Former Rutgers Scarlet Knights shooting guard Mike Rosario will travel to Gainesville, FL, Friday for a visit with the Florida Gators and head coach Billy Donovan. According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com, Rosario has been given a conditional release by Rutgers with the two conditions being that he can neither transfer within the Big East nor to any school on the team’s 2010-11 schedule.

“[Rosario] just got off the phone with Billy Donovan [and] it’s a go,” his mentor Jorge Fontan told Zagoria late Wednesday. “We’re all happy, ecstatic right now. We’re glad Rutgers didn’t give us a hard time about [the transfer]. We respect them for that and now we’re going to sit back and see who calls us.”

It was previously rumored that Rutgers would make Florida, Kansas and USC (where Fontan’s son Jio Fontan is a point guard). Rosario averaged 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds in 30 starts this season. He would be forced to sit out a year as a transfer and would be eligible to play for the Gators or the team of his choosing beginning in the 2011-12 season.

UPDATE: The Orlando Sentinel‘s Jeremy Fowler is reporting that three-star point guard Chris Denson (Columbus, GA) will also be visiting Florida this weekend.

Photo Credit: Rob Tringali

Tags: Big East, Billy Donovan, Chris Denson, Jio Fontan, Jorge Fontan, Mike Rosario, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

1 » The Gainesville Sun is reporting that 2010 power forward recruit Will Yeguete of Florida Air Academy will visit the Florida Gators this weekend. Yeguete – who is choosing between Florida, Indiana and Georgia Tech – would not the first to make the transition from FAA to UF; guard Walter Hodge did it just a few years ago.

2 » Day one of the 2010 Masters has come and gone, and two former Gators are already struggling. Both Brian Gay and Camilo Villegas finished their first round at 2-over par. Gay birdied four holes (2, 3, 7, 13), bogeyed four (6, 10, 12, 14) and double-bogeyed one (16) to finish with a score of 40 on the back nine. Villegas bogeyed three holes (3, 11, 13) and only earned one birdie (15), shooting a 37 out and in.

Two more BITS on Duke Lemmens and Charlie Strong…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Yeguete, Masters, Lemmens, Strong

Tags: Big East, Brian Gay, Camilo Villegas, Charlie Strong, Dan McCarney, Duke Lemmens, Florida Air Academy, golf, Greg Scruggs, Louisville Cardinals, PGA, Walter Hodge, Will Yeguete

- Florida Gators became the first program in FBS college football history to notch 13 wins in consecutive seasons. The Gators finished 13-1 for the third time in four seasons, also the first time in FBS history that this has been accomplished.

- 13 victories for Florida this season ties a school record for single-season wins (2006, 2008, 2009) and puts them, along with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as the only teams to post 13 victories in three different seasons (1971, 1994, 1997).

- The Gators’ dominating win Friday was its 100th of the decade. They have posted a 100-30 (.769) record since 2000; by comparison, the Orange and Blue was 102-22-1 (.820) during the 1990s.

- Florida improved to 5-1 in BCS bowls, second all-time to the USC Trojans (six wins).

- The 2009 senior class is the winningest in Southeastern Conference history, posting a record of 48-7 (.873) over four years. The group was 3-1 in bowl games, won two National Championships, two SEC Championships, three SEC Eastern Division titles and posted a 15-4 (.789) record against ranked opponents.

- Head coach Urban Meyer remains an undefeated 4-0 in BCS bowl games with a 6-1 career record in bowl games of any type.

- The Gators made their 19th-straight bowl appearance, the second-longest active streak in the nation.

- Florida is now 6-1 against teams from the state of Ohio (2-1 in bowl games) and 8-3-2 all-time against the Big East.

- Senior Tim Tebow finished his storied Gators career with a 35-6 (.854) record as a starting quarterback.

- UF scored on its first five possessions of the game (TD, FG, TD, TD, TD) before missing a field goal near the end of the half.

- Tebow set a Sugar Bowl record by completing his first 12 passes of the evening for 142 yards and a touchdown.

- Tebow’s 80-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Riley Cooper was the Gators’ longest pass play since 2005 and the second-longest pass play in any BCS bowl.

- Tebow was announced as the winner of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award for football before the game. Third Florida athlete to receive this honor.

- Tebow set Sugar Bowl and BCS bowl records with 533 yards of total offense. His 482 passing yards were also Sugar Bowl and BCS bowl game records, while his 31 completions set a new Sugar Bowl record. His 88.6 completion percentage set a BCS bowl game record and his four total touchdowns tied a Sugar Bowl high.

- Cincinnati Bearcats WR Mardy Gilyard set a Sugar Bowl record with 207 yards on eight kickoff returns; it was also the second-highest kickoff return mark in BCS bowl history. He added 41 receiving yards to finish with 248 all-purpose yards, the third-highest total in Sugar Bowl history and the fifth-best in BCS bowl history.

Tags: BCS, Big East, Cincinnati Bearcats, FBS, Mardy Gilyard, SEC, Sugar Bowl, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

Location: Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans, LA [Capacity: 72,968]
Time: 8:30 p.m. (EST)
Weather Forecast: N/A

TV: FOX / FOXHD
Sirius: 120; XM: 140

Odds: Florida -13, O/U 57
Head-to-Head Stats: Gainesville Sun

KEEP AN EYE ON…
- Florida’s 2009 senior class…the winningest group in Southeastern Conference history with a 47-7 overall record. The seniors will be playing in their third BCS game and fourth January bowl in four years.
- Seniors quarterback Tim Tebow and linebacker Brandon Spikes…two of the best players in school history who do not wish for their last memories in the Orange and Blue to be back-to-back losses.
- Junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap…who is returning from suspension for a DUI and, according to coaches, is raring to make up for his mistake to his teammates, coaches and Gator Nation. It is undecided if Dunlap will start.
- Junior cornerback Joe Haden and wide receiver Mardy Gilyard…who will face-off in what could potentially be the match-up of the game between one of the best CBs and one of the best WRs in the nation. Haden has already been a menace to Alabama Crimson Tide WR Julio Jones and Georgia Bulldogs WR A.J. Green this season.
- Head coach Urban Meyer…who is 3-0 in BCS bowls and a combined 5-1 in his career in bowl games. Meyer and his wife Shelley both attended the University of Cincinnati. As a player for the Bearcats, Meyer faced the Gators in the teams’ only previous meeting, a 48-17 Florida victory on Oct. 20, 1984.
- Experienced players…the Gators feature 19 starters and 44 players who saw action in the 2009 BCS National Championship.

STREAKS:
- The Gators are appearing in a bowl game for the 19th straight season, the second-longest active streak in the nation. Friday’s game is Florida’s sixth appearance in a BCS bowl game and eighth appearance in the Sugar Bowl.
- Though the Gators are 5-1 against teams from the state of Ohio (1-1 in bowl games), they are only 7-3-2 all-time against the Big East.
- Florida has allowed 15 touchdowns this season, tied for fewest in the nation; the 11.5 points per game it allows ranks No. 3 in the country.
- The Gators are the only team in the country that has posted over 2,800 rushing and passing yards and are only one of four teams in the nation to score at least 25 rushing and passing touchdowns.
- Florida’s defense has recorded interceptions in 11 of 13 games and 23 of 25 games.
- The Gators have not lost back-to-back games since Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, 2007.

Read OGGOA’s Florida Gators vs. Cincinnati Bearcats preview after the jump!
Continue Reading » BCS: 2010 SUGAR BOWL – (New Orleans, LA) – No. 5 Florida Gators vs. No. 3 Cincinnati Bearcats

Tags: A.J. Jones, Ahmad Black, BCS, Big East, Brandon James, Brandon Spikes, Brian Kelly, Carlos Dunlap, Charlie Strong, Cincinnati Bearcats, David Nelson, Draft, Dustin Doe, Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Quinn, Joe Haden, Louisiana Superdome, Major Wright, Mardy Gilyard, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Riley Cooper, Ryan Stamper, SEC, Sugar Bowl, Tim Tebow, University of Cincinnati, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Wondy Pierre-Louis

Though the No. 10 Florida Gators took down the then-No. 2 Michigan State Spartans just a few weeks ago, their toughest test of the young 2009 season came Thursday night against the No. 7 Syracuse Orange. Florida (8-1) lost their first game of the season 85-73 to Syracuse (9-0) at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL, as part of the SEC/Big East Invitational in a match that was much closer than the score indicates.

Down six at the end of the first half, the Gators came back to take the lead with 10:31 remaining in the game; however, they held it for less than a minute as the Orange would grab it back and pull away over the final few minutes of the contest.

Freshman guard Kenny Boynton led Florida in minutes (36), points (20) and assists (7), though he only shot 7-for-17 from the field, 5-for-14 from three-point range and 1-for-4 from the free throw line. Coming off the bench, senior forward Chandler Parsons was the most efficient Gator on Thursday, playing 35 minutes and recording 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting (3-of-5 from three). Sophomore point guard Erving Walker added 14 points and was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Junior power forward Alex Tyus led the Gators with 10 rebounds, though he missed a number of shots in the waning minutes of the game to finish 4-for-11.

Three Syracuse forwards achieved double-doubles against Florida, including Rick Jackson (19 points, 11 rebounds), Wesley Johnson (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Kris Joseph (12 points, 10 rebounds). As a team, they out-shot the Gators 52.5 percent to 43.5 percent from the field, though Florida won the three-point battle 40 percent to 23.1 percent. The Gators were +4 in turnover margin, but they committed eight more fouls and allowed the Orange to get into the bonus early. Syracuse won the battle on the glass 39-28, out-stole Florida 13-4 and finished the game on a 12-4 run.

The Gators will play their third consecutive road game next Saturday, Dec. 19 in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic against the Richmond Spiders in Sunrise, FL, at the BankAtlantic Center. The game will be aired live on Sun Sports at 6:30 p.m.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Big East, Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Kris Joseph, Rick Jackson, SEC, SEC/Big East Invitational, St. Pete Times Forum, Syracuse Orange, Wesley Johnson

Event: SEC/Big East Invitational
Location: St. Pete Times Forum – Tampa, FL [Capacity: 20,500]
Time: 9:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPN / ESPNHD
Online: ESPN360
Sirius: 214; XM: 199

Odds: Syracuse -3, O/U 146
Head-to-Head Stats: ESPN Insider Pick Center

KEEP AN EYE ON…
- Senior forward Dan Werner…who has struggled with his career from three-point range but is hitting a team-high 51.9 percent from beyond the arc in 2009.
- Five-star freshman guard Kenny Boynton…who has a 15:1 assist-to-turnover ratio combined in the last two games.
- Head coach Billy Donovan…who is coaching his 500th career game on Thursday.
- Redshirt junior transfer center Vernon Macklin…who has hit 12 consecutive free throws and is shooting 73.7 percent from the line after hitting just over 30 percent during his time with the Georgetown Hoyas.
- Senior F Chandler Parsons…who comes off the bench as Florida’s sixth man, is fourth on the team in scoring and leads them in rebounding with averages of 11.1 PPG and 6.4 RPG. He is averaging a career-high 27.1 minutes per game.

STREAKS:
- The Gators are 8-0 for the first time since 2005 and just the third time in school history.
- Florida is 4-2 all-time at the St. Pete Times Forum.
- The Gators are 43-30 (.589) all-time against the Big East, 15-7 under Donovan and 2-1 all-time against the Orange.
- This is Florida’s first appearance in the SEC/Big East Invitational.
- The Gators have allowed only two opponents to score 60 points or more in 2009.
- Florida has come up with 49 steals in the last five games, reaching double-digits in steals three times over that stretch.
- Since 2005, the Gators are 24-3 in the month of December.
- Florida has the best winning percentage in the SEC against ranked opponents during the last nine seasons (42-29, .592).

Read OGGOA’s Florida Gators vs. Syracuse Orange preview after the jump!
Continue Reading » No. 10 Florida Gators vs. No. 7 Syracuse Orange

Tags: Alex Tyus, Big East, Billy Donovan, CBE Classic, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, Erving Walker, Jim Boeheim, Kenny Boynton, SEC, SEC/Big East Invitational, St. Pete Times Forum, Syracuse Orange, Vernon Macklin