow, Tishman, Shepard, tennis

No. 6/7 Florida Gators baseball (9-2) has completed a two-game sweep of the Illinois State Redbirds (4-7), defeating them 8-2 and 8-0 on Tuesday and Wednesday night at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

Read more about Florida baseball’s sweep of Illinois State after the break!

On Tuesday, freshman starter Hudson Randall (2-0) tossed five innings of one-run ball along with five strikeouts as the Gators carried a 8-1 lead into the top of the eighth inning. Freshman first baseman Austin Maddox went 1-4 with a three-run home run in the sixth and two runs, while sophomore outfielder Tyler Thompson supported him with a 2-4 performance with two RBI.

Freshman OF Kamm Washington was 3-4 with an RBI and three stolen bases; Florida totalled a season-high nine swiped bags on the evening.

The Gators continued their domination of the Redbirds Wednesday, with Maddox remaining on his power surge. He drove in a career-high six runs on a 4-5 performance with his first career grand slam in the sixth inning.

Sophomore pitcher Anthony DeSclafani (1-1) registered the win after giving up only one hit in 5.1 innings with a season-high six strikeouts. The game marked Florida’s first shutout since Feb. 24, 2009 against Eastern Michigan (12-0).

The Gators remain home for eight more games and will begin a three-game series with Charleston Southern on Fri., March 12.

Photo Credit: University of Florida

The Florida Gators will host Pro Scout Day for football players who have decided to enter the 2010 NFL Draft on Wed., March 17 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

More than 15 players – including quarterback Tim Tebow, linebacker Brandon Spikes, cornerback Joe Haden, defensive end Carlos Dunlap, center Maurkice Pouncey and tight end Aaron Hernandez – are scheduled to work out as representatives from every NFL team will be on hand for evaluation purposes.

The Swamp will be open beginning at 8:30 a.m., though the on-field portion of the event will not begin until 10 a.m. Fans will be allowed to enter via Gate 2.

As speculated by OGGOA, restrooms and concession stands will be open. Video cameras, food/drink containers, bottles, cans and a variety of other items are prohibited.

When I started ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive on October 1, 2009, I had high hopes and great aspirations for what this Web site could become. To my surprise, our growth, readership and following blossomed quicker than initially expected. At first, this was a bit of a burden as OGGOA was forced to change hosting companies twice due to high demand for some of our exclusive content and breaking news. Now, it is truly a blessing, one that has inspired us to redesign and streamline the site to better suit our readers.

If the title of this Web site seemed familiar to you at first, that is because it should be. It is hanging over the tunnel to Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, seen by the entire football team every time it storms the field. The phrase stands as a reminder to the players that The Swamp is land worth fighting for, defending and dominating opponents on. Thanks to our Gainesville, FL-based hosting company, Acceleration, OGGOA’s new design reflects the famous sign and meaning behind it better than ever.

Like The Swamp itself, OGGOA strives to be the stopping ground for die-hard Gators fans – an online home base to serve as your all-inclusive, one-stop portal for everything you want or need to know about your favorite college team. Timely, informative and updated around the clock, OGGOA features breaking news, commentary, discussion, interviews and so much more.

Your support made us an instant success, and your continued loyalty to OGGOA and passion for the Gators has kept us up and running for over 160 days. We hope to continue being your home for full coverage of University of Florida athletics and look forward to providing you with as much insight and content as possible at every turn.

Design – A special “thank you” to Jesse and the guys over at Acceleration (see right column) for updating and streamlining the design elements of this Web site. OGGOA looks better than ever, and it is because of Acceleration’s passion for their work.

Mobile site – OGGOA is compatible with the Apple iPhone and other mobile devices including the Motorola Droid and RIM Blackberry. This optimization allows mobile users to load the site quickly, without the clutter of images, while also letting them read full articles and participate in discussions by commenting. If you are on a mobile device and wish to view the regular site, simply scroll to the bottom of the mobile page and click “OFF.”

Share button – The “Share” button at the bottom of every post allows OGGOA readers to easily distribute the latest Florida Gators news to friends and fans via Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, digg, del.icio.us, etc. Utilizing this feature does wonders in promoting OGGOA, so please do so when you have the opportunity and find a post interesting.

With that being said, Web sites undergo many changes throughout their lifespans (SEE: Web sites We Visit: How They Looked 10 Years Ago). OGGOA is sure to continue evolving as time goes on. For now, we present you with version 2.0 as well as some wallpapers for use on both your computers and mobile devices!

Schedule desktop wallpaper (1280×1024)
Schedule desktop wallpaper (1024×768)
iPhone wallpaper
Droid wallpaper

Sincerely,

Adam Silverstein
Owner, editor

Location: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN [Capacity: 19,395]
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)

TV: SEC Network
Online Video: ESPN360.com
Live Updates: OGGOA on Twitter

Odds: Florida -5.5; O/U 143.5

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» Junior forward Chandler Parsons…who has scored in double figures in seven of his last nine games and has two double-doubles in those contests. He has also helped run the point and scored 17 points with six rebounds and four assists in Florida’s first meeting with Auburn.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 13-4 when the redshirt junior transfer center finishes in double figures. Macklin has achieved this mark in five of the last seven games.
» Bench production by freshman F Erik Murphy and sophomore guard Ray Shipman…who combined for 18 points in limited time against No. 3 Kentucky.
» Auburn F Lucas Hargrove…who leads his team with 6.9 rebounds per game while also averaging 12.9 points.
» Tigers’ guards DeWayne Reed and Tay Walker…who combine for 30 of the team’s 75.9 points each game. Walker also shoots 42 percent from downtown.

STREAKS:
» Auburn leads the all-time series against Florida 87-69; however, the Gators have won 11 of the last 12 meetings including a 78-70 victory last month in Gainesville.
» The Tigers’ only win in that stretch was a 61-58 win in the 2009 SEC Tournament quarterfinals, which knocked UF out of contention for the NCAA Tournament.
» Florida went 6-0 against the SEC West this season.
» The Gators have won three prior SEC Tournament titles (2005-2007). They won the 2006 title at the site of this year’s tourney and are 5-2 all-time in Bridgestone Arena.
» Though they lost their last two games to the SEC’s top two teams, Florida out-rebounded both opponents and remain 13-4 when out-rebounding the opposition.
» Parsons needs only six points to reach 1,000 for his career.
» The Gators have made a three-pointer in a school-record 609 consecutive games beginning Jan. 11, 1992.
» Florida is 233-40 when forcing more turnovers than its opponents under Donovan.
» The Gators are 241-34 under Donovan when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
» Opponents are shooting just 32.2 percent from three-point range against Florida.
» Auburn is 2-9 away from home this season.
» The Tigers score 4.4 points more than the Gators on average but also give up 9.0 more points per game than Florida.
» Auburn has faced only three ranked opponents all season and have lost those games by an average of 13.7 points.