NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: Keys to the game

#3 seed Florida Gators (28-7 overall) vs. #15 seed Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (26-10 overall)
Cowboys Stadium (capacity: 100,000), Arlington, TX, 10:38 p.m.

Broadcast Information

TV: TBS; Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst), and Craig Sager (sideline)
Radio: WRUF/Gator IMG Sports Network; Mick Hubert (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst)
Streaming: March Madness on Demand

Head Coaches

University of Florida: Billy Donovan (414-165, 17th season at Florida; 449-185 overall, 19th season)
Florida Gulf Coast: Andy Enfield (41-27, 2nd season at FGCU/overall)

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Quality wins: Miami, Mercer, Georgetown, San Diego State

Projected starting lineup

#0 Brett Comer (6'3", 192 lbs SO) Season stats: 8.1 ppg, 6.6 apg, 3.1 rpg, 1.5 steals per game
#2 Bernard Thompson (6'3", 166 lbs SO) Season stats: 14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 steals per game
#25 Sherwood Brown (6'4", 200 lbs SR) Season stats: 15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg
#20 Chase Fieler (6'8", 205 lbs JR) Season stats: 12.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 blocks per game
#12 Eric McKinght (6'9", 210 lbs RS SO) Season stats: 6.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Bench

#23 Eddie Murray (6'8", 205 lbs RS SR) Season stats: 3.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
#5 Christophe Varidel (6'2", 170 lbs JR) Season stats: 6.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg
#15 Filip Cvjeticanin (6'9", 218 lbs SO) Season stats: 3.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg
#35 DaJuan Graf (6'0", 170 lbs FR) Season stats: 2.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Keys to the game:

1.  The Gator defense has to keep Brett Comer out of the lane so that he can't drive in for a layup or find an open teammate.  Junior guard Scottie Wilbekin said this during an interview yesterday, and it's probably the most important objective.  I'm almost certain that Wilbekin will start out on the Eagles' point guard so that should be quite a matchup to watch.

2.  FGCU forward Chase Fieler is a "stretch-four" that senior forward Erik Murphy will have the pleasure of handling.  Fieler has made 32/85 3-pointers this season so he's someone we need to keep an eye on.  Along with his perimeter play, he also has the ability to leap.  His alley-oop in the upset of #2 seed Georgetown in the second round has probably been the most memorable play of this year's NCAA Tournament so far.

3.  The Eagles do not have a player that weighs over 218 pounds.  Their tallest active player is 6'9", so the Gators will obviously have the advantage strength-wise in the post.  Their lack of girth makes their big men sort of hybrid players, meaning they can mix it up inside and also take their defender out to the perimeter.

4.  The Eagles have virtually no post presence, so our guards will need to pound the ball inside to our big guys as we have the advantage inside.  The same thing is true when the Eagles have the ball inside.  Unless one of their big men is having a stellar game, there would be no reason for us to double-team in the post.  Doing this would give their big men the easy decision to find a guard on the perimeter for a shot or drive.

5.  Coach Andy Enfield's team plays an uptempo style, are extremely athletic, and like to push the pace.  To the Gators' advantage, that's the kind of pace that we prefer as well.  However, the Eagles may try to slow the game down if we find ourselves in a deficit.  

6.  Lastly, the only way that I see the Gators losing is if either FGCU begins the game hot by hitting some three's to get the pro-FGCU crowd into the game or if the Gators beat themselves (i.e. turnovers, bad shots, foul trouble).

Facts

• Junior forward Will Yeguete has not practiced all week due to some discomfort in his right knee, which he just had surgery on.  He's cleared to play tonight, but it's uncertain how much time he'll get on the floor.
• Murphy and freshman guard Michael Frazier have missed a few practices this week due to bouts of the flu, but both players participated in practice yesterday and shootaround today so it'll be interesting to see how their stamina is.  Both need to stay hydrated most importantly.
• Florida's +18.2 scoring margin is the best in the nation.
• The Gators have won five consecutive NCAA regional semifinal games.  Under Donovan, the Gators are 5-1 in the round of 16.
• Senior guard Mike Rosario had his biggest scoring output as a Gator on Sunday against Minnesota when he scored 25 points.
• Florida is one of four teams to advance to the last three Sweet 16's, joining Marquette, Ohio State, and Kansas.
• According to @ESPNStatsInfo, Trey Burke became the "1st player with 20 points and 10 assists in a Sweet 16 game since Billy Donovan for Providence in 1987."  Burke led the Michigan comeback from a 14-point deficit late in the second half for the overtime victory.  
• The winner of the UF/FGCU Sweet 16 game plays Michigan on Sunday for a chance to go to the Final Four in Atlanta. 

Final score prediction: Florida 77 - Florida Gulf Coast 64

NCAA Tournament Round of 32: Rebounding will determine who moves on between Florida and Minnesota

All pre-game notes courtesy of Scott Carter and Kevin Brockway:

• Minnesota leads the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 43.9 percent of their misses
• Donovan stressed to the Gators that to advance to the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive season -- something the program has never accomplished -- limiting Minnesota's second opportunities is a good place to start.
• "He chased balls," Donovan said. "That's what we need from him. We need him playing with a motor. When he doesn't do that, we're not the same team."
• Minnesota is ranked 267th in the country in turnover percentage, coughing up the ball on 21.7 percent of its possessions.
• The Gophers had not won an NCAA Tournament game since making the Final Four 16 years ago prior to Friday night's 83-63 win over UCLA
• They played 11 ranked teams during the regular season and entered the tournament with the second-best strength of schedule in the country.
• The Gators have only played the Gophers once in school history, a 74-66 loss in the first round of the 1993 NIT.
• "It didn't really bother me at all or bother coach. He was like ... 'If you get bit, I'll pay for your medical bills.'' Gators center Patric Young on a bat flying around at Florida's practice
• "I wasn't mad at him to the point to the point I was going to bench him the whole game,'' Donovan said. "But the game was going well while he was on the bench, that was probably part of it."
• The two coaches have known one another for nearly 25 years, and when Donovan's Gators face Smith's Gophers on Sunday for a berth in the Sweet 16, it will be their 25th head-to-head meeting.
• The first one came on Jan. 22, 1997, when Smith was in his second season at Georgia and Donovan his first year at UF. Georgia won 77-70 in overtime in Athens.
• The following season Smith went to Kentucky and for the next decade, they squared off regularly as leaders of the SEC's two premiere programs. Smith owns a 14-10 advantage in the rivalry but Donovan has won the last six.
• "Tubby's always going to put an emphasis on defense,'' Donovan said. "His teams have always been very good defensively. He always utilizes and takes advantage of the personnel he has on offense. They're always a tough and disciplined team."
• Florida made 14 of 23 from the foul line on Friday and is now shooting 45 of 80 (56.2 percent) in three SEC Tournament games plus the victory over Northwestern State.
• Boynton (2,006 points) joined former UF standout Ronnie Williams as the only players in school history with more than 2,000 points. Williams, UF's all-time leading scorer, finished with 2,090 career points during his career from 1981-84.
• He knows Minnesota leads the rough-and-tumble Big Ten with a rebounding margin of plus-8.8. Florida's rebound margin of plus-5.1 is respectable. But prior to Northwestern State, Florida had been outrebounded in six of nine games. The Gators went 5-4 during that stretch.
• Mbawke leads the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.8 per game.
• “That's something internally he needs to be more accountable and responsible for. He's got to take ownership of it and make the decision ‘this is what I need to do.' And he's got to go out there and do it as hard and as aggressively as he possibly can.”
• The Gators rank first in the SEC and second in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 53.5 points per game. The Gators have held 13 opponents under 50 points and 24 opponents under 60 points. 

NCAA Tournament Round of 64: Keys to beating Northwestern State

#3 seed Florida Gators (26-7, 14-4 SEC) vs. #14 seed Northwestern State (23-8, 15-3 Southland)

Erwin Center (capacity: 16,292), Austin, Texas. 7:27 p.m.

TV: truTV 

Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network 

1.  3-point shooting

Throughout the season, our bread-and-butter has been the ability to make 3-point shots.  The Gators have made 277 out of 728 shots from behind the arc this season, good for 38%.  That amounts to about 22 3-point attempts per game.  Senior guard Kenny Boynton has started to get back on track these last two games, while senior guard Mike Rosario regained his shooting touch in Sunday's SEC Championship loss to Ole Miss.  The big question is senior forward Erik Murphy.  Ever since his career-high performance against LSU on Friday, he has gone 1/9 from deep in the two games since.  Murphy is the best shooter on the team and it's really the first time all season where he's been in a little funk as it pertains to shooting.  I look for the First Team All-SEC performer to get back to his old ways in today's game.

2.  Experience

Nearly everyone on this year's active roster has seen action in an NCAA Tournament game, excluding junior forward Will Yegeute, who missed both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments last season after suffering a broken foot against Auburn late in the regular season, sophomore Jacob Kurtz, and the four freshmen (Michael Frazier, Braxton Ogbueze, DeVon Walker, and Dillon Graham).  While there may be first half jitters for everyone, the experience shouldn't be as unbearable as it would be if this was their first time playing in the Tournament.  The classic saying, "You can't teach experience," is very true.  For example, the University of Miami has been one of the best teams all season and is favored by some to win it all, but not one of the their players has played in an NCAA Tournament game.  Experience can go a long way in determining how far you go in the Tourney and I think it will benefit the Gators immensely.  

3.  Shot selection

Shot selection has been an issue with only two players, Boynton and Rosario.  At various points during the season, either guard has taken an ill-advised shot at the most crucial times.  The loss at Tennessee was a prime example of this.  During the first half, the Gators settled for too many 3-pointers instead of getting the ball inside.  I've found that when the Gators find themselves taking too many three's, it's going to be a dogfight until the final whistle with Florida struggling to put opponents away.  With junior center Patric Young's improved offensive play around the basket, it's essential that the ball finds its way to him.  He's playing with supreme confidence and we need to utilize that.  Young's shooting 60% so he should start to become a prime offensive target.  

4.  Enjoy the moment

The easiest way for players to relax is to enjoy the moment.  Take pride in the fact that you're a number three-seed in the NCAA Tournament.  You're given a clean slate as every team is equal now, 0-0.  Records and stats are thrown out the window because the NCAA Tournament helps to determine a true champion.  Don't underestimate any team because that's how you get beat.  Savor the moments, whether good or bad, because you'll remember them for the rest of your lives.  It truly is a wonderful experience to know that all the hard work the players put in over the offseason and during the regular season has come to fruition with a berth in the Big Dance, not to mention being the third-seed in the South Region with a legitimate chance to make it to the Final Four in Atlanta.  True champions make their names in March and that's how players will be remembered.  With all the experience that the Gators have, that could go a long way to determining their fate.

Final score prediction: Florida 83 - Northwestern State 52

SEC Final: Boynton's confidence and free throws will be key factors in today's game against Ole Miss

Keys to the game:

• Senior guard Kenny Boynton was scoreless in the first half of yesterday's 61-51 win over Alabama.  What he did in the second half is what has made him the second all-time leading scorer in Florida history.  He scored all of his 16 points in the second half, all started by getting fouled and hitting both free throws.  Seeing the ball go through the net can do a struggling player's confidence a world of good.  He hit 2/6 from 3-point range, but he seemed to be shooting the ball at the apex of his jump, not on the way down (which has been the reason for his struggles of late).  If he continues to play with confidence, he could be making his usual late March move towards being one of the nation's top performers.
• The Gators shot 12/18 (66.7%) from the free throw line yesterday.  For the season, they're shooting 68.8% from the charity stripe.  While that percentage isn't a major concern, as the games become single elimination, making free throws becomes an essential ingredient for advancing.  The problem is that the Gators don't get to the line enough.  In the Gators' only meeting against Ole Miss on February 2, the Gators went 3/3 from the line.  For the season, the Gators average 15.84 attempts per game.  As long as Boynton, Rosario, Wilbekin, and Frazier are the ones taking the free throws, we should be fine.

Final score prediction: Florida 73 - Ole Miss 68

SEC Semifinals: Expect a tight game when Gators take on Crimson Tide

(1-seed) #13 Florida Gators (25-6, 14-4 SEC) vs. (4-seed) Alabama Crimson Tide (21-11, 12-6 SEC)
Bridgestone Arena (capacity: 18,160), Nashville, Tn. 1:00 p.m.

Broadcast Information

TV: ABC; Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst), and Shannon Spake (sideline)
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 (411-164, 17th season at Florida; 446-184 overall, 19th season)
Alabama: Anthony Grant (84-50, 4th season at Alabama; 160-75 overall, 7th season)

Probable Starters

Florida Gators

#5 Scottie Wilbekin (6'2", 176 lbs JR) Season stats: 9.2 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.1 rpg, 1.5 steals per game
#1 Kenny Boynton (6'2", 190 lbs SR) Season stats: 12.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg
#3 Mike Rosario (6'3", 183 lbs RS-SR) Season stats: 12.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg
#33 Erik Murphy (6'10", 238 lbs SR) Season stats: 12.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg
#4 Patric Young (6'9", 249 lbs JR) Season stats: 10.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.7 blocks per game

Bench

#24 Casey Prather (6'6", 208 lbs JR) Season stats: 6.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg
#15 Will Yeguete (6'7", 240 lbs JR) Season stats: 5.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg
#20 Michael Frazier (6'4", 200 lbs FR) Season stats: 6.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg

Alabama Crimson Tide

#12 Trevor Releford (6'0", 195 lbs JR) Season stats: 15.5 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 steals per game
#5 Trevor Lacey (6'3", 215 lbs SO) Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.1 apg
#20 Levi Randolph (6'5", 205 lbs SO) Season stats: 7.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg
#21 Rodney Cooper (6'6", 215 lbs SO) Season stats: 10.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg
#14 Moussa Gueye (7'0", 255 lbs JR) Season stats: 1.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 blocks per game

Bench

#15 Nick Jacobs (6'8", 265 lbs SO) Season stats: 7.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
#24 Devonta Pollard (6'8", 200 lbs FR) Season stats: 4.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg
#32 Retin Obasohan (6'1", 210 lbs RS FR) Season stats: 3.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg
#22 Andrew Steele (6'4", 225 lbs RS SR) Season stats: 3.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg

Injury News and Team Notes

• Senior forward Erik Murphy injured his knee in practice on Wednesday and there was doubt that he would play yesterday against LSU.  Instead, Murphy scored a career-high 27 points on 11/15 from the field (5/7 from 3-point range) to go along with 12 rebounds, for his third-career double-double.
• Although senior guard Kenny Boynton only scored two points (1/7 fg, 0/4 3pt) yesterday, he helped the team in other ways.  He dished out seven assists and played solid defense on Andre Stringer and Anthony Hickey.  I'm confident that if he keeps getting open looks, he'll start knocking down shots with regularity.  He always seems to get hot from the perimeter at this time of the season.
• Junior center Patric Young made 4/6 free throws in the second half after going 0/4 in the first half.  He's constantly working on his form and knows that he can make a huge difference in the Gators' scoring output if he can improve his charity stripe shooting.
• Alabama wants to make this game ugly, slowing down the pace, running their offense, and getting the shot clock down to 15 seconds or less.  I feel that that's the only way they can keep this game close because they don't have the offensive firepower to compete with Florida's offense if the game gets into a shootout.
• Florida has won the last six meetings with Alabama.  
• The Gators are 5-7 all-time versus Alabama in the SEC Tournament.  Florida is 4-2 against the Crimson Tide in the SEC Tournament under Coach Donovan.
• Donovan is 11-2 against past assistant coaches, including 5-0 against Anthony Grant (assistant from 1996-2006)

What I'm Wondering

1.  Trevor Releford is on quite a hot streak, averaging 19 points per game in his last seven games.     He is Alabama's most important player and he's their heart and soul; if he's not playing well, the Tide doesn't play well, and vice versa.  I expect Boynton or Wilbekin to have the task of defending Releford.  How will Releford's play impact the game and Alabama's execution?   

2.  Florida's free throw shooting has been an issue the entire season.  The Gators shot 11/22 from the line yesterday.  In close games, free throw shooting determines the final result.  How will the Gators shoot from the line?

3.  Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario have been really struggling with their shooting.  Will either of them be able to get back on track today?

Final score prediction: Florida 69 - Alabama 64

Donovan named SEC Coach of the Year, six Gators earn All-SEC honors

Gator head coach Billy Donovan was named SEC Coach of the Year on Tuesday for the second time in his career.  He also won the award in 2011, when, coincidentally, the Gators also won the SEC regular season title.  It's a duly deserved award for a coach whose team has undergone a rash of injuries this season, yet the 13th-ranked Gators finished the regular season with a 24-6 overall record, and went 14-4 in the SEC.  Florida is the #1 seed in the SEC Tournament which got underway yesterday in Nashville, Tennessee.  The Gators play Friday at 1:00 (TV: ESPNU) against the winner of Georgia and LSU, who play this afternoon.

The Gators also had six players earn All-SEC honors:

Senior forward Erik Murphy: 1st team All-SEC
-Season stats: 12.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 62/133 3pt (46.6%)
-Needs 27 points to reach 1,000 for his career
-18-straight games with at least one 3-pointer, good for the ninth-longest streak in school history
-133/249 fg (53.4%) this season
-Fourth all-time in career 3-point field goal percentage (43.9%)
-Ranks 12th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage this season; Second in the SEC in that category behind Frazier- 48.4%
-Ranks fifth in the SEC in 3-point field goals made this season

Senior guard Kenny Boynton: 2nd team All-SEC and All-District IV Team
-Season stats: 12.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.0 apg
-Second on the Gators' all-time scoring list (needs 36 points to reach 2,000 for his career)
-UF's all-time leader in 3-point field goals made with 324.
-Fifth in field goals made (643) in Florida history
-First in minutes played (4,482)
-First in games started (135)
-Seventh in games played (138)
-Tenth in assists (378)
-Ninth in free throws made (354)
-Ranks first among active SEC players in career points (1,964) and 3-point field goals
-Ranks sixth on the SEC's all-time 3-point field goals made list
-One of 15 active Division-1 players to score over 1,950 points (only player on list to play all four years in a Power Six Conference-SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big East, Big 12, Pac 12)
-3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in SEC play (57 assists, 19 turnovers)
-His third-straight season earning all-conference honors

Senior guard Mike Rosario: 2nd team All-SEC
-Season stats: 12.3 ppg, 2.2 apg, 57/67 ft (85.1%)
-Leads UF in scoring in SEC play at 12.8 ppg
-Has scored 1,614 points in his career (including 1,051 points in his two years at Rutgers)
-Scored in double figures 19 times this season, including 17 games with 13 or more points


Junior center Patric Young: 2nd team All-SEC, All-SEC Defensive Team, SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, and 2013 SEC Men's Basketball Community Service Team
-Season stats: 10.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.7 blocks per game
-Won Scholar-Athlete award for the second straight year; 3.38 GPA (Major: Telecommunications)
-Ninth all-time in blocked shots (113)
-Third all-time in field goal percentage (60.4%)
-Sixth all-time in dunks (112)*unofficial stat
-Ranks first in the SEC in field goal percentage (60.6%); 14th in the NCAA in that category.
-Ranks fourth in the SEC in blocked shots (52)
-SEC's active leader in field goal percentage
-Six double-doubles this season and has nine for his career


Junior guard Scottie Wilbekin: All-SEC Defensive Team
-Season stats: 9.0 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.1 rpg
-143 assists this season, four away from breaking into the top-10 for most assists in a season
-First in the SEC (25th in the NCAA) in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5); 143 assists vs. 58 turnovers
-Second in the SEC in assists

Freshman guard Michael Frazier: All-SEC Freshman Team
-Season stats: 6.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 45/93 3pt (48.4%)
-Ranks first in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage (48.4%); seventh in the NCAA in that category
-Ranks fourth on the Gators' all-time single-season list for 3-point field goal percentage
-Named SEC Freshman of the Week twice

Boynton, Murphy, and Rosario look to deliver outright SEC title on Senior Night versus Vanderbilt

Well, I cannot believe that Florida seniors Kenny Boynton, Erik Murphy, and Mike Rosario are putting on the white and blue home jerseys for the last time tonight. It's amazing to think how far these three players have come in their careers at the University of Florida. Boynton, from Pompano Beach, Florida, became a high school legend while competing at Blanche Ely and American Heritage. His matchups against former Pine Crest School, University of Kentucky, and current Detroit Pistons-star Brandon Knight were some of the most anticipated matchups in South Florida high school history. Although he was unsuccessful against Knight's Panthers on many occasions, Boynton proved that he was destined for success in college and pro ball.

Boynton is now the second-leading scorer in Gator basketball history and, although he has frustrated Florida fans with his unorthodox shooting motion and inconsistent performance, he will finish his career as one of the best to put on the Gator jersey. As someone who's from the state of Florida, Boynton's career is all the more significant.

Erik Murphy has been one of the most improved players in the country, in relation to his freshman to senior seasons. His first two seasons now seem like a blur compared to his productive third and fourth seasons. His playing time was sparse and outside influences questioned if he should transfer. Then, in the offseason after his sophomore season, he was arrested for breaking into a car along with former Gator Cody Larson and a former team manager. He was suspended from all basketball-related activities and had to do some real soul-searching. Ever since that incident, he's become one of the premier "stretch-fours" in the country, combining his remarkable perimeter shooting with his deft post play, displaying crafty moves around the basket.