February 23rd, 2010 06:59pm
by Kevin Brockway
By now, those not living under a rock know about Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl’s mystical mastery over Florida coach Billy Donovan.
Pearl entered Tuesday night’s matchup with Florida 8-1 in his career against Donovan. Five of UF’s losses, though, were in games decided by five points or less.
But what fans may not know is what began as a frosty relationship between the two has thawed over the years. Last month, when Pearl called upon Donovan for a charity function to benefit …
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February 22nd, 2010 08:06pm
by Kevin Brockway
In the first half of last Thursday’s game against Auburn, Florida sophomore guard Ray Shipman came up with a steal and had clear court in front of him for a breakaway dunk.
But Shipman was caught from behind and was fouled as he tried to finish. Shipman made both free-throws, but his inability to get to the basket with the same burst that he showed last November led some on press row to speculate that he wasn’t 100 percent healthy. Shipman …
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February 20th, 2010 01:22am
by Kevin Brockway
Had a chance to catch up with former Gator standout Udonis Haslem when the Miami Heat played the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night in Memphis, Tenn.
Haslem played a significant role in the outcome, scoring eight of his 10 points in the second overtime to help the Heat beat the Grizzlies 100-87 in double overtime.
A starter through most of his NBA career, Haslem has had to adapt this season to a role off the bench. But Haslem was ready to contribute …
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February 16th, 2010 01:32pm
by Kevin Brockway
Unless weary Florida regroups in the final three weeks of the season, the Gators face the dim prospects of a third straight NIT appearance.
Which leads to the question, what can be done to salvage the season during a difficult stretch drive?
I asked Florida coach Billy Donovan following UF’s disappointing 76-64 loss to Xavier if there was anything he could try from a motivational standpoint to get the Gators going again. His response: “I don’t know if it’s about that at …
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February 15th, 2010 01:55pm
by Kevin Brockway
Since 2005-06, Florida has been a pedestrian 16-16 in February games. As a result, the Gators are on the verge of missing the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
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February 12th, 2010 08:23pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida’s mounting turnovers are a concern heading down the stretch of the 2009-2010 season.
Though the Gators are currently fourth in the Southeastern Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.13, Florida has a negative ratio over its last four games. Florida has dished 50 assists to 62 turnovers during that span.
Florida coach Billy Donovan said the ratio is somewhat misleading because the Gators have shot for a low percentage in some of the games and haven’t had many assists. But Donovan admitted …
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February 8th, 2010 09:59pm
by Kevin Brockway
Senior forward Dan Werner is growing accustomed to his new role as Florida’s sixth man.
Werner had a string of 70 straight starts snapped when he came down with the flu before Florida’s third Southeastern Conference game against LSU. By the time Werner fully recovered, the Gators had won two straight. Florida coach Billy Donovan then decided to keep junior Chandler Parsons in the starting lineup.
Werner said Donovan explained to him why he made the change.
“Basically he said it was nothing …
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February 2nd, 2010 11:52pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida has relied heavily on its starting backcourt for offense and minutes this season.
So as the calendar turns to February there has to be at least some concern to how much sophomore Erving Walker and freshman Kenny Boynton have left in the tank. Boynton is averaging a team high 32.7 minutes per game. Walker is right behind Boynton at 32.6 minutes per game.
Tennessee came into its matchup with Florida intent in stopping Walker and Boynton and it worked. Boynton and …
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January 28th, 2010 06:59pm
by Kevin Brockway
Florida coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday that his oldest son, William, will play basketball next season at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
William Donovan, a senior 6-foot-1 guard at St. Francis High in Gainesville, earned Gainesville Sun honorable mention all-area honors last season after averaging 11.4 points per game. Like his dad, the younger Donovan is a long-range shooter. He made 78 of 204 3-point attempts last season.
“It’s a great school,” Donovan said. “Their coach, Steve Howes, came down to watch …
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January 26th, 2010 08:09pm
by Kevin Brockway
Following back-to-back wins over Arkansas and South Carolina, Florida jumped from 79 to 62 in the latest weekly men’s college basketball Ratings Percentage Index.
The RPI measures a team’s record as it relates to its strength of schedule. Florida is 14-5 with a strength of schedule that ranks 87th out of 347 Division I teams.
Florida’s RPI has a chance to jump significantly in the coming weeks. The Gators still have Kentucky (RPI 7), Xavier (RPI 13) and Tennessee twice (RPI 15) …
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