No. 4-Seeded Florida Begins SEC Tournament Action on Friday
Thursday, March 5, 2009 | Women's Basketball
The University of Florida women's basketball team earned the No. 4 seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and received a first-round bye in the 12-team event that begins Thursday at Alltel Arena.
The Gators (23-6) begin play in the league's postseason event on Friday, when they face the winner of Thursday's first-round game between No. 5-seed Tennessee and No. 12-seed Alabama.
This is the seventh time in the 30-year history of the SEC Tournament the Gators have earned a top-four seed, the last in 2004, when Florida earned the No. 4 seed, but dropped its quarterfinal round game. UF has not advanced past the quarterfinal round since 1998, when the No. 2-seeded Gators defeated Arkansas before losing to third-seeded Alabama in the semifinals.
Florida holds a 15-28 all-time record in the SEC Tournament, reaching the championship game in 1997, the team's lone appearance in the final. Current UF head coach Amanda Butler was an assistant coach on the Gator staff that year.
Tennessee holds a commanding 37-3 all-time lead in the 40-game series against Florida, which snapped a three-game slide to the Lady Vols this season with a 66-57 victory on Feb. 8 in Gainesville. The Gators have earned two wins at home (also Jan. 21, 1997) and one in Knoxville (Feb. 26, 2006), where they became just the second unranked team ever to defeat the Lady Vols at home. Florida is 0-6 versus Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, including last year's 92-61 decision in the quarterfinal round.
During UF's regular-season win over the Lady Vols, senior Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) scored a game-high 29 points. The Gators trailed by seven, 50-43, with 7:29 remaining in the game, when Florida turned up the defensive pressure and the second-largest crowd in school history turned up its intensity. The Gators used a 12-2 run over the next 4:10 to go ahead 55-52 and never trailed again.
Florida's 46-game series against Alabama is the third-longest in program history, with only more meetings coming against Florida State (65) and Georgia (54). The Crimson Tide hold a 26-20 lead overall, but the Gators have won the last four games, including this year's 92-71 decision in Tuscaloosa (Feb. 5). Florida is 1-7 all-time against the Tide in SEC Tournament action, with the last postseason match-up between the two schools a 62-58 Alabama win in the first round of the 2005 event.
Brooks also was the game's leading scorer, pumping in 29 points to lead Florida's explosive offensive attack in the 92-71 victory at Coleman Coliseum. The Gators sank 11-of-17 three-pointers en route to shooting 49.3 from the floor (34-69). Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) tied her career high of 15 points with nine rebounds, also a mark that tied her career-high, as she hit 4-of-5 from the three-point arc. Florida used a 22-5 run in the final 6:02 of the first half and mounted a 27-8 spurt midway in the second en route to the road win.
Brooks, a 2009 First Team All-SEC performer and All-America candidate, leads UF's scoring brigade. The senior averages 16.4 points overall and 19.7 in league outings. Brooks scored at least 20 points in seven of the 14 SEC games this season, including a run of three straight games where she went for 25 (at Arkansas), 29 (at Alabama) and 29 (vs. Tennessee). She leads the team in scoring (16.4 ppg), assists (4.79), free throws made (125) and free throws attempted (157), while ranking second for steals (1.76) and made 3-pointers (42).
It would be tough to find another post player under 6-foot that has been as consistent and as valuable as senior Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio), who was also recognized by the league's coaches as a First Team All-SEC member. The 5-foot-11 forward is UF's second-leading scorer overall and in league games, averaging 13.5 and 15.4 points, respectively. Even more impressive is her accuracy and tenacity in the paint, leading UF in rebounding and field goal percentage. In addition to 13.5 points per game, Dotson leads UF in field goal percentage (60.9%), rebounding (7.0 pg) and offensive rebounds (90). In the last two games, Dotson is averaging 20.0 points and hitting 65.4 percent of her shots. Dotson tied her season-high of 22 points in the regular-season finale at Georgia (March 1).
The youngest of the SEC's 12 head coaches, UF's Amanda Butler will celebrate her 37th birthday on Friday, March 6th, watching her Gators play in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. On her 36th birthday, the Gators presented Coach Butler a 71-57 victory over South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Gator Game Day: SEC Tournament Quarterfinal Round
What: #4 Seed Florida vs. winner of #5 Tennessee vs. #12 Alabama
When: Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT)
Where: North Little Rock, Ark. * Alltel Arena (15,936)
Radio:
· Rock 104 – 103.7FM (Gainesville)
· XM Ch. 199 (SEC feed)
· Sirius Ch. 217 (SEC feed)
Internet Audio: LIVE thru GatorZone.com (FREE of charge)
Television:
· FOX Sports Florida (South Florida ONLY)
· Sun Sports (Gainesville/Ocala ONLY – Cox Cable)
· Fox Sports South
· DirecTV Ch. 655 (nationwide)
· DISH Network Ch. 452 (nationwide)
Post-Game Satellite Feed:
· Date: Friday, March 6
· Time: 12:30AM ET (00:30-00:45)
· Length: 15 minutes
· Coordinates: Galaxy 17, Transponder 20 upper (KU Band)
· Uplink: 14409 [V]
· Downlink: 12109 [H]
· Data Rate: 18.0 MSPS
· Symbol Rate: 13.0212766
· FEC: ?
· LBAND: 1359
-UF-
