Fresh off of receiving individual awards from the Southeastern Conference coaches, Florida Gators forward Chandler Parsons and head coach Billy Donovan doubled up their accolades on Monday. The Associated Press named Parsons its 2011 SEC Player of the Year and Donovan its 2011 SEC Coach of the Year.

A double-digit point scorer and team leader in rebounding and assists, Parsons swept the SEC Player of the Year award as he was also given the honor by SportingNews. He is the first University of Florida student-athlete to ever win the award for basketball and was a unanimous selection by AP voters.

Parsons is one of only two active Division I college basketball players with over 1,300 points, 800 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals. He also leads the SEC among active players in rebounding, is No. 3 in points and assists, and comes in No. 4 in steals.

Donovan finally picked up his first SEC Coach of the Year award after being held without one for 15 seasons. Unlike Parsons, the AP is only the second organization to honor him as Alabama’s Anthony Grant took home the SportingNews version of the award.

This season, Donovan took a team that was projected to win the conference but saw itself unranked when SEC action began to a 13-3 league record, East division championship, SEC regular season championship, berth in the title game of the 2011 SEC Tournament and No. 2 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Parsons, who the AP also picked as a member of the 2011 All-SEC First Team, was one of three Florida players the organization honored. Gators junior point guard Erving Walker earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team, and sophomore guard Kenny Boynton was given All-SEC honorable mention.

OGGOA RELATED: Parsons named 2011 SEC Player of the Year
OGGOA RELATED: Billy Donovan named 2011 SEC Coach of the Year
OGGOA RELATED: Parsons, Walker recognized with more honors

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Tags: All-SEC, Anthony Grant, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Coach of the Year, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Player of the Year, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament, University of Florida

Closing out the 2011 Southeastern Conference Tournament with a loss to the Kentucky Wildcats (25-8) in the championship game after beating both the Tennessee Volunteers (19-14) and Vanderbilt Commodores (23-10) for the third time this season, the Florida Gators (24-7) fell slightly when the final Top 25 polls of the season were released Monday afternoon.

Click to expand and view the Top 25 polls in full.

Tags: Kentucky Wildcats, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament, Tennessee Volunteers, Top 25, Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 12 Florida Gators basketball (26-7) has earned a berth to the 2011 NCAA Tournament after completing a fantastic regular season that included winning the 2011 Southeastern Conference Championship.

As announced during the NCAA Selection Show, Florida – a No. 2 seed – will face the No. 15-seed UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (18-13) of the Big West in Tampa, FL on Thursday night at 6:50 p.m. on TBS.

“We are really excited about being in the NCAA Tournament,’’ head coach Billy Donovan said. “I’m very happy for our players and our staff for the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament. We look forward to playing in Tampa and we will have a lot to get prepared for in a short amount of time.”

The Gators, placed in the Southeast Region (New Orleans, LA), could advance to face No. 7 UCLA (22-10) or No. 10 Michigan State (19-14) in the next round on Saturday. Pittsburgh (27-5) earned the region’s No. 1 seed.

“Obviously nobody expected us to be in this position three weeks ago,” UCSB head coach Bob Williams said after learning of his team’s seeding on Sunday. “We’re very happy about the opportunity to play Florida and to go to back to the tournament two years in a row. I don’t know much about them, except that they have one of the best coaches in the country, but we’ll work on that the next couple of days.”

Other notable competitors in the bracket include No. 3-seed BYU (30-4) [which UF lost to in a double-overtime thriller in the 2010 NCAA Tournament] and No. 5-seed Kansas State (22-10) [which Florida beat 57-44 on Dec. 18].

OGGOA will be updating this story shortly with more information.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Bob Williams, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, SEC, SEC Championship, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Advancing to the 2011 Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship for the first time since 2007, the No. 12 Florida Gators (26-6) outscored the No. 24 Vanderbilt Commodores (23-10) by 19 points in the second half to come out of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA with a 77-66 victory in the semifinals.

Florida sophomore guard Kenny Boynton and junior point guard Erving Walker combined to outscore Vanderbilt 33-30 in the second half to help the Gators match a season-best mark by coming back from a 12-point deficit.

The Commodores were fast out of the gate, starting the game with an 11-2 run as the Gators shot 1-for-7 from the field. Florida answered back with a 13-3 run to tie the game at 18, but a subsequent 10-1 stretch by Vanderbilt put them back ahead nine points.

UF suffered a 7:15 drought without a field goal in the middle of the first half and turned the ball over 11 times (resulting in 18 points) in the period. VU went into the half with a 36-28 advantage, forcing Florida to attempt to come from behind once again.

The Commodores started the second half by scoring four-straight points to take a game-high 12-point lead; however, the Gators responded immediately with a 15-4 run to take their first lead of the game, 51-50. Walker exploded for nine-straight points during the run, giving his team a much-needed spark.

Florida kept their foot on the pedal from there. Tied at 57, the Gators utilized a 17-6 run (including nine consecutive points from Boynton) to put them up a game-high 11 with 1:09 remaining in the contest. Vanderbilt fouled the rest of the way, sending Florida to their eighth appearance in a SEC Tournament Championship game.

Boynton’s hot shooting continued for the Gators; he hit 8-of-16 shots and 5-of-9 attempts from downtown to score 24 points including 16 in the second half. Walker was 0-for-2 in the first half but countered that with a 6-for-12 second half (3-for-6 from beyond the arc) for all 17 of his points.

Senior forward Chandler Parsons once again filled in the cracks with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting (2-of-4 from three) to go along with a team-high nine rebounds. Florida’s young bench supported the effort, combining for 13 points with freshman center Patric Young grabbing eight boards in 20 minutes of action.

Vanderbilt F Jeffery Taylor was consistent all game for the Commodores, scoring a team-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting; however, Taylor was only 1-for-5 from downtown and committed three fouls. Center Festus Ezeli caused UF’s frontcourt all sorts of problems; he finished with 17 points and nine rebounds (five offensive). Facing immense defensive pressure, VU star G John Jenkins only hit 3-of-15 field goals (2-of-12 three-pointers) and struggled to score 10 points on the afternoon.

Not only did the Gators shoot better than the Commodores (48.3 percent vs. 36.5 percent), UF also out-rebounded them 38-30 and only turned the ball over once in the second half after coughing it up 11 times in the first.

Florida has now defeated both Tennessee and Vanderbilt three times each in the same season. It is the first time UF has swept either program thrice in one year and also the first time the Gators have beat any two opponents three-straight times in a season.

With the win, Florida advances to face No. 16 Kentucky for the SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday. UK will be the third-straight SEC East opponent UF will face in the event. The game airs live at 1 p.m. on ABC.

Photo Credit: Dave Martin/Associated Press

Tags: Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, Festus Ezeli, Georgia Dome, Jeffery Taylor, John Jenkins, Kenny Boynton, Patric Young, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament, Vernon Macklin

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

In 15 seasons with the Florida Gators, head coach Billy Donovan has won two NCAA National Championships, coached in three national title games, been victorious in three Southeastern Conference Tournaments and captured four SEC regular season championships. He was even presented the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2010 to honor his many accomplishments.

On Tuesday, Donovan received an award that has escaped him his entire Florida career as he was finally selected as 2011 SEC Coach of the Year by his peers.

This season, Donovan took a team that was projected to win the conference but saw themselves unranked when SEC action began to a 13-3 record, No. 12 ranking and their first East division and SEC regular season championships since 2007.

“I am extremely humbled to be named SEC Coach of the Year by my peers. This league has outstanding coaches and a number of deserving candidates to win the award,’’ he said in a statement. “I’m fortunate and blessed to have a great group of players, assistant coaches and staff – this honor is more a reflection of their work and effort than anything that I have done.’’

His main competition for the award, former Gators assistant and current Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant, also completed a fantastic year. With Alabama projected to finish third in the SEC West during the preseason, Grant fueled his team to a 12-4 conference record and their first division title since 2005.

“When there is a team that maybe exceeds expectations or maybe a team that comes out of nowhere or nobody thought they would be what they end up being, immediately that’s the Coach of the Year,” Donovan said last week. “If you’re asking me, Anthony Grant’s the Coach of the Year.”

Always complimentary of his fellow coaches and former assistants, Donovan in many ways would have been just as happy to see Grant take home the award. In fact, individual honors are not in Donovan’s wheelhouse, he prefers to win championships.

When Donovan eventually hangs it up, he will likely be ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in all major SEC coaching categories to Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp. Tuesday he lost his lead in one category – being the longest-tenured and most successful head coach in the conference who had not previously earned a SEC Coach of the Year award.

OGGOA RELATED: Chandler Parsons named 2011 SEC Player of the Year

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: Adolph Rupp, Alabama Crimson Tide, Anthony Grant, Billy Donovan, Coach of the Year, Legends of Coaching Award, National Championship, NCAA, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament

No. 12/12 Florida Gators (24-6, 13-3 SEC) 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 Monday.

CUTTING DOWN THE NETS

Florida did not get the opportunity to cut down the nets at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, TN seeing as it was Senior Day for the Vanderbilt Commodores, but the team each received a piece of one Monday while also being sized for their Southeastern Conference Championship rings.

SEC BRACKET A NON-ISSUE

Placed in the “bottom” portion of the 2011 SEC Tournament bracket, UF will receive a bye and face either Tennessee [E5] or Arkansas [W4] in quarterfinals action; should they advance, they will likely face either Mississippi State [W2] or Vanderbilt [E3]. Asked about the difficulty of his team’s bracket, Donovan shrugged off the match-ups noting that they simply do not matter. “At this time of year, it doesn’t make a difference. There’s a lot of familiarity amongst [the conference],” he said. “Every game right now adds somewhat of a new life, new challenge for everybody. The regular season is over with, so everybody is basically starting fresh going into Atlanta.”

MO’ MONEY FOR BILLY D

The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway points out that Donovan will be awarded a $50,000 bonus for winning the conference championship, a $37,500 bonus for earning a berth in the 2011 NCAA Tournament and could have more money coming to him in the very near future. Outstanding bonuses he can achieve this season include $37,500 for reaching the Sweet 16, $25,000 on top of that for getting to the Final Four and an additional $150,000 if the Gators win the whole shebang. Should Florida finish in the Associated Press’s Top 10, he would grab $50,000 more.

KEEPING THE FOCUS ON WHAT’s IMPORTANT

Florida has already earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament, something the team has been unable to feel comfortable about over the prior three seasons. With that in mind, Donovan is confident his team will not overlook the upcoming SEC Tournament even though there is a bigger one in their future.

“You go in with an understanding that you can’t get to Saturday without taking care of Friday. We’re going to approach it the same way we always have done. These guys have done a pretty good job of competitively taking on what’s in front of them, and the SEC Tournament is in front of us right now,” he said.

“Winning has been important to these guys. When you win at a high level, it opens up a tremendous amount of doors for opportunity. We have been able to get better because there has been a focus on what we had to do to win and get better.”

DON’T FALL IN LOVE JUST YET…

Though Donovan is sure the team is focused and ready to prepare properly for the challenges in front of them, he continues to provide the same cautionary statement he has all season: “Don’t fall in love.”

“What I mean by that is: I love coaching these guys, they’re great. But the ebbs and flows of big win, tough loss, play great…we still have not conquered that, and that’s still a challenge,” Donovan said. “We’re not quite where we need to be, so I’m not willing to get over to that side. I do love them. I love coaching them. They need to understand that when you win like these guys have won, it becomes more difficult – it does not become easier. In a lot of ways, they’re in uncharted territory.”

Asked when he fell in love with the 2006 and 2007 national title teams, Donovan thought it through before responding. “I was a little bit leery, even the first year. I fell in love with their work ethic, unselfishness and unity as a team,” he said. “I didn’t feel that was ever going to be an issue because I saw how connected they all were. I was concerned about the lack of experience and going through what they were going through.”

QUOTES (After the break…)
Continue Reading » 3/7: Donovan on SEC Tournament and winning

Tags: Al Horford, Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Casey Prather, Chandler Parsons, Cody Larson, Erving Walker, Memorial Gymnasium, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Patric Young, Player of the Year, Scottie Wilbekin, SEC, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament, Senior Day, Vanderbilt Commodores, Vernon Macklin, Will Yeguete

Closing out the regular season with back-to-back impressive wins to notch their first Southeastern Conference Championship since 2007, the Florida Gators (24-6, 13-3 SEC) defeated the SEC West-leading Alabama Crimson Tide and Vanderbilt Commodores last week. The Gators were rewarded with an improved standing among both the coaches and media voters when the polls were released Monday afternoon.

ESPN/USA TODAY
Last Week 1-25: Ohio State (17), Kansas (14), Brigham Young, Duke, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Notre Dame, Texas, San Diego State, Wisconsin, Louisville, Syracuse, North Carolina, Florida, St. John’s, Connecticut, Georgetown, Arizona, Villanova, Vanderbilt, Utah State, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Missouri, George Mason
+ Florida received 337 voting points

This Week 1-25: Ohio State (17), Kansas (14), Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Duke, San Diego State, North Carolina, Brigham Young, Purdue, Texas, Syracuse, Florida, Wisconsin, Louisville, Arizona, Kentucky, Utah State, St. John’s, Connecticut, Xavier, Texas A&M, Georgetown, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Temple
+ Florida received 456 voting points

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Week 1-25: Ohio State (45), Kansas (14), Brigham Young (5), Duke (1), Pittsburgh, Purdue, Texas, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Wisconsin, Louisville, Syracuse, North Carolina, Florida, St. John’s, Connecticut, Georgetown, Arizona, Villanova, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Xavier, Texas A&M, Utah State
+ Florida received 688 voting points

This Week 1-25: Ohio State (52), Kansas (13), Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Duke, North Carolina, San Diego State, Brigham Young, Purdue, Texas, Syracuse, Florida, Wisconsin, Louisville, Kentucky, Arizona, St. John’s, Xavier, Kansas State, West Virginia, Connecticut, Georgetown, Utah State, Temple, Cincinnati
+ Florida received 931 voting points

Numbers in parenthesis represent first-place votes.

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC, SEC Championship, Top 25, Vanderbilt Commodores