Closing out the game on a 17-5 run after being tied at 72 late in the second half, the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (17-0) stormed the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, taking down the Florida Gators (11-5) 89-77 in Gainesville, FL.

Kentucky freshman guard Eric Bledsoe scored a game-high 25 points on 10-13 shooting while going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He added seven rebounds and five assists as fellow freshman G John Wall accounted for 19 points and six dishes. Junior forward Patrick Patterson dominated the paint with 15 points and seven rebounds, sharing the block with freshman F DeMarcus Cousins (13 points, five boards) and freshman F Daniel Orton, who controlled the post with nine rebounds and four blocks.

Florida was ice cold from downtown in the first half, though junior F Alex Tyus did make two treys (the first and second of his career) before halftime; he finished with 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore G Erving Walker was 4-for-9 from three with four assists, scoring the majority of his 20 points in the second half. Freshman G Kenny Boynton finished with 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting while senior F Dan Werner was an abysmal 0-4 from beyond the arc with six rebounds.

A seven-point halftime deficit turned into a seemingly insurmountable 15-point hole for the Gators, but a red-hot Walker combined with a ferocious Tyus knotted the game at 72 with five minutes left in the game. After a alley-oop completed by Wall, Florida unraveled and allowed the Wildcats to pick them apart in front of the Rowdy Reptiles.

Now 0-2 in Southeastern Conference play, the Gators hope to right some wrongs on Saturday when they host the LSU Tigers at 8 p.m. The game will air live on FSN.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Dan Werner, Daniel Orton, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Erving Walker, John Wall, Kenny Boynton, Kentucky Wildcats, O'Connell Center, Patrick Patterson, Rowdy Reptiles, SEC

Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 9:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPN
Online: ESPN360.com
Sirius 217 – XM: 199

Odds: Kentucky -3.5, O/U 142

KEEP AN EYE ON…
- Players scoring in double-figures…five Gators starters and one bench player are all averaging double-digit points. Freshman guard Kenny Boynton averages 14.6 ppg while junior forwards Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons, redshrit junior center Vernon Macklin and sophomore point guard Erving Walker all average 11.7-10.0 ppg.
- Kentucky’s double-digit scorers…three average more than 15 points per game, while the team is scoring 82.4 points per game and shooting 49.8 percent from the floor.
- Tyus…who is averaging 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last six games. He has been in double figures for six straight contests and scored above his average in four.
- Boynton/Walker connection…the duo combined for 50 points against Vanderbilt on Saturday and have dished out 127 assists to just 58 turnovers on the season.
- The Wildcats’ John Wall…ranks in the top five in the NCAA with 6.9 assists per game and leads the team in points (17.2) and steals (2.2) per game.
- Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson…is averaging 16.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

STREAKS:
- Florida trails the all-time series against Kentucky by a large margin – 86-32. However, the Gators won the last meeting, eight of the last 10 and five straight in Gainesville.
- The Wildcats are the highest-ranked opponent to come to the O’Connell Center since they were also ranked No. 2 in March of 2003.
- Under Donovan, Florida is 3-3 against top-five teams at home (2-2 vs. Kentucky).
- The Gators and Wildcats will face-off on national television for the 24th straight time since 1999 – the longest streak in the SEC.

Read OGGOA’s Gators vs. No. 2 Wildcats preview after the jump!
Continue Reading » Florida Gators vs. No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Erik Murphy, Erving Walker, John Calipari, John Wall, Kenny Boynton, Kentucky Wildcats, O'Connell Center, Patrick Patterson, SEC, Vernon Macklin

No. 13 Florida Gators volleyball (21-5, 15-4 SEC) stormed through Lexington, KY, on Sunday, defeating the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats (27-3, 17-2 SEC) 3-1 (31-29, 25-23, 24-26, 25-21). Senior libero Elyse Cusack moved second place on the Southeastern Conference‘s all-time career digs list by turning in a season-high 33 to increase her career total to 2,055.

Four Gators contributed by recording double-figure kills – the 12th time this season that three or more players have reached the level in the same contest. Florida also recorded double-figure team blocks for the eighth time in 2009. Sophomore outside hitter Colleen Ward led the team with 14 kills and a career-high 18 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Her classmate and positionmate Kristy Jaeckel added 12 kills and 13 digs of her own for her ninth double-double of the season. Adding to the fun was sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy with a career-high 43 assists.

“I think this was just a great match of high-level volleyball,” head coach Mary Wise said. “It was two very good teams battling with such great rallies. We feel very fortunate to have won and have to give credit to a good Kentucky team that really battled without its senior setter for most of the match.”

The Gators volleyball team returns to action on Friday, Nov. 27, when they square off against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at 4 p.m.

Tags: Colleen Ward, Elyse Cusack, Kelly Murphy, Kentucky Wildcats, Kristy Jaeckel, Mary Wise, O'Connell Center, SEC, volleyball

1 » Florida Gators basketball (2-0) looks to keep on rolling as they take on the Troy Trojans (2-0) Friday at 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Shooting a combined 3-for-29 (10.3%) from behind the arc, the Gators are bucking a trend head coach Billy Donovan set upon his arrival to Gainesville, FL. Florida has traditionally been among the best in the Southeastern Conference in three-point shooting percentage as Donovan has made it a priority both in his recruiting and game plans. “I think for guys like Kenny [Boynton] and Erving [Walker], it is probably somewhat uncharacteristic,” Donovan said. “They have been shooting the ball well in practice. Chandler [Parsons] and Dan [Werner] are guys that maybe have been a little more up and down in their careers.”

2 » There’s plenty of other Gators sports action on the docket for the weekend. Men’s and women’s swimming & diving begin their participation in all-day weekend tournaments Friday. Women’s basketball (1-1) faces the No. 25 Pittsburgh Panthers (1-0) in Pittsburgh, PA, on Friday, and No. 13/13 volleyball (20-4, 14-3 SEC) heads to Knoxville, TN, to serve against the Tennessee Volunteers (20-7, 13-4 SEC) – both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. Volleyball will then travel to Lexington, KY, to take on the Kentucky Wildcats (26-2, 16-1 SEC) on Sunday at 2 p.m.

3 » Senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes has been named as one of the five finalists for the 25th annual Butkus Award honoring the nation’s top linebacker. Other finalists include Rolando McClain of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Sergia Kindle of the Texas Longhorns, Sean Weatherspoon of the Missouri Tigers and Eric Norwood of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

4 » Redshirt juniors running back Emmanuel Moody (sprained ankle) and defensive tackle Terron Sanders (rib/back) have been ruled out for the Florida International Golden Panthers game on Saturday. According to head coach Urban Meyer, senior defensive end Jermaine Cunningham is “50-50” for the game with an unspecified injury. This is a good week to rest any banged up players prior to the regular season finale against the Florida State Seminoles next weekend.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Brandon Spikes, Butkus Award, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, diving, Emmanuel Moody, Erving Walker, Florida International Golden Panthers, Florida State Seminoles, Jermaine Cunningham, Kenny Boynton, Kentucky Wildcats, O'Connell Center, Pittsburgh Panthers, SEC, swimming, Tennessee Volunteers, Terron Sanders, Troy Trojans, Urban Meyer, volleyball, women's basketball

1 » Following big signings by the Florida Gators baseball, volleyball and women’s basketball teams, softball head coach Tim Walton announced Thursday that two highly coveted high school players have signed national letters of intent to play for the Orange and Blue starting in 2010. Utility player Kasey Fagan (Dunnellon, FL) and shortstop Cheyenne Coyle (West Hills, CA) are both extremely talented women who will bring a lot to the program. For more on their accomplishments, check out this article on GatorZone.

2 » Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong is garnering heavy interest from the Memphis Tigers for their head coaching vacancy, according to reports. OGGOA believes Strong should not take the job if offered, simply because we feel he deserves and can receive the head job at another big-time program rather than a second-tier school (football-wise). Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley shares similar thoughts while Miami Herald beat writer Joseph Goodman thinks Memphis would be a good fit. “I just have to work and continue to do this job right now,” Strong said when asked about the rumors. “My whole focus is making sure our defense goes out and plays well.”

3 » In recruiting news… Four-star small forward Stacey Poole, Jr., the son of former Gators standout Stacy Poole (who ranks as the team’s No. 4 all-time scorer), has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats and head coach John Calipari. Poole is one of the best forwards in the country and the first signee for Kentucky’s 2010 recruiting class.

Three more BITS about Spurrier, big plays and special teams after the jump…
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Softball signees; Strong as head coach; Poole, Jr.; Spurrier; big plays; special teams

Tags: Charlie Strong, Cheyenne Coyle, John Calipari, Kasey Fagan, Kentucky Wildcats, Memphis Tigers, softball, South Carolina Gamecocks, Stacey Poole, Steve Addazio, Steve Spurrier, Tim Walton, Urban Meyer

Four-star cornerback John Fulton (Manning, SC) will be taking a trip to the University of Florida for an official visit this Saturday when the Florida Gators take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Fulton is currently favoring his hometown South Carolina Gamecocks and Alabama Crimson Tide. With Florida already having a plethora of cornerback commitments, he may just be doing his due diligence.

More football, basketball and volleyball recruiting news after the jump…
Continue Reading » Recruiting visits for Vandy, update on Knight

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Berkley Whaley, Brandon Knight, Connecticut Huskies, Ian Silberman, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Luc, John Fulton, Joshua Shaw, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Michael McFarland, Ohio State Buckeyes, South Carolina Gamecocks, Trey Burton, University of Florida, Vanderbilt Commodores, volleyball

OGGOA broke exclusive news last Wednesday about Florida Gators junior cornerback Moses Jenkins undergoing a procedure that Monday to alleviate symptoms following complications from a concussion he suffered during the Kentucky Wildcats game a few weeks ago. We also reported that the coaching staff would seek a medical redshirt for Jenkins and that he was out indefinitely.

Jenkins underwent a procedure at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida on Monday to replace the cerebrospinal fluid that was being lost and not reproducing fast enough. He stayed overnight for observation and was visited by head coach Urban Meyer on Tuesday. The source said he is recovering nicely and getting extensive treatment to help the CSF begin circulating properly.

Last Thursday, Meyer spoke with the press and was forced to comment on OGGOA’s story. He explained that Jenkins did indeed undergo a procedure; however, he added that the team was not gong to seek a redshirt for him because the medical staff believed he would be able to return against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Based solely on this statement, another Web site attempted to discredit OGGOA’s report by inferring we said Jenkins’ procedure was “serious surgery.” No such thing was actually written or implied. Clarifying the article, OGGOA stood by our initial report about Jenkins but conceded that the “redshirt” statement may have been premature. Au contraire.

Speaking with a source close to Jenkins on Tuesday, OGGOA has once again confirmed that UF is “in the process” of acquiring a redshirt for Jenkins from the NCAA. Whether this is a precautionary measure (in case it is later determined he is unable to return) or if he is indeed out for the season, the fact remains that the process is underway. Jenkins is not expected to play Saturday against Vanderbilt as Meyer stated last week and remains out indefinitely. That being said, the source mentioned that Jenkins’ recovery is coming along nicely, which is fantastic news and obviously the most important thing!

Tags: Kentucky Wildcats, Moses Jenkins, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Vanderbilt Commodores

Almost exactly one month ago, OGGOA reported on Florida Gators basketball’s prized 2011 commitment, 5-star combo guard Austin Rivers, who was considering other options while making his decision whether or not to join the Orange & Blue in two years. While Rivers said he remained orally committed to the Gators then and holds the same contention now, he has begun to give heavy consideration to the Duke Blue Devils, who have been courting him for some time.

“I still love Florida so much,” Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel. “I fell in love with that campus and that program the minute I saw it. But it doesn’t help recruiting for the Gators at all when people take the words out of my mouth and put it out there that I’m undecided.”

There is much more to this story – read it after the jump…
Continue Reading » Duke closing in on Rivers, but doing it right way

Tags: Austin Rivers, Billy Donovan, Doc Rivers, Duke Blue Devils, John Calipari, Kentucky Wildcats, Mike Krzyzewski