2016-17 Gator Basketball: A Year In Review

The Florida Gator Men's Basketball team saw much improvement over the course of the 2016-2017 season. In the second year of the Mike White era, the Gators posted a 27-9 (14-4 SEC) record while making it as far as the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

Non-Conference Opponents
Florida put together a good non-conference schedule that gave them a 10th overall ranking in RPI. Six of the 12 non-SEC teams they faced made this year's NCAA Tournament. They were:

• Florida Gulf Coast (26-8, 12-2 ASUN) (Lost in the First Round as No. 14 seed)
• Seton Hall (21-12, 10-8 Big East) (Lost in the First Round as No. 9 seed)
• No. 2 Gonzaga (36-1, 17-1 WCC) (Currently in Final Four)
• Miami (21-12, 10-8 ACC) (Lost in the First Round as No. 8 seed)
• No. 7 Duke (28-9, 11-7 ACC) (Lost in the Round of 32 as No. 2 seed)
• No. 16 Florida State (26-9, 12-6 ACC) (Lost in the Round of 32 as No. 3 seed)

Florida defeated FGCU (80-59), Seton Hall (81-76), and Miami (65-56) while falling to then No. 11 ranked Gonzaga (77-72), then No. 5 ranked Duke (84-74), and Florida State (83-78).

Not a single one of these games were played in the O-Dome, showing Florida's willingness to battle it out on the road (FGCU in Jacksonville and FSU in Tallahassee) and at neutral sites (Gonzaga, Seton Hall, and Miami in Orlando and Duke at MSG ).

In Florida's only other true non-conference road game of the season against an Oklahoma team that made it to the Final Four last year, they ran the Sooners out of the building with a resounding 84-52 rout.

SEC Opponents

Once conference play started in January, the Gators ripped off five straight SEC wins before dropping two straight contests to No. 24 South Carolina on the road and Vanderbilt at the O-Dome. The latter would be Florida's only home loss of this season as they went 9-1 in the friendly confines.

After the Vandy loss, Florida kicked it in to high-gear as they blew out LSU, stopped briefly in Norman to whip the Sooners, and dominated Missouri to set up a highly anticipated matchup with the then No. 8 ranked Kentucky Wildcats in Gainesville.

This game was a laugher. With the Rowdies by their side, Florida whooped Kentucky by a score of 88-66. This was the biggest margin of victory ever for the Gators against the Wildcats. Florida rode this momentum to two more victories before tragedy struck against Auburn on Valentine's Day.

The Gators won the game over the Tigers by 19 points, but in the process lost redshirt junior center John Egbunu to an ACL injury. His season was over, and it looked liked Florida's aspirations for a deep postseason run were gone as well.

After tacking on two more victories (including a 15-point home victory over South Carolina), the Gators brought a nine-game winning streak into their rematch with Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Florida's streak would die in Lexington as the Cats got their revenge and beat the Gators 76-66.

Florida would beat Arkansas by 13 points on Senior Night and yet again lose to Vanderbilt to close out the season. In the SEC Tournament, Florida was a one and done in the quarterfinals as Vanderbilt bested them for a 72-62 overtime victory.

The Gator Faithful began to question how the Gators would fare in the NCAA Tournament after losing to Vanderbilt in back-to-back games and three times overall this season. Before moving on to the Gators' postseason run, here are my final tidbits on SEC play for this season:

• The Gators swept two season series this year against both Georgia and Arkansas.
• All of the SEC teams who defeated Florida (South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Kentucky) made the NCAA Tournament.
• Florida would ultimately finish two games behind Kentucky for second in the SEC Regular Season Standings.

March Madness

Once the NCAA Tournament rolled around, many around the country had the Gators either losing in the First Round or the Round of 32 (I was a member of the latter). Florida proceeded to prove nearly everybody wrong! 

East Tennessee State (First Round)

In their first tournament game since the 2013-2014 season, the Gators came out firing as they beat the ETSU Buccaneers by a score of 80-65 in Orlando. This game was close at times, but Florida predominantly remained in control.

Virginia (Round of 32)

Perhaps the most dominant defensive performance of the entire tournament, Florida completely shut down the Cavalier offense. Florida was able to coast for a majority of the way as they easily won by a score of 65-39.

Wisconsin (Sweet Sixteen)

On to Madison Square Garden now, the Gators would find themselves a part of one the most memorable Sweet Sixteen games in college basketball history. Up eight points with two minutes to play in regulation, the Gators would have the wind taken out of their sails as Wisconsin came back and hit a game-tying three with less than three seconds remaining.

In overtime, Florida overcame a five-point deficit with under two minutes to go due to graduate transfer guard Canyon Barry. He made a bucket, nailed two clutch free throws, and had a track-down block that allowed Florida to tie the game up.

After a foul on Wisconsin with four seconds remaining allowed the Badgers to take an 83-81 lead via free throws, a miracle happened. Junior backup point guard Chris Chiozza received the inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the court, and threw up a floater/prayer from three-point land that swished through the net for the game-winning buzzer beater!

Pandemonium ensued, and Chiozza had etched his name in March Madness lore forever. The Gators, yes the Florida Gators who were supposed to lose in Orlando, were on their way to the Elite Eight! 

South Carolina (Elite Eight)

Facing a familiar opponent in South Carolina, the Gator magic ran out. Similar to the game in Columbia, Florida could not buy a three-point basket in a second half. Despite the three-point struggles, this game was still tied at 63 with three minutes remaining.

The Gators, however, could not muster up enough clutch shots or defensive stops. Their postseason run would conclude with a 77-70 defeat to the Gamecocks. It was an incredible effort from Florida, and to even be in a position to advance to the Final Four in itself had many of the Gator Faithful very proud of this year's squad.

Accolades
Before looking at the season leaders, here are my final tidbits/accolades for the 2016-2017 Gator basketball team:

• Chris Chiozza registered a triple-double for the Gators in the February 2nd contest against Missouri. He had 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, all which came off the bench.
• Canyon Barry made Gator history on February 11th against Texas A&M as he sunk his 39th consecutive free throw. He may get some snide remarks and insults for shooting free throws underhanded, but at the end of the day Canyon is in the Florida record books!
• Florida lost consecutive games just three times (Duke/FSU, South Carolina/Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt/Vanderbilt).
• Florida's win-streak of nine from January 25th to February 25th is their longest since they won 30 straight games from December 10, 2013 to March 29th, 2014, in the 2013-2014 season.
• Florida played three overtime games and in those games they went 2-1 (defeated Georgia and Wisconsin and lost to Vanderbilt).
• The Gators played five ranked opponents the whole season (No. 11 Gonzaga, No. 5 Duke, No. 24 South Carolina, and No's. 8/11 Kentucky)
• In the final AP Top 25 poll, the Gators finished with a final ranking of No. 20.
• Florida reached the NCAA Tournament for the 20th time, Round of 32 for the 15th time, Sweet Sixteen for the 11th time, and Elite Eight for the ninth time in school history.

Among all-conference honors, a few Gators garnered some distinctions that included:

• 2016-2017 SEC Coach of the Year

• Mike White (2nd year at Florida)

• First Team All-SEC

• KeVaughn Allen - Shooting Guard

• Second Team All-SEC

• Kasey Hill - Point Guard

• SEC All-Defensive Team

• Kasey Hill - Point Guard

• SEC Sixth-Man of the Year

• Canyon Barry - Shooting Guard

Now let's take a look at the final stat leaders for the Gators this season:

Offense

Points: KeVaughn Allen (505) (Sophomore)

Assists: Kasey Hill (161) (Senior)

Rebounds: Kevarrius Hayes (69) (Sophomore)

Shooting Percentage (200 attempts min.): Devin Robinson (48%) (Junior)

Three-Pointers: KeVaughn Allen (78)

Three-Point Percentage (100 attempts min.): Justin Leon (40%)

Free Throws: Canyon Barry (113) (Graduate Transfer)

Free Throw Percentage (100 attempts min.): Canyon Barry/KeVaughn Allen (88%)


Defense

Rebounds: Devin Robinson (158)

Blocks: Kevarrius Hayes (60)

Steals: Kasey Hill (60)


Miscellaneous

Personal Fouls: Kasey Hill/Kevarrius Hayes (84)

Minutes: Kasey Hill (1,041)

Turnovers: Kasey Hill (110)


Senior Sendoff
With another Gator basketball season in the books, it is only fitting that I highlight the seniors who will be moving on to bigger and better things upon completing their degrees at the University of Florida.

Kasey Hill

Kasey Hill was a freshman on that 36-3 team that made it to the Final Four. Though he never really lived up to his potential as an incoming McDonald's All-American in his four years at Florida, Hill showed great resolve and patience in the Donovan to White transition.

He never gave up on this program and in return, this program never gave up on him. Kasey's final stats at point guard are as follows:

• 137 games and 3,603 minutes played (9th all-time in school history for minutes)
• A career average of 7.9 points (60% shooting percentage)
• 41 three-pointers made (24% shooting percentage)
• 266 free throws made (60% shooting percentage)
• 329 rebounds (49 offensive and 280 defensive)
• 530 assists (2nd all-time in school history!)
• 182 steals (3rd all-time in school history!)
• 29 blocks
• 304 personal fouls
• 7 foul-outs
• 304 turnovers
• 1,087 points

Thank you, Kasey!


Justin Leon

Justin Leon spent two years playing JUCO ball at Shawnee Community College before transferring in to Florida during Mike White's first year. In his two seasons repping the Orange and Blue at forward, Leon finished with the final numbers of:

• 70 games and 1,311 minutes played
• A career average of 6.4 points (46% shooting percentage)
• 74 three-pointers made (40% shooting percentage)
• 46 free throws made (67% shooting percentage)
• 252 rebounds (95 offensive and 157 defensive)
• 28 assists
• 27 steals
• 10 blocks
• 134 personal fouls
• 1 foul-out
• 49 turnovers
• 448 career points

Thank you, Justin!


Canyon Barry

Aiding the Gators at guard with his underhanded free throw skills for just one season, Canyon Barry joined this year's squad as a graduate transfer studying nuclear engineering. Personally one of my favorite players on the team, Canyon finished his final season of college ball for the Gators with the stats of:

• 35 games and 747 minutes played
• A career average of 11.4 points ((42% shooting percentage)
• 42 three-pointers made (34% shooting percentage)
• 113 free throws made (88% shooting percentage)
• 98 rebounds (29 offensive and 69 defensive)
• 22 assists
• 18 steals
• 13 blocks (with the Block of the Year against Wisconsin)
• 41 personal fouls
• 0 foul-outs
• 31 turnovers
• 399 career points

Thank you, Canyon! Good luck with your master's degree in nuclear engineering!

Schuyler Rimmer

The last of the Florida Gators leaving the program is center Schuyler Rimmer. Originally a transfer from Stanford, Rimmer would come off the bench and contribute every now and then when the situation called for it. Rimmer finished his two-year Gator career with the numbers of:

• 46 games and 273 minutes played
• A career average of 1.3 points (44% shooting percentage)
• 1 three-pointer made (50% shooting percentage)
• 17 free throws made (74% shooting percentage)
• 49 rebounds (19 offensive and 30 defensive)
• 5 assists
• 1 steal
• 9 blocks
• 46 personal fouls
• 0 foul-outs
• 12 turnovers
• 62 career points

Even though you did not play as much as you would have wanted to, thank you Schuyler!

Final Takeaway
This year's Gator basketball team defied even the most optimistic expectations with a second-place SEC finish and a trip to the Elite 8. Keep in mind, this was all accomplished with Florida having their starting center sidelined since mid-February. If we are playing the comparison game (which we always are), Mike White has a leg-up on Gator legend Billy Donovan heading into his third season.

In Donovan's second season at the helm for Florida, the Gators finished sixth in the SEC East with a 14-15 (6-10 SEC) record and missed the NCAA Tournament. Now I am not saying that Mike White is going to surpass Billy D and win back-to-back National Championships anytime soon, but he is definitely building a program that will consistency be in Final Four contention year-in and year-out.

Next year's team will be very decent despite the four seniors leaving and junior forward Devin Robinson reportedly declaring for the draft. Mike White should have a 12-man roster in 2017-2018 consisting of one redshirt senior, one senior (if D-Rob leaves), one redshirt junior, two juniors, one redshirt sophomore, two sophomores, one redshirt freshman, and three incoming freshmen.

Florida basketball is back and on the rise yet again! I'm excited to see what Mike White does with this program in the upcoming years! Thank you to the 2016-2017 Florida Gator Men's Basketball team for a fantastic season and an awesome run in the NCAA Tournament! Go Gators!

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Basketball: Chris Chiozza Sends No. 4 Florida to the Elite 8!!!

In all my years of watching Florida Gator basketball, tonight's Sweet 16 contest in Madison Square Garden was by far the greatest Florida basketball game that I have ever watched. With a spot in the Elite 8 at stake, the No. 4 Florida Gators (27-8) used a buzzer beater from junior guard Chris Chiozza to defeat the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (27-10) by a score of 84-83 in overtime!

The Final Two Minutes of Regulation

This game remained tight throughout as neither team could really pull away despite them both having double-digit leads at one point. With under two minutes to go in the game, Florida sported a 70-62 lead. All they needed to do was execute offensively and chip in a few defensive stops to punch their ticket to the Elite 8.

After cutting it to 70-64, Wisconsin fouled senior point guard Kasey Hill with 1:44 remaining. Hill sank both his free throws to up the score to 72-64 before Wisconsin's Bronson Koenig nailed a three-pointer to make it 72-67.

After a Badger timeout, Florida killed 28 seconds off the clock but came up empty on their offensive possession as Kasey Hill missed a layup with just over a minute remaining. Wisconsin then missed a three-pointer, but Badger forward Ethan Happ got the offensive board and laid it up to cut the score to 72-69 with 44 seconds to go.

Florida took the ball up and called timeout with 37 seconds remaining. They needed just one bucket to put this game away. Coming out of the timeout, Chris Chiozza drove the lane with 18 seconds to go and kicked it to sophomore center Kevarrius Hayes. 

Hayes could not get a handle on the ball and Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes came up with the steal. The Badgers now had a chance to tie it with the clock winding down. At the six-second mark, they called timeout to devise a potential game-tying three. Florida now needed just one stop for an Elite 8 berth.

Coming out of the timeout, it looked like Wisconsin did not get a good look as Zak Showalter floated up a three-pointer with time winding down. With 2.5 seconds on the clock, the ball swished through the net to knot the game up at 72. At first it appeared that Showalter had taken a two, but replays showed he was indeed behind the line and the basket was a three-pointer.

Deflated, the Gators called timeout to plan their desperation heave. This would be to no avail as the Gators did not even get a game-wining shot attempt up as time expired. In fact, it was Wisconsin who got the game-winning opportunity as D'Mitrik Trice intercepted the baseball pass and threw up a half court prayer at the buzzer. It was to no avail, and March Madness would finally get its first overtime game.

Overtime

In OT, the Gators were flat for the first three-minutes. Florida did lead early after KeVaughn Allen split his free throws, but after that Wisconsin went on an 8-2 run. The outcome was starting to look grim after Florida missed three straight three-pointers on one offensive possession down 77-73.

After a Nigel Hayes free throw made it 78-73 with 1:40 left in OT, the Gators needed some offensive spark. Enter SEC Sixth-Man of the Year Canyon Barry. The graduate transfer hit a reverse layup to cut the lead to 78-75 with 1:34 to go.

After Chris Chiozza got hit with a questionable foul call with 1:09 remaining, Florida looked dead in the water as Zak Showalter sank both his free throws to up the score to 80-75. The Gators scored in a hurry as KeVaughn Allen made a layup to cut the lead to 80-77. After Allen's score, Wisconsin was back on the line with 41 seconds to go. Ethan Happ split the free throws and now Florida was down four with less than 40 seconds in overtime.

Canyon Barry drove the lane and got fouled with 37 seconds to go. Florida's all-time leading free throw percentage leader needed to make these two to keep the season alive. Using his trademark underhand style that his dad taught him, Canyon sank both of his charity shots to make it 81-79. What happened next is perhaps the defensive play of the game.

As Wisconsin looked to inbound, they threw an outlet pass to Khalil Iverson. As Iverson drove to the basket, Canyon Barry tracked him down and blocked him from behind to force the turnover with 34 seconds left. Chris Chiozza was there for the defensive rebound, and a few moments later he scored an easy layup to knot things up at 81 a piece with 24 seconds remaining.

The Gators had rallied and tied it, now they needed to get a stop to force a second overtime. As opposed to fouling, the Orange and Blue chose to play this one out to the buzzer. As the clock wound down, Nigel Hayes drove on Justin Leon and drew a foul with four seconds remaining. Hayes would sink both of the shots, and it was now desperation time for Florida down 83-81.

Chiozza's Moment

Canyon Barry inbounded the ball to Chris Chiozza and the junior took off down the left sideline. He then ran back to center court and with 1.2 seconds remaining he threw up a floater from the top of the key. The final buzzer sounded and Florida's season was up in the air as the ball made its descent.

Chiozza had put the perfect amount of touch on his shot, as the ball swished right through the net for the game-winning three-pointer! This game was over! The Gators had won 84-83 and were on their way to the Elite 8!

Florida's Leading Men

Chris Chiozza's buzzer beater was obviously the highlight of the night (and possibly the tournament), but he was not the only Gator to play a role in this victory. Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen scored a career-high 35 points against the Badgers as he shot 11 of 24 from the field.

Allen made 1/3 of his three-point attempts (4-12) while sinking 9 of his 10 free throws. He was on another level, and it was the kind of performance the Gators needed to beat an opponent like Wisconsin.

On the glass, Justin Leon and Kevarrius Hayes were huge. Leon hauled in eight rebounds (two offensive) while Hayes brought in seven (four offensive). Hayes had two blocks in the game as well and made 4 of his 9 free throw attempts.

Off the bench, Chris Chiozza gave Florida a solid 30 minutes that culminated into a buzzer beater to send the Gators to the Elite 8. The game-winning shot aside, Chiozza dished out a game-high five assists while scoring eight points on a 3 of 6 shooting effort.

As stated earlier, Canyon Barry was also huge in his 16 minutes of action. His two clutch free throws kept Florida alive and his block allowed Florida to score the game-tying bucket. Canyon finished with seven points on 2 of 4 shooting, made all three of his free throws, and of course had the biggest block of his career in overtime.

The last of the Gator bench I'll mention is true freshman center Gorjok Gak. Only seeing seven minutes of playing time, Gak had four offensive rebounds that resulted in six second-chance points for the Gators.

Wisconsin's Leading Men

In a tough (honestly heartbreaking) losing effort, all five of Wisconsin's starters scored in double figures. Senior forward Nigel Hayes went 7 of 11 shooting and scored a team-high 22 points with seven rebounds. He made a team-high 7 of his 14 free throw attempts. Redshirt sophomore forward Ethan Happ dropped 21 points on a 9 of 14 shooting effort while also corralling six boards.

Redshirt senior guard Zak Showalter's lone three-point attempt forced overtime, and was part of an incredible 4-6 shooting effort that resulted in 14 points with seven rebounds. Senior guard Bronson Koenig made the most three-pointers on the team (3-9) as he shot 4 for 13 on field goal attempts and scored 13 points.

Finally, senior forward Vitto Brown scored an even 10 points as he went 3 for 6 from the field and 2 of 4 from downtown.

Final Takeaway

I cannot describe the emotions my friends and I felt as we saw Chiozza's shot go in. It was surreal, unbelievable, magical, a full-blown miracle. For goodness sakes I was so excited that I ran outside of my buddy Matt's apartment and sprinted down the hallway in a frenzy. It was an incredible finish to one of the the greatest Gator basketball games in school history.

Before previewing Florida's Elite 8 matchup, here are my final tidbits on their unforgettable Sweet 16 victory:

• This is Florida's ninth Elite 8 appearance in school history.
• Florida is now 3-2 all-time against Wisconsin.
• This is Florida's first postseason buzzer beater since Mike Miller's game-winner against Butler in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
• Florida is now 9-2 in the Sweet 16.
• Florida is now 2-1 in overtime games this season.
• TBS's announcers were legitimately terrible as they were essentially pulling for Wisconsin for a majority of the game.
• Florida's biggest lead was 12 points (68-56 with 5:24 remaining in the second half) while Wisconsin's biggest lead was 11 points (24-13 with 7:49 remaining in the first half).

Looking Ahead

In the Elite 8, the No. 4 Florida Gators (27-8) will matchup with a very familiar SEC opponent as they face the No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks (25-10). The Gators and Gamecocks split their season series as South Carolina won 57-53 in Columbia while Florida won 81-66 in Gainesville.

The Gamecocks come into their first ever Elite 8 feeling pretty good about themselves after crushing the No. 3 seeded Baylor Bears (27-8) by a score of 70-50. Florida, on the other hand, comes into this matchup on a cardiac note after their insane overtime win against Wisconsin. Now, a rubber match between these two conference foes will determine who will represent the SEC on one side of the Final Four.

This is going to be a great game between two teams who most of the country thought would not get this far. Tipoff is set for 2:20 p.m. on Sunday, March 26th. This unofficial SEC Championship can be seen on CBS and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Basketball: No. 4 Florida Advances to Sweet 16

The No. 4 seeded Florida Gators (26-8) absolutely dominated the No. 5 seeded Virginia Cavaliers (23-11) by a score of 65-39 to advance to their first Sweet 16 since the 2013-14 season. The Gators jumped on the Cavs early and never looked back as they took a 31-17 lead into the half.

Once play resumed, the Gators upped the lead to 40-17 before Virginia scored a basket with 17:15 left in the game. That layup put an end to a 21-0 Florida run that had spanned nearly nine minutes between the first and second halves. After this run, the Gators were able to put it on cruise control as Virginia did not threaten at all in the second half.

Florida's Leading Men
The Gators had two starters score in double figures tonight. First was junior forward Devin Robinson. Coming off a good game in the first round, D-Rob posted a double double as he scored 14 points and corralled 11 rebounds. He shot 5 of 8 from the field with two of these makes coming from three-point land.

The second double digit scorer for Florida was senior forward Justin Leon. Posting a double double as well, Leon also scored 14 points while bringing in 10 boards (one offensive). He was 4 of 8 on his field goal attempts and made half of his three-point attempts (3-6). He made all three of his free throw attempts.

Off the bench, junior guard Chris Chiozza registered a game-high five assists while totaling seven points, four rebounds, and two steals. Also scoring seven points from the bench was graduate transfer guard Canyon Barry, who notched most of those buckets going 4-4 at the free throw line.

As a team, the Gators did a good job getting to the free throw line as they had 18 attempts compared to Virginia's seven. Florida hit 11 of their charity strikes while the Cavs made all but one.

Virginia's Leading Men
The Gator defense shut down Virginia's offense completely. Star senior guard London Perrantes was more than held in check as he shot 2 of 12 from the field with just six points and four turnovers. In fact, Virginia did not have a single player reach double-digit scoring figures in this game.

Redshirt sophomore center Jack Salt was the only Cavs player to register double digits in a stat category as he pulled down 10 rebounds (two offensive).

Final Takeaway
The Florida Gators (26-8) are heading into the Sweet 16 with a full head of steam after dismantling Virginia in the Round of 32. Before previewing their Sweet 16 matchup, here are my final tidbits on the second round victory:

• This is the 11th time in program history that the Florida Gators have reached the Sweet 16!
• With this win, Florida is now 2-1 all-time against the Virginia Cavaliers with the two past victories both coming in the NCAA Tournament!
• Virginia's 39 points is the lowest that they have ever scored in an NCAA Tournament game.
• Florida's largest lead of the night was 65-36 with under four minutes remaining in the contest. Virginia's largest lead was 6-2 with just under 18 minutes to go in the first half.
• Florida true freshman center Gorjok Gak had a career-high six points in the victory as he made all three of his shot attempts.
• Florida senior point guard Kasey Hill notched one steal in this game to give him 179 career steals, which is the fourth most in Gator history!
• Florida's defensive effort was one for the books as 39 points is the lowest they have allowed all season. 
• Virginia did not shoot a free throw in the first half. Their first attempts from the line came with 17:15 remaining in the second half.

Looking Ahead
With Virginia dispatched, No. 4 seeded Florida will make a return trip to Madison Square Garden in New York for the Sweet 16. Their opponent will be the No. 8 seeded Wisconsin Badgers (27-9), who just upset the defending National Champions and No. 1 overall seeded Villanova Wildcats (32-4).

Florida and Wisconsin have not hooked up since the 2013-14 season, when the Badgers defeated the Gators by a score of 59-53 in Madison on November 12th. This will be the fourth meeting all-time between the two squads with the series knotted up at two wins a piece.

It is a very compelling matchup as Wisconsin enters with the marquee win of the tournament thus far. Florida, however, comes into this game with just as much momentum. Their win over Virginia is by far the most dominating defensive performance of any team this postseason. In fact, the 39 points that Florida allowed are the least amount that any team has scored thus far in the 2017 NCAA Tournament!

The last time Florida was at MSG was earlier this season in December. Playing in the Jimmy V Classic, the Orange and Blue lost a hard-fought battle to the Duke Blue Devils by a score of 84-74. This time around, the Gators are back in New York with a lot more at stake.

The tipoff time for the Florida/Wisconsin game has yet to be announced, but it will be one of the four possible time slots of 7 p.m., 7:15 p.m., 9:30 p.m., or 9:45 p.m. The game will take place on Friday, March 24th, and will be televised on either CBS or TBS.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Basketball: No. 4 Florida Wins Opening NCAA Tourney Game Over No. 13 ETSU

The No. 4 seeded Florida Gators (25-8) won their first NCAA Tournament game of the Mike White era with a convincing 80-65 victory over the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (27-8). This game was a close one at the half as Florida held a slim 33-32 advantage. Once play resumed, however, the Gators pulled away as they capitalized on three-pointers and solid bench play.

Florida's Leading Men
The player of the game for Florida in this one was junior forward Devin Robinson. Shooting 10 of 17 from the field, D-Rob scored a game-high 24 points while also netting 2 of his 5 three-point attempts. He shared the team lead in rebounds as well with seven boards (two offensive and five defensive) while also blocking two shots.

Another Gator starter who had an impact on this game was senior point guard Kasey Hill. Having tournament experience as a freshman on the Final Four squad in 2014, Hill made sure that today would not be his final collegiate game. He shot 5 of 8 from the field while scoring 14 points for the Orange and Blue. He dished out a team-high five assists, hauled in six rebounds, and had two steals as well.

At power forward, sophomore Kevarrius Hayes did a good job being a versatile player for the Gators. Despite scoring just seven points, Hayes set a school tournament record with six steals in the contest. On top of that, he tied Devin Robinson in the rebounding category as he corralled four offensive boards and three more on the defensive end.

The Gator bench played a very key role in deciding the outcome of this one. Junior point guard Chris Chiozza put in a good performance as he racked up 14 points on a 4 of 5 shooting effort with five rebounds (one offensive and four defensive). He made both of his three-point attempts in the game and went 4 of 5 from the free throw line as well. His 23 minutes were the most by any Gator bench player.

Florida's leading man from the charity strike was no other than the SEC Sixth Man of the Year in Canyon Barry. Logging 16 minutes in the game, he went 5 of 6 on his underhanded free throw attempts while putting up seven points.

East Tennessee State's Leading Men
For the Buccaneers, they had to ride the hot hands of junior guard T.J. Cromer and junior forward Dave Burrell to keep this one competitive. Cromer scored 19 points in the game as he went 7 of 13 from the field. He made half of his three-point attempts (3-6).

Coming off the bench, Burrell scored 11 points for ETSU on a 4 of 8 shooting effort. Like Cromer, he shot 3 of 6 from downtown. In other phases of the game, senior forward Tevin Glass did a good job crashing his namesake as he brought down nine rebounds. He scored nine points on 4 of 9 shooting.

Finally, junior guard Jermaine Long did a good job being unselfish as he registered a game-high six assists in 19 minutes off the bench.

Final Takeaway
This game was exciting to watch, but ultimately the skill and depth of the Florida Gators prevailed as they ran away with this one. Before previewing Florida's Round of 32 matchup, here are my final tidbits on their first round victory:

• This was Florida's fifth ever meeting with East Tennessee and after the win today the Gators remain a perfect 5-0 against the Buccaneers all-time.
• This is the 15th time in school history that Florida has advanced past the first round in the NCAA Tournament.
• This is Florida's first NCAA Tournament win since the 2013-14 season.
• This is just the second time in school history that Florida has been seeded No. 4 in the NCAA Tournament. The first time was in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and that ended with an 11-point loss to No. 5 seeded Villanova Wildcats in the second round.
• The win today marks the 18th time that Florida has won a game this year by double digits.

Looking Ahead

After proving many critics wrong and avoiding the 13-seed upset, the No. 4 seeded Florida Gators (25-8) will now prepare for a matchup with the No. 5 seeded Virginia Cavaliers (23-10). This will be Florida's third ever meeting against Virginia with their most recent coming in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Gators won that game by a score of 71-45.

Tipoff is set for 8:40 p.m at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The game can be seen on TNT.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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2016-17 Gator Basketball: February Recap

For the month of February, the No. 17 Florida Gators (24-7, 14-4 SEC) posted an incredible 7-1 record with their lone loss coming at the end of the month to the then No. 11 ranked Kentucky Wildcats (26-5, 16-2 SEC).

Chiozza's Triple Double
It was a very exciting month for the Gators that was full of various milestones and accomplishments. Let's start with the February 2nd contest against the Missouri Tigers (7-23, 2-16 SEC). In this game, junior backup point guard Chris Chiozza made history as he posted Gator basketball's fourth ever triple double.

Coming off the bench, Chiozza posted a stat line of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists to accomplish the feat. As for the game itself, Florida easily won 95-53. The 42-point victory margin was their largest of the season.

Canyon Barry's Free Throw Streak
After the Missouri blowout, more Gator history would be made in the February 11th contest against the Texas A&M Aggies (16-14, 8-10 SEC). In this game, graduate transfer Canyon Barry eclipsed the all-time Gator mark for consecutive free throws made as he sank his 39th straight charity bucket. Of course I have to mention that he is the son of Rick Barry and that, like his father, he shoots his free throws underhanded.

The Kentucky Games
Between both these accolades, a primetime matchup made its way to Gainesville as the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats came into the O-Dome to do battle with the then No. 24 ranked Gators on February 4th.

The result was one even I didn't expect. Florida not only won, but they won big. In the largest victory margin for the Gators in the series, Florida smoked Kentucky by a score of 88-66 to end a five-game losing streak to the Wildcats.

It was the most satisfying victory of the year, and Florida rode that momentum onto five more SEC wins before meeting up with Kentucky again at Rupp Arena. It would be different this time around as the Gators had lost redshirt junior center John Egbunu to a knee injury against Auburn on Valentine's Day.

In addition to Egbunu's absence, the Gators got no calls in their favor from the refs in the Kentucky rematch. On top of all that, future NBA lottery pick Malik Monk caught fire and dropped 33 points to propel the Cats to a 76-66 victory over the Gators.

As the Gators prepare for the SEC Tournament now, let's take a look at the regular season stat leaders for the Orange and Blue:

Offense

Points: KeVaughn Allen (430) (Sophomore)

Assists: Kasey Hill (144) (Senior)

Rebounds: John Egbunu (59) (Redshirt Junior)

Shooting Percentage (100 attempts min.): Devin Robinson (47%) (Junior)

Three-Pointers: KeVaughn Allen (67)

Three-Point Percentage (50 attempts min.): KeVaugn Allen (40%)

Free Throws: Canyon Barry (101) (Graduate Transfer)

Free Throw Percentage (50 attempts min.): Canyon Barry (88%)


Defense

Rebounds: Devin Robinson (130)

Blocks: Kevarrius Hayes (50) (Sophomore)

Steals: Kasey Hill (53)


Miscellaneous

Personal Fouls: Kevarrius Hayes (88)

Minutes: Kasey Hill (610)

Turnovers: Kasey Hill (97)


Final Takeaway
Before addressing the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, I need to highlight the Gators who received all-conference honors. They are as follows:

• 2016-2017 SEC Coach of the Year
• Mike White (2nd year at Florida)
• First Team All-SEC
• KeVaughn Allen - Shooting Guard
• Second Team All-SEC
• Kasey Hill - Point Guard
• SEC All-Defensive Team
• Kasey Hill - Point Guard
• SEC Sixth-Man of the Year
• Canyon Barry - Shooting Guard

Congrats to both Coach White and his players on their hard-earned accomplishments! Looking ahead now, No. 17 Florida will prepare for the SEC Tournament in Nashville after losing their game to Vanderbilt (17-14, 10-8 SEC) there on March 4th.

The Gators have received a double-bye and will need just three wins to be crowned SEC Tournament Champions. They will play either Vanderbilt or Texas A&M and the game will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on the SEC Network and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

Depending on how Florida fares in Nashville, they will most likely receive between a No. 3 and No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. March Madness is upon us, and hopefully Florida can muster up enough mojo to get to the Sweet Sixteen.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

UF Basketball: No. 13 Florida Crushes South Carolina in Rematch

The No. 13 Florida Gators (23-5, 13-2 SEC) won their ninth straight game with a convincing 81-66 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks (20-6, 10-5 SEC). It was 35-32 in favor of the Gators entering halftime, but an offensive explosion coupled with great defense helped Florida run away with this one in the second half. At one point, their largest lead was 18 points with 3:33 remaining in the game!

Florida's Leading Men

Three of Florida's starting five scored in double-digits with sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen posting a game-high 26 points. He shot 5-7 on his field goal attempts (3-5 from three-point land) while making all but one of his team-high 14 free throws.

Allen also totaled a team-high seven rebounds with three assists, one block, and two steals. Also worth mentioning is the fact he did not commit ANY personal fouls in 36 minutes of playing time.

The next leading scorer in the starting lineup was junior forward Devin Robinson. D-Rob went 5-9 from the field (3-6 on his three-point attempts) as he scored 14 points. On the boards, he brought down six rebounds while leading the team with three blocks and recording two steals.

The final Gator starter in double-digits was senior guard Kasey Hill. He took the most shot attempts among his teammates as he went 4-10 from the field. He had two assists and one steal as well.

Off the bench, Chris Chiozza made his 24 minutes of playing time count. In that span, he netted 12 points while shooting 3-6 and making his lone three-point attempt. He was 5-6 from the line and also led the team with four assists while corralling three rebounds and notching a steal.

South Carolina's Leading Men

Though they were soundly defeated, the Gamecocks had two players who got after it against the Gators. The first player (to no one's surprise) was senior guard Sindarius Thornwell. He shot 6-12 from the field while scoring 23 points and reeling in 10 rebounds for a double double. He made all 11 of his free throws and accounted for three of his team's seven assists.

Along with Thornwell, senior guard Duane Notice registered 16 points on a 5-11 shooting effort. He made two of his six three-point attempts and went 4-5 from the free throw line.

Final Takeaway

Unlike their trip to Columbia, the Gators 1) won the game and 2) made a three-pointer (nine to be exact). South Carolina, on the other hand, only made 3 of their 14 shots from beyond the arc. Before looking ahead to No. 13 Florida's next matchup, here are my final tidbits on the South Carolina win:

• Filling in for the injured John Egbunu for the second straight game, Kevarrius Hayes led the team with three steals in 24 minutes of playing time. He totaled six rebounds (three offensive and three defensive) in the contest.
• This is Florida's first home win over South Carolina since January 8, 2014.
• The only player to foul out of the game was South Carolina's Chris Silva with 38.6 seconds remaining in the second half.
• The attendance tonight was 11,051. This is the second highest in the history of the renovated O-Dome. Obviously, Kentucky holds the top spot with an attendance of 11,171.

Looking to extend their win steak to double-digits, the Gators will be tasked with quite a challenge as they head to Rupp Arena to take on the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats (23-5, 13-2 SEC). For anyone who forgot, the Gators absolutely stomped the Wildcats at the O-Dome with an 88-66 victory in their February 4th meeting. 

Now in the rematch, it's safe to say that Kentucky will be looking for revenge. It does not help Florida either that Egbunu is out and that the Rowdies won't be there to get in the Wildcats' heads. This Gator team is good, but in my opinion they won't have enough in the tank to take down Kentucky in Rupp.

The last time Florida beat Kentucky in Rupp was my freshman year on February 15, 2014, by a score of 69-59. Since then, the Gators have lost by scores of 67-50 and 80-61 in Lexington. Hopefully this year's contest up there will be a more competitive one. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The game can be seen on CBS and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network. Whoever wins will have sole possession of first place in the SEC.

As for South Carolina, they have now dropped three straight games and are also three games out of first place in the SEC. They will look to right the ship as they return to Columbia to take on the Tennessee Volunteers (15-12, 7-7 SEC). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Basketball: No. 17 Florida Defeats Texas A&M at Home for 20th Win

For the 23rd time in program history, the Florida Gators have won 20 games in a season! The No. 17 Gators (20-5, 10-2 SEC) reached the magic number this year with a 71-62 home victory over the Texas A&M Aggies (13-11, 5-7 SEC). Similar to Tuesday's contest against Georgia (13-11, 4-7 SEC), this game was close until Florida ran away with it in the last five minutes of regulation.

Florida's Leading Men
Off the bench, junior backup point guard Chris Chiozza again made an impact as he scored 11 points with five assists and four rebounds. Although he went 1-5 from the field, Chiozza feasted from the free throw line as he converted 8 of his game-high 10 attempts.

Also making some noise off the bench was graduate transfer Canyon Barry made history today. Going 4/4 from the charity strike, Barry now holds the Gator record with 39 consecutive free throws made.

His underhand style may be ridiculed and abnormal to some, but it can't be denied that it is effective and pretty foolproof. I offer my congratulations to Canyon. In addition to the record, he also dropped 12 points (which was the second most among Gator players this afternoon).

For Florida's starters, senior forward Justin Leon and redshirt junior center John Egbunu led the way. Leon shot 7 of 15 from the field and drained 50% of his three-pointers (four of eight). He scored a game-high 18 points while corralling five rebounds (three which were offensive).

Egbunu messed around and got a double-double as he scored 10 points and hauled in 10 rebounds on a four of five shooting effort. He made three of his four three throw attempts while also recording two blocks.

Texas A&M's Leading Men
In a losing effort, the Aggies still had some guys who lit up the scoreboard. Among their starters, three registered double-digit scoring efforts. They were freshman forward Robert Williams, sophomore center Tyler Davis, and sophomore guard Admon Gilder.

Williams equated Justin Leon with a game-high 18 points of his own while also shooting 7 of 15 from the field. He made all four of his free throws, corralled a game-high 12 rebounds (five offensive) for the double-double, notched three steals, and also had a game-high four blocks. Williams literally did everything he could in a tough losing effort.

The next leading man for the Aggies was Tyler Davis. The 6'10 center made 5 of his 10 field goals while racking up 12 points. He brought down eight rebounds but committed a game-high six turnovers. Rounding out the Aggie leaders, Admon Gilder also scored 12 points. He shot a subpar 4 of 13 from the field but did record a game-high five steals.

Final Takeaway
No. 17 Florida trailed for about six minutes in the early-to-mid stages of the second half before snatching away the lead for good. With their victory today, the Gators have now upped their winning streak to six games. They remain tied with No. 15 Kentucky (20-5, 10-2 SEC) and No. 19 South Carolina (19-5, 9-2 SEC) for first place in the SEC.

The Gators continue to play well and will look to keep that going as they travel to Auburn (16-8, 5-6 SEC) on Valentine's Day. For a single guy like me, a Gator victory over the Tigers is all I'm gonna need to be happy on this "holiday".

Jokes aside though, Florida should take care of business to keep up the pace in the SEC race. Tipoff for this game is at 7 p.m. It can be seen on the SEC Network and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

As for Texas A&M, they get some time off before heading to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (12-12, 5-6 SEC) next Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN2.

*All stats accredited to ESPN.com

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UF Basketball: No. 17 Florida Defeats Georgia to Sweep Regular Season Series

The No. 17 Florida Gators (19-5, 9-2 SEC) swept their regular season series against the Georgia Bulldogs (13-11, 4-7 SEC) with a 72-60 victory in Athens tonight. The game was close for a bit as Florida led 35-33 at the half, however the Gators were just too much for the Dawgs in the second half.

Florida's Leading Men
The Gators were led by backup point guard Chris Chiozza. Playing 28 minutes in the contest, Chiozza dropped a team-high 15 points with two assists, four rebounds, and four steals. He shot 6 of 10 from the field, sinking two of his five three-point attempts. Chiozza has really picked it up these last few games, and continues to be an important cog to the Gators success in the new year.

Another important performance off the bench came from Canyon Barry. In 25 minutes of action, the graduate transfer registered 11 points while going a perfect 4/4 with his underhanded free throws. He also logged two steals, a block, and five rebounds.

The final bench player I'll mention is power forward Kevarrius Hayes. It was not about his offensive production (he scored just five points) but instead more about his presence in the paint. Hayes blocked a team-high four shots while coming down with five rebonds, three which were offensive.

Among the starters, both point guard Kasey Hill and small forward Justin Leon led the way. Hill led the team with 30 minutes played and in that span he scored 12 points with a game-high five assists. He had two steals and made both of his free throw attempts as well.

Leon had 10 points on the night while shooting an impressive 4 of 7 from the field. He brought down a team-high seven boards with one of them being offensive. He recorded two steals as well.

Georgia's Leading Men
For Georgia, they were led by the tandem of small forward Yante Manten and guard J.J. Frazier. Scoring a game-high 19 points, Manten went 7 of 15 on his field goal attempts. He made all but one of his five shots from the charity strike and dished out two assists with one block. His five turnovers led all players on the night.

Frazier kept up with Manten as he logged 18 points on a 5 of 13 shooting effort. He made 6 out of 9 free throws while corralling eight rebounds and notching two steals.

The final member of Georgia's starting five worth mentioning is power forward Derek Ogbeide. He had just two points for the whole game, but gave Florida problems on the interior. He collected a game-high 10 rebounds while blocking four shots.

Final Takeaway
I thought this would be a tough game for the No. 17 ranked Gators after they needed overtime to escape the Dawgs at home. Fortunately, I was wrong. Florida responded to the somewhat hostile Georgia crowd in a very positive way as they sank 13 of their 16 free throw attempts and turned the ball over just eight times.

With this victory tonight and No. 19 South Carolina (19-5, 9-2 SEC) falling to Alabama (14-9, 7-4 SEC), Florida is now in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC with No. 15 Kentucky (19-5, 9-2 SEC) and the Gamecocks.

The Gators will look to maybe seize first place outright as they return to Gainesville to face the Texas A&M Aggies (12-10, 4-6 SEC) on the 11th. Tipoff is set for noon and the game can be seen on ESPN2.

As for Georgia, they fall to 0-5 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. They have lost three straight games now and are the third worst team in the SEC. They will try to get back on track as they head to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers (13-10, 5-5 SEC). Tipoff is at 4 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPNU.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com 

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2016-17 Gator Basketball: January Recap

The No. 24 Florida Gators (16-5, 6-2 SEC) capped off yet another successful month as they went 6-2 in January. They boasted a five-game winning steak throughout the month dating back to December with victories over Ole Miss (12-9, 3-5 SEC), Tennessee (12-9, 4-4 SEC), at Alabama (13-7, 6-2 SEC), and Georgia (13-8, 4-4 SEC).

This streak would end when the Gators suffered their first SEC loss to South Carolina on the 18th. In this defeat, Florida failed to make any of their 17 three-point attempts. It was the first time since 1992 that Florida failed to connect from downtown. The South Carolina loss slightly derailed the Gators as bottom-dweller Vanderbilt (10-11, 3-5 SEC) handed them their first home loss of the season in the very next contest.

However, Florida remained in the Top 25 rankings despite the back-to-back losses and smacked both LSU (9-11, 1-7 SEC) and Oklahoma (8-13) by over 30 points on the road to close out the month. In the LSU game, Florida flipped the script and set a school record as they sunk 19 three-pointers in a 106-71 rout of the Tigers. In Norman, they blew the doors off the Sooners with an 84-52 victory. These were definitely two great offensive performances for the Gators to end the month on.

Now, let's take a look at the stat leaders through the first month of the new calendar year:

Offense

Points: KeVaughn Allen (285) (Sophomore)

Assists: Kasey Hill (103) (Senior)

Rebounds: John Egbunu (49) (Redshirt Junior)

Shooting Percentage (100 attempts min.): Devin Robinson (51%) (Junior)

Three-Pointers: KeVaughn Allen (45)

Three-Point Percentage (50 attempts min.): Justin Leon (42%)

Free Throws: Canyon Barry (70) (Graduate Transfer)

Free Throw Percentage (50 attempts min.): Canyon Barry  (88%)


Defense

Rebounds: Devin Robinson (79)

Blocks: John Egbunu/Kevarrius Hayes (30) (Sophomore)

Steals: Kasey Hill (41)


Miscellaneous

Personal Fouls: John Egbunu (51)

Minutes: Kasey Hill (610)

Turnovers: Kasey Hill (61)


Final Takeaway

Sitting just one game out of first place behind No. 8 Kentucky (17-4, 7-1 SEC) and No. 18 South Carolina (17-4, 7-1 SEC) in the SEC standings, No. 24 Florida will make or break their season in February. Just like this past month, the Gators have an even split of home and away games with four a piece.

At Exactech Arena, Florida will face Missouri (5-15, 0-8 SEC), Kentucky, Texas A&M (11-9, 3-5 SEC), and South Carolina. Missouri is in last place, Kentucky is an archrival (and also a game that none of my friends were able to get registered for somehow), Texas A&M has been up and down, and South Carolina will be a rematch. I see Florida going 3-1 in the home portion of the schedule.

For the road, the Gators will pack their bags and head to Georgia, Auburn (14-7, 3-5 SEC), Mississippi State (13-7, 4-4 SEC), and Kentucky. The Gators needed overtime to defeat Georgia, Auburn has been playing relatively well, Mississippi State is a middle-of-the-pack team in the conference, and Kentucky will 100% defeat the Gators at Rupp Arena for the third straight season. Florida ideally should go 3-1 on the road portion with perhaps another close game with the Dawgs in Athens.

Florida did a good job staying ranked as they fluctuated from 24th to 23rd to 19th to 25th before ultimately residing where they began at 24th. Florida should again remain in the Top 25 at the conclusion of February if they post a record of six and Kentucky for the month.

The Orange and Blue are currently seeded at No. 5 in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology. Hopefully a good month can either bring them up to a three-seed or at least allow them to remain steady at five.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Basketball: No. 19 Florida Drops First SEC Contest to No. 24 South Carolina

The No. 19 Florida Gators (14-4, 5-1 SEC) suffered their first SEC loss to the No. 24 South Carolina Gamecocks (15-3, 5-0 SEC) by a score of 57-53.

Coming into the hostile environment of Colonial Life Arena, the Gators had quite the challenge ahead of them with a Gamecock team that was 10-1 at home.

They scored 28 points in the first half and carried a seven-point lead into halftime. When it was time to resume play, the Gamecock defense shut down the Gator offense. Eight minutes went by before Florida registered a field goal, and by then they were trailing 35-32. The Gators kept it close down the stretch, but would never regain the lead.

Shooting Woes

Florida outshot South Carolina 35% to 29%, but it was the three-point game that killed the Gators. It wasn't that the Gamecocks were lighting it up from beyond the arc though. In fact, Florida essentially shot themselves in the foot as they failed to make NOT EVEN ONE THREE-POINTER!

Florida went an astonishing 0-17 from three-point land, which I can honestly say I have never seen in all my years watching them. In fact, this very feat has not happened to Florida since 1992. If the Gators even made just 1/4 of these shots, they probably would have won the game. That's the game of basketball though. It was simply just an off night.

South Carolina's Leading Men

South Carolina's 35-point second half was propelled in most part by senior guard Sindarius Thornwell. He scored 20 points on 5-11 shooting from the field. He got his money's worth from the free throw line, as he converted 9 of 13 attempts. The last of these nine makes would be the ultimate dagger that put South Carolina up 57-53 with nine seconds to go in the game.

Aiding Thornwell in the comeback were sophomore forward Chris Silva and sophomore guard PJ Dozier. Silva took care of all the dirty work in the paint, as he collected seven rebounds (six defensive and one offensive), while also managing 10 points. He was a perfect 5-5 from the charity strike as well. Dozier went just 2-9 on field goal attempts, but still contributed 10 points with six makes on nine trips to the free throw line. 

Florida's Leading Men

Even in a losing effort, there were some good individual performances for the Gators. Some players worth mentioning are Kasey Hill, Canyon Barry, and Devin Robinson.

As the senior point guard for Florida, Kasey Hill put on a good showing in this game. He went 5-8 from the field while registering 11 points. His point total was second-best on the team, and had he not fouled out with under two minutes to go, he may have been the team's leading scorer.

Instead that honor goes to graduate transfer shooting guard Canyon Barry. Coming off the bench, Barry logged 13 points while going 4-13 from the field. He made all five of his underhanded free throw attempts but was 0-6 on his three-pointers.

Last, but not least, is Devin Robinson. The junior small forward scored just eight points, but was a monster on the boards as he corralled a game-high 10 rebounds (five offensive and five defensive). He went 4-11 on field goal attempts, but was also the only starter without multiple personal fouls.

As a side note, I will briefly allude to bench players Chris Chiozza and Keith Stone. Starting with the junior backup point guard, Chiozza did a good job being unselfish as he dished out a team-high four assists in the loss tonight. As for Stone, the redshirt freshman forward got into foul trouble early. However, he made the most of his minutes as he brought down six boards (five defensive and one offensive).

Final Thoughts

While previewing this month in my December recap article, the South Carolina was one of the opponents that I thought the Gators might have a problem with. Coach Frank Martin has built a quality basketball club, and defeating them in their building is a very tall task for any SEC team who isn't Kentucky.

Florida will bounce back though, as I doubt they will ever have another game where they fail to register a three-point make. With their seven-game winning steak over and SEC record finally blemished, the Gators will turn their attention to a home contest with the Vanderbilt Commodores (8-10, 2-4 SEC) this Saturday. Tipoff is at noon and the game can be seen on CBS.

As for South Carolina, they will ride the momentum from this win into a big matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats (16-2, 6-0 SEC) on Saturday. This contest at Rupp Arena will determine who gets sole possession of first place in this early SEC race. Needless to say that my money is on Kentucky in this one. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. and this touted matchup can be seen on ESPN.

*All stats accredited to ESPN.com

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