By Andrew Olson – OGGOA Contributor

No. 19 Florida Gators baseball (25-20, 12-9 SEC) has continued its upward momentum, going 6-2 (with two series victories) since it swept South Carolina in mid-April. Over the last two weeks, Florida has gone 3-1 both at home and on the road.

Following a big three-game sweep over a Southeastern Conference powerhouse like No. 15 USC, many teams might suffer a letdown game against a non-conference foe on the road…but not the Gators. Florida had plenty of motivation to pick up a revenge victory in Fort Myers, FL against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles after having been swept by FGCU in Gainesville, FL back in February.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Bobby Poyner tossed 5.1 innings, a career-high, allowing only one run in UF’s 5-3 victory on April 16 before sophomore closer Johnny Magliozzi got the job done with a five-out save. Sophomore catcher Taylor Gushue (2/4, 2 RBI, R, BB) smacked a double to help fuel a three-run seventh inning. Redshirt senior first baseman Vickash Ramjit (2/4, RBI) and sophomore outfielder Justin Shafer (2/5, R) also contributed to the hit parade.

Junior right-hander Jonathon Crawford overcame a rough beginning to his Friday start on April 19 to earn his third win in an 8-6 victory over the Missouri Tigers. Crawford allowed four hits in a four-run first but settled down for the next 4.2 innings and left the game with a 6-4 lead. The Gators’ offense was not done, however, scoring two more runs on four hits to spot the relievers four runs. Magliozzi picked up another five-out save, securing a much-needed series-opening win on the road for Florida.

Continue Reading » Florida baseball continues rise; 6-2 in last eight

Tags: baseball, Bobby Poyner, Casey Turgeon, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Harrison Bader, Johnny Magliozzi, Jonathon Crawford, Justin Shafer, Kevin O'Sullivan, Missouri Tigers, SEC, South Florida Bulls, Taylor Gushue, Tennessee Volunteers, Vickash Ramjit

Another close game, another upset loss for the No. 4/5 Florida Gators, which blew double-digit leads in both halves before falling 63-60 to the Missouri Tigers on Tuesday evening at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, MO.

Florida (21-4, 11-2 SEC) fell to 0-3 in games decided by three points or less this season while Missouri (19-7, 8-5 SEC) remained undefeated at home and now boasts a 15-0 record on its court (7-0 in league play).

The Gators held a game-high 13-point lead on the Tigers with 10:41 left in the game but committed six fouls and five turnovers over the duration of the contest while allowing Mizzou to pull off the come-from-behind upset.

Forward Laurence Bowers, whose absence was felt in Missouri’s 31-point loss at Florida on Jan. 19, led all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and proved to be a big-time problem for the Gators in the paint.

Continue Reading » Missouri upsets Florida as Gators collapse late

Tags: Billy Donovan, Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton, Laurence Bowers, Mike Rosario, Missouri Tigers, Mizzou Arena, Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC

Location: Mizzou Arena – Columbia, MO [Capacity: 15,061]
Time: 9:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD (Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes, Holly Rowe)
SiriusXM: 91 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: WatchESPN.com | Mobile Video: WatchESPN app
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter and SportsYapper app

Odds: Florida -5 | O/U 138.5

HISTORY / STREAKS / STATS

» Florida and Missouri played for the first time ever on Jan. 19 with UF picking up an 83-52 victory in the inaugural meeting in Gainesville, FL.
» Mizzou is undefeated at home this season (14-0) and beating SEC opponents in Mizzou Arena by an average of 14 points per game.
» Four Gators starters are averaging double figures in scoring. The Tigers have six players that score in double digits, all of whom play more than 24 minutes per game.
» Florida is 46-3 since the beginning of the 2011-12 season when holding opponents under 71 points in a game (20-2 in 2012-13).
» Missouri has scored at least 71 points in three-straight games and four of its last five.
» The Gators are 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.
» UF is outscoring SEC opponents by an average of +22.8 points per game.
» Florida senior forward Erik Murphy (.500) and freshman guard Michael Frazier II (.506) are chasing school history and looking to become the most proficient single-season three-point shooter ever at UF (Kenyan Weaks – .508).
» The Gators are second nationally in scoring margin (+21.7), third in scoring defense (52.6), sixth in field goal percentage (.497) and field goal defense (.371), eighth in three-point shooting (8.9 per game) and assist-turnover ratio (1.42), 13th in assists (16.3), 16th in three-point percentage (.395) and 17th in rebound margin (+7.1).
» Florida is also sixth nationally in fouling, committing 14.0 per game.
» The Tigers are fourth nationally in rebound margin (+10.2), 20th in free throw percentage (.750) and 21st in scoring offense (76.5).

Read the rest of the Florida-Missouri preview with much more after the break!
Continue Reading » Gameday: No. 4/5 Florida Gators at Missouri

Tags: Billy Donovan, Casey Prather, Erik Murphy, Frank Haith, Kenny Boynton, Laurence Bowers, Michael Frazier, Missouri Tigers, Mizzou Arena, SEC, Will Yeguete

With No. 4/5 Florida Gators basketball (21-3, 11-1 SEC) set to begin a challenging week of action including a road game at Missouri and a home contest against Arkansas on Saturday, head coach Billy Donovan met with the media Monday to provide updates on his team heading into its next two games.

MISSOURI: A DIFFERENT TEAM AT HOME

Florida trounced Missouri 83-52 back on Jan. 19 in Gainesville, FL, but the Gators had plenty of things working for them that day. Not only was the home crowd as loud and rowdy as it had been in recent memory, the Tigers took the court without their best player as forward Laurence Bowers was sidelined with a knee injury. Donovan explained that Bowers being back in the fold makes Mizzou a completely different team.

“[He’s] a guy that has been referenced by their team and coaches as a heart and soul guy to their team. He’s a very good player,” he said. “He can do a lot of different things. He rebounds, he can score from the low post, he can shoot threes. He’s very crafty, he’s good defensively, [and] he’s a very smart player. I think anytime you take a player like that off your team, your team is going to be a little different. Certainly, as an older guy, a veteran, an experienced guy, him being back only makes their team better.”

Tuesday’s hosts also play significantly better on their home court. Missouri is 14-0 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, MO this season, boasting a 6-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play and winning those games by an average of 14 points. Conversely, the Tigers are 1-5 against league opponents on the road. The last time UF faced a team with such an extreme difference in their level of play based on location, the Gators were upset 80-69 at Arkansas on Feb. 5.

“You go play in Rupp [Arena], you go play at Arkansas, you go play in certain places around the league, a tough environment is going to be a tough environment. The noise level at any place on the road is going to be loud,” Donovan said. “Our guys have played on the road. We played at Arizona; I thought that was a very, very difficult place to play. We went to Kansas State [and] they had a great turnout. Our guys have played in difficult situations. I don’t think that there’s anything that we’re going to talk about environment-wise that is going to [catch] our guys off-guard.”

That is not to say Donovan is unaware of Missouri’s proficiencies in the friendly confines of their home gym. He has studied up on those variances, which means Florida’s players will be on high alert come Tuesday.

“They certainly feel more comfortable shooting the ball at home,” Donovan said of the Tigers. “The biggest numbers are what they’re shooting from the field, which is right around 48 percent, and what they’re shooting from three, which is about 42 percent. So they’ve been a team that has been extremely explosive offensively at home. … Now you’re dealing with a very, very explosive offensive team that can score in bunches in a lot of different ways, in a lot of different situations and they have back a key guy in Bowers that we didn’t see when we played against them last time.”

Read what else Billy Donovan had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 2/18: Donovan on Mizzou, Frazier’s progress

Tags: Billy Donovan, Erik Murphy, Freshman of the Week, Kenny Boynton, Michael Frazier, Mike Rosario, Missouri Tigers, SEC

Head coach Billy Donovan could not have asked for a better performance out of the No. 9/10 Florida Gators (14-2, 4-0 SEC) on Saturday as the team earned him his 400th career victory at the school with an 83-52 blowout victory over the No. 16/17 Missouri Tigers (13-4, 2-2 SEC) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

Donovan, with a record of 400-160 (.714) at Florida, watched on as the Gators outworked and outplayed the Tigers in every facet of the game.

Senior forward Erik Murphy scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting (3-of-5 from downtown) for Florida, which was fueled by a double-double (13 points, game-high 10 assists) from junior point guard Scottie Wilbekin.

Senior guard Kenny Boynton and junior F Will Yeguete also scored in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Junior center Patric Young chipped in nine points with game-highs of eight rebounds and three blocks.

Missouri, which was without star Laurence Bowers (MCL), struggled offensively but was led by G Jabari Brown’s game-high 16 points.

The Gators outshot the Tigers from the field (.593-.327) and beyond the arc (.421-.250), won the rebounding battle 35-25, registered 21 assists on 35 made baskets and blocked seven shots.

Florida also outscored Missouri in the paint (48-14), off turnovers (34-12), on second chances (11-1), on the fast break (16-2) and off the bench (23-8).

The Gators led wire-to-wire, scoring the first 11 points of the game and never allowing the Tigers to even tie up the score.

Florida and Missouri went head-to-head in men’s basketball for the first time ever. The new SEC East rivals will square off again before the conclusion of the regular season.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton, Missouri Tigers, Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Will Yeguete

* Bowers is injured and will not play Saturday.

Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD
SiriusXM: 85 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: WatchESPN.com | Mobile Video: WatchESPN app
Live Updates: Sporadic scores only @OnlyGators on Twitter

WIN NO. 400 ON THE LINE FOR BILLY D

Last season, his 18th as a head coach on the collegiate level, Donovan eclipsed 400 career wins. Now in his 17th season leading the Florida basketball program, Donovan has the opportunity to register his 400th career win as head coach of the Gators.

He enters Saturday afternoon’s game with a 399-160 (.714) record at Florida to go along with two national titles, three Final Four appearances, three SEC Tournament titles and four SEC regular season championships.

Since being hired by the Gators in 1996, Donovan has also won ESPN National Coach of the Year in 2001, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award in 2006, the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2010 and his only SEC Coach of the Year honor in 2011. A Hall of Fame nomination is not far off.

Donovan has also seen 13 former Florida players be selected in the NBA Draft and six former Gators assistants receive head coaching jobs of their own across the country.

HISTORY / STREAKS / STATS

» Florida and Missouri haven ever met in men’s basketball.
» Four of UF’s regular starters are averaging double figures.
» The Gators have held eight of their first 15 opponents under 50 points.
» UF is 38-3 since the beginning of the 2011-12 season when holding opponents under 71 points in a game (13-2 in 2012-13).
» Florida was just 3-5 against top-25 opponents last season with all five losses coming to top-three teams. UF is currently scheduled to take on seven top-25 opponents as part of the 2012-13 campaign and is already 1-1 in such games.
» The Gators are second nationally in scoring margin (+21.6), third in scoring defense (52.0), eighth in field goal percentage defense (.365) and 14th in rebound margin (+8.8).
» Florida is also 11th nationally in fouling, committing 14.3 per game, and 92nd nationally in assists, dishing just 14.4 per game.
» Missouri is ranked first nationally in rebounding (44.7) and fourth in margin (+10.9).

Read the rest of the Florida-Missouri preview with much more after the break!

Continue Reading » Gameday: (9) Florida Gators vs. (16) Missouri

Tags: Billy Donovan, Frank Haith, Kenny Boynton, Laurence Bowers, Missouri Tigers, Patric Young, SEC, Stephen C. O'Connell Center

No. 6 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to review the team’s hard-fought 14-7 victory over the Missouri Tigers and preview Saturday’s game against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.

INJURY UPDATES

Though the Gators dealt with a rash of injuries both last week and during the game Saturday, Muschamp said that only redshirt sophomore running back Mack Brown (ankle) is listed as “questionable” for this week’s contest.

However, there are at least seven players who are “probable” for the Louisiana-Lafayette game including redshirt junior wide receiver Andre Debose (knee), redshirt senior kicker Caleb Sturgis (ankle), redshirt senior left guard James Wilson (knee), senior left tackle Xavier Nixon (knee), redshirt senior Buck linebacker Lerentee McCray (ankle), redshirt junior right guard Jon Halapio (ankle) and junior S Matt Elam (unknown).

Muschamp said none of the players will practice on Monday but he expects everyone listed as “probable” to participate in some way beginning on Tuesday.

PLAYER AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Game: Redshirt senior WR Frankie Hammond, Jr. and sophomore fullback Hunter Joyer
“[Joyer is] a guy that is having an outstanding year. He’s very unsung but blocks extremely well. A lot of the runs that we’re springing are because of him. He made a great block for Omarius [Hines]. Really, this is a season award for him. He had a really good game Saturday, but he’s played consistently well all season for us.”

Scrap Iron: Halapio, redshirt junior center Jonotthan Harrison

Big Plays: Hines, junior RB Trey Burton, senior RB Mike Gillislee

Defensive Players of the Game: Senior S Josh Evans and junior defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd
“I thought [Evans] played very well. He’s played consistently well for us this entire season and really is having a good year for us.”
* Floyd was also named SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week
“Sharrif was very difficult to block inside in this past ballgame and has been for the most part this season. He’s really playing his most natural position inside…and having a fantastic year.”

Ball Hawks: Evans, Elam, senior Mike linebacker Jon Bostic, junior defensive end Dominique Easley, sophomore cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy, junior CB Jaylen Watkins

Special Teams Players of the Game: Purifoy, sophomore S De’Ante Saunders

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 11/5: Muschamp pleased with Florida’s resolve

Tags: Alex McCalister, Andre Debose, Antonio Morrison, Brent Pease, Brian Poole, Caleb Sturgis, D.J. Humphries, Dan Quinn, Dante Fowler, De'Ante Saunders, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, Hunter Joyer, Jacoby Brissett, James Wilson, Jaylen Watkins, Jeremy Foley, Jon Bostic, Jon Halapio, Jonathan Bullard, Jonotthan Harrison, Josh Evans, Latroy Pittman, Lerentee McCray, Loucheiz Purifoy, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Mack Brown, Marcus Maye, Matt Elam, Matt Jones, Mike Gillislee, Missouri Tigers, Omarius Hines, Raphael Andrades, Sharrif Floyd, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

If Florida Gators freshman defensive end Jonathan Bullard looked like he had extra fire in his belly on Saturday against the Missouri Tigers, there is a good reason for that as he was playing in part for his grandmother, whose recent brush with a serious illness had him back home in Shelby, NC this week.

Bullard, who arrived back in Gainesville, FL on Friday evening and vowed to play for Florida on Saturday, turned in his best game of the season, registering 1.5 sacks for a loss of 13 total yards, hurrying Mizzou quarterback James Franklin thrice and coming up big with another 1.5 tackles, mostly on run plays.

“The d[efensive] line sat down with Bullard and we talked to him. We let him know that we’re there for him. We all rallied around him. We gave our thanks to him for coming back and playing, knowing his situation back at home,” redshirt senior defensive tackle Omar Hunter explained after the game.

“Whatever he needed, he knew we was there. We just gave him our respect for coming back and playing the game for us,” junior DT Sharrif Floyd added. “That was basically it. There was nothing else to do that. That’s hard, it’s hard to lose a family member, especially one you’re so close to.”

Bullard was just one of two freshmen defensive linemen who play their hearts out for the Gators on Saturday. Also getting in on the fun was Buck linebacker Dante Fowler, Jr., who notched two tackles for an 11-yard loss as well as a big seven-yard sack of Franklin.

CLICK TO EXPAND and read the rest of this story.

Tags: Dante Fowler, Jonathan Bullard, Missouri Tigers, Omar Hunter, Sharrif Floyd, Will Muschamp