Top Performers
Florida Gators (17-2, 7-0 SEC)
Mike Rosario: 15 points (6/11 fg, 2/5 3pt)
Kenny Boynton: 15 points (5/11 fg, 3/6 3pt), 7 assists, 4 steals
Michael Frazier: 12 points (4/6 3pt), 7 rebounds
Patric Young: 8 points (3/6 fg), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
South Carolina Gamecoacks (12-8, 2-5 SEC)
Michael Carrera: 13 points (6/9 fg), 9 rebounds
Bruce Ellington: 7 points (2/9 fg), 7 turnovers
First Half Notes
- Senior guard Kenny Boynton had UF's first five points.
- South Carolina had seven turnovers prior to the 12:00-mark; they finished the game with 17.
- Senior guard Mike Rosario had six points at the second media timeout (11:11). Rosario had been in a two-game shooting slump (combined 4/21 fg), but was much better with his shot selection in the win over the Gamecocks. As with all shooters, he needed confidence early in the game by seeing the ball go through the hoop.
- Rosario actually had 10 points in the first ten minutes of the game. He was fouled while attempting a three-pointer, made the shot, and then hit the free throw for a four-point play. Usually those four-point plays are reserved for Boynton!
- Senior forward Erik Murphy (6'10") is the SEC's leading 3-point shooter at 48.7% (38/78). ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes has acknowledged that the best collegiate shooters, based on percentage, are 6'7" or taller.
- The Gator defense forced the Gamecocks to commit a 35-second shot clock violation, one of two for the game. Nothing fires me up more than to see the Gator defense grind it out for the entire shot clock and get rewarded.
- Junior forward Patric Young was 2/7 shooting free throws. He changed his form from his first two years for some reason and it does not look like a comfortable shooting motion at all. As a freshman, he shot 70.3% from the charity stripe, as a sophomore 59.3%, and this year he's shooting 50% (37/74). On average, he's getting to the line four times a game, so he needs to put in the extra work in order to capitalize on his opportunities at the "free" throw line.
- Certainly the highlight of the night was Young's thunderous block on one end, and Rosario's fastbreak dunk on the other. It's those types of plays that Young can bring to a game, and he's done it plenty of times in the past.
- SEC Network analyst and former Vanderbilt Commodore star guard Barry Booker said that it's going to be a "trip to the woodshed for the (Ole Miss) Rebels." #16 Ole Miss, beaten Tuesday at home versus Kentucky, travels to Gainesville for a matchup between the SEC's top two teams.
- UF finished the half 7/16 from the line.
- Coach Billy Donovan talked about the free throw woes: "We work on it every day...I'd like to have more than 20 hours a week [to work on things like free throws]."
- Rosario finished the half with 12 points.
- Freshman guard Michael Frazier corralled five rebounds in the half.
- The Gators scored 12 points off 11 Gamecock turnovers in the half.
- South Carolina: 10 points on 33 possessions
- Florida: 33 points on 34 possessions
- The UF record for points allowed at the half was in the season-opener against Alabama State, where the Gators gave up nine points in the first half.
- Halftime score: Florida 33 - South Carolina 10
- To begin the half, the Gators immediately looked inside to Young, who made a nice hook shot (only his second shot of the game.
- South Carolina dual-sport athlete Bruce Ellington was held to seven points for the game and also committed seven turnovers. He came into the game averaging 17.3 ppg in four career games versus the Gators.
- Young displayed another jump shot that found the bottom of the net. He seems to be more comfortable with them as the season has been progressing.
- Barry Booker: "I haven't seen a team this dominant in SEC play." -talking about Florida.
- Boynton passed former Vanderbilt shooting star John Jenkins on the all-time SEC 3-pointers list.
- Donovan announced shortly before tipoff that junior forward Casey Prather would be active and he wasn't sure how much he'd play him. He had missed the previous four games with a high ankle sprain. It's been an injury-riddled season for Prather, who began the season with two concussions. He checked into the game at the 11:39-mark. He only played three minutes, probably just to get his competitive juices flowing again, and he scored two points on a layup, and recorded two rebounds and an assist. Look for Prather to play a significant role in Saturday's game versus Ole Miss.
- Murphy had an uncharacteristic dunk; he had one versus Missouri, but he doesn't do it often.
- Frazier continues to compete with Murphy on who's the best shooter on the team. The freshman shot 4/6 from deep and it was his fourth game in double-figures. He's a star in the making.
- Freshman guard Braxton Ogbueze entered the game at the 5:16-mark. He recorded an assist in his five minutes of action. Donovan may be trying to see if Ogbueze can give the Gators some quality minutes at the back-up point guard position as the wear and tear of the season begins to take it's toll. That's definitely something to monitor.
- Donovan emptied the bench at the 3:38-mark, allowing freshmen DeVon Walker, Dillon Graham, and sophomore walk-on Jacob Kurtz to get some court time.
- Kurtz scored for the third time in five games that's played in. Kurtz plays with poise and doesn't try to force things like some walk-ons like to do. He just goes out and plays.
- Walker hit his second field goal of the season (2/17 fg). As he continues to add muscle to his thin frame, he can be an integral piece in his time as a Gator. I compare him to former Gator Chandler Parsons, in that they have the same body type and are both, for the most part, perimeter players.
- The Gators did not attempt a free throw in the second half. In the first half, they made seven out of 12.
- At the conclusion of the game, Donovan and South Carolina coach Frank Martin had some nice words for each other. They've been long-time friends going back to Martin's days coaching former Gators Udonis Haslem and Brent Wright in high school.
- The Gators held an opponent under 40 points for the second time this season (Alabama State scored 35).
- The Gators held an opponent under 50 points for the 11th time this season.
- Final score: Florida 75 - South Carolina 36
South Carolina Coach Frank Martin
“They’re real good. The more I studied them on tape, the more I realized there’s a reason they’ve played as well as they have this year. When they play here in this building, they take it to even another level.”
Florida Coach Billy Donovan
“What I've tried to get across to these guys is when you're up by a large margin, that does not give you the right not to do your job. The scoreboard has nothing to do with your responsibility on the court, and they've done a pretty good job playing every possession.”
Selected stats (all Florida stats unless noted)
Field goals made/attempted= 28/53 (52.8%)
Three-pointers made/attempted= 12/21 (57.1%)
Free throws made/attempted= 7/16 (43.8%)
Rebounds/offensive= 38 rebounds/11 offensive
Fouls= 9
Assists= 18
Turnovers= 12
Steals= 13
South Carolina turnovers= 17
Blocks= 3
Points off turnovers= 22
Points in the paint= 28
Second-chance points= 7
Fastbreak points= 16
Bench points= 21
Guard rebounds= 17
South Carolina offensive rebounds= 6
Second half points= Florida (42), South Carolina (26)
Officials= Doug Shows, John Cahill, and Tim Clougherty
Attendance= 10,533
What's Up Next
The Gators face their first quality opponent in a while when they take on the 16th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels at home on Saturday (2/2). The Rebels come in with a record of 17-3 and are 6-1 in the SEC, having lost on Tuesday to Kentucky. The tip is set for 7:00. The game will be televised on ESPNU and broadcast on the radio on WRUF/Gator IMG Sports Network. The pregame radio show begins at 6:25.
No comments:
Post a Comment