Gators look to rebound versus Air Force in Sunrise

#14 Florida Gators (8-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. Air Force Falcons (8-2, 0-0 Mountain West)

BB&T Center (capacity: 20,000), Sunrise, FL 4:30 p.m.

Broadcast Information

 TV: Fox Sports Net; Rich Waltz (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst)

Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network; Mick Hubert (play-by-play) and Steve Woodard (sideline)

Head Coaches

University of Florida: Billy Donovan (394-160, 17th season at Florida; 429-180 overall, 19th season)

Air Force: Dave Pilipovich (10-8, first full season at Air Force/overall)

Probable Starters

Florida Gators

#5 Scottie Wilbekin (6’2”, 176 lbs JR) Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 4.5 apg

#1 Kenny Boynton (6'2", 190 lbs SR) Season stats: 12.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg

#3 Mike Rosario (6'3", 183 lbs RS-SR) Season stats: 12.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg

#33 Erik Murphy (6'10", 238 lbs SR) Season stats: 11.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg

#4 Patric Young (6'9", 249 lbs JR) Season stats: 10.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.1 bpg

Bench

#15 Will Yeguete (6'7", 240 lbs JR) Season stats: 6.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg

#24 Casey Prather (6’6”, 208 lbs JR) Season stats: 5.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg

#20 Michael Frazier II (6’4”, 200 lbs FR) Season stats: 6.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg

Air Force Falcons

#10 Todd Fletcher (6’2”, 183 lbs SR) Season stats: 10.2 ppg, 4.2 apg

#25 Kyle Green (6’2”, 182 lbs SR) Season stats: 6.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg

#14 Michael Lyons (6’5”, 193 lbs SR) Season stats: 20.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg

#5 Mike Fitzgerald (6’6”, 215 lbs SR) Season stats: 7.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg

#34 Taylor Broekhuis (6’10”, 220 lbs SR) Season stats: 11.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Bench

#15 Cameron Michael (6’5”, 185 lbs FR) Season stats: 5.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg

#22 Max Yon (6’4”, 195 lbs SO) Season stats: 4.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg

#21 DeLovell Earls (6’5”, 220 lbs SO) Season stats: 3.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg

#01 Tre’ Coggins (6’2”, 185 lbs FR) Season stats: 3.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg

Team and Game Notes

·         Senior guard Kenny Boynton will spend more time off the ball, moving back to his more comfortable position of shooting guard.  The amount of responsibilities that come with being the point guard were probably too much for Boynton.  With the switch, he’ll be in a more positive frame of mind and hopefully his shooting percentages will improve.

·         Boynton recently became the fifth-leading scorer in school history, but he’s made just 25.4% of his shots and 16.1% of his three-pointers during a five-game shooting slump.

·         Boynton plays at home in South Florida for the final time in his collegiate career.  He attended American Heritage School in Plantation, FL.

·         Junior guard Scottie Wilbekin is third in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3:3 (36 assists and 11 turnovers)

·         With his 19-point, 11-rebound performance in the loss to Kansas State, junior Patric Young had his fourth double-double of the season.  That equals the total number of double-doubles from his first two seasons combined.

·         Senior guard Mike Rosario leads the SEC in free-throw percentage at 88.3% (25/28)

·         Air Force ranks seventh in the nation in 3-pointers made (9.1 per game), 15th in the nation in field goal percentage (49.2 percent) and 28th in the country in assists (16.5 assists per game)- Kevin Brockway, Gators beat writer.

 Last Game for Both Schools

Florida: Lost to Kansas State (neutral) on Saturday, 67-61

Air Force: Defeated UC Riverside (away) on Saturday, 61-53

Gators All-Time Versus Air Force

 Florida is 1-0 all-time versus Air Force.  The Gators defeated the Falcons 74-68 in the Gator Bowl Tournament on December 27, 1963.

What I’m Wondering    

After a forgettable loss on Saturday against Kansas State, the Gator players went home for three days for Christmas. After some quality time with family and friends, they returned to campus on Wednesday for a series of grueling practices in the lead-up to today’s game against Air Force. The Orange Bowl Classic has been kind to the Gators over the years, with only a defeat versus Richmond in 2009. Can the Gators continue their good play in Sunrise?

2. Kenny Boynton is playing in front of his home fans for the final time in his collegiate career. This would be the perfect opportunity to dig himself out of his shooting slump. I feel that playing at home will do wonders for him going forward, even if it’s only for one game. Will we see the early-season Kenny?

3. Patric Young commanded the paint versus Kansas State and wound up with 19 points and 11 rebounds. If the Gators had continued to feed him the ball down low, the outcome might’ve been different. He needs to continue to have a presence in the post and command the ball. He’s a matchup nightmare when he plays like he did against KSU. Will Patric build on last game?

4. Air Force is a perimeter-oriented team and Florida has struggled defending the three in their losses to Arizona and Kansas State. Coach Donovan will undoubtedly have them prepared and I expect an improved effort in three-point defense. How will the Gators defend the perimeter?

 Records to be Broken in the Near Future

Kenny Boynton (1,713 points) needs 65 points to pass Erving Walker for fourth on the all-time scoring list



· Boynton (279 three-pointers) needs seven threes to pass Walker for second on the all-time list (Lee Humphrey leads with 288)



· Boynton (1,406 field goal attempts) needs two attempts to pass Dwayne Schintzius for fourth on the all-time list

 

Final score prediction: Florida 84 – Air Force 66

Preview: Gators face first road test at rival FSU

#6 Florida Gators (6-0, 0-0 SEC) at Florida State Seminoles (4-3, 0-0 ACC)
Donald L. Tucker Center (capacity: 12,100), Tallahassee, FL 7:00 p.m.

Broadcast Information

TV: ESPNU; Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst)

Radio: WRUF/Gator IMG Sports Network; Mick Hubert (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst)

Streaming: ESPN3.com

Head Coaches

University of Florida: Billy Donovan (392-158, 17th season at Florida; 427-178 overall, 19th season)
Florida State University: Leonard Hamilton (183-130, 11th season at FSU; 383-340 overall, 25th season)

Probable Starters

Florida Gators


#1 Kenny Boynton (6'2", 190 lbs SR) Season stats: 14.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.8 apg
#3 Mike Rosario (6'3", 183 lbs RS-SR) Season stats: 11.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg
#15 Will Yeguete (6'7", 240 lbs JR) Season stats: 7.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg
 #33 Erik Murphy (6'10", 238 lbs SR) Season stats: 12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg
#4 Patric Young (6'9", 249 lbs JR) Season stats: 10.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.5 blocks per game

Bench

#5 Scottie Wilbekin (6'2", 176 lbs JR) Season stats: 8.3 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 steal per game
#20 Michael Frazier II (6'4", 200 lbs FR) Season stats: 5.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg (career-high 17 points vs. Marquette on 6/9 fg, 5/8 3pt)
#24 Casey Prather (6'6", 208 JR) Season stats: 9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg (7-7 fg, 4-4 ft this season)

Florida State Seminoles

#30 Ian Miller (6'3", 186 lbs JR) Season stats: 7.0 ppg, 3.0 apg
#21 Michael Snaer (6'5", 202 lbs SR) Season stats: 14.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg
#5 Montay Brandon (6'7", 216 FR) Season stats: 6.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg
#10 Okaro White (6'8", 204 lbs JR) Season stats: 13.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg
#11 Kiel Turpin (7'0", 240 lbs RS-JR) Season stats: 4.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg (son of former Kentucky center, Melvin Turpin)

Bench

#2 Terrance Shannon (6'8", 240 lbs RS-JR) Season stats: 10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg
#31 Terry Whisnant (6'3", 185 lbs SO) Season stats: 7.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg
#1 Devon Bookert (6'3", 185 lbs FR) Season stats: 4.3 ppg, 2.1 apg

Injury News and Team Notes

• Erik Murphy is questionable for tonight's game with a "really bad hip pointer," according to Coach Donovan.  Murphy has not practiced since Thursday.  He sustained the injury in Thursday's game against Marquette and looked in quite a bit of pain.  Whether he plays or not tonight depends on how he's able to cope with the pain.
• Michael Frazier II was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.  He scored 17 points against Marquette, shooting 6/9 from the field and hitting 5/8 3-pointers.
• Donovan: "Patric's responded well in practice."  
• Donovan: "We're not good enough to have a lot of slippage and still win." 

Last Game for Both Schools

Florida: Defeated Marquette on Thursday, 82-49
Florida State: Lost to Mercer on Sunday, 61-56

Gators All-Time Versus Florida State

The Gators lead the all-time series, 41-22.  Florida is 10-6 against FSU under Billy Donovan, including three straight wins.  Florida is 17-10 on the road vs. FSU (4-3 under Donovan).

Last Meeting Between Schools

The Gators defeated FSU on December 22, 2011, 82-64 at the O'Connell Center.  Patric Young had one of the memorable plays of the season with a block on the defensive end and a dunk on the other.

What I'm Wondering

1.  I think the main question is whether Erik Murphy will play or not.  He hasn't practiced since leaving the Marquette game with a hip pointer.  He participated in non-contact drills yesterday, but my guess is we won't know his status until maybe an hour before the game.  If he plays, how will he respond?  If he doesn't, who will step up and replace his production?

2.  Based off the press conference with Donovan and his players (Rosario and Yeguete), the Gators are working hard not to get complacent due to their #6 ranking.  Handling success is going to be a major key for this year's Gator team.  Will the big win over Marquette lead to a letdown against the Seminoles, especially in a rivalry game of the road?

3.  Florida State has lost to both South Alabama (opening game) and Mercer (on Sunday) at home.  Clearly, they aren't as talented as previous teams, but they will still "bring it" on the defensive end.  Of course, it's a rivalry game and it's at home so anything can happen.  How does FSU respond in a rivalry game at home?

4.  Kenny Boynton scored only scored six points against Marquette (2/11 fg, 0/5 3pt).  While we didn't need his scoring in the blowout win, tonight will be a different story.  As a senior, this will be Boynton's last game to take on the 'Noles in "Tally."  You know he wants to leave there with a win.  How will Boynton bounce back from his poor shooting performance against Marquette?

5.  Michael Frazier II was the Gators' leading scorer against Marquette with a career-high 17 points and earned SEC Freshman of the Week.  Frazier's the type of shooter who shoots the ball with confidence and that's something he has a lot of right now.  But, I go back to the complacent comment.  How will Frazier back up his career performance?

6.  FSU's Michael Snaer is one of the top guards in the country.  He's their leading scorer and is someone that the Gators will have as their #1 defensive assignment.  I would expect Boynton or Scottie Wilbekin to hound him all night, making things tough for him.  How will Snaer play tonight?

7.  Braxton Ogbueze, DeVon Walker, and Dillon Graham each saw one minute of action against Marquette.  They will have to stay ready in case their name's called tonight, and I expect one of them to play a major role, especially if Murphy's out.  Will any of these three make a difference in tonight's game?

Records to be Broken in the Near Future

• Boynton (1,676 points) needs three points to pass Stacey Poole for 5th on the all-time scoring list
• Boynton (275 threes) needs 10 three-pointers to pass Erving Walker for 2nd on the all-time list (Lee  Humphrey leads with 288)
• Boynton (111 games started) needs three more starts to pass Erving Walker for 5th on the all-time list
• Patric Young (81 dunks) needs three more dunks to pass Vernon Delancy for 9th all-time (*dunks are unofficial stats)

Final score prediction: Florida 74 - Florida State 65