Location: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN [Capacity: 18,160]
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST

TV: ABC/ABCHD (Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes, Shannon Spake)
SiriusXM: 126/199 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: None | Mobile Video: None
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter and SportsYapper app

Odds: Florida -10.5 | O/U 135

HISTORY / STREAKS / STATS

» Florida is looking to win its fourth SEC Tournament, first since completing a three-peat in the event from 2005-07. The Gators are 38-44 all-time in the SEC Tournament (23-13 under Donovan) in 47 total appearances.
» UF enters the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed for the fourth time in school history. The team has never failed to reach the finals when listed as the top seed.
» The Gators are 7-4 all-time in SEC Tournament games held played in Nashville, TN.
» Florida leads the all-time series against Ole Miss 61-42, boasting a 14-6 mark since Donovan took over the program including five-straight victories (11 of the last 12).
» UF is 51-6 since the beginning of the 2011-12 season when holding opponents under 71 points in a game (25-5 in 2012-13).
» The Gators have four starters that average in double figures while the Rebels have just two players that score in double digits on average.
» UF is 4-1 against top-25 opponents this season after going 3-5 against ranked adversaries last season with all five losses coming to top-three teams.
» Florida is 0-5 this season in single-digit decisions.
» The Gators are first nationally in scoring margin (+18.8), third in scoring defense (53.2), third in field goal defense (.373), ninth in field goal percentage (.485), 11th in three-point defense (.291), 19th in assist-turnover ratio (1.36) and 24th in turnover margin (3.1). Florida is also seventh nationally in fouling, committing 14.2 per game.
» The Rebels are ranked ninth nationally in turnover margin (4.3), 17th in blocks (5.4) and 22nd in scoring margin (+11.1).

Read the rest of the Florida-Ole Miss gameday preview…after the break!
Continue Reading » SEC Tournament – Gameday: Florida vs. Ole Miss

Tags: Andy Kennedy, Billy Donovan, Bridgestone Arena, Kenny Boynton, Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss Rebels, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC, SEC Tournament

Location: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN [Capacity: 18,160]
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST

TV: ABC/ABCHD (Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes, Shannon Spake)
SiriusXM: 126/199 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: None | Mobile Video: None
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter and SportsYapper app

Odds: Florida -11.5 | O/U 117

ANOTHER INJURY; TOUGH PRACTICES

After Friday’s victory, Donovan explained that senior forward Erik Murphy suffered a knee contusion during practice on Wednesday and was limited for the rest of the week. Murphy wound up having a career game on Friday, registering career-highs of 27 points and 12 rebounds despite wearing a brace on his knee during the contest.

“I just was feeling a little pain in it in practice and wanted to be cautious coming into the tournament and just pretty much treated it, iced it and went a little sleep. But it’s fine,” Murphy said after the game.

Donovan, however, was worried that Murphy may not even be available to play.

“I was concerned because the trainer was concerned. He didn’t practice. It was really bizarre,” he explained. “We had just finished a stretch, and we were doing just some going through like pick-and-roll coverage. It wasn’t even a contact drill, more of a teaching drill. He kind of planted his foot and went to turn. He felt something, had kind of a sharp pain in his knee. Didn’t know what it was. They pulled him out. He went back in the training room and then came back out and it was still bothering him. And the trainer felt like it was in his knee joint and really didn’t know what it was.

“Nothing showed up on the MRI. It was negative. That night he started to feel progressively better. There was no swelling. There was nothing on the MRI. So, more than anything else, we felt like everything was fine. At the time they were concerned. Not being a doctor, I don’t know, I just go by what they tell me. They were concerned. I think when the MRI came back later that night and it was clean, I think we felt like he was going to be able to play, wouldn’t be a problem.”

Donovan was quite pleased with how Murphy and the rest of the Gators performed on Friday coming off of the first significant amount of practice time the team has had with a full complement of players.

Read the rest of the Florida-Alabama gameday preview…after the break!
Continue Reading » SEC Tournament – Gameday: Florida vs. Alabama

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Anthony Grant, Billy Donovan, Bridgestone Arena, Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton, Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC, SEC Tournament, Trevor Releford

It may have taken a few minutes for the one-seed to get going on Friday, but a lights-out performance by senior forward Erik Murphy helped the No. 11/13 Florida Gators make quick work of the nine-seed LSU Tigers in the quarterfinals of the 2013 SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.

Murphy’s dominant performance – including career-highs in points (27), rebounds (12) and made three-pointers (five) – fueled Florida (25-6) to an 80-58 victory over LSU (19-12). The Gators advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and will face either four-seed Alabama or five-seed Tennessee on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“Shots were falling today. I felt good,” he said. “Whether the ball goes in the basket or not is out of your control. Coach has actually been saying just give good reps this week. Every rep in a good rep, whether it’s in game or practice. I try to do that.”

After tweaking his right knee in practice during the week, Murphy started Friday’s game wearing a thin brace but showed few ill effects, dominating the first half for Florida. Murphy scored 10 points and registered seven rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the contest, but LSU countered by hitting four of its first six attempts from downtown and trailed UF by just a single point midway through the period.

Continue Reading » Murphy’s career game helps Florida blow out LSU

Tags: Billy Donovan, Bridgestone Arena, Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton, LSU Tigers, Michael Frazier, Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC, SEC Tournament

Location: Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN [Capacity: 18,160]
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPNU/ESPNUHD (Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes, Shannon Spake)
SiriusXM: 126/199 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: ESPN3 / WatchESPN.com | Mobile Video: WatchESPN app
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter and SportsYapper app

Odds: Florida -16 | O/U 128.5

HISTORY / STREAKS / STATS

» Florida is looking to win its fourth SEC Tournament, first since completing a three-peat in the event from 2005-07. The Gators are 36-44 all-time in the SEC Tournament (21-13 under Donovan) in 47 total appearances.
» UF enters the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed for the fourth time in school history. The team has never failed to reach the finals when listed as the top seed.
» The Gators are 5-4 all-time in SEC Tournament games held played in Nashville, TN.
» LSU holds a 60-41 advantage over Florida in the all-time series, but the Gators have won four consecutive games over the Tigers and hold a 12-8 record under Donovan.
» Florida is 49-6 since the beginning of the 2011-12 season when holding opponents under 71 points in a game (23-5 in 2012-13).
» Four Gators starters average in double figures while the Tigers boast five players that score in double digits on average.
» UF is 4-1 against top-25 opponents this season after going 3-5 against ranked adversaries last season with all five losses coming to top-three teams.
» Florida is 0-5 this season in single-digit decisions.
» The Gators are first nationally in scoring margin (+18.8), third in scoring defense (53.2), fourth in field goal defense (.373), ninth in field goal percentage (.485), 12th in three-point defense (.291), 18th in assist-turnover ratio (1.36) and 24th in turnover margin (3.1). Florida is also seventh nationally in fouling, committing 14.2 per game.
» The Tigers are 14th nationally in steals per game (9.2). Anthony Hickey is first nationally in steals per game (3.07).

Read the rest of the Florida-LSU gameday preview…after the break!
Continue Reading » SEC Tournament Gameday: (1) Florida vs. (9) LSU

Tags: Billy Donovan, Bridgestone Arena, Johnny Jones, Johnny O'Bryant, LSU Tigers, Patric Young, SEC, SEC Tournament

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

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.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Barry Stewart, Billy Donovan, Bridgestone Arena, Chandler Parsons, Dee Bost, Jarvis Varnado, Ravern JOhnson, Rick Stansbury, SEC, SEC Tournament, Vernon Macklin

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

Tags: Alex Tyus, Auburn Tigers, Billy Donovan, Bridgestone Arena, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, DeWayne Reed, Erving Walker, Frankie Sullivan, Kenny Boynton, Lucas Hargrove, NCAA Tournament, SEC, SEC Tournament, Tay Walker, Vernon Macklin