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Gator Bytes – Palm Beach Post
Gators take one step closer to March Madness with 78-69 win over Auburn
NASHVILLE – Dan Werner wore a look of relief on his face following the Gators’ 78-69 win over Auburn in the first round of the SEC Tournament, and it had nothing to do with exacting revenge on the Tigers for eliminating the Gators from last year’s tournament.
“To tell you the truth, it’s a good feeling just to get a win,” Werner said.
It had been awhile since he could say that – a span of four games over 18 days, to be exact. The Gators entered this weekend’s tournament on a three-game losing streak to end the season, putting their NCAA Tournament hopes in doubt.
But one win over Auburn may have changed everything for the Gators. They enter today’s SEC Quarterfinal against Mississippi State with a 21-11, 10-7 record, and Thursday’s win over Auburn may have sealed their first NCAA Tournament bid in three seasons, thanks to a weakened crop of “bubble” teams.
A win tonight against the Bulldogs (21-10, 9-7) almost certainly will secure a March Madness bid.
The Gators have avoided stumping for their cause, but Chandler Parsons, who finished with 21 points and six rebounds against Auburn, spoke up on behalf of his teammates on Thursday.
“I know we’re one of the best 65 teams in the country, but I’m not on the (selection) committee,” Parsons said.
The Gators do have a powerful fan, however, in SEC commissioner Mike Slive, who was the chairman of the selection committee last season and still wields plenty of influence.
“Absolutely, they deserve to be a tournament team,” Slive said after the game.
But before they can worry about March Madness, the Gators have some unfinished business in Nashville.
“We’re not just happy and content that we beat Auburn,” Parsons said. “We want to keep playing ’til the end.”
The Gators will have a good shot at making it to Sunday if they keep playing tough defense. Thursday, the Gators held Auburn to 4-of-25 shooting from the three-point line, and completely shut down Tay Waller, the Tigers’ second-leading scorer. Waller, who usually averages 15.3 points per game, shot 0-for-6 from the field – missing five three-pointers – and finished with 0 points, the only time this year he was shut out.
Waller had averaged 25.6 points in his previous five games before Thursday.
“We knew Tay Waller coming into the game was red hot, so we had to take him away,” Parsons said. “Our guys just really came out tonight and followed the scouting report really well.”
Junior forward Alex Tyus led the Gators Thursday with 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Kenny Boynton had nine points, all on three crucial three-pointers in the second half.
The Gators led by as many as 13 in the second half, but didn’t put the game away until Parsons’ dunk pushed the lead to seven points with 17 seconds left.
“We weathered some storms,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “So it was a great win. I know these guys are excited to play again tomorrow.”
(read more)Gators face Auburn tonight in the SEC Tournament, but you won’t see it for free in Palm Beach
NASHVILLE — The Gators’ season is on the line tonight when they face Auburn at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, but you better get your wallet out if you want to watch in Palm Beach County.
The first two rounds of the tournament will be shown on the SEC Network (eight games total), and two representatives from Comcast confirmed that the SEC Network will only be aired in Palm Beach County on ESPN Full Court, which is placed in a premium tier and costs $5 to order. The games will only be shown on channels 704 and 725. (ADD: But if you have an internet connection, you can also watch the games on ESPN360.com).
To watch tonight’s Florida-Auburn game, check out the ESPN Full Court Web site or head to your local sports tavern. Same rules apply if the Gators advance to the second round on Friday night against Mississippi State. The SEC semifinals and final will all be shown on ABC.
If you check out this list of SEC Network affiliates, West Palm Beach appears to be the only market in Florida, and one of the few in the entire south, not receiving the game on free television. WFLX Fox 29 aired the SEC Network during football season, but declined to pick up the basketball package.
(read more)Tebow scores a 22 on the Wonderlic, below average for an NFL starting QB
Tim Tebow is certainly no dummy, having won the National Football Foundation’s “Academic Heisman,” otherwise known as the William V. Campbell Trophy, in 2009 for success on the field, in the classroom and community leadership.
Tebow graduated Florida with a 3.66 GPA as a Family, Youth and Community Services major, and he is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a two-time First Team Academic All-American.
But when it comes to quick thinking in a pressurized situation, Tebow performed slightly below average when compared to his peers. According to Edgar Thompson, the Post’s Miami Dolphins writer, Tebow scored a 22 on his Wonderlic test at the NFL Combine two weekends ago.
The 12-minute, 50-question test assesses a person’s learning and problem-solving abilities, and while Tebow’s score of 22 is just fine for the NFL, it is a little low for starting quarterbacks.
The average score for all quarterbacks is 24, but the average for 30 NFL starting quarterbacks — Matt Cassel’s and Matt Moore’s could not be found — is a 28.5. Taking it a step further, the average Wonderlic score of the last seven Super Bowl winners is 30.1.
That’s not to say that a Wonderlic score directly relates to success as an NFL quarterback. Quarterbacks with high scores (Ryan Fitzpatrick 48, Alex Smith 40, Matt Leinart 35) have struggled in the league, while quarterbacks with modest scores (Donovan McNabb 14, David Garrard 14, Vince Young 15) have performed well.
Tebow also scored slightly lower than the other quarterbacks in this draft class — Sam Bradford leads the way with 36, followed by Colt McCoy at 25 and Jimmy Clausen at 23, according to Thompson.
Here is a list of the Wonderlic scores of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL (plus Tebow):
1. Ryan Fitzpatrick 48
2. Alex Smith 40
3. Eli Manning 39
4. Matt Stafford 38
5. Tony Romo 37
6. Aaron Rodgers 35
6. Matt Leinart 35
8. Tom Brady 33
9. Matt Ryan 32
10. Matt Schaub 31
11. Philip Rivers 30
12. Matt Hasselbeck 29
12. Marc Bulger 29
12. Brady Quinn 29
15. Mark Sanchez 28
15. Peyton Manning 28
15. Drew Brees 28
18. Josh Freeman 27
18. Joe Flacco 27
20. Carson Palmer 26
20. Jay Cutler 26
20. Kyle Orton 26
23. Ben Roethlisberger 25
24. Jason Campbell 23
25. Brett Favre 22
25. Tim Tebow 22
25. Chad Henne 22
28. Bruce Gradkowski 19
29. Vince Young 15
30. Donovan McNabb 14
30. David Garrard 14
Unknown
Matt Cassel
Matt Moore
Other Wonderlic scores of note:
Brian Griese 39
Drew Bledsoe 36
Steve Young 33
John Elway 29
Ryan Leaf 27
Chad Pennington 25
JaMarcus Russell 24
Mark Brunell 22
Trent Dilfer 22
Michael Vick 20
Daunte Culpepper 18
Dan Marino 15
Randall Cunningham 15
Jim Kelly 15
Terry Bradshaw 15
Chris Leak 8
Thanks to this database from the University of North Carolina for all Wonderlic scores before 2007.
(read more)Tebow to the Jaguars? Not so fast, my friend
The Jacksonville Jaguars are under pressure from their fans to draft Tim Tebow in the first round, right?
The hometown kid who won championships at the big university right down the road will fill seats and sell merchandise and lead the Jaguars to glory while preventing the team from leaving for Los Angeles — isn’t that how the story goes? The fans have even created a Web site — draft15.com, with 1,080 signatures so far.
But the Jaguars, who hold the 10th overall pick, have conducted some of their own research. And in a poll of 800 season ticket holders, 55 percent said the Jaguars should NOT draft Tebow.
General manager Gene Smith held a Fan Forum over the phone with the season ticket holders last night, and according to the Florida Times-Union, the first question of the night was about drafting Tebow.
“I’m not going to comment on where he’s going to be drafted,” Smith said.
Smith seemed to indicate he doesn’t expect to draft a quarterback with the 10th pick of the first round when he said it wouldn’t be easy for a rookie quarterback to come in and be better than David Garrard and backup Luke McCown.
Because teams don’t usually draft a quarterback in the first round to come in as No. 3 at the spot, Smith might figure a quarterback isn’t likely to be the Jaguars’ first-round choice.
As far as drafting a quarterback at some point, Smith said, “I would always look for a quarterback we could develop, but I’m not going to force it. Is it a position we’ll look at in the draft? Yes, it is.”
Tebow, who will unveil his throwing motion for scouts at UF’s Pro Day next Wednesday, has individual workouts scheduled with the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks before the draft, but not with the Jaguars (not publicly, anyway). The Bills have the 9th pick of every round, while Seattle, which just traded Seneca Wallace to Cleveland, picks 6th and 14th in the first round.
The chances of Tebow being drafted in the first round, though, appear to be dwindling, and if Tebow is not taken by Seattle at 14, he likely will go in the second or third round.
The Jaguars don’t have a second round pick, but they could conceivably take him with the 10th pick of the third round. Smith also says later in the T-U story that his mentality is to acquire draft picks, so it would not be surprising to see the Jaguars trade the 10th overall pick for multiple picks in the first three rounds and use one of those on Tebow.
(read more)Joe Haden Sr.: ‘No regrets’ with his son running the 40 at the Combine
Tim Casey/Gatorcountry
Joe Haden has had only one focus over the past 10 days — running the 40 yard dash.
“The 40 is what time it is right now. That’s the big bang for the buck, that’s what the scouts want to see,” his father, Joe Haden Sr., said Tuesday from his home in Maryland. “He’s preparing very, very hard, to put it mildly.”
That’s because Haden may have cost himself several million dollars in the NFL Draft when he clocked a disappointing 4.57 and 4.60 in 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine two weekends ago. But his father said Haden has no regrets about participating at the event and risking his draft status.
“There’s no regrets. In hindsight you could look at everything and say we could switch up, and do something different, but things happen for a reason. God doesn’t make any mistakes,” Haden Sr. said. “I think this will only enhance him, make Joe a better player, a better competitor, and a stronger person, who can deal with adversity in his life.”
Haden, a 2009 All-American at Florida, was widely projected to be the first cornerback selected in April’s NFL Draft and a likely top-10 pick before the Combine – the Cleveland Browns, picking seventh, appeared to be a good fit (and still may be). But Haden’s 4.57 was much slower than the 4.37-4.42 he had hoped to run, and he may have run himself out of the first round, costing himself millions of dollars in the process.
In 2009, the No. 7 overall pick made $23.5 million guaranteed, while the No. 15 pick made $10.435 million and the No. 32 pick $6.1 million.
“It’s going to be hard for some scouts to get that 4.57 out of their mind when they think about him being an elite player,” NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks said. “It’s rare for a team to take a guy with that kind of speed as a top 15 or top 10 pick.”
Haden Sr., a former semipro bodybuilder who has been training his son at his gym in Maryland, said his son has been dealing with a lower back sprain, and his back tightened up at the Combine, affecting his performance.
“We had stopped doing some of the heavier lifting, but it just stiffened up on him, one of those things,” Haden Sr. said. “It just really affected him. I wish I had known, because I would have had him not even work out.”
But Haden has one more chance to make things right – next Wednesday at Florida’s Pro Day at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators will hold their own Combine for the NFL scouts – 40 yard dash, bench press, cone drill and more – but Haden is only worried about one drill.
Haden’s family was pretty shocked with his 40 time, but they are confident he can improve it at Pro Day.
“For Joe, all his life, (speed) has been his biggest strength. So for something to happen like that for him, I mean, Joe ran a 4.5 40 in the ninth grade. It was just something that was a blip,” Haden Sr. said. “But I think that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It is what it is, and now it’s just time for us to handle our business.”
Haden has been running the 40 every day, and while his father declined to say what his latest times are, but Haden is “back to his regular self.”
“You ask (UF strength coach) Mickey Marotti, who was one of the fastest guys, explosive and everything at Florida, and he’ll tell you, it was Joe,” Haden Sr. said. “Joe has never never never had an issue with running, with speed, with anything. We didn’t want to put a lot of stuff out in the media and make excuses. The biggest thing was just to come out and do what we do.”
Haden Sr. also said his son isn’t too worried about his draft stock, because he has proved on film that he can be an elite cornerback. Haden helped shut down some of the best receivers in the nation this year in Alabama’s Julio Jones, Georgia’s A.J. Green and LSU’s Brandon LaFell. Haden Sr. said his son has several individual workouts lined up after Pro Day with teams drafting in the top 15.
“The blessing is you look at the film, he’s locked up everybody he’s played against,” Haden Sr. said. “This will be the only time that he runs a 40 again that it matters. After that it’s going to come down to what he does on the field.”
(read more)3 Gators earn All-SEC honors, but Chandler Parsons isn’t one of them
Florida sophomore point guard Erving Walker, who averaged 12.6 points and 5 assists per game this year, was named Second Team All-SEC by the conference’s coaches Tuesday afternoon, while guard Kenny Boynton (13.5 points, 2.7 assists) was named to the All-Freshman Team and sophomore guard Ray Shipman (3.45 GPA in sport management) was named the SEC’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Getting the snub was junior forward Chandler Parsons, who has four double-doubles this season, two game-winning buzzer-beaters and averaged 12.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists in SEC play this year, but it wasn’t enough to earn recognition from the conference’s coaches.
Kentucky freshman John Wall was named the Player of the Year, while Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings won Coach of the Year.
The complete list of All-SEC Honors:
First Team All-SEC
*Trey Thompkins, Georgia – F, 6-10, 247, So., Lithonia, Ga.
*DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr., Mobile, Ala.
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr., Huntington, W.Va.
*John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230, Sr., Brownsville, Tenn.
*Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170, Sr., Chester, S.C.
Wayne Chism, Tennessee – C, 6-9, 246, Sr., Jackson, Tenn.
*Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt – G, 6-3, Sr., 205, DeSoto, Texas
Second Team All-SEC
Mikhail Torrance, Alabama – G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Eight Mile, Ala.
Courtney Fortson, Arkansas – G, 5-11, 180, So., Montgomery, Ala.
Erving Walker, Florida – G, 5-10, 171, So., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU – F, 6-7, 238, Sr., Denham Springs, La.
Chris Warren, Ole Miss – G, 5-10, 168, Jr., Orlando, Fla.
Dee Bost, Mississippi State – G, 6-2, 170, So., Concord, N.C.
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt – C, 6-11, Jr., 255, Sydney, Australia
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210, Norrkoping, Sweden
SEC All-Freshman Team
Tony Mitchell, Alabama – F, 6-6, 185, Fr., Swainsboro, Ga.
*Marshawn Powell, Arkansas – F, 6-7, 220, Fr., Newport News, Va.
Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 183, Fr., Pompano Beach, Fla.
*Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky – G, 6-1, 190, Fr., Birmingham, Ala.
*DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr., Mobile, Ala.
*John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.
Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-8, 233, Fr., Memphis, Tenn.
*John Jenkins, Vanderbilt – G, 6-4, 215, Hendersonville, Tenn.
SEC All-Defensive Team
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr., Huntington, W.Va.
*Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230, Sr., Brownsville, Tenn.
Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170, Sr., Chester, S.C.
Sam Muldrow, South Carolina – F, 6-9, 220, Jr., Florence, S.C.
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210, Norrkoping, Sweden
SEC Coach of the Year: Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt
SEC Player of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ray Shipman, Florida
SEC Freshman of the Year: DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State*
*-Unanimous selection
^-Ties are not broken
(read more)Even with the Gators’ recent struggles, Billy Donovan feels ‘good’ about his team
The Gators enter this weekend’s SEC Tournament on a three-game losing streak to end the regular season. They are saddled with a 9-7 conference record, a fourth place finish in the SEC East and a 3-7 record against teams in the RPI Top 50. And they haven’t finished games lately, dropping a 78-76 heart-breaker to Georgia and choking down the stretch in a 64-60 loss to Vanderbilt.
But if you ask Billy Donovan, the Gators are playing just fine.
“I feel good about our team,” Donovan said Tuesday morning, 24 hours before his team heads to Nashville to determine its postseason fate. “I like where our team is at mentally right now. I like the way they’re working. I think their attitude the whole year has been very, very good, and I think they have a collective focus on what they want to do.”
What they want to do, of course, is win the SEC Tournament. What they NEED to do, however, is beat Auburn Thursday night in the first round of the SEC Tournament, and they probably need to beat Mississippi State in the second round Friday night to assure themselves of a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Of course, Donovan doesn’t want his team thinking that way. He turns to the old cliché of “one game at a time.”
“I don’t know how you can be an effective team or effective player if you’re focused on the drama that’s on the outside of you,” Donovan said. “It’s a one game tournament. That’s all we need to focus on right now.”
A loss to Auburn on Thursday would be disastrous. It would all but eliminate the Gators from the NCAA Tournament and send them to the NIT for the third consecutive season. Already, the Gators are the only team in NCAA history to follow back-to-back national titles with back-to-back NITs. A third trip would put a lot of heat on Donovan, in the third year of a contract extension that pays him $3.5 million annually.
Donovan said the key is to block out all of the extemporaneous stuff and just focus on beating Auburn, who eliminated the Gators from last year’s SEC Tournament.
“Whatever happens in the SEC tournament or whatever gets created or speculated what’s going to happen, that really has nothing to do with the game,” Donovan said. “Our guys just need to stay focused on the game.”
(read more)Tebow on Urban Meyer: ‘He’s going to get back and have a great season and Florida is going to dominate’
Plenty of uncertainty still surrounds Florida football coach Urban Meyer and his leave of absence, even though he said said back in January that he will be back coaching the Gators when spring practice starts next week.
How much will he actually coach? Or will he delegate responsibilities and serve as a CEO? What if the doctors say he isn’t allowed to coach?
And each of the six Gators that have been interviewed in recent weeks — new coaches Stan Drayton, Teryl Austin and D.J. Durkin, and players John Brantley, Mike Pouncey and Justin Trattou — has given the same company line when asked about whether Meyer will be back on the sidelines this spring or fall: Meyer will do whatever is best for his family. Trattou said he has barely talked to Meyer since the season ended in January.
Tim Tebow, though, put any uncertainty to rest in a radio interview with WJXL in Jacksonville, saying he talks to Meyer “pretty much every day” and that Meyer “absolutely” will be back with the Gators. Tebow also expressed plenty of faith in the teammates he left behind, and the Gators’ No. 1-ranked recruiting class.
“He’s going to get back and have a great season and Florida is going to dominate,” Tebow said. “He’s doing great and feeling better. I’m just happy that he’s feeling better and that he’s there for his family and that he’s been able to just relax and let his stress levels die down a little bit. He’ll absolutely be back and he’ll be involved. He’s going to be hands on working with the guys. He’ll be there for a lot of the stuff in the spring and in the summer. Florida should have a great year.”
Other topics addressed by Tebow, who will “unveil” his new throwing motion at UF’s Pro Day on March 17:
On the pre-draft experience:
“It’s been a lot of what I expected. I had a lot of people giving me advice leading up to the hype and the combine and everything that’s going on, so I kind of knew what to expect. But it still has been a whirlwind. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been something that I’ve dreamed of for a long time. It’s something that I’ve enjoyed. It really hasn’t been something I stressed out over or overwhelmed me. It’s been a whirlwind, but a lot of fun.”
On changes he is making to throwing motion:
“I think it’s just being as quick as possible and taking out as much slack in my release as possible. Instead of kind of having a little drop in my throwing motion it’s really trying to eliminate that drop in my motion like I have done pretty efficiently. It’s something I’ve worked on a lot and feel really good about. Sometime it’s half a second and sometimes it could be quarter of a second. It’s not a lot of time, but that little bit could be the difference between a touchdown or a fumble or the ball getting batted down. It does make a difference and is something I feel I can get better at and have gotten better at.”
On whether he would like to play in Jacksonville:
“I would. It’s here at home and I would enjoy that. I have been a Jaguar fan my whole life. I have enjoyed being here in my hometown and watching the Jaguars play and getting an opportunity to play for them would be a blessing for me and a privilege for me to be able to stay in my hometown and play here.”
On his favorite NFL team growing up:
“My favorite team growing up was the Dallas Cowboys. I was a huge Emmitt Smith fan because he was a Gator and an awesome running back. So I was a huge Cowboy fan. After he left, it died down from there. I have only had three jerseys in my entire life: Emmitt Smith, Danny Wuerffel and Michael Jordan.”
And on how many marriage proposals he has received:
“We’ve gotten quite a handful of marriage proposals. Mostly from parents though (wanting to marry their daughters).”
h/t to sportsradiointerviews.com
(read more)Are the Gators a Tournament team? John Calipari thinks so
The Gators’ NCAA Tournament resume isn’t exactly eye-popping:
A 9-7 conference record; a 3-7 record against the RPI Top 50; a three-game losing streak to end the season; bad losses against South Alabama and Georgia.
But the Gators pass the eye test, Kentucky coach John Calipari said Sunday after the Gators took No. 3 Kentucky to the brink in a 74-66 loss in Lexington.
Calipari said the Gators “played as well as anybody else that we’ve played here,” and they deserve to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons.
“Florida is an NCAA Tournament team,” Calipari said. “They have to win at least one in our league tournament and then they are in. If they win two games, it’s a lock that they are in and I’m rooting for them. They never quit and went right at us.”
The Gators appeared to be a lock for the Tournament after beating Tennessee (RPI 13) two weeks ago, but have been stuck on nine SEC wins following consecutive losses to Vanderbilt, Georgia and Kentucky.
Early season wins against Michigan (RPI 26) and Florida State (RPI 32) will certainly help the Gators’ case. Also helping the Gators: The other “bubble” teams haven’t done much to deserve to make the Tournament, either. Notre Dame, UConn, Rhode Island, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Memphis and UAB have as many question marks, if not more as the Gators.
“They probably would get in today,” ESPN’s Andy Katz said of Florida. But “they’re going down the wrong path.”
Once again, the Gators’ season comes down to the SEC Tournament, to be played this Thursday to Sunday in Nashville. Last year, a second-round loss to Auburn sealed the Gators’ NIT fate. This year, the Gators get a re-match with Auburn in the first round. The Gators defeated the Tigers three weeks ago in Gainesville, and Katz called it a must-win for the Gators.
“That’s the kind of game you cannot lose if you want to be in this tournament,” Katz said.
If the Gators win, they face Mississippi State in the second round — another team that the Gators defeated this season, but one that can be dangerous on any night. Katz said the Gators probably have to beat the Bulldogs in Round 2 to make the Tournament.
Katz’s co-worker at ESPN, bracketologist Joe Lunardi, had the Gators as an 11 seed in the West bracket before yesterday’s loss to Kentucky. Lunardi will still likely have the Gators listed as an NCAA Tournament team today, because he doesn’t even consider Florida one of the “last four teams in.”
Of course, that can all change this week in Nashville.
Let’s take a look at the Gators’ report card:
RPI: 53
Strength of Schedule: 40
Average RPI of opponents played: 114.67
Signature wins: Tennessee (RPI: 13) Michigan State (RPI: 26), Florida State (RPI: 32), Ole Miss (RPI: 56), Mississippi State (RPI: 69)
Bad losses: South Alabama (RPI: 226), Georgia (RPI: 209),
“Good” losses: Syracuse (RPI: 3), Kentucky (twice) (RPI: 4), Tennessee (RPI: 13), Vanderbilt (RPI: 20), Xavier (RPI: 21), Richmond (RPI: 25).
Record vs. Top 50 RPI: 3-7
Gators must slow down John Wall, Eric Bledsoe to upset No. 3 Kentucky on Sunday
Ed’s note: Thanks to fearless Alligator correspondent Kyle Maistri for filling in on the basketball beat while I cover the Honda Classic this weekend.
When Florida faced Kentucky on Jan. 12, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe turned the basketball game inside the O’Connell Center into a track meet.
The pair of freshman guards pushed the ball up the floor on every UF miss and turnover, combining for 44 points and leading No. 3 UK (28-2, 13-2 SEC) to a 89-77 victory.
If the Gators (20-10, 9-6 SEC) are to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume in Lexington on Sunday at noon, they must keep Wall and Bledsoe from dictating the pace of the game.
“Both of them are good players and they’re going to make plays, but we just got to contain them and not let them run wild,” UF point guard Erving Walker said.
Florida coach Billy Donovan praised Kentucky’s big men for being able to turn missed baskets into crisp outlet passes, making it easier for the guards to get out in transition.
“A bad shot can be just as much of a problem as turning the ball over,” Donovan said.
Bad shot selection leads to rebounding opportunities for 6-foot-11 DeMarcus Cousins (10.1 rebounds per game) and 6-foot-9 Patrick Patterson (7.6), who are capable of cleaning the boards on their own, allowing Wall and Bledose to get down court to receive the outlet pass rather that help out with rebounding duties.
“They got a combination of everything,” UF forward Chandler Parsons said. “They have guards that are really fast that push the ball in transition, and in the half court, they have big guys they can give it to on the block and score.”
Walker and Donovan said the Gators need to make a conscious effort to get back after every missed shot and turnover in order to limit the number of easy basket opportunities for the Wildcats.
“They really, really hurt us in transition,” Donovan said. “That’s going to be key — being able to get back, and I think sometimes they really capitalize off your turnovers.”
If Florida can keep UK, which averages more than four more possessions per game than the Gators, from speeding up the game, it will take some pressure off its offense, which has been inconsistent as of late.
Vanderbilt held UF under 37 percent from the field in a 64-60 loss Tuesday, as freshman guard Kenny Boynton combined with Walker to shoot 3-24 from the floor.
The Commodores took the ball out of Parsons’ hands, limiting the Gators’ hottest offensive player — seven straight games of at least 13 points — to four shot attempts and three points.
Donovan said that teams are beginning to game plan to take Parsons out of the game offensively, but he knows the team will need more than the two rebounds and one assist Parsons contributed against VU if UF is going to land an upset against UK.
“Chander played the game inside of himself in terms of not forcing shots, but I also think he could’ve been more aggressive in the game in terms of doing things aggressively without shooting the ball,” Donovan said.
(read more)
