2003-04 Season Review
Monday, April 12, 2004 | Men's Basketball
It was a season that saw the Gators reach No. 1 in the nation, win 20 games and reach the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year, while reaching the SEC Tournament final for only the fourth time in school history and the first time in a decade. Take a look back at the 2003-04 season. Click here for a full review in PDF format.
- Florida won 20 games for the sixth consecutive season
- UF reached the SEC Tournament Final for only the fourth time in school history
tipoff
- Florida finished the 2003-04 season with a 20-11 mark and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the sixth straight 20-win season and sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the Gators, both firsts in school history...Florida had only five NCAA Tournament appearances and five Florida reached the SEC Tournament Final for only the fourth time in school history and the first time under Billy Donovan...Florida finished the season by winning six of its last nine games with wins over NCAA Tournament teams Alabama, Vanderbilt and South Carolina during that stretch...Florida played a total of 11 NCAA Tournament teams in 2003-04 as their strength of schedule ranked No. 1 in the nation...Nearly half of the Gators' 20 wins were against NCAA Tournament teams, as they picked up nine wins against NCAA Tournament teams and an additional four wins over NIT teams, as only seven opponents in their 31-game schedule did not make a postseason tournament...The Gators rode the trio of Anthony Roberson, David Lee and Matt Walsh for a bulk of the season, as the three combined for 48.3 points per game in SEC play (of UF's 71.6)...For the season, the three combined for 47.0 points per game (of UF's 76.4)...Roberson earned First Team All-SEC honors from both the Associated Press and Coaches and was selected to the All-SEC Tournament team...Roberson averaged 17.9 points per game on the year, the highest season average by a Gator since Dan Cross averaged 18.0 per game in 1994-95...Roberson scored 20 or more 14 times on the year, including eight of the last 11 games, most notably a 35-point performance against Vanderbilt on March 13, the highest output by a Gator since 1982...Matt Walsh scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games in SEC play, averaging a team-high 17.8 points...Walsh led the SEC in points per game in the month of February, averaging 21.3 points over the seven games...Walsh was second on Florida with eight 20-point games, including a 27-point effort against then-No. 3 Arizona that earned him MVP honors at the MassMutual Classic in Springfield, Mass...David Lee scored in double figures in eight of the last 11 games, including an 17-point effort against Alabama in the SEC Tournament... Lee came up with five double-doubles and four 20-point games on the season, including a 24-point performance on 12-of-12 shooting against Northeastern on Dec. 22...Lee led the Gators in rebounding for the second straight year, pulling down 6.8 boards per game, including a career-high 14 in the SEC opener against South Carolina on Jan. 7...Arguably the best passing big man in the SEC, Lee finished second on the Gators with 88 assists and had five or more on seven occasions.
by the numbers
3...the number of All-SEC players for the Gators in 2003-04, as Anthony Roberson earned First Team honors from both the Coaches and AP, Matt Walsh earned Second Team honors from both and David Lee earned Second Team honors from the Coaches and Third Team honors from the AP
6...the number of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for Florida after making only five tournaments in school history prior to Billy Donovan's arrival
17.9...the average points per game for Anthony Roberson, the highest season average by a Gator since Dan Cross averaged 18.0 in 1994-95
20...the number of wins for the Gators, the sixth straight 20-win season under Billy Donovan after having only done so five times in 77 years before his arrival
99...the number of three-pointers by Anthony Roberson this year, a school record
249...the number of three-pointers made by the 2003-04 Gators, the seventh highest total in school history
492...the number of assists for the Gators, the 10th highest total in school history, as they averaged 15.9 per game
1,001...the number of career points for David Lee, as in the NCAA Tournament he became the 35th member of Florida's 1,000-point club
"big three" honored by SEC Coaches, AP
- Florida's "big three," Anthony Roberson, Matt Walsh and David Lee have had to carry a huge load this season, as the trio averaged nearly 65 percent of Florida's offense during SEC play...The three were justly rewarded for their efforts, as all three earned All-SEC honors from both the coaches and Associated Press...Roberson earned First Team honors from both, while Walsh was a Second Team selection on each and Lee earned Second Team honors from the coaches and Third Team from the AP....Roberson and Walsh were two of just four underclassmen of the 16 selected for the coaches team and two of just three underclassmen selected out of the 17 players selected by the AP.
lee reaches 1,000-point mark
- David Lee became the 35th member of Florida's 1,000-point club on March 18 against Manhattan...Lee reached the mark on a lay-up 10 seconds into the second half of the Gators' NCAA Tournament First Round game...Lee reached the mark in his 95th career game...Matt Bonner was the last Gator to reach the 1,000-point mark doing so towards the end of the 2002 season, a year that also saw Brett Nelson reach the mark...There have been seven 1,000-point scorers under current head coach Billy Donovan.
near mirror images
- Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh will forever be linked, as the two came to Florida at the same time, experienced immediate success and have been able to sustain it, as they have become one of the SEC's most potent 1-2 punches...The numbers of the two are strikingly similar through just under two years of their careers, as their career point totals are separated by 51 (Roberson 944, Walsh 893).
Roberson vs. Walsh through two years
G/GS FG/FGA Pct. 3pt. Pct. Reb. A St. Pts. Avg.
Walsh 64/64 280-616 .455 123-321 .383 4.8 187 97 893 14.0
Roberson 63/42 321-735 .437 173-423 .409 2.7 169 78 944 15.0
youth is served
Florida remained among the nation's elite, having been ranked as high as No. 1 and in the Top 25 until Feb. 16 despite being the fourth youngest team in the nation… Eight of Florida's 10 remaining scholarship players at the end of the season were either freshmen or sophomores, or 80 percent… Junior David Lee and senior Bonell Colas were the only scholarship players on the roster not in their first or second year with the program.
Youngest NCAA Division I Teams
Team No. of Fr./So. Total Players Pct.
1. Villanova 9 10 90.0
2. Northwestern St. 11 13 84.6
3. Maryland 9 11 81.8
4. Florida 8 10 80.0
Utah 8 10 80.0
LaSalle 8 10 80.0
7. Arkansas 9 12 75.0
Wake Forest 9 12 75.0
9. Houston 7 10 70.0
10. Long Island 9 13 69.2
florida among elite company
- The Gators' appearance in the NCAA Tournament was their sixth straight, after having only five NCAA Tournament appearances in school history prior to Billy Donovan's arrival...Florida is one of only 13 schools to appear in each of the last six NCAA Tournaments:
Teams that have made the last six NCAA Tournaments
Team Record Pct.
Duke 21-5 .808
Michigan St. 17-5 .772
Maryland 16-5 .762
*Kansas 16-6 .727
Kentucky 12-6 .667
Arizona 11-6 .647
Florida 9-6 .600
Gonzaga 9-6 .600
Texas 9-6 .600
Oklahoma St. 9-6 .600
Stanford 8-6 .571
Wisconsin 8-6 .571
Cincinnati 6-6 .500
gators strength of schedule no. 1 in the nation
- Florida finished 13th in the RPI rankings while its strength of schedule was No. 1 in the nation...Nine of Florida's 31 opponents had one or no losses when the Gators faced them...Twenty-nine of the 31 teams they've faced have had winning records...Twenty-four of the Gators' 31 games were against teams that made either the NCAA or NIT Tournaments...The combined record of Florida's opponents at the time of their meeting on the season is 352-126 (.736).
roberson = instant offense
- Anthony Roberson had 22 points or better in four of the last five games, including a 35-point performance against Vanderbilt on March 13, a career high and the best outing by a Gator since 1982...Roberson posted 20-plus 14 times this season, including eight of the last 11 outings...The 35 points bettered his previous career high of 28 points vs. Florida State on Jan. 3, 2004...Roberson is averaged 22.0 ppg over the final five games, hitting .455 from the field, .449 from three-point range and 1.000 from the line during that stretch.
Roberson's Big Nights in 2004
Opponent Date Points
Vanderbilt March 13 35
Florida State Jan. 3 28
at Alabama Jan. 27 26
Vanderbilt Feb. 7 25
at Ole Miss Feb. 21 24
South Carolina Feb. 25 24
closing the door on key games
- While a great deal was been made about the Gators' inability to finish games against Kentucky, LSU and at Tennessee, they actually experienced greater success down the stretch than many would think. In the SEC Tournament, Florida outscored Alabama 15-7 over the final 8:49 (including OT) after trailing by six with under four minutes remaining, then broke a four-point game against Vanderbilt open by outscoring the Commodores 27-9 over the last 10:06. A look at the Gators strong finishes during the 2003-04 season:
Opponent Run Score At The Time
Arizona 5-0 run over the final 2:38 Trailing 77-73
West Virginia 25-14 over the last 9:00 Leading 45-43
South Carolina (1/7) 8-5 over last 5:28 Tied at 57
Auburn 21-10 over last 11:100 Leading 47-42
Alabama 17-6 over last 6:48 Trailing 72-71
South Carolina (2/25) 16-5 over last 3:36 Tied at 53
Georgia (3/3) 15-3 over last 4:57 Trailing 52-48
Alabama (3/12) 15-7 over last 8:49 Trailing 66-60 with
3:49 left in regulation
Vanderbilt (3/13) 27-9 over the last 10:06 Leading 64-60
roberson enjoyed saturday success
- Anthony Roberson enjoyed Saturday's at the O'Connell Center this season, scoring 20-points or more in four-of-seven Saturday games at the O'Dome...Roberson averaged 21.0 points per game on Saturday's at the O'Dome...Florida went 6-1 in those games. Overall, he averaged 18.8 on Saturday games, hitting .523 from the floor and .485 from three-point range.
Roberson's Saturday Success At Home
Opponent FG 3-pt. Pts.
Stetson 6-11 3-8 18
Eastern Kentucky 8-11 4-6 22
Florida State 8-14 7-11 28
Tennessee 6-8 2-2 15
Auburn 8-12 5-7 21
Vanderbilt 7-19 5-12 25
LSU 9-15 2-7 18
Totals 52-90 28-53 21.0
home court success
- Despite dropping four games at home this season, three of which were by a combined seven points, Florida's 26 home wins over the last two seasons are tied for second most in the SEC:
SEC Home Records Over the Past Two Seasons
LSU 28
Florida 26
Tennessee 26
South Carolina 25
Vanderbilt 25
Auburn 25
Georgia 25
Alabama 24
Mississippi St. 24
Kentucky 23
Ole Miss 21
Arkansas 18
success against the sec west
- Florida has gone 28-8 (.777) against the SEC West over the past six regular seasons, including 6-0 in three of the past five seasons...Billy Donovan is 20-4 all-time against the SEC West at the O'Dome, with only losses to LSU in 1998 and 2004, Ole Miss in 1999 and Mississippi State in 2004...Florida went 4-2 against the West this season.
Florida regular season record vs. the SEC West (1999-2004)
Year Overall record Home record
2004 4-2 1-2
2003 6-0 3-0
2002 3-3 3-0
2001 6-0 3-0
2000 6-0 3-0
1999 3-3 2-1
Total 28-8 15-3
uf sets attendance mark
- Florida broke its season attendance average of 10,805 fans per game set in 2001-02, averaging 11,047 fans per game for the 2003-04 home slate...Florida had five games of 12,000-plus fans and nine games of 11,000-plus fans this season...Florida fell just 2,122 fans short of breaking the all-time attendance record of 167,827 set last season, however, remarkable conisdering there was one less home game this season.
what have you done for me lately?
- The Gators advanced to the SEC Tournament finals for the fourth time in school history.
- Florida canned a season-high 13 three-pointers vs. Vanderbilt in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament...UF sank 10 shots from downtown in the SEC Tournament finals vs. Kentucky, giving UF an average of 11.5 treys in the tournament.
- Anthony Roberson set a Florida record for three-pointers and three pointers attempted in the SEC Tournament by converting on 14-of-35 in three tournament games...The previous records were 10 and 23, respectively by Greg Stolt in 1999.
- Florida finished 31-of-80 from three-point range in the tournament, breaking the Florida record for treys attempted (27) and made (61) set in the 1999 SEC Tournament
- Florida had 239 points in its three tourney games, breaking the old mark of 215 points set in the 1995 classic (Atlanta, Ga.).
- Lee Humphrey's three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime vs. Alabama sent Florida to the semifinals in the SEC Tournament...It was UF's first buzzer-beater since Anthony Roberson hit a game-winning three-pointer against Georgia on Jan. 11, 2003
- In the four games prior to a loss to Kentucky (March 7), the Gators put together a winning streak using a solid combination of offensive and defensive efficiency...Over the four games, the Gators averaged 71.5 points per game, while holding their opponents to just 61.8...No opponents scored more than 70 points during those four games, as the Gators finished 10-3 this season when holding the opposition to fewer than 70 points...Florida hit.527 from the floor, while holding their opponents to just .413...From three-point range the Gators hit .397 while their opponents hit just .205.
- Florida held 25-of-31 opponents to under 50 percent from the floor this season.
- Trailing 52-48 with 4:57 remaining, the Gators held Georgia to one field goal over the remainder of the game...Florida shut down Georgia over the final five minutes, out-scoring them 15-3 over that stretch.
- The Gators limited South Carolina to only two field goals in their final eight possessions on Feb. 25...With the game tied at 53, the Gators went on a 14-0 run, and closed the game on a 16-5 run over the final 3:50.
- Against Tennessee on Jan. 10, Florida forced more turnovers than it allowed field goals, holding the Vols to just 17 field goals and forcing 20 turnovers. The Gators did the same against Auburn, forcing 22 turnovers while holding the Tigers to 20 field goals...Florida held Auburn without a field goal for 5:57 during a decisive 16-2 stretch on Jan. 24.
- Trailing by one, 72-71 at Alabama on Jan. 27, Florida held the Tide to one field goal in the final 6:44 of regulation and outscored Alabama 17-6 down the stretch.
- UF held West Virginia without a field goal for 10:45...On Dec. 10 Florida held Maryland without a field goal for a stretch of 11:02, starting with 9:14 remaining in regulation and ending with 3:12 remaining in overtime...Florida held the Seminoles scoreless for over 4:00 that helped separate the game.
Anthony Roberson led the team in scoring at 17.9 ppg, scoring in double figures in 25 of his 30 games this season...Has 16 perfect games from the line...Fourteen 20-point games this season and one 30-point game this season...Roberson scored 35 vs. Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament semifinals, a career high...Came up with 26 including several clutch threes against Alabama on Jan. 27, while dropping 25 on Vanderbilt on Feb. 7...Posted 24 points in back-to-back games against Ole Miss and South Carolina, the first game just over 48 hours after dislocating the ring finger on his shooting hand.
- Over the Gators' final nine games, Roberson is averaging 21.0 points per game, hitting .473 from the floor, .450 from three-point range and .939 from the free throw line:
Roberson Over The Final Nine Games
Opponent FG 3pt. Pts A TO
Ole Miss 8-17 3-8 24 4 1
South Carolina 7-13 5-10 24 7 0
Arkansas 5-10 2-6 12 7 3
Georgia 6-12 4-7 19 2 5
Kentucky 7-14 6-8 22 3 2
Alabama 6-21 4-16 22 1 0
Vanderbilt 12-15 7-8 35 2 3
Kentucky 3-14 3-11 9 0 3
Manhattan 7-13 2-6 22 1 5
Total 61-129 36-80 21.0 27 22
- The postseason honors have been pouring in for Roberson...The sophomore guard was named First Team All-SEC on both the Coaches' and Associated Press teams...Roberson also earned NABC District VI honors and USBWA District IV honors...Roberson was named to the SEC All-Tournament team.
- Matt Walsh finished second on the Gators in scoring at 15.9 points per game, the fourth highest total by a UF player under Billy Donovan...Earlier in the season he earned MVP honors at the MassMutual Classic with his 27-point effort and at the Orange Bowl Classic, the third MVP honor in his UF career, as he claimed the honor at last year's Orange Bowl Classic following a 33-point outburst against Miami...Walsh has taken his game to another level in SEC play, averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game, fifth in the league in conference play...His 21.3 average during the month of February led the league...Walsh scored 116 points in a five-game stretch from Feb. 7-25, the highest five-game total by a Gator since 1987...Walsh scored in double figures 26 times this season and has 43 times in 64 career games.
SEC Scoring Leaders For The Month Of February
1. Matt Walsh, Florida 21.3
2. Aaron Harper, Ole Miss 21.1
3. Matt Freije, Vanderbilt 21.0
3. Kennedy Winston, Alabama 20.7
5. Lawrence Robers, Miss. State 19.7
6. Justin Reed, Ole Miss 19.0
7. Anthony Roberson, Florida 17.9
- Walsh scored in double figures in 15 of 16 SEC games and had 16 points or more in 13 of his last 20 games...He averaged 18.3 points per game over his last 12 outings, with five of the 12 being 22 points or higher.
Walsh's Hot Streak
Opponent FG 3pt. FT Pts
Vanderbilt 4-7 3-6 14-14 25
LSU 9-15 6-9 0-0 24
Georgia 9-13 3-6 7-8 28
Ole Miss 7-12 3-5 7-10 24
South Carolina 4-9 1-4 6-8 15
Arkansas 5-12 3-7 4-4 17
Georgia 5-9 3-6 9-10 22
Kentucky 3-10 1-7 5-8 12
Alabama 1-15 1-12 0-0 3
Vanderbilt 8-11 4-6 0-0 20
Kentucky 5-11 2-5 5-6 17
Manhattan 4-12 0-5 5-6 13
Totals 64-136 30-78 62-74 18.3
- Walsh was rewarded for his solid SEC campaign by earning Second Team All-SEC honors from both the league coaches and the Associated Press.
- David Lee entered the season as an SEC Player of the Year candidate and delivered with his best season yet, leading the SEC in field goal percentage at a .588 clip...The junior forward turned in a career-high 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting and matched his then-career best with 12 rebounds against Louisville...He matched his career high against Northeastern, hitting 12-of-12 shots for 24 points...It was the most attempts in UF history without a miss and tied the SEC record, held by four others and was just three shy of the NCAA record...He matched his career-high with a 24-point showing against Alabama on Jan. 27...Lee netted 21 points and a career-high 14 boards against South Carolina...He recorded five double-doubles on the season.
- Lee averaged 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in SEC action...He hit .563 from the floor (72-128) and .811 from the line (60-74) in league play...Lee went for 15 or better in six of 16 SEC games with two 20-point games in league play...Florida went 5-1 in SEC play when Lee scored 15-plus points and 10-2 overall when with the only losses being at Louisville and Kentucky...Lee hit 50 percent or better from the floor in 24 of 31 games this season and has done so in 53 of the last 64 games overall.
- On Jan. 26, Lee was named one of 30 members of the John Wooden Award Midseason Watch List, after earning a spot on the Preseason Team for the award...Lee earned Second Team All-SEC honors from the league coaches and Third Team honors from the Associated Press.
- Bonell Colas put together several solid performances this season, just missing his first career double-double against Eastern Kentucky with 12 points and nine rebounds, before hitting 5-of-7 shots against Florida State for 11 points...He hit .538 from the floor for the season (56-104).
- Colas returned from a three-game suspension on Feb. 21 and gave the Gators 19 solid minutes and an added boost of energy, hitting 3-of-4 shots for seven points in a victory over Ole Miss...Tallied four assists vs. Kentucky (March 14), which is one shy of his career high.
- Adrian Moss was solid for the Gators in an expanded role this season and made his first career start against UCF on Dec. 4 and was inserted into the regular starting rotation on Jan. 24 against Auburn...The first off the bench four times this season before becoming a regular starter....An athletic presence, Moss led the Gators with 21 blocks this season.
- Moss gave a solid scoring performance during the SEC Tournament, as he averaged 11.0 ppg during the tourney...He had three consecutive games in double figures: 10 vs. Bama, 13 vs. Vandy and 12 vs. Kentucky...Moss had his first double-double of his career (16 pts., 11 rbs.) vs. FAMU and nearly had his second against Vanderbilt on Feb. 7 with 10 points and seven boards...After being inserted into the starting lineup on Jan. 24, Moss saw his scoring go up to over seven points per game, while averaging roughly five rebounds a game during that time.
- Lee Humphrey jumped into the thick of things over the two holiday games, first seeing nine minutes and hitting his first career three-pointer against Northeastern before turning heads with an 11-point performance against Eastern Kentucky...Against the Colonels, Humphrey hit 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc...In the absence of Christian Drejer, Humphrey made his first career start against Mississippi State on Jan. 21, then moved in to the starting rotation for good against Georgia on Feb. 17 with Drejer's departure a day later.
- Humphrey made one of the most memorable shots of his young Gator career when he sank a buzzer-beater vs. Alabama in overtime to send the Gators to the SEC Tournament semifinals...He made the most of his opportunities during his freshmen season, hitting .472 from the floor on the year (34-of-72)...Twenty-five of his 34 baskets on the season were three-pointers (73.5 percent), as he hit an eye-popping .439 (25-57) from beyond the arc.
