UF Basketball

Florida loses to Vanderbilt 77-67

February 29, 2012 – 5:15 AM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -Florida lost an opportunity to secure the 2nd seed for the Southeastern Conference tournament. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, clinched a first round bye.

The Gators are now 22-8 with seven of the eight losses coming on the road. Maybe they need a reminder that in the NCAA tournament they will not be playing in Gainesville.

Vanderbilt got out to a hot start of 7-0 and eventually 19-7 which was their largest lead of the half. It took Florida almost three minutes to find their first bucket.

Then Florida fought back on defense and held Vanderbilt scoreless for four straight minutes and eventually tied it at 27 a piece with a minute left to play. Vanderbilt scored three more to end the half.

In the second half no one really stepped up except Kenny Boynton who swished a three and then had a fastbreak dunk seconds later. Although the Gators started off scoring much better than in the first half (scored first half’s total of 30 with 5:58 left in the second half) they could not finish down the stretch.

The Vanderbilt crowd was one of the louder ones that the Gators have faced all year and it is hard to build momentum when a crowd is as thoroughly into it as they were in Nashville.

Bradley Beal led the Gators with 16 points followed by Erving Walker with 15. Walker said, “We definitely had the effort tonight, but we’re supposed to have that every night. We played hard. Now, we just have to move on.”

Patric Young had a quiet night only scoring four points on three shots. He did grab 8 rebounds however.

The player of this game, however, was SEC leading scorer John Jenkins. Jenkins, a senior, made his first five three-point shots and made 6/9 total. He led all scorers with 22, shooting 7/10 from the floor.

Jeffrey Taylor, another senior, had 18 points tonight which is pretty much his average (17.3). This was Vanderbilt’s last home game.

This snaps a four-game losing streak for Vanderbilt against Florida. When a team out shoots the nation’s best three-point shooting team by 17% then they deserve to win.

Key Stats (2nd half)

Florida three-point shooting: 5-17 (29%)

Vanderbilt three-point shooting: 6-11 (55%)

Photo Credit: Associated Press

 Stay tuned to Swamp News for your coverage on the Florida Gators. You can also find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @ckane02.

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UF Basketball

Yeguete breaks foot in win over Auburn

February 22, 2012 – 4:58 PM

The 11th ranked Florida Gators may have beat Auburn last night, but also suffered a loss that will stick with them for the remainder of the season. Sophomore forward Will Yeguete limped off the court after breaking his left foot during the second half in last nights 63-47 win over the Tigers (14-13, 4-9).

“We’ve got some health issues, and we need to get back healthier than we are right now,” Donovan said.

The Gators started out slow in the first half and trailed going into halftime but found their shooting rhythm that led to a second half run to overcome 18 turnovers.

Auburn came into this game with tons of momentum after upsetting a ranked Mississippi State team a few nights ago. They had nothing to lose last night against the Gators but everything to gain.

The Gators were led by junior guard Kenny Boynton who finished with 20 points and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Florida shot 53 percent as a team and hit 11 three-point field goals.

What also killed the Gators besides turnovers were offensive rebounds that they allowed Auburn to get. It was ridiculous. I remember one possession where Auburn had three or four attempts around the basket, grabbing offensive rebound right after another. Its near the end of the regular season and the SEC tournament is approaching in a couple of weeks, the Gators really need to start hitting the boards a lot better then they did in the first half.

Coach Billy Donovan gave his players a hard talk in the locker room at halftime. Senior guard Erving Walker told the media it was the strongest message coach Donovan has said in his four years playing for the Gators.

“You guys [stink],” Walker said. “Just everything. Just one of those halftime speeches that we know is just to motivate us, and I think we deserved it.”

An ESPN article added if the comments from Donovan were G rated.

“No kids allowed,” Walker added.

Florida started rolling later with a 26-4 run that turned into a double-digit lead. Freshman Bradley Beal and Walker came up big in the game, both finishing with 13 points a piece. You know the Gators weren’t rebounding well if their shortest player had more than their star center. Walker had seven rebounds and five assists.

Adrian Forbes led the Tigers with 11 points which was the only Auburn player in double figures. Auburn’s leading scorer Frankie Sullivan only had six points and shot 2-of-10 from the floor. Auburn dealt with a couple of injuries that also kept them out of the game. Kenny Gabriel went down two times and only played 20 minutes. Chris Denson was assisted to the locker room with a knee injury at halftime. Denson injured his knee on a layup as time expired in the first half that put Auburn up 30-27.

The Gators played like a whole different team last night than three nights ago after beating Arkansas by 30 points. Then Boynton and Beal started to light it up from beyond the arc that turned things around quick.

The Gators are back in action as they travel to Georgia on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 4pm.

(AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)
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Uncategorized

Gators Land 5-Star RB Kelvin Taylor

February 21, 2012 – 8:22 PM

You could refer to the younger Taylor as Fred Taylor’s son, but since breaking Emmitt Smith’s all time  leading rusher in the state of Florida this past season with 9,698 yards, his name is Mr.Kelvin Taylor.  The Five Star recruit from Belle Glades, Fla./Glades Day verbally committed to the Gators on Saturday morning to set an early tone for the most successful junior day in Gators history.

Originally, Taylor was planning to wait until national signing day to make his decision, but after careful consideration he decided to end the process early.  I just wanted to go ahead and get it out of the way,” Taylor said. “I felt more comfortable at Florida, and I wanted to focus more on my high school career, so I just wanted to get it done with. I also want to enroll in January, so that’s another reason I decided to make the decision early. “”They just have a great program and great coaching staff. I feel so comfortable around their coaching staff,” Taylor said. “It’s closer to home and they have great tradition.”

Florida added verbal commitments from five-star defensive back Nick Washington, linebacker Quinton Powell and wide receiver Rodney Adams to bring its class of 2013 to a total of eight prospects. Seven are on the ESPNU 150 Watch List.

Taylor said his dad never pushed him to UF. “My dad’s been a great help to me in the process,” he said. “He just told me to pick the best school and pick the school that I love. He just told me to stay focused and keep working hard and everything else will come. But he and my mom and family have all been a great help through the process.”

The elder Taylor said he wanted to help guide his son, but ultimately it was Kelvin’s decision, and he would be the one spending the next few years at whichever college he chose.”In all actuality, it wasn’t forced on me and when I look at it, I go, man, I don’t want to just make his decision for him, then he gets to a certain place and he’s miserable for those four, five years and then we’re having a problem,” Fred Taylor said. “I want him to be able to make his decision and go through it and deal with it and learn from it.

In addition to Kelvin Taylor, the Gators have another running back commitment from four-star back Adam Lane from  Winter Haven, Fla.  

Courtesy of AP News and ESPN.com

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UF Football

Florida TE A.C Leonard arrested

February 16, 2012 – 4:22 PM

Florida sophomore tight end from Jacksonville A.C. Leonard was arrested on Wednesday night in Gainesville on a domestic battery charge, according to the Gainesville Sun.

Gainesville police officer Amanda Prince wrote that the case had involved the 20 year old Leonard and a girl he has been dating for the past 17 months and lived with for about a month. According to the report, Leonard and his girl were arguing around 7:20pm Wednesday when Leonard, “shoved her forcibly with both hands in her chest/neck area. The report said the force had knocked her on the ground, causing her head to hit a dog cage that was behind her.

The women told the officer that Leonard told her to get her belongings and leave. Leonard then followed her into the bedroom where he grabbed her by her hair and tried to drag her out of the apartment. Also on the report, it stated that when the women tried resisting Leonard, “Grabbed her by both feet and pulled her out of the apartment,” then locked her out of the apartment.

Leonard did not make any statements but he did tell Prince, “I never hit her. I just wanted her to leave.”

Leonard was taken to the Alachua County jail where he was booked at 9:30pm and was kept overnight. His first court appearance was held at 9am from the jail via a closed circuit television system today.

(Quotes/info gathered by Robbie Andreu & Karen Voyles)

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UF Basketball

Hilarious sign held by Alabama fan

February 16, 2012 – 3:57 PM

My family and I were sitting at the table and watching the Florida/Bama basketball game over at Gators Dockside the other night and during the second half when Florida started to turn things up, I got sidetracked by a crazy fan waving a humungous sign of a face in the stands. I was left puzzled for the remainder of the game, wondering what it was. A day later I see a snap shot of Patric Young dunking the ball and there it was…. the crazy fan with that insane looking sign. If this shot doesn’t win the photo of the year in college basketball, I better be impressed by something spectacular.

The picture was taken during the Gators 61-52 road win and the fan has been identified as Jackson Blankenship. Check him out on twitter here also: https://twitter.com/jack_____enship

 

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Uncategorized

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY – GATORS UPDATE

February 1, 2012 – 4:24 PM

This is your 2012 Florida Gator Recruiting Class.

 

Dante Fowler (6’3″, 232 lbs.) 5-star DE; St. Petersburg, FL 

Raphael Andrades (6’0″, 190 lbs.) 3-star WR; Tallahassee, FL

Willie Bailey (6’1”, 165 lbs.) 3-star DB; Hallandale, FL.

Jonathan Bullard (6’4, 255 lbs.) 5-star DE; Shelby, NC

Bryan Cox, Jr. (6’3″, 240 lbs.) 3-star DE; Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Jessamen Dunker (6’6”, 315 lbs.) 4-star OL; Boynton Beach, FL

Austin Hardin (5’11”, 200 lbs.) 2-star K; Atlanta, GA

D.J. Humphries (6’5”, 265 lbs.) 5-star OL; Charlotte, NC

Damien Jacobs (6’3″, 294 lbs.) 4-star DT; Houma, LA (JUCO)

Matt Jones (6’2”, 200 lbs.) 4-star RB; Seffner, FL

Rhaheim Ledbetter (5’11”, 190 lbs.) 3-star DB; Boilling Springs, NC

JaFar Mann (6’4”, 275 lbs.) 3-star DT; Stone Mountain, GA

Marcus Maye (6’1”, 195 lbs.) 4-star DB; Melbourne, FL

Alex McCalister (6’7″, 212 lbs.) 3-star DE; Clemmons, NC

Skyler Mornhinweg (6’3″, 215 lbs.) 3-star QB; Philadelphia, PA

Antonio Morrison (6’3”, 220 lbs.) 4-star LB; Bolingbrook, IL

Dante Phillips (6’6”, 268 lbs.) 4-star DT; Venice, FL

Latroy Pittman (6’1”, 190 lbs.) 4-star WR; Citra, FL

Brian Poole (5’11”, 187 lbs.) 4-star DB; Bradenton, FL

Jeremi Powell (5’11”, 200 lbs.) 4-star LB; Largo, FL

Kent Taylor (6’5”, 220 lbs.) 4-star TE; Land O’Lakes, FL

Colin Thompson (6’5”, 255 lbs.) 4-star TE; Warminster, PA

Quinteze Williams (6’4”, 295 lbs.) 3-star DE; Tyrone, GA

 

STILL UNDECIDED THAT HAVE FLORIDA LISTED AS A POSSIBLE SCHOOL.

Stefon Diggs (6’0”, 185 lbs.) 5-star WR; Olney, MD (Will announce on 2/10/2012)

 

 

 

courtesy of ESPNU and bourbonmeyer.com

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UF Basketball

Gators to wear new uniforms against Tennessee

January 26, 2012 – 4:31 AM

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team were one of nine programs selected for Nike’s Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms, which are supposed to be the company’s lightest uniforms created. Florida will rock the new look against Tennessee on Feb. 11. The Gators look to rebound back after falling to the Vols back on January 7th.

Other teams who were also selected to rock the new uniforms were Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, UConn and North Carolina. The women’s teams from Baylor and UConn will also wear the uniforms.

Check out the article gathered by The Oregonian story:

Tracy Teague, Nike basketball’s global creative director, introduced the uniforms during a half-hour event in New York City that was shown live by closed circuit broadcast.

- Have any picks? Check out the NBA betting odds to make yours!

The Platinum version appears to distinguish itself because it is 5 percent lighter than its predecessor, according to a Nike news release. Teague, during his presentation, referred to the Platinum being nearly a pound lighter, but it wasn’t immediately clear what uniform version he was using for weight comparison. I’m seeking clarification on the point.

Some of the features touted in the new uniforms have been in place since 2010, when Nike rolled out the Hyper Elite line of basketball uniforms. Those features that Teague noted today but were part of the 2010 uniform include laser-cut ventilation holes, Nike Aerographics which incorporates graphic design into a mesh fabric and an overall design that assumes the player is wearing some sort of compression undergarment.

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National News

Penn State legend Joe Paterno dead at 85

January 24, 2012 – 12:28 AM

 

Joe Paterno will always hold a legacy with Penn State University as he has gone out as the winningest Division I college football coach. He hasn’t only exited as Penn State’s head coach, Paterno also lost a battle against lung cancer after his diagnosis three short months ago.

On January 21, ESPN first reported that Joe Paterno was hospitalized and in serious conditions due to complications from his lung cancer. Although he’d been in the hospital since January 13 for observation, his health suddenly got worse.

As if this matter wasn’t difficult enough for Paterno’s family and close friends to deal with, news was wrongfully and prematurely released about his death.

CBS Sports was the first source to report that Paterno had died around 9 p.m just a few hours after ESPN reported his hospitalization. Other outlets rapidly took hold of the story and broke the news as well.

Twitter seems to be the fastest way to spread news today, as that’s how many fans were inaccurately informed.

“RIP #JoePa” quickly traveled around Twitter and Joe Pa immediately became a top trend. As myself and other sports fanatics read the news in disbelief, many didn’t know what to think.

However, one of Paterno’s sons tweeted this was not true and thanked the public for their prayers and support.

“I won’t believe it until I read it on ESPN,” one SEC fan Ryan Bryant relayed. However, he knew the news was close to being true, as he immediately began to collaborate a video in rememberance of the long-time coach.

Here is Bryant’s YouTube video: Joe Paterno dead

Much controversey has surrounded Paterno after news broke in November that a coach on his staff had molested multiple young boys. Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator of PSU, was charged with sexually assaulting at least 10 boys during the course of 15 years.

 Paterno has been held largely responsible for these actions, as many spectators believe he didn’t do enough to stop the molestation. However, reports also circulated that he went to administration at Penn State after hearing about the abuse years ago. Those officials did not go to the police. If they did, the police ignored this lead.

Earlier today, ESPN reported the viewing and memorial services for the long-time coach.

There will be both private and public ceremonies to honor Paterno, some set on the Penn State campus. There will be a private memorial on Wednesday. The family has also planned a few public funerals throughout the week.

A family spokesman released the memorial service schedule, starting with a viewing at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on campus.

The state of Pennsylvannia has also opted to show support, as governor Tom Corbett demanded all state flags at the Capitol and state facilities be flown at half-staff through the end of Thursday.

Under fomer UF coach Urban Meyer, the Gators played Paterno in his final bowl game last year in the Outback Bowl. The Gators defeated Penn State with a final score of 37-24. Paterno still boasted a smile as he proudly shook Coach Meyer’s hand following the game.

Although nationwide, football fans reflect mixed feelings concerning the integrity of the coach, many still remember what he did for college football.

Regardless of the unfortunate events that were unfolded in the last few months, Joe Pa will go down as one of the best coaches in college football history.

May he rest in peace. May his family, relatives, and colleagues remember the man Joe Paterno really was.

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Uncategorized

Murphy and the Gators defeat the LSU Tigers 76-64

January 22, 2012 – 2:05 AM

The final score makes this game look closer than it really was.

The LSU Tigers came out hot with a couple of three pointers and an 8-2 lead. This was the largest lead the Tigers had all night and it was quickly knotted up at 10 all.

Ralson Turner, who put up 18 points in last year’s loss against Florida, could manage just 8 in this contest.

The Tigers were kept in the game because of one man, Justin Hamilton. The 6’11″, 260 pounder racked up a career high 27 points. The Gators had no answer for him, even the double team would not work.

However, no other Tiger had an impressive game and the second best scorer was Anthony Hickey with 10. He fouled out with 3:00 remaining in the second half.

This game was all about the Gators. Despite shooting 7/21 from three-point range, the Gators shot 56% overall. This means that they were 20/27 from inside the arc (74%).

The Florida guards were doing their best Tony Parker impressions hitting floater after floater. Irving Walker and Kenny Boynton each had at least 2 floaters that dropped.

Patric Young, who came off the bench for his second straight game, sparked the team with three straight field goals within two minutes. He grabbed seven rebounds and had yet another powerful block that went into the stands.

The player of the game for the Gators in this one was Erik Murphy. Murphy is underrated as he is the best three-point shooter as well as shot blocker on the team. He also turns the ball over less than any other starter. In this one he scored 15 points on 6/7 shooting and was 3/4 from downtown. He also added a steal and a block.

Florida’s next game is Thursday, January 26 at Mississippi at 7:00 P.M.

Notes: Kenny Boynton snapped a streak of 34 straight games with a three-point field goal, going 0/4 from behind the arc. The Gators extended their home winning streak to 16 games. Florida leads the SEC in scoring and Boynton is the second highest scorer.

Key Stats :

Florida – 5 players scored double digits

LSU – 2 players scored double digits

Florida – 15/20 (75%) from the free throw line

LSU – 3/5 (60%) from the free throw line

Photo Credit: Associated Press

 Stay tuned to Swamp News for your coverage on the Florida Gators. You can also find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @ckane02.

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SEC News UF Basketball

Gators snap road losing streak, beat South Carolina 79-65

January 15, 2012 – 6:56 PM

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A huge weight was lifted off the Gators shoulders as they finally snagged a road win. All four of UF’s (14-4, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) losses this season come at away venues. Many started to worry that this trend would only get worse…

But the No. 19 Gators proved disbelievers wrong last night as they played noticeably better basketball in the first and especially second half.

According to ESPN, Florida played in an energized Colonial Life Arena, 11,308 fans strong.

“You show a lot about your team when you play in someone else’s house,” Mike Rosario told Chris Harry of Gator Zone.

Rosario had another solid game, shooting 3-for-6 from the floor in 19 minutes off the bench. “Collectively, we have to stay together as one. We did a good job of that tonight.”

UF was beginning to look like the well-rounded team that shared scoring earlier in the season, as six players were in double figures last night. De ja vu? Fans are hoping this team is back for good.

Although the Gators were down by one point at the half (41-40), Coach Billy Donovan locker room speech told his team they played the best basketball they had all season.

USC coach Darin Horn was pleased with his teams’ first half performance, but acknowledged the need for stronger play all game long.

“Obviously, 41 points in the first half is tremendous for us. We have to find a way to continue to do that — maybe not 41 points — but find a way to score and get some stops,” Horn said.

It seemed as if South Carolina had exerted all of their energy in the first 20 minutes of the game. However, Florida’s consistency carried over to the last 20 minutes as well.

It was truly a combined effort for the Gators last night. Junior guard Kenny Boynton led UF in scoring with 15 points. Sophomore Will Yeguete had a career high and almost clinched a double-double, but was just short of it with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Yeguete was in for center Patric Young, who was out with a sprained ankle and tendinitis, according to GatorZone.com.

Senior point guard Erving Walker chipped in 11 points and seven assists. UF shot a solid 53.2-percent FG’s (12-for-24 from the 3-point range).

Bruce Ellington led the South Carolina Gamecocks (8-9, 0-3 SEC) with 17 points and Malik Cooke led them in rebounds at 7.

This is the first time in Gamecocks’ coach Horn’s four seasons they’ve started conference play with three losses. With a mediocre record, South Carolina doesn’t have much to brag about as the season becomes more intense.

The Gamecocks quickly lost their momentum as they were scoreless 8 minutes into the second half while the Gators went on a 19-3 run. UF never looked back and South Carolina couldn’t climb out of their deficit.

Billy Donovan saw that USC made all of their shots in the first half. “But in the second half, they didn’t make them,” he said.

Yeguete was given his chance to prove himself even more than he already has this season due to Young’s absence last night. Yeguete took full advantage of this opportunity and performed to a high caliber.

“I did what I usually do. I did not change anything… Pat (Young) is a pretty big key to our team. The whole team had to step up, not only me,” Yeguete explained.

Florida has a long break before they take on LSU at home Saturday, January 21 in the O’Connell Center. This time in-between games is crucial to the team as they prepare to for the rest of the season, one game at a time.

One road win is a start, but UF will have to continue their exceptional performance at home and on the road to go far in the “Big Dance.”

It’s not too far off and will be here in the blink of an eye.

Stay tuned to Swamp News for all of your continuous coverage on UF basketball and other sports. You can find me on Facebook and also follow me on Twitter @MeredithPaigeH for UF and SEC sports updates. E-mail: mhoof@ufl.edu

Photo Credit 1: Mary Ann Chastain/ AP, Photo Credit 2: Bay News 9

 

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