Butler hopes to see fans in stands and fun on court as Gators hit home stretch
Thursday, February 3, 2011 | Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
The Florida women's basketball team is taking the court in a couple of hours at home against Ole Miss with an opportunity to match last season's win total.
The Gators (14-9, 4-5 SEC) are also shooting for their third consecutive SEC win, something they haven't accomplished since the 2008-09 season. After a 15-17 record a year ago, Amanda Butler's team has had its ups and downs.
The Gators started the season 7-1, but have gone 7-8 since, the low point a 43-point home loss to Tennessee on Jan. 13. The loss to the Lady Vols opened a season-high four-game losing streak, but the Gators have bounced back with wins over Alabama and at Mississippi State.
Butler hopes the Gators can keep the momentum going during their only back-to-back home SEC games all season. After hosting Ole Miss tonight – you can watch the game live in Florida on Sun Sports/FOX Sports Florida at 7 – the Gators host Vanderbilt on Sunday.
They then have a rematch with Tennessee (Feb. 10) on the road, play at Alabama (Feb. 13), and in their final three games of the regular season host Mississippi State (Feb. 20), play at Vanderbilt (Feb. 24) and host Georgia (Feb. 27).
It's a difficult stretch, but with four of their final seven games at the O'Connell Center, Butler is urging fans to come out and provide support.
“We're tickled to death to finally have two SEC ballgames here in a row,'' Butler said Wednesday. “Now it's up to us to take advantage of that.
“The best pitch I can tell you is just come and try it and see. If you've never been here before, just come out and watch us play. There's a lot of fire and energy and passion and excitement in being a Gator. We need you guys. We need people out here to help us.''
Butler also knows the Gators must help themselves. In winning 70-64 over Alabama and 67-60 at Mississippi State, Butler saw a team that played with more pep, including from starting center Azania Stewart.
Stewart scored a season-high 19 points in the win at Mississippi State, hitting 9 of 11 shots.
“We are a very emotional bunch,'' Butler said. “If we are holding some of that in, then we are not being who we are. There's another aspect of this: This is fun. I mean, my goodness, we're playing basketball here. When there is an opportunity to celebrate, we need to celebrate.''
