Top Performers
Michael Frazier II: 17 points (6/9 fg, 5/8 3pt)
Patric Young: 10 points (3/6 fg, 4/5 ft), 10 rebounds (6 offensive), 3 blocks, 3 assists, 2 steals- third double-double this season
Will Yeguete: 11 points (5/6 fg, 1/2 ft), 7 rebounds (3 offensive), 1 block
Casey Prather: 11 points (4/4 fg, 1/1 3pt, 2/2 ft), 3 rebounds
Mike Rosario: 11 points (6/6 ft)
Erik Murphy: 10 points (4/7 fg, 2/3 3pt), 1 block
Kenny Boynton (5 assists) and Scottie Wilbekin (4 assists)
First Half Notes
- Patric Young didn't start due to a lack of effort in practice, according to Coach Donovan. If you would've told me that Patric wasn't giving enough effort, I'd call you crazy. The kid's got an unbelievable motor and is an incredibly hard worker, as he's constantly working on his weaknesses. So I don't know what kind of effort he was giving in practice, but I was shocked to hear that that was the reason why he wasn't starting.
- Scottie Wilbekin moved into the starting lineup due to Young's benching; Scottie probably had his least effective game since returning from his suspension on November 18th. Personally, and I think Donovan feels this way, I prefer the starting lineup of Boynton, Rosario, Yeguete, Murphy, and Young. Scottie's come off the bench for his whole career and has developed a nice niche.
- The 35-second shot clock violation to start the game was the perfect omen to how the game was going to go for Marquette.
- Casey Prather was the first sub off the bench; once Young rejoins the starting lineup, I expect Wilbekin to be the first sub, then Prather.
- Erik Murphy had a great block on Davante Gardner!
- Mike Rosario was out of control for most of the game, committing three turnovers. He got called for a charge and made a few ill-advised passes, which always drive me absolutely insane! A lot like some of Erving Walker's shots during his career here. I'm confident that Rosario's working on that aspect and the number of turnovers will decrease, hopefully, as the season progresses.
- Michael Frazier II proved that hard work pays off: before every game, he's always the first one on the floor getting shots up. His hard work was rewarded as he hit 5/8 treys and scored a career-high 17 points to be the Gators' leading scorer last night.
- Young was battling all night and the effort was definitely there until a was whistle blown. I don't know if it was a case of playing with a chip on his shoulder because Donovan benched him, but he normally plays like that. It was just that it was under the circumstances that more fans noticed. We have become so used to him playing like that that we probably take it for granted.
- Prather hit a three-pointer, his first of the season; coming out of high school, he was compared to Corey Brewer (another Tennesseean) because he was a great defender, long, explosive, and could shoot. The shooting hasn't translated, but he is finding more effective ways to maximize his time on the court.
- Halftime score: Florida 38 - Marquette 24
- It took Kenny Boynton until the 16:34-mark to score his first points. Luckily, we didn't need his offense tonight as he only scored six points (2/11 fg, 0/5 3pt). He did have five assists, though.
- The best hustle play so far this season was Patric Young's all-out dive for a loose ball. Absolutely incredible! He looked like Superman flying though the air!
- Prather had a couple of nice drives to the basket and his confidence is sky-high, which shows in all aspects of his game.
- Young was a "stat-stuffer" last night. We've seen it a few times this season, but he has to be more consistent in that area.
- Murphy left the game with a hip pointer, but was back on the bench after visiting the locker room. There will be more news on the extent of his injury in the FSU Preview.
- Final score: Florida 82 - Marquette 49
1. It's key for the Gators to get off to a good start tonight. They started their game with UCF 0/9 from the field. Marquette is far more talented than UCF so the Gators cannot afford to come out of the gate slow. How will the Gators come out?
Answer: The Gators never trailed and dominated from the opening tip. It was the ideal way to start a game and I was waiting for the Golden Eagles to make a run, but Florida's defense wouldn't let that happen.
2. Florida's defense against UCF wasn't good at all. They weren't getting back in transition and the players acknowledged that they did lots of defensive drills in practice leading up to this game. Will there be a defensive improvement versus Marquette?
Answer: The answer is a resounding YES! The Gators scored 22 points off 14 turnovers. Anytime you hold an opponent under 50 points, that's a significant achievment.
3. Patric Young noted that he needs to finish better around the basket. Even though I feel that he's doing fine around the rim, he has high standards for himself. How will he finish around the basket against the Golden Eagles?
Answer: He had a nice put-back off an offensive rebound in the second half, but there were one or two shots around the rim that, although contested, he could've finished. I'm not too worried, though. If he keeps playing the way he's been playing, his post game will take care of itself.
4. Marquette will come into the O'Dome wanting revenge from last season's Sweet 16 loss. Outside of a buzzer-beating loss to Butler in the Maui Invitational, Marquette might be coming in here undefeated. I'm expecting a close game throughout, with both teams making runs at various points in the game. Will the Gators respond whenever the Golden Eagles make a run?
Answer: The runs that Marquette made were very insignificant (scoring two or three points to cut Florida's lead from 15 to 13 points, etc.) The Gators played an almost flawless game, while the Golden Eagles will try to forget it.
5. Marquette has two big (and I mean BIG) men that are their main forces inside: Davante Gardner (6'8", 290 lbs) and Chris Otule (6'11", 275 lbs). Which team will own the paint?
Answer: Florida scored 32 points in the paint compared to Marquette's 28. Otule was scoreless, while Gardner had six points. Credit Young, Yeguete, and Murphy with their post defense. Future Marquette opponents should take note: if you shut down their bigs, your chances of winning increase drastically because their guards do not have the firepower to dig them out of deficits.
6. The Golden Eagles are outrebounding their opponents by a margin of +5.5 (37.2-32.2). The Gators, meanwhile, are outrebounding their opponents by a margin of +10.6 (40.0-29.4). Which team will own the glass?
Answer: Florida had the distinct advantage on the glass, pulling down 37 rebounds to Marquette's 23. Quite frankly, the Gators owned the glass.
7. The Gators are averaging only 13.0 assists per game, uncharacteristically low for Donovan's teams who are consistently one of the top teams in the SEC in assists. Will the Gators change that tonight?
Answer: The Gators recorded 16 assists on 28 field goals. They only committed eight turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2 to 1. I thought that once Scottie got back into the swing of things after his suspension, the number of assists would go up and, sure enough, they have.
Selected stats (all Florida stats unless noted)
Field goals made/attempted= 28/55 (50.9%)
Three-pointers made/attempted= 9/24 (37.5%)
Free throws made/attempted= 17/20 (85.0%)
Rebounds/offensive= 37 rebounds/13 offensive
Fouls= 9
Assists= 16
Turnovers= 8
Steals= 5
Marquette turnovers= 14
Blocks= 5
Points off turnovers= 22
Points in the paint= 32
Second-chance points= 13
Fastbreak points= 2
Bench points= 40
Guard rebounds= 8
Marquette offensive rebounds= 7
Officials= Tony Greene, Mike Nance, and John Cahill
Attendance= 10,245
What's Up Next
The Gators travel to rival Florida State for an in-state clash with the Seminoles on Wednesday (12/5) at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU and on the radio on WRUF/Gator IMG Sports Network. The pregame radio show begins at 6:25.
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