TWO BITS: …on the Gators vs. Gamecocks game

1 » Florida Gators (13-5, 2-2) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (11-7, 2-2) Pre-Game:
– Florida leads the all-time series 35-20, winning 19 of the last 23 meetings.
– Last season, the Gators and Gamecocks split the series; UF won 97-93 at home while USC took a 70-69 decision in Columbia, SC.
– Florida has won three straight vs. South Carolina in Gainesville and 10 of the last 11.
– Sophomore point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Kenny Boynton are averaging 38.6 points (more than half of the team’s 76.8) and 7.8 assists per game in SEC play this season.
– Walker and Boynton are 29-for-34 from downtown; Walker is shooting 59.3 percent from three in the last four games and has combined with Boynton to hit 29-of-66 treys (43.9 percent). The rest of the team is struggling.
– After not having a 20-point game in his first 50 games with the Gators, Walker has had three in his last four outings including a career-high 27 points Thursday vs. Arkansas.
– Junior forward Alex Tyus is dominating the front court, averaging 14.3 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last nine contests. He has hit double figures in nine straight games and scored 15+ in five of those nine.
– Gamecocks senior guard Devan Downey, a first-team All-SEC selection, leads his team in points (21.2), assists (3.8) and steals (3.2). He is averaging 30.3 points in conference play and has scored 25 in all four SEC games with two 30-point outings.

2 » Dueling articles were posted by The Gainesville Sun and Florida Today on Walker and Downey, likely the premiere match-up of Saturday evening’s game. Kevin Brockaway explains that size isn’t everything when it comes to Walker and Downey while David Jones tells you that the teams’ little guards look to put up big numbers.

Extra Bit » Florida five-star safety commitment and early enrollee Matt Elam will be presented the state’s Mr. Football award during halftime of the game.