Gators leave doubts, fall to Bulldogs 75-69

Down a game-high 19 points with 13:29 left to play, the Florida Gators (21-12) rallied with a strong 14-0 run but still fell short, losing to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (22-10) 75-69 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.

Led by a 23-point effort from freshman guard Kenny Boynton, the Gators’ backcourt scored 48 of the team’s 69 total points. Sophomore point guard Erving Walker contributed 19 points on 6-12 shooting while going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Boynton finished 4-of-7 from downtown and 8-for-16 overall with a team-high three assists.

Florida began the game slow, missing their first five shots and allowing Mississippi State to get out to a 10-0 lead. A layup by Walker almost four minutes in ended the drought. The Gators attempted an early comeback, using a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 13-9, but the Bulldogs answered back and pulled ahead to a 15-point lead halfway through the period. UF finished the half with its backcourt accounting for 25 of its 28 points.

Up a game-high 19 points, 58-39, with 13:20 to left on the clock, MSU looked to have the game locked up. That was until Florida exploded on a 14-0 run to close within five as Mississippi State was held scoreless for six minutes. It would not be enough for the Gators, who would eventually get down to a four-point deficit on a Walker free throw with 1:25 to play. Florida had a chance to get within two with plenty of time left, but a mishandled pass by senior forward Dan Werner – who had a wide-open lane to the hoop in front of him – turned the ball (and perhaps the game) over to the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State shot over 66 percent from both the field and downtown for the majority of the game, but finished 57.1 percent and 50 percent from the respective locations compared to 43.6 percent and 39.1 percent for the Gators. Florida out-rebounded MSU 32-20, mostly due to the majority of the Bulldogs’ baskets going into the hoop.

Mississippi State guard Barry Stewart led the way with a team-high 17 points as F Jarvis Varnado dominated the paint with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and four big blocks. In all, five Bulldogs finished in double figures, with G Ravern Johnson adding 12 and G Dee Bost and F Kodi Augustus contributing 10 apiece.

Florida junior F Alex Tyus scored five points one day after a season-high 24-point performance Thursday against Auburn, redshirt junior center Vernon Macklin added three with his first bucket coming with 11:23 left in the game and junior F Chandler Parsons added 10 points with a team-high seven rebounds.

“They wanted it more tonight, it was obvious,” Boynton said after the game.

Friday’s loss was UF’s first to an SEC West opponent this season.

All that is left for the Gators is to wait for the NCAA Selection Committee to make its decision on whether or not they are worthy enough to earn a berth to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday begins on March 14 at 6 p.m. on CBS. OGGOA will provide full coverage of the event.

Photo Credit: Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

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2010 SEC Tournament Quarterfinals Gameday: Florida Gators vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

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

Florida Gators Mississippi State Bulldogs
Head Coach: Billy Donovan Head Coach: Rick Stansbury
Record: 22-11, 9-7 SEC Record: 21-10, 9-7 SEC
Division: SEC East Division: SEC West
Roster | Schedule Roster | Schedule

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.

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Gators strengthen NCAA bid with win over Tigers

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

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Florida puts up a fight, falls to No. 3 Kentucky

The Florida Gators traveled to Lexington, KY, with an outside shot at an upset victory over the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats and possibly a guaranteed spot in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Though Florida (20-11, 9-7 SEC) was unable to pull out the win, the team showed resilience and a solid all-around effort while falling 74-66 to Kentucky (29-2, 14-2 SEC) at Rupp Arena.

Three Gators – junior forward Alex Tyus (12 points) and freshmen F Erik Murphy (11) and guard Kenny Boynton (11) – scored in double figures, but Florida’s defense was unable to contain the Wildcats. Five Kentucky players posted double-digit points as guards Eric Bledsoe and Darius Miller led the way with 14 points, F Patrick Patterson added 13, G John Wall contributed 11 and G Darnell Dodson posted 10.

Read the rest of OGGOA’s Florida at No. 3 Kentucky game story after the jump!
Continue Reading » Florida puts up a fight, falls to No. 3 Kentucky

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Gameday: Florida Gators vs. No. 13/19 Vanderbilt

Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD
Online Video: ESPN360.com
Live Updates: OGGOA on Twitter

Florida Gators No. 13/19 Vanderbilt Commodores
Head Coach: Billy Donovan Head Coach: Kevin Stallings
Record: 20-9, 9-5 SEC Record: 22-6, 11-3 SEC
Division: SEC East Division: SEC East
Roster | Schedule Roster | Schedule

Odds: Florida -3, O/U (OFF)

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» The dynamic backcourt of…sophomore point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Kenny Boynton who are averaging a combined 29.4 points per game in conference play this season.
» Speaking of Walker and Boynton…they have hit 64 treys in SEC action. After struggling from downtown, Boynton went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc Saturday.
» Junior forward Chandler Parsons…who has scored in double figures in seven straight games and has two double-doubles in those contests. He has helped dish the ball and run the point while averaging 17.7 points and 8.4 rebounds and shooting 56.3 percent.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 13-3 when the redshirt junior transfer center finishes in double figures.
» Junior F Alex Tyus…who is looking to rebound from his worst outing of the season. Tyus went 0-for-4 from the field for no points against Georgia. He is averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds this season.
» Senior F Dan Werner…who is playing his final game in the O’Dome after four years in the Orange and Blue. Werner, stuck in the middle of the worst season of his career, is averaging 4.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and two assists per game.
» Commodores’ senior G Jermaine Beal and sophomore F Jeffery Taylor…who are averaging 14.6 and 14.3 points per game, respectively, this season. Taylor also contributes 5.3 boards per game.

STREAKS:
» Vanderbilt leads the all-time series against Florida 62-56, though the Gators have won 15 of the last 19 meetings. Billy Donovan is 18-10 against the Commodores and 11-2 when facing them at home (eight straight).
» Florida has won nine of its last 12 conference games; the Gators hope to reach 10 league wins for the ninth time in the last 12 years and first time since 2007.
» UF is 6-4 in games decided by five points or less compared to 4-6 in such games last season; they are also 5-2 in the last seven contests that were that close.
» The Gators are 13-3 at home this year and can finish league play 7-1 at the O’Connell Center with a victory.
» Florida only got to the line 10 times Saturday after shooting at least 24 free throws in three-straight games. The Gators are 6-1 when getting to the line that many times.
» Parsons needs just 18 points to reach 1,000 for his career.
» Florida is surrendering 76.0 points per game in its nine losses, while holding opponents to 59.7 points per game in its 20 wins.
» Ranked second in the SEC, Vanderbilt is averaging 78.8 points per game and hitting 47.9 percent from the floor. The Commodores have won five of their last six games.

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Florida fights back, falls to Georgia 78-76 on road

Down 15 at halftime, a win looked nearly impossible for the Florida Gators on the road against the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA. After a few major runs, Florida found themselves down only two with the ball in their hands and 13.3 seconds remaining on the clock. A botched final play devastated Gator Nation as the Gators (20-9, 9-5 SEC) fell 78-76 to the hometown Bulldogs (13-14, 5-9 SEC).

Florida started hot from beyond the arc, going 5-for-7 to start the game. However, they were unable to hit anything from inside the three-point line, with the team’s first field goal in nine attempts coming on a layup by junior forward Chandler Parsons at the 12:19 mark in the first half. Georgia exploded on a 14-0 run to go up 29-17 before the Gators responded with an 8-0 run of their own to bring the deficit down to four. It took a half-ending 14-2 run by the Bulldogs to put them up a game-high 45-30 going into the locker rooms.

Read the rest of OGGOA’s Florida at Georgia game story after the break!
Continue Reading » Florida fights back, falls to Georgia 78-76 on road

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Gameday: Florida Gators at Georgia Bulldogs

Location: Stegeman Coliseum – Athens, GA [Capacity: 10,523]
Time: 4:00 p.m. (EST)

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

Florida Gators Georgia Bulldogs
Head Coach: Billy Donovan Head Coach: Mark Fox
Record: 20-8, 9-4 SEC Record: 12-14, 4-9 SEC
Division: SEC East Division: SEC East
Roster | Schedule Roster | Schedule

Odds: Florida -1, 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 a combined 29.5 points and 7.2 assists per game in conference play this season.
» Speaking of Walker and Boynton…they have hit 56 of the Gators’ 72 treys in SEC play. After struggling the previous two games, the duo combined to shoot 9-for-19 from the field and 4-for-9 from downtown on Tuesday.
» Junior forward Alex Tyus…who is taking control of the front court, has reached double figures in 15 of 19 games and scored 15+ in eight of those.
» Junior F Chandler Parsons…who has scored in double figures in six straight games also has two double-doubles in those matches. He has been helping dish the ball and run the point while averaging 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds and shooting 55.6 percent.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 13-2 when the redshirt junior transfer center finishes in double figures. He had a career-high 22 points in a win against Ole Miss last Saturday.
» Bulldogs F Trey Thompkins…who leads his team in both scoring (17.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.1 boards per game). He is second in the SEC in scoring.

STREAKS:
» Florida leads the all-time series against Georgia 103-95, winning 12 of the last 13 meetings. The Gators are 20-6 overall against the Bulldogs under Billy Donovan.
» Florida has won nine of its last 11 conference games. Should the Gators win Saturday, it will be their sixth true road win of the season (most since 2005-06). Defeating the Rebels last weekend, they swept the SEC West (6-0) for the first time since 2003 and acquired their most road wins since 2006-07.
» UF is 6-3 in games decided by five points or less compared to 4-6 in such games last season; they are also 5-1 in the last six contests that were that close.
»Florida has shot at least 24 free throws in three-straight games. The Gators are 6-1 when getting to the line at least that many times.
» The Gators have out-rebounded seven of their last ten conference opponents and is 13-2 overall when out-rebounding an opponent in 2010.
» After shooting just 47.8 percent from the charity stripe (22-of-46) over its previous two games, Florida has gone 73-for-91 (80.2 percent) from the line in three contests since.
» Six of the Gators’ eight losses on the season have come from teams with RPIs currently inside the top 28 (five from teams ranked 19 or higher).
» A win last Tuesday gave UF its 12th consecutive 20-win season, good for the longest active streak in the SEC and fifth-longest in the nation.
» Five of Georgia’s nine SEC losses have come by four points or less.
» The Bulldogs have taken impressive wins over then-No. 17 Illinois, Georgia Tech and then-No. 8 Tennessee this season.

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