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Gators win despite themselves

January 21, 2011
Filed In Basketball, Feature Stories

Ugly. Brutal. Awful.

Those are three words that can describe Florida’s performance Thursday night at Auburn.

But in the end, the only thing that really matters is this: UF 45, AU 40.

In what was possibly their worst performance of the season, the Gators were fortunate the Tigers are just that bad, or else Florida (14-4) would not be tied with South Carolina atop the SEC East with a 3-1 league mark.

Coach Billy Donovan tried to put a positive spin on the game.

“It was one of the best wins I’ve been a part of,” Donovan said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of a game as a player or a coach watching us struggle to shoot the ball as badly as we did.”

How horrendous was it?

Finishing with the lowest point total in the 15-year, 488-game Donovan Era, the Gators were victorious despite making just 15-of-53 shots (28.3 percent), including only 5-of-26 from three-point range (19.2 percent). And they were equal opportunity clankers, shooting 27.6 percent in the first half and 29.2 percent in the second.

Additionally, they had 14 turnovers compared to just nine assists and went scoreless at one point for 7:21 and another for 5:56 and yet another for 4:17.

Fortunately for Florida, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker, a combined 6-for-28 from the field (4-for-18 on threes), sank the biggest shots they took.

Auburn (7-11, 0-4) had a 40-37 lead with 1:51 remaining when Boynton drilled a three-pointer just to the left of the top of the key. After a stop, Walker followed up with a long-ball of his own 37 seconds later before drawing a charge on the Tigers’ Earnest Ross (11 points, three rebounds) with 56.1 seconds to play.

If positives (aside from the win) can be taken from the game, UF did shoot 10-for-14 (71.4 percent) from the foul line, included in that was a 5-for-5 first half. And Auburn was held scoreless for the final 3:30 of the contest. The Gators also ended the dry spell in rebound differential.

After outrebounding 13 of 14 non-conference opponents, Mississippi and South Carolina grabbed more boards than UF, while Tennessee and Florida pulled down the same number.

Led by Chandler Parsons’ and Vernon Macklin’s six each, the Gators finished the game with a 40-32 rebounding advantage.

But really, that’s about it. As far as memories go, this one would best be forgotten.

FREE THROWS
*Senior center Vernon Macklin played despite strep throat. He scored six points and grabbed six rebounds in 19 minutes. Freshman Patric Young started in Macklin’s place and contributed two points, three rebounds, one blocked shot and a steal in 19 minutes.

*Sophomore power forward Erik Murphy returned after a four-game absence with a foot injury. He didn’t score (going 0-for-2 from the floor), but did grab three rebounds in just six minutes.

*Auburn’s Ty Armstrong, who played for Gainesville Eastside High School through his junior year, returned from a season-long knee injury to score two points and grab three rebounds in eight minutes against his former hometown team. His Tigers held a halftime lead, 24-23, for the first time this year in SEC play.

PATTON’S PICKS
Gator(Gr)ade: D (only this high because they won)
Gator Player of the Game: No award given.
Opposing Players of the Game: Earnest Ross came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting (3-for-4 on three-pointers) with three rebounds and a game-high three steals.
Play/sequence of the Game: Erving Walker sank a three-pointer and followed that up by drawing a charge on Ross. Both came with right around a minute to play.
Stat of the Game: The winning team shot 28.3 percent from the floor.
Next Up: The Gators will host Arkansas (12-5, 2-2) on Saturday at 8 p.m.

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UF board games: A glass monopoly

January 19, 2011
Filed In Basketball, Feature Stories

Call it playing a tougher schedule. Call it facing coaching staffs with more familiarity with what they do. Call it their own fault.

No matter what you call it, the truth is there. Florida, once considered among the top rebounding teams in the nation, hasn’t been so dominant since the beginning of Southeastern Conference play.

Prior to the SEC opener against Mississippi a week-and-a-half ago, the Gators had outrebounded 13-of-14 opponents.

The one glitch: Morehead State and power forward Kenneth Faried, a magna cum laude graduate of the Dennis Rodman School of Glass Cleaning.

Yes, Ohio State, Xavier, Central Florida, Kansas State and Florida State, among others, had been on the short end of team boards against UF.

But through three SEC games, the Gators are 0-2-1 in team rebounding and now rank seventh overall in the conference with 37.8 boards-a-game (a semi-deceiving statistic because rebounds are based on missed shots and some games have fewer of those).

Florida has just two players – No. 18 Chandler Parsons (6.5 rpg) and No. 19 Vernon Macklin (6.4) – in the SEC’s top 20 rebounders, though that is due in part to having more post depth than most.
The numbers aren’t overwhelmingly negative – Florida is only a minus-1.33 in conference play – but consider UF is plus-6.7 overall (and dropping), and it begs the question: Is there something wrong?

The SEC’s active leader in career rebounds with 687, Parsons said there is blame to go all around.

“The SEC is a physical conference,” UF’s senior swingman said. “I know the teams are a lot bigger and stronger here.

“(The problem is) just our mindset. We’ve got to come each game with the mentality we’re going to win the game on the defensive end. We’ve just got to keep rebounding.

“We’ve got great size (and) great depth. So we’ve just got to keep going to the glass on the offensive end and just keep blocking out our man on the defensive end, not giving up second chances.”

Parsons says the team can get “satisfied” when its offensive game is going well (which it has of late, scoring an average of 76.4 points in the last five games), but need continue defensive focus.

Another issue has been foul shots.

Not that it has been a positive for the Gators all year, but since SEC play started, UF has made just 38-of-59 free throws, a 64.4-percent clip. In all, Florida ranks 11th in the conference in foul shooting at 65.1 percent. Only South Carolina, which has beaten the Gators in the O’Connell Center, is making the so-called freebies at a worse rate (62.2 percent).

Parsons called his own 52.9-percent showing “confusing” because of how well he is shooting overall from the field (50.7 percent, ninth in the SEC) and on three-pointers (41.9 percent, fifth in conference).

Even steady Erving Walker (75.3 percent, 14th in the SEC) had issues, missing the foul shot on a potential three-point play, as well as the front end of a 1-and-1 late against the Gamecocks last Saturday.

The junior point guard said he has to let go of his recent troubles.

“(The misses last game are) out of my hands,” said Walker, recently passed by Kenny Boynton (76.6 percent) for the team lead in foul shooting. “Sometimes, things happen.

“I know I’m a good free throw shooter, and I’m confident stepping up to the line. I don’t want to jinx myself, but it’s rare that I just keep missing free throws. So, I just (need) to focus on the next one and be focused on the foul line.”

MIDWEEK PICKS: Here are my picks for the SEC games scheduled for this Tuesday-Thursday.

The best game goes to tonight’s Kentucky at Alabama tilt. The Crimson Tide can win this one, but I think the Big Blue pull out a tight one, 75-74.

Tennessee will fall again, this time at Georgia, 79-64.

Wednesday brings a pair of pick ‘em-types, so I will go with the home team in each. Let’s go South Carolina 68, Arkansas 62 and Vanderbilt 66, Mississippi 60.

The Gators take the court again Thursday night at Auburn.

Walker said there was a “slippage” in a couple of practices last week leading up to the South Carolina game. He added practices this week have gone very well. Because the Gators tend to play the way they practice, I think Florida gets back on track with a comfortable 71-52 victory.

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How the NCAA stays on top of social media

January 10, 2011
Filed In Basketball Recruiting, Football Recruiting

As the overarching organization that oversees college athletes and their recruitment, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has its own set of rules that athletes, coaches and boosters must follow when using social media.

The NCAA’s managing director of communications, Ronnie Ramos, sat down with me to discuss the organization’s evolving guidelines for social media — territory the NCAA entered in just the past few years. The NCAA regulates social media particularly to maintain an even playing field when it comes to recruiting student athletes, applying its more traditional recruitment guidelines to the ever-changing social technologies available.

Ramos delves into the NCAA member schools’ reasons for doing this, as well as which types of social media use are permissible, and which are prohibited. He also explains the relationship between the NCAA and its member schools in making and enforcing rules.

Read more at Mashable…

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Little big man comes up big vs. Rebels

January 9, 2011
Filed In Basketball

You could call him Little Big Man. At just 5-foot-8, it’s tough to visualize Erving Walker taking over a game. But when he comes out in burst of energy and things are clicking, Walker darts around the floor like a whirling dervish, wreaking havoc on his opponent.

They could also call him Freddie Kilowatt, because when the competitive juices start flowing, the junior guard from New York sends a charge of electricity through the arena.

Billy Donovan sees Walker “get that look on is face” and knows that the juice is coming. He only worries that because of his outgoing energy that Walker might get overly tired.

Sometimes the juice can short circuit Walker and send him off on an out-of-control tangent. Because he does everything so fast and it looks so much worse — or so much better – when it comes in bunches.

A good bunch can be a think to behold, as it was Saturday night at the O’Connel Center when Walker was on a mission to lead his team to victory in its opening game of Southeastern Conference play with a 77-71 win over Ole Miss.

It proved to be a bit of a shootout between Walker and Mississippi’s brilliant Chris Warren, both of whom led their teams with 20. Except that Walker had 13 in the second half and Warren scored all 20 of his.

Most importantly, when they needed Freddie Kilowatt, Walker came through with a steal or an assistant or three-pointer at just the right time as Florida staved off the Rebels, who came storming back to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit. Terrence Henry’s bucket with just under 10 minutes put his team ahead of the Gators, 53-51.

This would be the big test for Billy Donovan’s team, which has shown a propensity for giving up leads this season. Walker’s three-pointer put Florida on top, 57-53, with 8:41 to play, but it was tied at 59 with 6:44 to play.

Enter Little Big Man, who not only made a critical bucket and steal, but also his 15th point to put him over the 1,000 mark — only the 47th player in Florida history to accomplish that feat.

The big shot was a runner in the lane, about 10 feet, and it put the Gators on top for good, 63-61, as Walking chalked up his 15th of 20 points.

There wasn’t much made of Walker’s milestone, although the PA announcer did bring it up during halftime. His coaches or his teammates didn’t say anything or offer kudos. All Erving talked about in the post-game was the ability of Florida to stave off the run of Ole Miss and “hang together.”

The tie goes to the runner in baseball and the tie goes to the winner in hoops. So chalk this one up to Erving Walker over Chris Warren, whom Donovan feared would take over the game in the second half — and sort of did with his 20 points

Donovan doesn’t see Walker as a one-up kind of competitor, however, saying that “Erving probably would say, ‘OK, you got 20 in the second half – but I won.’ He’s got that kind of disposition. He likes that kind of competitiveness and when it gets amped up competitively, he gets into those sort of bursts where he starts doing things and making things happen.”

As for Walker surpassing the 1,000-point plateau, Donovan joked about how it will be remembered by the competitive, cocky junior guard.

“That’ll be something that he’ll talked to his kids (about) when he’s forty,” said Donovan. “He’ll say he left here as the all-time leading scorer, in his mind, and a couple of guys passed him after he graduated.”

SHORT SHOTS: It may not seem like Chandler Parsons is posting big numbers — and you look at his 12th career double-double Monday night of 18 points and 12 rebounds, and that he has now passed Taurean Green and Nick Calathes on the all-time scoring list . . . Parsons also went into Saturday night’s game against Ole Miss with 39 rebounds in his last four games, then added 17 points and 7 rebounds in the 77-71 win over the Rebels … The Gators have now scored 70 or more points for the third straight game for the first time ever … Kenny Boynton scored a four-point play for the third straight game … He made seven in his career at Florida.

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Dawgs slammed by Tide

January 9, 2011
Filed In Basketball, Feature Stories

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State opened its “new season” on Saturday when the SEC opener against Alabama. But the same old problems seemed to carry over from the non-conference slate.

Trailing by just one (27-26) at halftime, the Bulldogs saw Alabama reel off a 14-1 early in the second half and the Tide never looked back en route to a 75-57 victory.

“Well, even as horribly as we had played, at halftime even though we were down one I felt like we had won the half,” said MSU head coach Rick Stansbury. “I didn’t think we could play any worse. But I found out the second half we could.”

After playing solid defense in the first half, Alabama shot nearly 60 percent in the second half. And on the other end of the floor, MSU had no answer on offense and shot just 33 percent from the field. The Bulldogs were just 5-of-24 beyond the arc and just 10-of-20 at the charity stripe.

Saturday marked the first game for MSU junior guard Dee Bost. But his game was obviously rusty, and he scored 14 points but on 5-of-16 shooting. Bost was also just 3-of-9 at the free throw line.

MSU sophomore Renardo Sidney also made his debut to SEC basketball. After a good defensive first half and holding Alabama’s JyMchael Green to just two points, Sidney struggled on both ends in the second half.

“It was very obvious Dee Bost was no factor,” said Stansbury. “He had no legs and had no shot and had nothing. But it’s not his fault. And Shug (Sidney), he just couldn’t finish in the second half. We couldn’t get any stops, couldn’t get into a rhythm and kinda like starting over out there today.

“Hopefully (Sidney) understand what it takes now to be at this level with his conditioning. I thought he did well, defensively, in the first half but got  tired. You can’t play 20 minutes and it’s a 40-minute game.”

Trevor Releford led Alabama with 17 points while Green added 16 points and 11 boards. In the Tide’s game-changing 14-1 second half run, Green produced six of the 14 points.

“He hit some jumpers,” said Stansbury of Green. “We missed some and he hit some jumpers. He made them and gave them some energy. We point-blank missed some and it didn’t help us.

“We just never got anything going out there today, rhythm-wise.”

Bost led MSU in scoring while Kodi Augustus shot just five times but still scored 11 points and had 11 boards. Sophomore Wendell Lewis had a career-best 10 points for the Bulldogs in 16 minutes of action.

In his 26 minute of action, Sidney had two points, nine rebounds and five turnovers. MSU’s Ravern Johnson also struggled from the field, missed 13 of 16 shots and hitting just two-of-ten beyond the arc.

“It just seemed like they got all the loose balls and made all the plays,” said Augustus. “They got to the free-throw line a lot. We’ve got to get our rhythm and get some chemistry.

“The pick and roll is hard to defend but we have to know what they are running and be there.”

For Bost, it was a bitter-sweet feeling Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum. Yes, it was his first time to return to the floor but he noted the team has a long ways to go.

“It felt good to be back out there but it wasn’t good that we lost,” said Bost. “I am just trying to get my legs back under me. We are gonna make a run so no worries right now. We just had no movement and I felt at one time we gave up. We have to keep pushing through it.

“My shot wasn’t there but at the same time, I should still knock them down. I’ve been playing this game a long time so I should make them.”

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Gators host Rebels to open SEC play

January 8, 2011
Filed In Basketball

Southeastern Conference play begins Saturday night for the Gators, and the visitors not only are coming off a season where they shared the Western Division crown, they are among the favorites to do so again.

However, there is a big difference in the talent-heavy East and Mississippi’s only so-so West.

The RPIs bear this out.

In the West, only the Rebels (12-3) have an RPI in the nation’s top-60 (they sit 55th). The East, meanwhile, includes five teams with RPIs in the top-60.

Kentucky (12-2) is the highest, with an RPI of five. The Gators (11-3) aren’t far back at 13. Tennessee (10-4) is 27th and Georgia (11-2) is 58th.

Of the Eastern teams, only South Carolina (9-4, RPI 160) ranks low. Still, even that number would be third in the West, behind Mississippi and Arkansas (10-3, RPI 140).

So, while the rest of the West doesn’t appear to offer much in the way of resistance, Ole Miss just might.

While not quite as balanced as UF, which has all five starters averaging between 9.3 and 13.9 points-a-game, the Rebels have four starters averaging between 8.6 and 18.5 points for the season.

However, Florida has owned this series of late, winning eight of the last nine meetings, including last February’s 64-61 victory in Oxford. The Gators also have won five straight at home in the series, by an average margin of 19 points.

In fact, UF handled not just the Rebels, but the entire West last season, going 6-0. And that domination has been in effect since 2000, as UF has gone 54-16 (29-4 at home) against the other division.

If the Gators continue to play like they did in their two most recent outings – comfortable wins at Xavier and home against Rhode Island – they will get off to a great start in conference play.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR
Mississippi
1. Rebels’ senior Chris Warren, an Orlando native, is one of the SEC’s best guards and is second in the league in scoring at 18.5 ppg. In order to win, Ole Miss likely needs a big game out of its point guard. Will UF be able to slow him down?

2. Mississippi enters the contest averaging 78.1 points-a-game, third-best in the SEC. Florida, meanwhile, is allowing just 59.4 ppg. Obviously, something has to give here. What will it be, the Rebels’ offense or Florida’s defense?

3. Gator senior center Vernon Macklin has nursed knee and shoulder injuries this year, yet he has remained effective. The possibility exists he will be guarded by a 6-foot-8 freshman (Demarco Cox). Will Macklin be able to dominate this matchup?

4. These are two very good rebounding teams. Florida enters with a plus-8.5 average rebounding margin, while Ole Miss is at plus-6.0. Who will win the battle of the boards?

5. Gator junior point guard Erving Walker needs just 14 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Will he reach the milestone during this game, and, if so, when?

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR/ANSWERS FROM
Rhode Island
1. Who will be the Gator called upon to defend Rhode Island standout Delroy James the most, and how will he do?
Answer: The Gators used a variety of defenders, and James finished with a game-high 23 points and six rebounds. He was pretty much all of Rhode Island’s offense.

2. Vernon Macklin had to leave the victory against Xavier with a shoulder injury. He did return to the game and participated in the Gators’ most recent practice. Will the injury hinder him?
Answer: The injury was significant enough to warrant giving freshman Patric Young his first career start at center. However, Macklin did play and contributed six points, three rebounds and a blocked shot in 22 minutes.

3. Erving Walker has scored between 18 and 21 points in each of the last three games. Can he continue his scoring run?
Answer: Walker finished with 14 points, five assists and a pair of steals. I awarded Chandler Parsons the “player of the game”, but many readers said they felt Walker deserved the nod.

4. Following UF’s two previous “biggest victories of the season”, the Gators came back with a loss. Can they reverse that trend here, just a few days after snapping Xavier’s 30-game homecourt winning streak?
Answer: The Gators looked tremendous, earning their second consecutive “A” grade from this writer. They dominated start-to-finish.

5. Florida backup power forward Erik Murphy is a Rhode Island native. He isn’t going home for this one, but no doubt he is excited. How will he fare?
Answer: Murphy missed the game with a sprained foot. He was scheduled to miss 5-10 days.

GAME 15 PREVIEW
FLORIDA GATORS (11-3)
Position: Players, Height/Weight, Year, 2010-11 statistics
G: Erving Walker, 5-8/171, JR, 13.9 points per game, 3.1 assists per game
G: Kenny Boynton, 6-2/183, SO, 12.3 points per game, 2.6 assists per game
F: Chandler Parsons, 6-10/218, SR, 9.9 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game
F: Alex Tyus, 6-8/220, SR, 9.3 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game
C: Vernon Macklin, 6-10/240, SR, 10.5 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game
Head coach: Billy Donovan (342-142 in 15th season at Florida; 377-162 in 17th season as a head coach)

MISSISSIPPI REBELS (12-3)
Position: Players, Height/Weight, Year, 2010-11 statistics
G: Chris Warren, 5-10/168, SR, 18.5 points per game, 4.3 assists per game
G:Nick Williams, 6-4/215, SO, 8.6 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game
G: Zach Graham, 6-6/210, SR, 14.1 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game
F: Terrance Henry, 6-10/210, JR, 8.8 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game
C: Demarco Cox, 6-8/295, FR, 2.5 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game
Head coach: Andy Kennedy (97-53 in fifth season at Mississippi, and 118-66 in six years overall)

When: Saturday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m.
Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center
TV/Radio: CSS/Gator Radio Network/Sirius 121/XM 141
Tickets: Available. Contact the University of Florida ticket office at (352) 374-4683 ex: 6800, or visit www.gatorzone.com.

Notable: Entering Saturday night, these two programs have played exactly 100 times. Florida holds a 58-42 series lead. … UF is 22-2 all-time when Walker dishes out at least five assists. … Walker and sophomore shooting guard Kenny Boynton have combined for 56 of Florida’s 77 three-pointers this season. … Walker is averaging 17.2 ppg over his last five games, the best scoring stretch of the year so far for any Gator player. For the year Walker is making 45.1-percent of his three-point attempts, easily the best on Florida’s roster. … The Gators have 73 offensive rebounds combined in their four most recent games. For the year UF is averaging 13.9 offensive boards-a-game. Florida leads the SEC in offensive rebound percentage (42.2). … Rhode Island entered Monday’s game averaging 8.3 made three-pointers. The Gators limited the Rams to just 4-of-23 from deep. … Chandler Parsons’ 18 points against URI gave him 1,184 for his career, third-best among active players in the SEC. That total moves him past Taurean Green (1,174) and Parsons’ former college, high school and AAU teammate, Nick Calathes (1,170). … Parsons has pulled down nearly 10 rebounds-a-game over his last four. The 6-10 senior swingman has 39 total boards during that stretch. His 670 career boards leads all current SEC players. … Ole Miss has won nine of 10 games. … The Rebels feature nine players averaging at least 12 minutes-a-game. … Mississippi leads the SEC in team free-throw shooting (74.5-percent). … Florida has been outrebounded only once all season, by Kenneth Faried-led Morehead State on Nov. 21. … Coach Billy Donovan is 11-6 all-time against the Rebels. … If Florida wins 13 conference games this year, that will give Donovan 150 victories in conference for his career. … UF is 123-14 during the last five years when holding opponents to 70 or fewer points (11-1 in 2010-11). … The Gators are 4-0 this year when recording at least 10 steals. In 11 wins this year, UF is averaging 7.6 steals and are forcing 14.8 turnovers. … Florida has no more non-conference games remaining this regular season. … In the lifetime series with Mississippi, Florida is 2-1 in games decided by a point. Oddly, the Gators are 3-7 in games decided by two points and 2-3 in games decided by three points.

PAST EXAMS AND GATOR(GR)ADES
Game 1: Florida 77, UNC Wilmington 60. Gator Player of the Game: Scottie Wilbekin (3 points, 5 assists, 4 steals); Opposing Player of the Game: Chad Tomko (15 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: B– . Record: 1-0.

Game 2: Ohio State 93, Florida 75. Gator Player of the Game: Vernon Macklin (12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block); Opposing Players of the Game: David Lighty (26 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) and Jared Sullinger (26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: C. Record: 1-1.

Game 3: Florida 105, North Carolina A&T 55. Gator Player of the Game: Will Yeguete (7 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals); Opposing Player of the Game: Thomas Coleman (8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: A– . Record: 2-1.

Game 4: Florida 61, Morehead State 55. Gator Player of the Game: Chandler Parsons (13 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals); Opposing Player of the Game: Kenneth Faried (20 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots. Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: C– . Record: 3-1.

Game 5: Florida 79, Florida Atlantic 63. Gator Players of the Game: Alex Tyus (19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist) and Kenny Boynton (21 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound); Opposing Player of the Game: Greg Gantt (17 points, 2 assists, 1 steal). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: B-. Record: 4-1.

Game 6: Florida 55, Florida State 51. Gator Player of the Game: Erik Murphy (10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 blocked shot); Opposing Player of the Game: Michael Snaer (15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: A-. Record: 5-1.

Game 7: Central Florida 57, Florida 54. Gator Player of the Game: Vernon Macklin (20 points on 10-of-11 shooting, 8 rebounds); Opposing Player of the Game: Marcus Jordan (18 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: C-. Record: 5-2.

Game 8: Florida 67, American 48. Gator Player of the Game: Chandler Parsons (13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals); Opposing Player of the Game: Troy Brewer (17 points, 2 rebounds). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: A-. Record: 6-2.

Game 9: Florida 65, Kent State 52. Gator Players of the Game: Alex Tyus (20 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist) and Vernon Macklin (19 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 8 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 1 steal, 1 assist); Opposing Player of the Game: Carlton Guyton (14 points, 4-of-6 on three-pointers, 3 rebounds, 3 assists). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: A-. Record: 7-2.

Game 10: Florida 57, Kansas State 44. Gator Players of the Game: Kenny Boynton (15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 1 assist, helped limit Pullen to 6-of-17 shooting); Opposing Player of the Game: Jacob Pullen (19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: A-. Record: 8-2.

Game 11: Jacksonville 71, Florida 68 (OT). Gator Player of the Game: Erving Walker (game-high 21 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound); Opposing Player of the Game: Keith McDougald (team-high 18 points – 15 in the second half/overtime, 2 steals, 1 rebound). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: D+. Record: 8-3.

Game 12: Florida 66, Radford 55. Gator Player of the Game: Erving Walker (game-high 20 points, including 5-of-7 on 3s, 3 assists, 2 steals); Opposing Player of the Game: Johnathan Edwards (team-high 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: C-. Record: 9-3.

Game 13: Florida 71, Xavier 67. Gator Player of the Game: Kenny Boynton (16 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal); Opposing Player of the Game: Tu Holloway (game-high 26 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: A. Record: 10-3.

Game 14: Florida 84, Rhode Island 59. Gator Player of the Game: Chandler Parsons (18 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot); Opposing Player of the Game: Delroy James (game-high 23 points, 6 rebounds). Patton’s Gator(Gr)ade: A. Record: 11-3.

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Stitt leads Tigers over Citadel

January 3, 2011
Filed In Basketball

Demontez Stitt lead four Clemson players in double figures as Clemson (11-4) defeated The Citadel (5-9) 69-54 in front of 7,613 fans Sunday afternoon in Littlejohn Coliseum.

“I was pleased with our first half. We controlled the tempo and played fast. The second half we did not play quite as well, we had a few slip ups, but to the credit of The Citadel they played very well. It was a reasonably solid performance; we did what we needed to early in the game. We didn’t do as well in the second half, but it was a good win and now it’s time to move on.”

Stitt scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half for the Tigers. Jerai Grant and Devin Booker each had 13 points, and Milton Jennings scored 10 while also grabbing 10 boards. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Zach Urbanus with 17 points, while Mike Groselle (14) and Cameron Wells (12) were also in double-figures.

For the game, the Tigers shot 46.3% from the field while holding the Bulldogs to only 33.3%. However, The Citadel out-rebounded the Tigers 47-32, including grabbing 20 boards on the offensive end.

The Tigers won the opening tip, Booker hit the first of his three first-half three-point baskets, and Clemson never really looked back. The Citadel hit a bucket to cut the lead to 3-2 but that is as close as they would get for the entire game as Clemson built its lead up to as high as 17 points in the first half en route to a 15-point halftime lead. For the half, the Tiger defense played great as they limited the Bulldogs 26.9% shooting on only seven made baskets.

The Tigers kept their lead in double-digits the entire second half, although the Bulldogs never gave up and kept battling the entire time. For the game, the Tigers forced 18 turnovers while only committing seven and had 15 assists.

“Our guys are sharing the ball and committing fewer turnovers. On defense we are making it difficult for the other team. We have held five of our last six opponents under 60 points. It was good for us to have a competitive game. To be able to play a guard like Cameron Wells and a team who plays physical and beats you around was good for our guys.”

After three games in six days, the Tigers will have the week off before hosting their first ACC contest of the year next Saturday at 4PM against Miami (FL).

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