2010 NCAA Tournament Gameday – First Round: No. 10 Florida Gators vs. No. 7 BYU Cougars

By Adam Silverstein
March 18, 2010

Location: Ford Center – Oklahoma City, OK [Capacity: 18,203]
Time: 12:20 p.m. (EST)

TV: CBS/CBSHD
OGGOA Live Online Video: Florida vs. Brigham Young
OGGOA Live Updates: via Twitter

No. 10 Florida Gators No. 7 Brigham Young Cougars
Head Coach: Billy Donovan Head Coach: Dave Rose
Record: 21-12, 9-7 SEC Record: 29-5, 13-3 MWC
Conference: Southeastern Conference: Mountain West
Roster | Schedule Roster | Schedule

Odds: Florida +5; O/U 146.5

Tournament Team Previews from ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi:

HISTORY:
» Florida basketball is making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, their first since winning the second of back-to-back National Championships in 2007.
» The Gators have reached four Final Fours, three of which have come under head coach Billy Donovan this century (2000, 2006, 2007).
» Florida and BYU have met twice, with the Gators falling to the Cougars both times. The teams have never met in the postseason and have not squared off since 1991.
» The only two current Florida players with NCAA Tournament and Final Four experience are senior forward Dan Werner and redshirt junior center Vernon Macklin. Werner was a bench player for the Gators’ 2007 National Championship team, while Macklin played for Georgetown during the same Final Four.

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» Junior forward Chandler Parsons…who has scored in double figures in nine of his last 11 games and has four double-doubles on the season. He has also helped run the point and dish the ball while surpassing over 1,000 career points on March 11.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 14-4 when the redshirt junior center finishes in double figures and 7-8 when he does not.
» The dynamic duo of freshman guard Kenny Boynton and sophomore point guard Erving Walker…who combined for 42 points in the Gators’ last outing and are first and second, respectively, on the team in scoring. Boynton is eight treys shy (67) of breaking the school’s freshman three-point shooting record.
» Junior F Alex Tyus…who returned to his dominating ways with a season-high 24 points in the SEC Tournament against Auburn before struggling in the quarterfinals against Mississippi State. Tyus also reached the 1,000-point plateau this season.
» BYU guard Jimmer Fredette…who is easily the team’s most explosive player, averaging 21.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game this season. He shoots almost 45 percent from downtown and hits 90 percent of his shots from the charity stripe. Fredette is the country’s 12th-leading scorer.
» The Cougars’ trio of other double-digit scorers – Jackson Emery, Tyler Haws and Jonathan Tavernari…who combine to score 34.2 of the team’s 83.0 points per game.

STREAKS:
» Florida has won 12-straight NCAA Tournament games (last loss in 2005). They can tie Duke (which won 13-straight between 1991-93) with a win Thursday against BYU.
» The Gators are 22-7 in the NCAA Tournament under Donovan and 29-12 all-time.
» Florida is 5-6 all-time against the Mountain West Conference and 0-2 versus BYU, losing in 1959 and 1991.
» The Gators have not played in Oklahoma City, OK, since 1995, but the team is 2-0 all-time in the city.
» With 21 regular season victories, Florida reached 20+ wins for the 12th consecutive season. The Gators are only one of six schools in the nation to accomplish this feat every year since the 1998-99 season.
» Though they fell to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, Florida is 13-5 when out-rebounding the opposition this season.
» The Gators have made a three-pointer in a school-record 611 consecutive games beginning Jan. 11, 1992.
» BYU lost their sole game against a ranked opponent this season, falling 83-81 to then-No. 12 New Mexico on Feb. 27. Florida is 2-5 against ranked opponents, defeating then-No. 2 Michigan State on Nov. 27 and then-No. 17 Tennessee on Feb. 23.
» The Cougars have the most NCAA Tournament appearances in the event’s history (24) without reaching the Final Four.
» Falling in the first round each of the last three years, BYU has lost seven-straight NCAA Tournament games.
» However, the Cougars are playing better than they have in years, ranking second in the nation in scoring offense (83 points per game) and scoring margin (17.8 points), while leading the country in free throw shooting (78.6 percent) and placing third in three-point efficiency (41.9 percent).

11 Comments

  1. Mr2Bits says:

    Be nice if CP could hit a freaking free throw

  2. Mr2Bits says:

    Down by eight now, looks like we are going to be one and done unless something quickly changes. Fucking turnovers are like pouring salt into a wound.

  3. Mr2Bits says:

    Make that down 13…..fucking Gators

  4. Mr2Bits says:

    My bad, these Gators bring out the worst in me

  5. John Shanks says:

    We need a true point guard. What a gift of 2 points, you fall flat on your face going for a rebound and you get 2 points. BYU acts for penalties better than any team I’ve seen.

  6. John Shanks says:

    “fouls” sorry, gotta focus on basketball vernacular

  7. Mr2Bits says:

    Finally some life….lets go boys

  8. Mr2Bits says:

    We look like the puppy who lost its way with these last possession plays….common Bill D, draw up something with a little more substance

  9. Mr2Bits says:

    Think thats it boys, Tyus throwing up air-ball 3’s…..season over

  10. Phuq werner says:

    Good Riddance Werner you truly suck, and could Erving Walker please transfer, drop out, go away, so we can please get a real point guard you know one who has more assists than turnover’s

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