A week off appeared to do the No. 14/17 Florida Gators (15-4, 3-1 SEC) plenty of good as head coach Billy Donovan squad looked focused and energized on its way to a 76-64 victory over the LSU Tigers (12-7, 2-3 SEC) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on Saturday night.

Led by a standout performance from junior forward Erik Murphy, who scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting (3-for-4 from downtown), the Gators shot 56.3 percent from the field and 74.1 percent (20-for-27) on two-point attempts on their way to winning their 16th game in a row at the O’Dome.

LSU took the early momentum in the game, taking an early 10-4 lead while hitting four of their first five attempts from the field.

Though Florida sophomore F Will Yeguete took his place in the starting lineup for the second-straight game, sophomore center Patric Young (ankle) entered the contest less than four minutes after it started and scored six-straight points to tie the game at 10.

The Gators began to get on the Tigers’ nerves with their press and the offense took advantage of the defense’s success. Three-pointers from Murphy and freshman guard Bradley Beal bookended a 13-4 run that gave Florida their first lead of the game, 23-16, with 8:44 remaining in the first half.

UF kept the momentum going through the end of the half, using a 7-0 run to take a game-high 38-26 lead into the break.

Click to expand and read the rest of the Florida-LSU game story.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Erik Murphy, Erving Walker, Justin Hamilton, Kenny Boynton, LSU Tigers, Mike Rosario, Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Will Yeguete

1 » Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow may have been eliminated from the NFL Playoffs on Saturday, but CBS would like to keep him around for a while. According to USA Today, which spoke with CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus, the network has reached out to Tebow to sit in as a guest analyst for the studio show the way Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh did last week. There has not been a public response from the Tebow camp as of press time.

2 » ESPN recently spoke with former players who were once coached by new Florida Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease and asked each what one should expect from him as a coach. Former Kentucky wide receiver Derek Abney classified Pease as someone who coaches “through discipline and assertiveness” but noted that his team was winning thanks in part to his methods. He also noted that Pease “didn’t make you fit into his scheme. He recognized your strengths and played to them and avoided weaknesses,” something that should undoubtedly have Gators fans smiling considering the offense is still on its way to becoming a complete pro-style team.

3 » A pair of Gators tennis players won consolation singles titles in separate events over the weekend. Junior Caroline Hitimana captured a victory at the 2012 Freeman Memorial Championships over Duke’s Ester Goldfeld, while sophomore Michael Alford came away a winner at the 2012 SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championships by taking down both Kentucky’s Ryuji Hirooka and South Carolina’s Kyle Koch. The women’s and men’s tennis programs enter the 2012 regular season ranked No. 1 and No. 8, respectively, despite the men’s team losing 2011 No. 6 Alexandre Lacroix and the No. 17 team of Lacroix and Sekou Bangoura, Jr. from a year ago.

Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Tebow, Pease, tennis, Swamp, WBK

Tags: Alabama Invitational, Alexandre Lacroix, Amanda Butler, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Brent Pease, Caroline Hitimana, cross country, Denver Broncos, field, Freeman Memorial, Jordan Jones, Kemal Mesic, Michael Alford, NFL, Playoffs, SEC Indoors, Sekou Bangoura, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, tennis, Tim Tebow, Todd Morgan, track, women's basketball

Looking to rebound from a double-digit upset loss to Tennesee on the road last Saturday, the No. 19 Florida Gators (13-4, 1-1 SEC) put their collective foot to the pedal at home against the Georgia Bulldogs (9-7, 0-2 SEC), routing their border rivals 70-48 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday.

Breaking out of a four-game funk, freshman guard Bradley Beal led the Gators with a double-double of 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting (4-of-6 from downtown) and 10 rebounds. Junior G Kenny Boynton matched him with 17 points of his own and was equally efficient, hitting 5-of-8 shots from the field and all five of his free throws.

If intensity and aggression were what Florida was missing over the weekend, the Gators found those characteristics early in the game, jumping out to a 7-0 lead capped by Beal’s first three-pointer of the game. Georgia started 1-for-10 from the floor, but the Bulldogs eventually found their touch, scoring six-straight to reduce UF’s advantage to two.

That is when Florida broke out. Redshirt junior G Mike Rosario scored seven-straight points for the Gators and Beal added a trio of treys as part of a 22-4 run that gave UF a 20-point lead. UGA, however, took an 8-2 scoring stretch into the break to reduce their deficit to 14 points heading into the locker rooms.

Though Beal was strong for Florida in the opening half – hitting 4-of-5 shots from beyond the arc – the rest of the team took a while to get going, starting 0-for-6 from downtown.

The Gators extended their lead to 25 points early in the second half until an 8-0 run by the Bulldogs cut Florida’s advantage back down to 13 points with 7:02 left in the game.

Georgia kept the pressure on for a bit, but UF quickly got back to form, draining threes and playing quality defense. The Gators held the Bulldogs to just 48 points on the evening, a season-low for Florida’s defense.

UF has now defeated UGA in 10-straight games played in the O’Dome.

Click to expand and read the rest of the Florida-Georgia game story.

Tags: Bradley Beal, Erik Murphy, Georgia Bulldogs, Kenny Boynton, Mike Rosario, Patric Young, SEC, Stephen C. O'Connell Center

Half of the lights going out in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center was an obvious coincidence, but the stellar shooting of senior point guard Erving Walker and junior guard Kenny Boynton led the No. 13/14 Florida Gators (12-3) to a 79-61 victory over the UAB Blazers (5-8) Tuesday evening in Gainesville, FL.

Walker and Boynton each earned their stripes from beyond the arc. The former hit 7-of-9 shots from downtown for a game-high 23 points, while the latter was 6-of-10 from three for 20 points. Walker’s seven treys were a career-high for most in a game, while Boynton’s six tied his own career-high.

UAB took it to Florida early, using a 12-3 run to jump ahead one point more than midway through the first half. However, Walker soon answered with a three to put the Gators ahead 18-16, and Boynton hit a trey with seven seconds left to cap a 10-2 run that gave UF a 37-26 lead at the break.

Florida opened up the second half in a similar fashion, taking a 15-point lead thanks to a quick 6-0 run; the Gators then used a 12-3 scoring stretch that included three treys by Boynton to jump ahead of the Blazers 55-34 with 12:17 left in the game.

Minutes later, half of the lights at the top of the dome went out as did one of the video boards. The coaches met with the referees at midcourt and both sides agreed to continue playing under less-than-ideal lighting conditions.

UF junior forward Erik Murphy made the block of the night when action resumed and Walker quickly hit a three from the corner, but UAB was undeterred, scoring eight-straight points to cut their deficit to 12 with 7:43 to go in the contest.

The Blazers reduced the Gators’ advantage to single digits with just over six minutes remaining, but Boynton and Walker each hit their sixth trey of the game in consecutive fashion to once again put Florida ahead 15 points and lead UF toward the victory.

Click to expand and read the rest of the Florida-UAB game story.

Tags: Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Erik Murphy, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Patric Young, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Will Yeguete

1 » Despite missing the entire 2011 after rupturing his Achilles, linebacker Brandon Siler was re-signed by the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend to a one-year deal with a total compensation of $750,000 that will keep him off of the market in 2012. Siler agreed to a one-year contract with Kansas City in the 2011 offseason, his agent David Canter told OGGOA, in order to prove that he was deserving of a multi-year deal with another team. He never had that opportunity, however, due to being injured before a single down of the regular season was ever played. Siler joined the Chiefs after spending four years with San Diego where he amassed 123 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. After playing solely as a reserve in 2007 and 2008, Siler started seven games in 2009 and five in 2010. He only played in 12 total games in 2010 due to injury.

2 » New England Patriots defensive tackle Gerard Warren loves football and so far the NFL has loved him back. Participating in his 11th season this year, Warren took a look back at much of his career this week with the Boston Herald’s Ian Rapoport. In his feature, Rapoport covers a story about Warren knowing C.J. Spiller when he was just a water boy at Florida, his giving back to the community, and how much love he has for his fellow players. Warren, who said he does not plan to retire “until they tear [the uniform] off me,” said, “The game is my life. This is my life. Sixty minutes, overtime, you can have hatred. Once the game is over with, you come back to being human beings again.”

Extra BIT » Former Gators striker Abby Wambach and former Florida swimmer Ryan Lochte are featured in a new Gatorade commercial set to debut during the 2012 Rose Bowl. The duo are two of a number of athletes shown in the advertisement, which promotes a variety of the company’s products while introducing a new tagline: Win From Within. Lochte’s portion of the commercial, which features him in a Gators cap for one shot, was filmed at the pool at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

Tags: Abby Wambach, Brandon Siler, Gatorade, Gerard Warren, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, NFL, Ryan Lochte, Stephen C. O'Connell Center

Attempting to put a good taste back in their mouths after being upset by Rutgers on the road Thursday, the No. 10 Florida Gators (11-3) overpowered the Yale Bulldogs (8-4) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on New Year’s Eve, defeating their Ivy League opponent 90-70 just eight hours before closing out 2011.

Gators junior guard Kenny Boynton and Bulldogs forward Greg Mangano led the way for their squads as each registered a game-high 26 points. Boynton posted his on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting while going 5-for-7 from downtown, while Mangano hit 11-of-18 shots from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Yale started off by hitting three straight shots from downtown to take a 9-0 advantage, but Florida immediately answered with a 17-3 run and 29-6 scoring stretch to take a 29-15 lead with 9:55 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs hung around though and used an 8-1 run late in the half to pull within five of the Gators. Consecutive three-pointers by Boynton – including his traditional four-point play – kept Florida ahead of Yale, but the Bulldogs went 9-for-14 from downtown in the opening half and kept the Gators’ advantage at 11 points heading into the break.

Click to expand and read the rest of the Florida-Yale game story.

Tags: Bradley Beal, Erik Murphy, Greg Mangano, Kenny Boynton, Patric Young, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Yale Bulldogs

No. 8/10 Florida Gators basketball had the perfect tune up on Thursday evening, defeating the Division-III Catholic Cardinals 114-57 in an exhibition match at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

Sporting new uniforms and playing on a redesigned home court, Florida had six players score in double figures in the contest, which saw them lead from start to finish.

Gators junior guard Kenny Boynton posted a double-double and led all players with 21 points and 10 rebounds while hitting 6-of-11 attempts from downtown.

Freshman G Brad Beal (20 points, five assists), redshirt junior transfer G Mike Rosario (18 points, six assists) and senior point guard Erving Walker (15 points, four assists) also shot well from beyond the arc, combining to go 11-for-20.

Sophomores center Patric Young and guard/forward Casey Prather each grabbed a game-high seven rebounds; Young added 10 points and three steals.

Junior F Erik Murphy was 6-of-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from downtown for 17 points, and sophomore F Will Yeguete added nine points on 5-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe. Redshirt freshman F Cody Larson and freshman F Walter Pitchford were the only Florida players unable to score in a combined 22 minutes.

As a team, the Gators shot 57.1 percent from the field (40-of-70), 50 percent from three (20-of-40) and 70 percent from the free throw line (14-of-20). Florida outrebounded Catholic 36-31, led their opponent in steals 16-3 and scored 50 points off turnovers.

Cardinals G Billy Donovan, Jr., Gators head coach Billy Donovan’s son, led Catholic in points (13) and minutes played (27). He received a friendly ovation before the game and when being pulled from the game at the end of the second half.

The Gators will have a week off before officially beginning the 2011-12 season. Florida takes on Jackson State in their regular season opener on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in the O’Connell Center. The game will air live on FOX Sports Florida (check your local listings).

Tags: Billy Donovan, Brad Beal, Casey Prather, Catholic Cardinals, Cody Larson, Erik Murphy, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Mike Rosario, Patric Young, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Walter Pitchford, Will Yeguete

At halftime of the Florida Gators vs. South Carolina Gamecocks basketball game, head football coach Urban Meyer spoke with reporters in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center about his health and plans for the future. Meyer explained that he has been exercising and eating right since his health scare, resulting in a weight gain of 20 pounds.

“I feel real good. I’ve been working out a lot,” Meyer said. “I’m over 200 pounds, so I guess that’s how they gauge it a little bit because I was not good there for a while. Doing a lot better.” He also indicated that he will undergo a series of tests on his heart in February to check for stress levels and any other outstanding issues.

Meyer, speaking for the first time publicly since the 2010 Sugar Bowl, mentioned that he plans to coach the Gators during spring practice in March, a sign that he may actually be recovering quickly from his ailments (or that he is simply too stubborn to stay off the field). Practice begins March 17 and stretches into April. “I keep hearing about this ‘time out,’” Meyer said. “People I’m closest to are going to demand I take some time off, but I tried that already. I tried a day and a half, and it didn’t work.”

He confirmed that doctors advised him against traveling for recruiting over the last few weeks even though his medical tests have been “coming back pretty positive.” Meyer said he will speak with his wife Shelley and meet with athletic director Jeremy Foley and his football staff to determine a course of action after National Signing Day on Feb. 3. “We’re trying to get to February 3, and then we’re going to sit down, have a very in-depth meeting about it,” Meyer said.

Part of those meetings will include determining the roles of his coaching staff, particularly interim coach and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio. Even so, Meyer realizes that he will need to take a break in one way or another after those sit-downs. “I’ve been instructed I have to [take time off],” Meyer said. “I’m just not sure what I’m going to do. I just don’t know how long. I have to change some things. That’s obvious.”

PART II: Meyer on hiring Edwards, bringing back Drayton

Tags: Florida Gators, Jeremy Foley, National Signing Day, Shelley Meyer, South Carolina Gamecocks, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Steve Addazio, Sugar Bowl, Urban Meyer