Event: 2011 SEC Tournament – Quarterfinals
Location: Georgia Dome – Atlanta, GA [Capacity: 26,000]
Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: SEC Network (Local listings)
Online Video: ESPN3.com
Online Audio: Yahoo!
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida -4; O/U 130

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Tennessee leads the all-time series against Florida 69-51 and has won 10 out of the last 15 contests; however, the Gators have defeated the Volunteers in the teams’ last three meetings including twice in 2011. Florida is 2-4 all-time against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament; the teams have not faced-off in the event since 1989.
» Donovan is now 15-16 all-time against UT, while Pearl is 8-3 all-time against UF.
» Since 2004, Florida has won the most SEC Tournament titles (three – 2005-07) and SEC Tournament games (13) in the league. Among the six major conferences, UF ranks only behind Duke (4-15) and Kansas (4-14) since 2004 in conference tournament titles and league tournament wins.
» The Gators are 10-2 in their last five trips to the Georgia Dome (16-7 since 1992).
» Florida has won 16 of their last 19 games (and eight of their last nine) with 14 victories against RPI top 100 teams.
» UF enters the game having won the 2011 SEC regular season title and as a No. 1-seed in the tournament. UT is a No. 4-seed.
» The current Gators team is the fourth in school history to win 24+ regular season games. They also captured the third outright SEC title in school history (1989, 2007).
» Florida is 20-1 (9-0 SEC) when holding an opponent under 70 points this year.
» The Gators, struggling all season from the line, are hitting 72.6 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe over the last eight games.
» Florida is 10-2 when senior forward Chandler Parsons takes 10+ shots from the field. He has moved into the top 20 in school history in scoring (1,377 points) and is one of only two active players in Division I college basketball with over 1,300 points, 800 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals.
» Gators junior point guard Erving Walker, with 197 three-pointers, is sixth all-time at UF. He is one trey away from moving into the top five.
» UF has reached 20+ wins for the 13th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the SEC. The Gators have also reached 10 wins in league play for the ninth time in the last 13 years and first time since 2007 (13-3).
» Florida bests Tennessee in three of four major statistical categories nationally. The Gators hold advantages in points per game 71.5-70.5 (101st-128th), assists per game 13.9-13.2 (99th-154th) and field goal percentage .460-.433 (66nd-187th), while the Volunteers grab more rebounds 38.1-37.6 (30th-47th). Florida also holds opponents to 4.4 fewer points per game than Tennessee 62.3-66.7. The Gators rank 10th in RPI (.6368) and fifth in strength of schedule nationally compared to the Volunteers being 31st (.5918) and second, respectively.

Click to expand the rest of the Gameday Preview

Tags: Alex Tyus, All-SEC, Billy Donovan, Bruce Pearl, Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Georgia Dome, Kenny Boynton, Patric Young, Player of the Year, Scottie Wilbekin, Scotty Hopson, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament, Tennessee Volunteers, Tobias Harris, Vernon Macklin

Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 6:00 p.m. (ET)

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD
Online Video: ESPN3.com
Online Audio: Yahoo!
First Half Live Updates: @OnlyGators
Second Half Periodic Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida -5.5; O/U 133

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Tennessee leads the all-time series against Florida 69-50 and has won 10 out of the last 14 in the series; however, the Gators have defeated the Volunteers in the teams’ last two meetings including an 81-75 overtime victory on Jan. 12.
» Donovan is now 14-16 all-time against UT and 9-5 when facing them in the O’Dome. Conversely, Pearl is 8-3 all-time against UF and 3-2 in the House of Horrors.
» Florida has won 14 of their last 17 games with 10 victories against RPI top 100 teams. The Gators are 11-3 at home this season, which includes a 4-1 record in SEC play.
» UF is 5-1 against the SEC East this season after finishing 3-7 in the division last year.
» The Gators earned back-to-back victories against ranked opponents for the first time since 2007 after defeating then-No. 24 Vanderbilt and then-No. 11 Kentucky last week.
» Florida improved to 16-1 when holding opponents under 70 points this season after limiting South Carolina to 60 points on Wednesday.
» UF is 11-0 when forcing more turnovers than their opponents.
» The Gators are 8-1 this year when senior forward Chandler Parsons takes 10 or more shots from the field. Parsons has registered three consecutive double-doubles.
» Donovan won his 350th game in the orange and blue on Wednesday.
» Florida enters Saturday’s game with 19 wins, just one shy of reaching 20 wins for the 13th consecutive season. The Gators hold the longest active streak in the SEC.
» Florida and Tennessee best each other in a pair of the four major statistical categories. The Gators hold advantages in assists per game 14.1-13.8 (101st-125th) and field goal percentage .457-.434 (88th-188th), while the Volunteers score more points per game 72.0-71.4 (103rd-114th) and grab more rebounds 39.2-38.5 (22nd-33rd). UF ranks 13th in RPI (.6375) and sixth in strength of schedule nationally compared to their opponent being 23rd (.6120) and 1st, respectively.

LAST TIME OUT…

Florida and Tennessee will square off for the second time this season; the Gators defeated the Volunteers in a 81-75 overtime thriller in Knoxville, TN on Jan. 12. In the contest, Florida saw all five starters score in double figures and the team held off numerous rallies by Tennessee to eventually prevail.

KEEP AN EYE ON…

» Parsons…who is back to averaging double-digit points (11.1) while leading the Gators with 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Parsons ranks No. 1 among active SEC players in rebounds (765), No. 3 in points (1,311) and No. 4 in assists (292) and steals (118). He has notched three-straight double-doubles and now has six this season alone.
» Junior point guard Erving Walker…who is leading his team in scoring with 14.7 points per game and leading the backcourt in both field goal percentage (.427) and three-point percentage (.389). Walker also leads Florida in turnovers (60) and became the 47th player in school history to score 1,000 points earlier this season.
» Redshirt senior center Vernon Macklin…who is shooting a team-best 58.4 percent from the floor this season with most of his buckets coming inside the paint. He averages 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds a game while being a major presence for UF.
» Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton…who is arguably the Gators’ most talented player but is struggling with consistency shooting the ball. Boynton is only hitting 35.8 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from beyond the arc; however, he is second in scoring with 13.0 points per game and makes a team-high 83.3 percent of his free throws.
» Senior F Alex Tyus…who is averaging career-lows in points, rebounds and field goal percentage as a starter. Tyus became just the fifth player under Donovan to reach 500 career field goals, accomplishing the feat last Tuesday against Vanderbilt.
» Freshmen PG Scottie Wilbekin and C Patric Young…who are Florida’s primary reserves each averaging approximately 17 minutes per game. Wilbekin, in relief of Walker, leads UF in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5:1), while Young averages 3.4 points and 3.3 boards off the bench.
» Tennessee G Scotty Hopson…who leads his team in scoring with 16.2 points per game and shoots a team-best 38.1 percent from downtown. Hopson has had four 20-point games this season with, with one coming in his last game against Florida.
» Volunteers F Tobias Harris…who averages 14.6 points while grabbing 7.5 boards each game. Harris, along with Hopson, averages a team-high 28.6 minutes per contest.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Bruce Pearl, Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, O'Connell Center, Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, Scotty Hopson, SEC, Tennessee Volunteers, Tobias Harris, Vernon Macklin

The Florida Gators won their fifth-straight game and eighth in their last nine contests with a 81-75 overtime victory against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN, Tuesday evening.

The Gators (13-3, 2-0 SEC), who had all five starters score in double figures and only four points from their bench, held off rally after rally from the Volunteers (10-6, 0-2 SEC) on the way to winning their first overtime game in two tries this season.

Senior forward Alex Tyus, who scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in his best performance of the season. Classmate F Chandler Parsons was equally efficient for Florida, hitting 4-of-5 attempts from downtown and 5-of-7 overall for 16 points.

Down five early, UF used a 10-1 run to take a 19-15 lead thanks to two stellar dimes from freshman point guard Scottie Wilbekin. Tennessee responded with a 14-2 run to take a game-high eight-point lead (29-21) with over five minutes remaining in the half.

Back-to-back threes from Parsons fueled an 11-0 run for the Gators, who held the Volunteers to one basket in the final 5:46 of the half and took a 32-31 lead at the break.

Florida jumped ahead to their own game-high eight-point lead on Parsons’ third trey, though a 7-2 run by Tennessee tied the game at 64 with less than four minutes to go.

Tyus, stepping up to the line for a one-and-one with 42 seconds remaining, missed his free throw and the chance to put UF ahead late in the game. He redeemed himself with a game-saving block on the next possession.

Junior PG Erving Walker received an inbounds pass from Parsons with five seconds left but air-balled a fadeaway three with time running out to send the game into overtime.

The Gators put their foot on the pedal in the extra period, scoring six-straight points to open overtime and using a 9-2 run fueled by a pair of three-pointers by sophomore guard Kenny Boynton to take a 77-70 lead with 45 seconds left. Florida missed three free throws during the stretch but held off five quick points by Tennessee to prevail.

Parsons added six rebounds to his point total, while redshirt senior center Vernon Macklin contributed 11 points and five rebounds as the team’s third frontcourt starter. Boynton and Walker finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively.

UF’s starters scored 77 of the team’s 81 points on Tuesday, but freshman C Patric Young posted a stellar performance with seven rebounds including four off the offensive glass and all four of the Gators’ bench points. Wilbekin added three dimes and three steals, played stellar defense and did not turn the ball over once.

Volunteers Gs Cameron Tatum and Scotty Hopson combined for 41 points on 50 percent shooting with eight total rebounds. Tatum turned the ball over a game-high five times but also handed out four assists. Tennessee also benefited from a strong presence inside the paint as F Tobias Harris accounted for a double-double with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds.

UT was without head coach Bruce Pearl, who was suspended from participating in the first eight Southeastern Conference games of the season after being caught committing numerous recruiting violations.

Florida’s fifth-straight victory set a season-long streak and was their first in Knoxville since 2005. The Gators have scored 71 points or more in each of their last four games after failing to do so in their seven prior contests.

Photo Credit: Wade Payne/Associated Press

Tags: Alex Tyus, Bruce Pearl, Cameron Tatum, Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, Scotty Hopson, SEC, Tennessee Volunteers, Thompson-Boling Arena, Tobias Harris, Vernon Macklin

Location: Thompson-Boling Arena – Knoxville, TN [Capacity: 21,678]
Time: 9:00 p.m. (ET)

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD
Online Video: ESPN3.com
Sirius/XM: None
Online Audio: Yahoo!
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Tennessee -3.5; O/U: 136.5

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Tennessee leads the all-time series against Florida 69-49, is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings and is 5-0 in the last five games played in Knoxville. However, UF won the last contest between the two teams 75-62 at home in Gainesville. Donovan is 13-15 against UT with a 4-10 record on the road.
» Struggling offensively most of the season the Gators have scored an average of 77.3 points per game over their last three games while shooting a hot 46.9 percent (23-for-49) from three-point range.
» Florida has out-rebounded 13 of 15 opponents this season – including in its three defeats – and is doing so by a +7.9 rebound per game advantage.
» UF is No. 1 in the NCAA in fewest personal fouls per game (13.6). They have made more free throws (199) than their opponents have attempted (197).
» The Gators and Volunteers each best each other in two of four major statistically categories nationally. Florida holds advantages in assists 74th-136th (14.9-13.7) and field goal percentage 60th-152nd (.466-.443), while Tennessee scores more points 72nd-149th (75.1-70.7) and grabs more boards 29th-73rd (39.9-38.1). The Gators rank 14th in RPI (.6449) and 8th in strength of schedule compared to the Volunteers being 22nd (.6152) and 3rd, respectively.
» Tennessee will be playing without Pearl manning the bench. The Volunteers’ head coach received an eight-game suspension due after findings revealed that he committed a substantial number of recruiting violations.

KEEP AN EYE ON…

» Junior point guard Erving Walker…who is leading his team in scoring with 14.3 points and leading the backcourt in field goal percentage (46.5%), free throw percentage (76.9%) and three-point percentage (44.9%). He has single-handedly accounted for 35 of Florida’s 86 treys this season. Walker became the 47th player in school history to score 1,000 points, accomplishing the feat during Saturday’s game.
» Senior forward Chandler Parsons…who back to averaging double-digit points (10.4) while leading the Gators with 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
» Redshirt senior center Vernon Macklin…who is shooting a team-high 58.1 percent this season with most of his buckets coming inside the paint. He averages 10.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a game while being a major presence for Florida.
» Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton…who is arguably UF’s most talented player but has been marred in a slump this year. Boynton is only shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 28.7 percent from beyond the arc. He is second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game and hits 73.2 percent of his free throws. Boynton has had a four-point play in three-straight games. He is 4-for-4 on those opportunities this season and 6-of-6 for his career.
» Tennessee G Scotty Hopson and F Tobias Harris…who combine to score for 31.8 of their team’s 75.1 points per game. The duo also contributes by posting combined averages of 10.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
» Volunteers G Melvin Goins…who is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.9 points per game but is shooting almost 45 percent from downtown. Goins also contributes three rebounds and assists per contest.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Bruce Pearl, Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Melvin Goins, NCAA, Scotty Hopson, SEC, Tennessee Volunteers, Thompson-Boling Arena, Tobias Harris, Vernon Macklin

Florida Gators head basketball coach Billy Donovan likes to talk – and we like to listen – which is why we have compiled some of the most important news, notes and quotes following his press availability on Monday.

“AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING” KEYS TO RECENT TURNAROUND

After failing to score at least 70 points in seven games, Florida has done so in each of its past three contests (71, 84, 77) and has had what some would consider an offensive resurgence since Dec. 31. Donovan attributes the improvement to the team’s overall understanding and execution of the game plan.

“Our guys are always willing to make the extra pass. When things happen inside of a game and plays happen very, very quickly and you have to react, I felt like earlier in the year we were not taking advantage of each other’s strengths and talents,” he said. “Nothing more than probably a lack of awareness or understanding of what’s open, what’s available and what they should be looking at.

“As time has gone on, they have gotten better at seeing some of those things. We needed to do a better job taking advantage of each other’s skill set. Hopefully we can continue to get better because as you start to play, teams are going to take away different things and you’re going to have to adjust and adapt to counters and different things preparation-wise.”

Just because the Gators are improved does not mean the team has taken their game to another level. “When the ball goes in the basket, it gives the appearance that you’re playing better,” Donovan added. “There’s no question that when the ball goes into the basket for any team – that helps. It can’t get to a point where, if we’re not shooting the ball well, it bleeds into and affects the other things that they’re doing on the floor. We can’t be a team that, when the ball is not going into the basket, it affects those minutes we’re not shooting the ball.”

UNHERALDED CONTRIBUTIONS KEEP TEAMS IN GAMES

“On ESPN they don’t show great block outs or a guy stepping up and taking a charge. They show high-flying dunks, a guy who scored 40. Instinctively, people will say, ‘How did you do? How many points did you score?’ And a lot of times it has nothing to do with that,” said Donovan when discussing some of the other priorities he trying to instill.

“If we don’t shoot the ball well and we don’t do the other things I’m talking about, we have no shot at winning. I don’t think any team has a shot at winning. So what you really try to do as a coach is control the things you have control over as a team. And then what you try to do is unselfishness, extra pass, high assist total, guys taking shots that they have a chance and an opportunity to make. If you don’t shoot the ball well, you still want to give yourself a chance to win in a grind-out game. We got to offset some of that stuff because not every team every game is going to shoot great. For our team sometimes we have more off nights shooting it than we do [on nights].”

That message has gotten through to the team, especially freshman center Patric Young. “Basketball’s way more than just scoring on the offensive side,” he said. “You have to block out and play defense. What are [coach's] favorite words? Block out. Step up. Take a charge. Move the ball.”

Read more from Donovan and the centers…after the break!
Continue Reading » 1/10: Donovan discucess team’s highs and lows

Tags: Anthony Grant, Billy Donovan, Bruce Pearl, Chandler Parsons, John Pelphrey, Patric Young, Vernon Macklin

Currently under investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations in the form of impermissible phone calls, the Tennessee Volunteers basketball program has proactively punished four members of its coaching staff, the school announced during an official press conference Friday at 3 p.m.

The NCAA believes Tennessee coaches purposely made excessive phone calls to recruits from unauthorized phones and may have even attempted to mislead and deceive investigators. The organization has already sent the school a formal letter of inquiry.

The Volunteers have decided to reduce head coach Bruce Pearl’s salary by $1.5 million through 2015 (the end of his contract) while also delaying a $500,000 retention bonus the school was set to pay him by 17 months from November 2012 to June 2015.

Additionally, “Coach Pearl will not be permitted to engage in any off campus recruiting for a period of one year,” Tennessee officials ruled. He will be stuck speaking to recruits on campus from Sept. 2010 to Sept 2011.

Three Volunteers assistants – Tony Jones, Steve Forbes and Jason Shay – were also punished. Each received a 25 percent reduction in their salaries and off-campus recruiting bans of nine months, one year and three months, respectively.

Other penalties the school self-imposed on the four men include:
- Requirement to attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar in June 2010
- Not allowed to make recruiting phone calls from Aug. 7-14, 2010
- A 33 percent reduction in official recruiting visits for 2010-11 – from 12 to 9
- A 20 percent reduction in “recruiting opportunities off-campus” – from 130 to 104
- No official or unofficial visits for the weekends of Sept. 17-18 and Sept. 24-25, 2010

The NCAA continues to investigate Tennessee’s football program for impermissible practices but has yet to send a formal letter of inquiry to the school.

Tags: Bruce Pearl, Jason Shay, NCAA, Steve Forbes, Tennessee Volunteers, Tony Jones

Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan, who is on his way to Germany to watch five-star 2011 guard commitment Brad Beal (St. Louis, MO) and other top recruits compete with the USA Basketball Men’s U-17 National Team in the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Men, spoke with ESPN’s Andy Katz about the team’s return to respectability and his excitement over the latest batch of incoming recruits.

“If [senior forward] Chandler Parsons‘ 75-foot shot at NC State doesn’t go in or we’re one of the four teams that misses the NCAA tournament and we’ve been out for three years in a row, then maybe we’re having a different conversation,” Donovan told Katz earlier in the week. “If we didn’t get into the tournament, there would be a different feeling right now. But we did, and I told our team that we’ve got to maximize that.

“But our goals have to be bigger than that. It’s easy for everyone to feel good with five starters back since no one else does in the SEC, but we can’t fall into the trap about the outside perception. We’re not as good as people think or not as bad.”

Donovan also raved about four-star power forward Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL).

“We’ve got a chance to be really good going forward,” he added. “What we’re getting with Patric is a player with an excellent motor. He’s got a high energy level and plenty of humility. He wants to earn everyone’s respect. This is a different challenge, and he’s setting the right mentality.”

Other notes from Katz’s story:

- The Gators are also taking a strong look at other 2011 recruits participating in the international competition including five-star small forward Adonis Thomas (Memphis, TN) and four-star power forward Johnny O’Bryant (Cleveland, MS).
- Donovan’s itinerary included stops at the adidas camp in Indianapolis, IN, and the King City Classic on Thursday in Cleveland, OH, before he heads to Germany.
- Young realizes that his experience with USA Basketball, while fun, does not equal the challenge of playing against top NCAA competition.
- Joining Donovan in Germany – among others – are Kentucky’s John Calipari and Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl. “You can see how your guys stack up against international competition, [and] you can watch a much wider range of players at events like that, more so than going from one AAU event to another.”

OGGOA will be reporting on Beal’s journey after competition concludes.

Photo Credit: Wiley Price/The St. Louis American

Tags: Adonis Thomas, Billy Donovan, Brad Beal, Bruce Pearl, FIBA, FIBA World Championship, John Calipari, Johnny O’Bryant, Patric Young, USA, USA Basketball

1 » Champions of the 2010 Southeastern Conference regular season, No. 4 Florida Gators baseball received two major awards and 14 honorable placements on Tuesday. Kevin O’Sullivan was named the 2010 SEC Coach of the Year, third baseman Austin Maddox was named the 2010 SEC Freshman of the Year and junior left-hander Kevin Chapman was named to the All-SEC First Team as the relief pitcher. Other honors awarded: All-SEC Second Team – sophomore first baseman Preston Tucker, Maddox, freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana and senior outfielder Matt den Dekker; All-Freshman Team – Maddox, Fontana, catcher Mike Zunino, pitcher Hudson Randall, DH/P Brian Johnson; All-Defensive Team – Tucker, Fontana, den Dekker.

2 » Tennessee Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl heaped the praise on the Gators basketball program and head coach Billy Donovan on Tuesday, claiming that Florida is easily the most talented team in the SEC going into the 2010-11 season. “Billy Donovan has had several years of really, really good recruiting,” Pearl told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “They will be by far the most talented team in the SEC.” Pearl made this declaration while acknowledging the fact that Kentucky is bringing in easily the best recruiting class in the nation.

Photo Credit: University of Florida

Tags: All-Defensive, All-Freshman, All-SEC, Austin Maddox, baseball, Billy Donovan, Brian Johnson, Bruce Pearl, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Hudson Randall, Kevin Chapman, Kevin O’Sullivan, Matt den Dekker, Mike Zunino, Nolan Fontana, Preston Tucker, SEC, Tennessee Volunteers