WBB Travels to Nashville and Plays Vanderbilt on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Florida aims to build on the momentum of Sunday's victory against nationally-ranked Georgia when it travels to Nashville to play Vanderbilt on Wednesday. Tip-off from Memorial Gym is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) and will be televised live by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (in Gainesville on COX Cable channel 259).
Including Wednesday's contest, the Gators have just two regular-season games remaining prior to the Southeastern Conference Tournament and both are against teams Florida lost to earlier this year.
Florida plays host to Alabama on Sun., Feb. 28 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
“It's the unique opportunity we have with the expanded SEC schedule to play opponents twice,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “We had disappointing performances against Vandy and Alabama. We have to focus on Vanderbilt first, though. It's no coincidence that they are in the top four of our conference. They are very hard to play against, very hard to guard. They aren't very tall so it will be a battle of the less-than-six-foot-kids for both teams. It's also a really big challenge in the way that gym is structured, with the benches on the baseline. Communication and point-guard play is going to be huge. To have a second chance to try and redeem yourself is a great opportunity and we need to make the most of it.”
The SEC standings are so close that just two games separate the two teams tied for third (Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, 8-6) from the two teams tied for eighth place (South Carolina & Ole Miss, 6-8).
Florida (7-7) is tied with LSU and Georgia for fifth entering Wednesday's game.
Mathematically with help from other teams, the Gators can finish as high as third or as low as ninth in the SEC standings.
Florida has its work cut out to earn as high a seed for the league's postseason tournament as possible.
Vanderbilt holds a 28-18 lead against Florida, including a 14-5 record against the Gators in Nashville. Vanderbilt has won five straight against the Gators, as well as seven of the last eight meetings. Florida's five-game losing streak to Vanderbilt is its longest active slide against any SEC team. Florida's last win in the series was back on Jan. 22, 2006, when the Gators topped the Commodores, 73-59, in the O'Connell Center. The last time the Gators topped Vanderbilt in Nashville, however, was back on Jan. 11, 2004, when Florida won the 92-83 shoot-out.
Wednesday's game is the second of two regular-season meetings between Florida and Vanderbilt, which won the 66-58 decision 20 days ago in Gainesville.
Vanderbilt has traditionally been one of the most accurate shooting teams in the country and the 2009-10 Commodores are no exception. Vanderbilt is hitting 45.8 percent overall from the floor, the 15th-best shooting in the country (thru games Feb. 18). The squad also hits a steady 37.9 percent mark from the three-point arc, averaging 5.9 treys per game, however the long range shooting has improving against SEC foes, nailing 40.5 percent (83-102).
The Commodores dropped out of the Associated Press top-25 poll after its 55-39 loss at LSU last week, was able to bounce back with a good 68-59 win at Ole Miss on Sun., Feb. 21. Vanderbilt is unofficially No. 26 in the AP Poll. This week's ESPN-USA Today Coaches' poll was not available at the time of this release.
When looking at Vanderbilt's squad, senior Merideth Marsh is the first player to watch. In last year's game against the Gators played in Nashville, she put on a three-point shooting clinic, hitting 8-for-13 en route to 26 points. The sharp-shooting guard again leads the Commodores again this year, contributing 14.4 points per game and hits 39.3 percent (66-168) from beyond the arc.
Tiffany Clarke is a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week honoree this year, compiling 8.3 points and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds per game. Junior Jence Rhodes is averaging 13.8 points and 5.1 assists, but sports a team-best 14.8 points in SEC games. In the Feb. 4 game against the Gators, she scored a game-high 14 points, hitting 7-of-14 from the floor. Senior Lauren Lueders tallies 8.4 points and hits 40.9 percent (52-127) of her three-point attempts, and tallied 13 points with seven rebounds in the Feb. 4 meeting against Florida.
Vanderbilt is the 12th of Florida's last 13 opponents that is at least receiving votes at game-time in the national polls. The Commodores are unofficially No. 26 in this week's Associated Press and tied for No. 20 ESPN-USA Today Coaches polls (in last week's poll).
Florida snapped a season-long three-game losing streak with a hard-fought 64-57 victory over Georgia on Feb. 21. Entering that game, the Gators also has lost four of their last five games, all the setbacks coming against nationally-ranked opponents. The win during the tough run was a thrilling 80-78 double-overtime decision against Mississippi State.
Vanderbilt is coming off a 68-59 road win at Ole Miss, getting back on track after a tough 55-39 loss at LSU, the fewest points scored by a Commodores team in program history. Vandy has won five of its last seven games entering Wednesday's meeting with Florida.
Ten of UF's 14 SEC games have been decided by single digits and the Gators are 7-3 in those tight league games.
In the last five games, senior Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) is averaging team-bests of 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and nine steals, while hitting 38.5 percent (15-39) from the three-point arc.
Sorensen leads Florida in SEC games for scoring (10.1 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), steals (22), three pointers (39) and three-point percentage (37.9%), while ranking second with 25 assists.
“Steffi role is impossible for me to capture in words,” Butler shared. “People watch her play and she's a fan favorite because she does the hustle plays, she's diving on the floor for loose balls. The ways that Steffi has stepped up in the last month in particular aren't necessarily the things you see on the court. She's been more vocal with her teammates. She has really grabbed folks by the shirt collar and pulled them up to her level and expectations. Last week, she earned herself the right to be called our captain. She's an incredible story from beginning to end. Just her development as a competitor over the last month has been incredible. It's been a champion's response with her leadership.”
With the absence of center Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) to injury, freshman Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) has stepped up her game even more than already impressive rookie season has been. Stewart played just seven minutes against LSU and not at all at Tennessee, at Kentucky or against Georgia. During those four games, George has been UF's leading rebounder (7.0 per game) and fourth-leading scorer (5.5 ppg) while tied for the lead with 27.3 minutes played.
George is the SEC's top freshman shot blocker in conference games (15 total, 1.07 per game) and ranks No. 2 among SEC freshmen rebounders in conference games (5.9 rpg) and has a 49.1% field goal percentage mark.
Game Day Information
What: Florida (14-13, 7-7 SEC) at No. rv/20 Vanderbilt (19-8, 8-6 SEC)
When: Wednesday, February 24 * 7 p.m. ET (6 pm CT)
Where: Nashville, Tenn. * Memorial Gymnasium (14,168)
Radio: LIVE on WBXY-FM (The Star 99.5) in Gainesville with Steve Russell & Brittany Davis
Internet Audio: LIVE thru GatorZone.com (FREE of charge)
Streaming Online Video: none
Television: LIVE on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast with Matt Stewart & Joe Ciampi (in Gainesville on COX Cable channel 259)
Post-Game Satellite Feed: none
Memorial Gymnasium Press Row: 615-343-0019
-UF-
