Location: New Orleans Arena [Capacity: 18,000]
Time: 1:00 p.m. (ET)

TV: ABC/ABCHD
SiriusXM: 220/199
Online Video: ESPN3.com
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida +9.5; O/U TBD

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Kentucky leads the all-time series against Florida 92-33, and the Gators are just 13-22 against the Wildcats since Donovan took over the team.
» Florida is 0-9 against Kentucky all-time when UK is ranked No. 1 in the country.
» UF has not lost thrice in a single season to their long-time rival since 2003-04.
» Donovan is the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC (16 years) and has five former assistants currently serving as head coaches across the country.
» Calipari is one of two coaches (Frank McGuire) to lead three different schools to No. 1 rankings; he has accomplished that feat in five total seasons.
» The Wildcats have a 23-game winning streak including a number of blowout victories.
» Florida is 36-43 all-time in 47 SEC Tournament appearances but boasts a 21-12 record since Donovan took over the program. The Gators have won three SEC Tournaments (2005-07) and finished as the runner-up five times.
» All five of the UF’s normal starters are averaging 10.0 points per game or more.
» Florida has made 10+ three-pointers in 20 of 32 games, a season-high mark under Donovan. UF has also made more treys this season (317) than any other in team history.
» Three Gators shoot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc.
» Florida has made a three in 683 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 1992.
» UF led the SEC this season in assists (14.9), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and free throw percentage (.764) in conference play.
» The Gators are 18-1 (loss to Kentucky) this year when posting a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and are just 5-8 when the margin is even or negative.
» Florida is 288-37 since 1988-89 when holding opponents under 70 points and 238-38 since 1998-99 when recording 15 or more assists in a game.
» The Gators have won 20+ games for the 14th consecutive season. That mark is currently the longest active streak in the SEC and fifth-longest nationally
» Kentucky has more wins (2,083) than any other NCAA team – ever.
» The Wildcats have five players averaging double figures.
» UK is 74-1 under Calipari when holding an opponent to 67 points or fewer.
» Florida is ranked No. 1 in three-pointers (9.9 per game) nationally as of March 8. The Gators are also ranked No. 1 in the SEC in assists (14.9 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3), free-throw shooting (.764) and No. 2 in scoring offense (76.8 points).
» Kentucky is ranked No. 1 in scoring margin (19.2 points per game), field goal percentage defense (.365), blocked shots (9.0 per game) and No.9 in rebounding margin (7.4 per game) nationally as of March 8. The Wildcats are also ranked No. 1 in the SEC in scoring offense (77.7 points), field goal percentage (.490), rebounding (39.1 per game) and No. 2 in free-throw percentage (.723).

GAME NOTES

» UK is shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 51.2 percent from beyond the arc in two victories over UF this season.
» The Wildcats have held the Gators to 36.4 percent shooting (24.5 percent from three), nearly 10 percent below their season-long averages in both categories.
» Florida senior point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Bradley Beal have struggled against Kentucky in the two match-ups. Walker is a combined 3-for-18 from the field in the two contests, while Beal is just 6-of-25 from the floor.
» The one player doing well for the Gators against the Wildcats is sophomore center Patric Young. He’s combined to go 15-for-25 in the two games for a total of 33 points including 21 in Gainesville, FL.
» Kentucky’s Anthony Davis – recently named the SEC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year – has had his way with Florida when the two teams have squared off. Davis has gone 17-of-26 with 38 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks in the two games.
» The Gators and Wildcats are squaring off in the semifinals after both being tested mightily in second-round action. Florida defeated Alabama 66-63 just hours after Kentucky beat LSU 60-51 in the early afternoon game.

Tags: Anthony Davis, Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Erving Walker, John Calipari, Kentucky Wildcats, New Orleans Arena, Patric Young

The No. 19/22 Florida Gators squeaked out a 66-63 victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday in the second round of the 2012 Southeastern Conference Tournament. Before Florida can advance to take on the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats in the semifinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ABC, head coach Billy Donovan and a handful of players met with the media to discuss the hard-earned win.

FLORIDA PUTS FORTH A PRAISEWORTHY EFFORT

After being admonished by Donovan for the way they played in Athens, GA four games ago, Florida received praise from their head coach on Friday for executing well for the third-straight game. He was especially pleased with the way the team practiced during the week but did offer one criticism of the Gators’ game.

“This time of year, you got to find ways to advance and move on and we did,” he said. “I thought we had some opportunities both in the first half and the second half to really extend our lead and we weren’t able to do that. We got it up by 12, and I thought our defense hurt us in terms of let ting them get back into the game and tie it.”

Florida had multiple six-point leads and went up a game-high 12 points mid-way through the second half but allowed Alabama to tie it up. Though the Gators shot poorly (38.5 percent from the field) in the contest, Donovan blamed UF’s defense for allowing UA to stop their scoring stretch and tie things up.

“The problem was on the defensive end of the floor. We would get a stop and we wouldn’t come down with the ball, wouldn’t come down with the rebound,” he said. “They came down with it, and it gave them an extra possession in the game. And they didn’t have a lot of offensive rebounds, but I think they had some timely possessions, where they got the ball back. That kind of shut down our run.”

Donovan noted that Florida hitting 10 threes – even though the Gators were not exceptionally proficient from beyond the arc – was easily the difference in the game, calling treys “the greatest equalizer in college basketball.” He continued, “You can sometimes overcome a tough defensive night if you make enough threes and the other team doesn’t, and I think that’s what happened today.”

Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant, formerly an assistant under Donovan, took the exact same stance on the outcome of the contest.

“You look at it, probably the difference in the game was the 3-point line,” he said. “Florida was able to make 10 threes. We knew coming into the game that that would be key. But they had some guys that stepped up, made some contested ones, very difficult from a defensive standpoint to be able to contain them. [...] Florida did a good job attacking the paint and just finding open guys and making the extra pass, and that’s what their team do. Erv[ing Walker], he got going and started looking for his teammates and opened things up. They just played to their identity.”

BEAL AND MURPHY LEAD THE WAY FOR THE GATORS
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Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Anthony Grant, Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Erik Murphy, Erving Walker

Location: New Orleans Arena [Capacity: 18,000]
Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: ESPNU/SEC Network
SiriusXM: 220
Online Video: ESPN3.com
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida -4; O/U 128

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Florida is 35-43 all-time in 46 SEC Tournament appearances but boasts a 20-12 record since Donovan took over the program. The Gators have won three SEC Tournaments (2005-07) and finished as the runner-up five times.
» UF is 59-73 all-time against Alabama and 4-7 against UA in SEC Tournament games. However, Florida holds a 16-5 all-time mark against their opponent while under Donovan’s stewardship and is 3-2 against them in SEC Tournament action
» Donovan is the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC (16 years) and has five former assistants currently serving as head coaches across the country, including Grant.
» All five of the Gators’ normal starters are averaging 10.0 points per game or more.
» Florida has made 10+ three-pointers in 19 of 31 games, a season-high mark under Donovan. UF has also made more treys this season (307) than any other in team history.
» Three Gators shoot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc.
» Florida has made a three in 682 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 1992.
» Alabama’s defense is holding opponents to 27.8 percent shooting from downtown.
» UF led the SEC this season in assists (14.9), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and free throw percentage (.764) in conference play.
» The Gators are 17-1 (loss to Kentucky) this year when posting a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and are just 5-8 when the margin is even or negative.
» Florida is 287-37 since 1988-89 when holding opponents under 70 points and 237-38 since 1998-99 when recording 15 or more assists in a game.
» The Gators have won 20+ games for the 14th consecutive season. That mark is currently the longest active streak in the SEC and fifth-longest nationally.

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Anthony Grant, Billy Donovan, New Orleans Arena, SEC

A four-year member of the Florida Gators basketball program under head coach Billy Donovan, former forward Adam Allen – a four-star recruit coming out of Milton High School – was forced to retire due to multiple knee surgeries. No longer with the team, he has joined OGGOA as a basketball columnist and will provide his unique perspective on the team throughout the 2011-12 season.

Ending the regular season with three losses and lacking inspired play down the stretch is not what any Florida fan wanted to see from their preseason top 10-ranked team heading into the 2012 SEC Tournament. However, there is still hope for this battle-tested team going into the postseason.

In order for this team to be able to make a run in either of the upcoming tournaments, the players will have to learn from their mistakes and play with more passion than they have been since losing sophomore forward Will Yeguete to injury. At this point in the year, there is no room for mistakes and no excuse not to leave everything on the table each and every time they step on the court.

The way this team finished the season is comparable to the 2007-08 team that I was a part of. In fact, I read here on OGGOA that head coach Billy Donovan even compared the two teams before this squad’s slide to end the season.

We had a great chance of making the NCAA Tournament that year but instead played not to lose (as opposed to being aggressors) and ended our season on a 2-5 skid. We didn’t realize how much passion we needed to play with on a game-by-game basis until the coaching staff kicked us out of our gym and put us through a few incredibly intense practices a day at P.K Yonge High School and Florida Gym. We weren’t even allowed to wear our practice gear because Coach Donovan said that we didn’t deserve to have “Florida” on our chests while we were playing such uninspired ball.

He was right.

After those intense practices, we made a run in the NIT and got all the way to the Final Four, beating San Diego State, Creighton and then Arizona State before losing to UMass in Madison Square Garden. We came together as a group after Alabama knocked us out of the SEC Tournament, and it is somewhat ironic that Florida will face that same opponent this year in second-round action.

Though the Gators will not have to beat the Crimson Tide to earn a NCAA berth, Florida will have to overcome at least that obstacle in order to maintain/improve their seed.

This year’s Florida team is definitely more talented and has experienced tougher tests and more success than the players on the 2007-08 team did that year. I would expect that they are experiencing some of the same “tough love” that our team did from Coach Donovan during my freshman year even though they have not fallen off the way we did.

Once the ball is tipped up Friday in New Orleans, LA, the Gators have an opportunity to prove they have learned from their mistakes and have refocused their attention on what it takes to be successful during the madness that is the month of March.

Tags: Adam Allen, Billy Donovan, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, NIT, SEC, SEC Tournament, Will Yeguete

1 » The four-seed Florida Gators (22-9, 10-6 SEC) learned Thursday that they will take on the five-seed Alabama Crimson Tide (21-10, 10-7 SEC) in the second round of the 2012 Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The game, which will air live nationally on SEC Network, is the second meeting between the two teams this season. Alabama beat South Carolina 63-57 on Thursday, giving head coach Anthony Grant his second opportunity to defeat his former boss – Florida head coach Billy Donovan – this season. Donovan is 3-0 against Grant since the latter coach took over the Crimson Tide program. More information on this game will be available in Friday’s Gameday Preview here on OGGOA.

2 » Speaking with ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. on Thursday, OGGOA was told by the NFL Draft analyst that he believes Florida Gators running back Chris Rainey raised his stock at the 2012 NFL Combine. Previously projected to be selected in the third or fourth round, Rainey may go a full round higher now, according to Kiper. “Rainey is an all-purpose guy. He’s got the big-play potential; you can utilize him in a lot of different ways,” he said. “I think he could be in that second- or third-round discussion because of the weapon he could be.” Kiper also discussed with OGGOA the future of former Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who was dismissed from the team over the summer and spent the 2012 season with North Alabama.

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Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Anthony Grant, Bill Belichick, Billy Donovan, Chris Rainey, combine, Draft, Janoris Jenkins, NFL

With his team taking a three-game losing skid into the 2012 Southeastern Conference Tournament this week, Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan admitted Monday that he has seen some recent improvement when it comes to effort, intensity and passion but thinks his squad had plenty of room to grow going forward.

“There’s definitely more confidence,” Donovan said of the way Florida has performed since putting forth a lackluster effort on at Georgia, the first of UF’s three losses. “They’re more comfortable in terms of things that we’re trying to do. I still think we can get better at it. I think they’re getting a better understanding of what we’re trying to do.”

Though the Gators have struggled offensively, Donovan is most concerned with the team’s defensive efforts. If Florida can succeed on that end of the court, offense will not be an issue whether or not shots are going down.

“We have more of an awareness with Will [Yeguete] being out of what needs to be done, but I still think there are a lot of breakdowns in possessions that we just don’t have that margin for error,” he said. “If one guy forgets to block out, if a guy doesn’t rotate correctly and the floor is offset, we have difficulties at times rebounding the ball. [...]

“I still think our team can get better, more or less. I don’t know if there’s been one theme. There have been some games where our energy level is not where I’ve wanted it to be. And then there have been some games where – two against Kentucky, Vanderbilt I thought we competed really hard and played well in the game – but I thought in crucial situations there was a couple of defensive rebounds that we needed to come down with that we just did not come down with. That’s that margin of error I’m talking about on the defensive end of the floor. We can’t have that. There’s got to be more discipline in that area of being able to do that.”

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Tags: Billy Donovan, Kenny Boynton, SEC, SEC Tournament, Will Yeguete

As the Florida Gators try to mentally block out the three-game losing streak they are taking into the postseason and prepare for action beginning Thursday in the 2012 Southeastern Conference Tournament, another upcoming event is also on the minds of a few players: the 2012 NBA Draft in June.

Up to three Gators – freshman guard Bradley Beal, sophomore center Patric Young and junior G Kenny Boynton – may decide it is in their best interest to become professional basketball players at the end of the season. Any or all of those three could join senior point guard Erving Walker, who is graduating in the spring, leaving what could potentially be a large void of talent in the Florida basketball program.

Beal is considered the most likely of the three to leave – and for good reason. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team, he has quickly earned head coach Billy Donovan’s trust and respect and is playing 34.2 minutes per game this season, the most on the team. Beal, who is averaging team-highs of 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals while scoring 14.4 points and dishing out a pair of assists each contest, has been praised by Donovan for his maturity (at such a young age), basketball IQ and an overall understanding of what it takes to win both on and off the court.

Those are just a few reasons why Beal is projected in most mock drafts to be a top-10 pick by the time the event rolls around. Analysts believe his size at 6’3” and 207 lbs., length, athleticism and production will translate well to the NBA.

That does not mean he is without his issues and flaws. A sharpshooter in high school, Beal was expected to be a high-percentage scorer both while driving to the hoop and taking jumpers from three-point range. However, his 42.9 percent shooting from the field is second-lowest out of anyone playing at least 20 minutes per game for Florida, and his 31.8 percent accuracy from downtown is the lowest on the team out of any player who has taken at least two treys this season.

Despite all of his positive attributes, another year in college would likely do Beal a lot of good. Returning to UF could not only help him hone is game but also raise his draft stock further and put him in position to be a top-five pick when 2013 rolls around. According to his coach, an additional season at the collegiate level would help Young even more.

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Tags: Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Draft, Kenny Boynton, Mike Rosario, NBA, Patric Young, SEC, SEC Tournament

A dominant force for the Florida Gators early in the season, sophomore center Patric Young’s production began to tail off as Southeastern Conference play began.

Not only was he facing tougher competition, Young was also dealing with tendinitis in his ankle that limited him in practice and some games. The biggest body on Florida’s team, he has been noticeably less aggressive getting himself in position offensively and has only grabbed double-digit rebounds twice against SEC opponents.

Head coach Billy Donovan, as he has mentioned previously, said after Sunday’s 74-59 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats that Young’s recent struggles are all in his head and have little to do with any injury.

“It’s all mental for Patric. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him physically. I don’t think there has been anything wrong with him physically for a while except for the normal bumps and bruises, tendinitis and things like that,” he said. “I do think there is a growth and a maturity that Patric is going through right now, there really is – the length of the season, the wear and tear physically, the expectations that he places on himself.”

Young scored 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting Sunday with nine rebounds and just one foul. He was also a solid presence on the defensive end, doing his best to hold Kentucky’s Anthony Davis off the block

“He took a step forward, in my opinion,” Donovan said.

Though Young posted a career-high 25 points on an even more efficient 12-of-15 shooting performance against Arizona earlier in the season, his game Sunday may very well have been the best he has played during his sophomore campaign.

“He played phenomenal tonight and hopefully he can continue that for the rest of the season,” said senior point guard Erving Walker, who was honored before the game as part of the Senior Day celebration. “When Pat plays like that I think it can take our team to another level. His mindset – he was ready to go against Anthony Davis, who is supposed to be the No. 1 pick. Pat just wanted to prove that he can play against him.”

Young recognized his improved performance even though he saw some areas in which he can improve as the team heads into the postseason tournaments.

“It was really encouraging,” he said. “I thought I gave it everything I had tonight. I had a few mistakes but overall I thought I played well. I think I could have done a better job communicating with our team and trying to lead the guys out there. We were so close when they had a four-point lead and there was a lot of time left in the game.”

He was not the only one on the court to take note of his impressive game. Kentucky head coach John Calipari had some words for Young following the contest, too.

“Patric Young was a beast,” he said after the game. “[If] Patric Young plays like that they’re fine in postseason, they’re fine. Patric, whatever you had for breakfast this morning, eat it [again], because he dominated us. He was really, really good.”

Donovan noted that “trying to get Patric to understand that he can control his mindset in getting him prepared to play” has been an experience that has been rewarding, frustrating and “scratch-my-head” confusing at times this season. It is an aspect of his game that Donovan has discussed all season long, though he thinks that a corner may very well have been turned on Sunday.

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Tags: Anthony Davis, Billy Donovan, Erving Walker, John Calipari, Kenny Boynton, Kentucky Wildcats, Patric Young, SEC