1 » Having to sit out the 2009 season due to a hamstring injury, Florida Gators redshirt freshman wide receiver Andre Debose is on the road to recovery. Debose, who underwent surgery months ago, was last reported to be able to run in a pool on Jan. 3. Now, Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Debose can now run on a treadmill at full speed and is not expected to need a second surgery as rumored. OGGOA reached out to Debose for an update on his injury, but he did not wish to speak about it. Though he will not be a full participant in spring practices next month, he will likely be able to workout in non-contact drills.

2 » Former Florida forward/center David Lee, in the middle of a career season with the New York Knicks, has been named as one of 27 players on the U.S. National Team. Lee will have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot in the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympic Games.

3 » The Southeastern Conference released its 2010 Preseason All-SEC softball team Wednesday, and four Gators have been honored on the squad. Florida led all programs with four of 12 total selections, including junior pitcher Stephanie Brombachter, senior outfielder Francesca Enea, junior utility player Kelsey Bruder and junior second baseman Aja Paculba. For Enea and Pachulba, this is the second consecutive year they have been named to the team.

4 » Women’s tennis players senior Marrit Boonstra and freshman Caroline Hitimana were named Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively, by the SEC on Wednesday. Both Boonstra and Hitimana went 4-0 in their respective matches last week.

Tags: Aja Paculba, All-SEC, Andre Debose, Caroline Hitimana, David Lee, Francesca Enea, Kelsey Bruder, Marrit Boonstra, New York Knicks, Olympics, Player of the Week, SEC, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, tennis, U.S. National Team, World Championships

Location: Colonial Life Arena – Columbia, SC [Capacity: 18,000]
Time: 8:00 p.m. (EST)

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

Odds: South Carolina -1.5, O/U 138.5

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» The dynamic backcourt of…sophomore point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Kenny Boynton who are averaging and controlling the backcourt 31.0 points and 7.9 assists per game in conference play this season.
» Speaking of Walker and Boynton…they have hit 46 of the Gators’ 59 treys in SEC play.
» Junior forward Alex Tyus…who is dominating the front court, averaging 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds over the last 14 contests. He has hit double figures in 13 of 14 games and scored 15+ in eight of those.
» The triumvirate of Walker, Boynton and Tyus…is combining for 45.7 of Florida’s 71.9 points per game in SEC play (63.6 percent).
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 11-1 when the redshirt junior transfer center does so. He scored a career-high 20 points in Florida’s last game.
» Gamecocks senior guard Devan Downey leads his team in points (23.0) and assists (3.5) while averaging an amazing 30.9 points per game in conference play. He currently ranks first in the SEC in points, steals and free throws. Downey dominated the Gators with 36 points just a month ago.

STREAKS:
» Florida leads the all-time series against South Carolina 36-20. The Gators have won the last two meetings and 20 of the last 24 in the series.
» Under head coach Billy Donovan, Florida is 20-9 against the Gamecocks; however, they lost 70-69 when they visited Colonial Life Arena in 2009.
» Over the last three seasons, no UF/USC game has been decided by more than four points, and nine of the last 11 meetings have been decided by six points or less.
» The Gators are 5-3 in games decided by five points or less compared to 4-6 in such games last season. Florida is 4-1 in the last five contests that were that close.
» UF is 6-0 in conference play when out-rebounding an opponent. The Gators have a +7.2 rebounding margin in their SEC wins and a -5.3 margin in all three losses.
» All five of Florida’s starters are averaging double-digits in points and are within 4.0 points of each other.
» South Carolina has a win over then-No. 1 Kentucky on its resume and is averaging 73.7 points per game on the season.

Read OGGOA’s Florida Gators at S. Carolina Gamecocks preview after the jump!
Continue Reading » Gameday: Florida Gators at S. Carolina Gamecocks

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Colonial Life Arena, Darrin Horn, Devan Downey, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, SEC, South Carolina Gamecocks, Vernon Macklin

1 » One of the biggest injury mysteries surrounding the Florida Gators last year was redshirt freshman cornerback Jeremy Brown, who was initially expeced to make a full recovery from a back injury two years ago. The Orlando Sentinel is now reporting that Brown has been cleared for full workouts and should be full-speed for spring practice.

2 » Though the Gators’ 2010 recruiting class is stellar from top-to-bottom, the most impressive area of the class is the incoming defensive line talent that head coach Urban Meyer was able to put together. Florida may have acquired three five-star and two four-star recruits on the defensive front, but local product and 2011 defensive line recruit Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL) still holds the Gators as the early leader for his services. “When I first heard about all of those guys coming in, I was like, ‘Wow,” he told the Gainesville Sun. “But then I thought, ‘You can’t be selfish.’ It started hitting me that if I go there and you mix my name in there with Dominique [Easley], Sharrif [Floyd] and [Ronald] Powell … fireworks.”

Two more BITS on basketball’s rebounding and Steve Addazio…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Brown, Jernigan, boards, Addazio

Tags: Gerry DiNardo, Indiana Hoosiers, Jeremy Brown, SEC, Steve Addazio, Tim Jernigan, Urban Meyer

Atlanta Hawks forward/center Al Horford is in the middle of the third season of what will hopefully be a lengthy NBA career. Averaging career highs in minutes, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and points per game, he was recently selected as a reserve for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his professional career. OGGOA caught up with the two-time National Champion, two-time NCAA Finals Most Valuable Player and member of the 2008 NBA All-Rookie Team while he was on his way to prepare for a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Horford spoke with us about a variety of topics including his professional success, memories of Florida and advice for younger Gators who are trying to propel the team back into March Madness.

ADAM SILVERSTEIN: The biggest thing going for you right now has to be your selection to your first NBA All-Star Game. How did it feel to earn that honor in only your third season in the league?
AL HORFORD: “It’s a real honor to be nominated to that game. The coaches really have a lot of weight into that decision, and I felt really special that they picked me over a lot of other guys.”

AS: The NBA has been utilizing you to help grow its product abroad. Do you feel any extra pressure in this regard?
AH: “Not really. I think if anything, it’s good. It’s something that, even when I played at Florida, I wanted to put myself in the position to be able to come and play in the NBA. It just feels a good to be a part of the league and a good team.”

Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Al Horford after the jump!
Continue Reading » Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford: “I tried to act tough.”

Tags: Al Horford, All-Rookie, All-Star, Anthony Grant, Atlanta Hawks, Billy Donovan, Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, MOP, MVP, NBA, NCAA Tournament, Taurean Green

1 » Picking seventh in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns are likely looking to upgrade their secondary with either a safety or cornerback. Assuming Tennessee Volunteers S Eric Berry is off the board, the Browns are expected to target Florida Gators CB Joe Haden with their first-round selection. Seriously lacking defensive backs and a starting quarterback, the Browns could go either way to start the draft, but Haden may be as can’t-miss as it gets at that spot and could even start from day one.

2 » Head basketball coach Billy Donovan mentioned that the University of Florida will be honoring the 2000 NCAA Championship runner-up Gators team with a video and posters during Saturday’s home game against the Xavier Musketeers. “[There are] too many guys still playing/coaching to get them [all] back,” Donovan said. “[I] hope people remember what a special team that was.” The game will air live at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Cleveland Browns, Draft, Eric Berry, Joe Haden, NCAA Championship, NFL, Tennessee Volunteers, University of Florida, Xavier Musketeers

It may not have looked pretty early, but the Florida Gators (17-6, 6-3 SEC) fought hard in the second half to pull off a 69-62 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-7, 4-4 SEC). Having not defeated the Bulldogs since 2007, the Gators were fueled by redshirt junior transfer center Vernon Macklin, who scored a career-high 20 points and absolutely dominated the second half.

Macklin put up Florida’s first 10 points out of the locker room with two powerful dunks and three layups. Later in the half, he would add another layup and two-handed reverse dunk that got the Stephen C. O’Connell Center crowd on its feet. He began the second half 6-for-6 and finished the game 10-for-14 with six rebounds.

Complimenting Macklin throughout the game was junior forward Chandler Parsons, whose double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds made up for the constant struggles of sophomore point guard Erving Walker and sophomore guard Kenny Boynton. The duo combined to shoot 4-of-25 from the field and 1-of-13 from downtown, only registering 12 points.

Read the rest of OGGOA’s Gators vs. Bulldogs game story after the jump!
Continue Reading » Macklin powers Florida over Mississippi State

Tags: Barry Stewart, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Jarvis Varnado, Kenny Boynton, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Ravern JOhnson, Vernon Macklin

1 » Florida Gators (16-6, 5-3) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-6, 4-3) Pre-Game:
Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 1:30 p.m. (EST) | TV: SEC Network | Online: ESPN360 | Odds: Florida -3, O/U (off)

- Florida leads the all-time series against Mississippi State 56-47; however, the Bulldogs have prevailed in the last two meetings. The Gators are 9-6 against this opponent under head coach Billy Donovan and have not defeated them since Jan. 24, 2007.
- Florida is 10-2 overall and 3-1 in SEC play at home this year; they have won 36 of their last 44 conference games at the O’Dome.
- The Gators are 5-3 in games decided by five points or less compared to 4-6 in such games last season. Florida is 4-1 in the last five contests that were that close. They are also 5-0 in conference play when out-rebounding an opponent
- Florida has hit at least one three-pointer in 600 consecutive games.
-The dynamic backcourt of sophomore point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Kenny Boynton is averaging 33.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in SEC play this season. The duo has hit 45 of the Gators’ 56 treys in conference action.
- Junior forward Alex Tyus is dominating the front court, averaging 15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds over the last 13 contests. He has hit double figures in 13 straight games, scored 15+ in eight of those 13 and is averaging 20.0 ppg in his last three outings.
- The triumvirate of Walker, Boynton and Tyus are combining for 48.8 of Florida’s 72.2 points per game in SEC play (67.6 percent).

2 » Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel took the initiative to seek out the teams that the Gators need to lose in order to help solidify a spot in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Mississippi State Bulldogs, NCAA Tournament, O'Connell Center, SEC

Former Florida Gators forward/center Chris Richard has signed a 10-day contract with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. Richard, originally a second-round pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2007 NBA Draft, was most recently playing for the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

Fellow former Florida F/C Joakim Noah is out through the All-Star break with plantar fasciitis; Richard was signed to fill his roster spot on the Bulls. Richard played for Chicago during the preseason and saw action in six games before being released.

Tags: Chicago Bulls, Chris Richard, Joakim Noah, NBA, NBA D-League, Tulsa 66ers