travisduncan
Gator Fan
Gators move into semis of SEC Tourney; Martin's Facebook prank
With an 85-74 win over Tennessee Friday night in Atlanta, the Gators will now meet the winner of Mississippi State and Vanderbilt for the right to play in Sunday's SEC Championship.
Saturday's game against either MSU or Vandy will be at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC-TV. The Championship game will be at 1 p.m. ET also on ABC.
There wasn't a lot to find fault in the win against the Vols. The Gators spread the ball around as usual, pushed the tempo and were pretty efficient defensively.
Down by five at the half, they got points in the paint and made it a point to drive the ball to the lane.
"Coach yelled at us at halftime and got us in our right -- put us in our place," Erving Walker said after the game.
"And I mean, it's great to play for him. And he got us going and we just didn't want to continue to look like that. And we played how Florida is supposed to play in the second half."
Walker finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
At halftime, Donovan said he "just tried to explain to them that they worked really hard, and it's always been about our team, and it's always been about them together as group."
He added, "I didn't think that we were playing selfishly. I just thought we were playing as individuals and we weren't utilizing each other. "
Chemistry applied to basketball teams is often an over-hyped cliché, but the Gators appear to all be on the same page-and the facts truly do indicate they are an unselfish bunch.
Five players scored in double-digits against Tennessee. When that happens they are 4-0 this season.
Chandler Parsons said this week, "I think, by far, this is the best chemistry we've had, and I think, by far, this is the best team I've been on the last three years."
Parsons had a quiet 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, but the Gators scored a remarkable 56 points in the second half.
Kenny Boynton led with 22 points on 5/11 shooting but got to the line 10 times and made each of his 10 free-throws.
Defensively, Tobias Harris got 25 points on 10-17 shooting, while Scotty Hopson scored 17, but only converted 6 out of 14 from the field. The Gators did a good job of helping on Hopson and didn't allow him to get any rhythm with his shot or drives.
We know UF can score, but how far they can go in the NCAA tournament could largely depend on their ability to defend against the best offenses they face.
Overall UF plays solid defense, but they will be tested.
On Feb. 26 they lost to Kentucky because they couldn't defend super talented guys like Doron Lamb, Brandon Knight and Darius Miller good enough.
But for now, Donovan's squad has no drama. They are two wins away from an SEC Tourney Championship and a likely two-seed if they do that.
Of Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, I think you would prefer Miss. State even though the Gators lost to the Bulldogs and swept the Commodores.
Having just played Vandy last week, they could be a little too familiar with UF. In a situation where there is limited time for rest, the Commodores could sneak out with a victory.
Either way, Florida should be ready and if they win, you kind of think that Kentucky awaits, with all due respect to 'Bama.
-As Will Muschamp and Charlie Weis implement new schemes, the Gators will close spring practice which begins Wednesday.
"With a new coaching staff here teaching our system, we feel like minimizing our distractions is important," Muschamp said in a statement announcing the change.
Along with spring practice, Gators will host their Pro Day on Tuesday which will also be closed to the public.
-Linebacker Chris Martin pranked Gator Nation Thursday when he posted a fake status update to his Facebook page.
"wow? Dismissed from the team??? well Cali...here i come. WTF"
Then he posted ""FOR ALL YOU FACEBOOK STALKERS THAT POST OUR STUFF TO MESSAGE BOARDS...HERE IS THE FIGURATIVE FINGER FOR BEING NOSY"
Martin later confirmed he was joking and had in fact not been kicked off the team.
No school wants to be labeled as anti-social media, but often times Facebook and Twitter cause more harm than good (Ask Jim Tressel or Butch Davis).
Martin's spoof seems harmless, but most school's would rather their student-athletes avoid controversy on the internet.
Muschamp himself is somewhat active on Twitter so it's hard to imagine the Gators would be inline for a social media ban, a la The Miami 'Canes under Randy Shannon last season.
------
I'll have more Monday to wrap up the SEC Tournament and look ahead to the Gators first-round game in the NCAA Tournament.
With an 85-74 win over Tennessee Friday night in Atlanta, the Gators will now meet the winner of Mississippi State and Vanderbilt for the right to play in Sunday's SEC Championship.
Saturday's game against either MSU or Vandy will be at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC-TV. The Championship game will be at 1 p.m. ET also on ABC.
There wasn't a lot to find fault in the win against the Vols. The Gators spread the ball around as usual, pushed the tempo and were pretty efficient defensively.
Down by five at the half, they got points in the paint and made it a point to drive the ball to the lane.
"Coach yelled at us at halftime and got us in our right -- put us in our place," Erving Walker said after the game.
"And I mean, it's great to play for him. And he got us going and we just didn't want to continue to look like that. And we played how Florida is supposed to play in the second half."
Walker finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
At halftime, Donovan said he "just tried to explain to them that they worked really hard, and it's always been about our team, and it's always been about them together as group."
He added, "I didn't think that we were playing selfishly. I just thought we were playing as individuals and we weren't utilizing each other. "
Chemistry applied to basketball teams is often an over-hyped cliché, but the Gators appear to all be on the same page-and the facts truly do indicate they are an unselfish bunch.
Five players scored in double-digits against Tennessee. When that happens they are 4-0 this season.
Chandler Parsons said this week, "I think, by far, this is the best chemistry we've had, and I think, by far, this is the best team I've been on the last three years."
Parsons had a quiet 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, but the Gators scored a remarkable 56 points in the second half.
Kenny Boynton led with 22 points on 5/11 shooting but got to the line 10 times and made each of his 10 free-throws.
Defensively, Tobias Harris got 25 points on 10-17 shooting, while Scotty Hopson scored 17, but only converted 6 out of 14 from the field. The Gators did a good job of helping on Hopson and didn't allow him to get any rhythm with his shot or drives.
We know UF can score, but how far they can go in the NCAA tournament could largely depend on their ability to defend against the best offenses they face.
Overall UF plays solid defense, but they will be tested.
On Feb. 26 they lost to Kentucky because they couldn't defend super talented guys like Doron Lamb, Brandon Knight and Darius Miller good enough.
But for now, Donovan's squad has no drama. They are two wins away from an SEC Tourney Championship and a likely two-seed if they do that.
Of Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, I think you would prefer Miss. State even though the Gators lost to the Bulldogs and swept the Commodores.
Having just played Vandy last week, they could be a little too familiar with UF. In a situation where there is limited time for rest, the Commodores could sneak out with a victory.
Either way, Florida should be ready and if they win, you kind of think that Kentucky awaits, with all due respect to 'Bama.
-As Will Muschamp and Charlie Weis implement new schemes, the Gators will close spring practice which begins Wednesday.
"With a new coaching staff here teaching our system, we feel like minimizing our distractions is important," Muschamp said in a statement announcing the change.
Along with spring practice, Gators will host their Pro Day on Tuesday which will also be closed to the public.
-Linebacker Chris Martin pranked Gator Nation Thursday when he posted a fake status update to his Facebook page.
"wow? Dismissed from the team??? well Cali...here i come. WTF"
Then he posted ""FOR ALL YOU FACEBOOK STALKERS THAT POST OUR STUFF TO MESSAGE BOARDS...HERE IS THE FIGURATIVE FINGER FOR BEING NOSY"
Martin later confirmed he was joking and had in fact not been kicked off the team.
No school wants to be labeled as anti-social media, but often times Facebook and Twitter cause more harm than good (Ask Jim Tressel or Butch Davis).
Martin's spoof seems harmless, but most school's would rather their student-athletes avoid controversy on the internet.
Muschamp himself is somewhat active on Twitter so it's hard to imagine the Gators would be inline for a social media ban, a la The Miami 'Canes under Randy Shannon last season.
------
I'll have more Monday to wrap up the SEC Tournament and look ahead to the Gators first-round game in the NCAA Tournament.
