Gators By The Bay: A Look at Six Memorable UF Basketball Games in the Bay Area
Monday, November 21, 2011 | Men's Basketball
GATORS BY THE BAY
Florida's men's basketball history in the Tampa Bay area dates to Feb. 20, 1937, when the Gators lost on the road to the University of Tampa Spartans 29-14. UF and UT played 24 times over the next 26 seasons, then the Gators began an occasional series with upstart South Florida in 1971 (23 games to date). Here's a look at a half-dozen of the Gators' most memorable road trips down I-75.
Jan. 11, 1983
Florida 92, South Florida 79 (OT)
Sun Dome, Tampa
The Gators held a two-point lead in the final seconds of regulation when USF forward Charlie Bradley, the nation's leading score at more than 28 per game, swished a 23-footer at the buzzer to send the sellout home crowd of more than 10,000 into a frenzy and the game into overtime. Bradley, however, was stifled by Florida forward and defensive stopper Randall Leath in extra period, as the Gators outscored the Bulls 15-2 en route to their first win over USF in three games. Sophomore Ronnie Williams led the Gators with 21 points, followed by 18 from classmate Vernon Delancy in what UF coach Norm Sloan afterward called “the greatest game ever played between between two teams from this state.” Bradley finished with 38 points, but only two in overtime.
Nov. 24, 1990
South Florida 70, Florida 61
Sun Dome, Tampa
The debut game of new UF coach Lon Kruger was played before the fourth-largest crowd in USF's home history and the Bulls, coming off their first NCAA Tournament berth, fed off the energy for a big win over their state rival. Power forward Gary Alexander, who missed the entire season before with a knee injury, led USF with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while the Gators got a combined 37 points from seniors Livingston Chatman and Dwayne Davis. “Alexander really took charge for them,” said Kruger, who came to Florida seven months earlier after coaching eight seasons at his alma mater of Kansas State. “Generally, it was a ballgame where USF was in pretty good control of from the beginning. They got a little cushion early and we could never get over the hump. They've got a nice club." Florida's lone lead was 6-5 and Alexander was able to assert himself once Davis got into foul trouble.
Dec. 4, 1992
Florida 80, South Florida 78
Sun Dome, Tampa
Coach Lon Kruger and the Florida bench were calling for a timeout, but sophomore guard Craig Brown instead let fly -- and buried -- a 3-pointer from 22 feet that with 8.9 seconds left to give the Gators a dramatic win that broke a lot of USF hearts. “We were thinking timeout,” Kruger said. “They were thinking shot. Just one of those things, I guess.” Brown agree. “My only thought was to stick it. It was time for somebody to step up.” Up until that point, junior swingman Stacey Poole had been doing the stepping. Poole poured in a career-high 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting, helping the Gators rally from a late four-point deficit, but he was on the bench in the final seconds. The Gators were trying to stop the clock and get Poole back in the game until Brown opted to take charge. USF guard Derrick Sharp, himself with a career-best 25 points, had the ball and a chance to tie or win it, but was stripped by UF guard Scott Stewart. “We had a great effort,” Bulls coach Bobby Paschal said. “But it takes effort -- plus execution -- to win a big basketball game.” Freshman center Andrew DeClercq, playing across the bay from his hometown of Clearwater, had 16 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive glass.
Jan. 11, 1994
Florida 69, South Florida 64
Thunderdome, St. Petersburg
It was round about this time that it started becoming clear the '93-94 Gators were a pretty good team. Turned out, they were a Final Four team. “Tough games don't bother us,” freshman center Andrew DeClercq said after UF's second win in five weeks over USF, this time by a 69-64 count before 11,657 at the cavernous Thunderdome. “We've been in a lot of tough ones. When we're challenged, this team picks it up a notch.” In winning for the 12th time in 14 games -- the program's best start since 1952 -- the still-unranked Gators shot 65 percent in the second half, but still managed to blow a 13-point lead before St. Pete native Dametri Hill hit three free throws and Craig Brown hit a jumper for his team-high 16th point in the final minute. Dan Cross' two free throws with 18.8 seconds to go iced the game, with the Gators finishing 20-for-25 from the line just three days after setting a team single-game free-throw record in going 27-of-27 from the strip against Tennessee.
Dec. 8, 2001
Florida 92, South Florida 73
Sun Dome, Tampa
Forward Matt Bonner scored a career-high 31 points, hitting 13 of 16 shots, including three of four from behind the arc, and also grabbed a half-dozen rebounds as the Gators put on a show for a record USF crowd and national-television audience on ESPN2. Bonner's splendid performance came just four days after a career-best 23 points in a big upset of Michigan State. “He certainly topped himself today,” Gators coach Billy Donovan said. “But the guy that really played great was Justin Hamilton. He was absolutely spectacular.” Hamilton, the junior guard, had seven points, six assists, six steals, just one turnover and glued himself to USF leading scorer Altron Jackson, holding his former Sarasota AAU teammate to just 3-of-10 shooting a season-low eight points. “I take the same approach to anyone I guard,” Hamilton said. “I just attack. There was a lot of talk before the game, but once the game started it was all business.” UF broke a four-point game wide open midway through the second half, scoring 16 straight to take a commanding 74-54 lead. Guard Brett Nelson had 17 points and center Udonis Haslem 15 points to go with eight rebounds, as the Gators shot 71 percent in the second half.
March 19, 2011
Florida 73, UCLA 65
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa
Downtown Tampa proved a perfect venue for a Sweet 16 sendoff. The No. 2-seed Gators got 21 points from junior point guard Erving Walker, including a 3-point dagger in the final minute, to close out seventh-seeded UCLA and advance to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 for just the sixth time in school history. It wasn't easy. Neither team led by more than four points until just under six minutes remaining when the Gators took command. “You get stronger from something like this,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “Three or four years ago, when these [seniors] were just starting out, we don't a game like this. No way. No chance. But they have really grown up.” Maybe it was fitting the guy on the floor who grew the least -- physically, that is -- made the game's biggest play. UCLA, down by a point, went for a steal out of a timeout, but the 5-8 Walker snared Scottie Wilbekin's inbound pass away from Bruin Malcolm Lee, sprinted toward the basket, glanced back at Lee, then nailed a 3-point shot to put UF up 69-65 with 1:14 to go. “The little guy played great down the stretch,” Bruins coach Ben Howland said. SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons had seven points, five rebounds and five assists, while senior classmate Alex Tyus had a season-high 13 rebounds.
-Chris Harry
Gatorzone.com Contributing Writer
Note: While these are the six “memorable” games for the Gators in Tampa, they certainly are not the only ones. It's just that not all of us were around to remember them some of the others. If anyone out there has recollection of some -- like that 29-14 loss 74 years ago (OK, maybe not) -- we'd love to hear from you.
