Digger and Co. add spice to Saturday's SEC East showdown between Gators and Wildcats
Friday, February 4, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
The Kentucky Wildcats make their annual stop at the O'Connell Center on Saturday, and that's always enough to get Gators senior forward Chandler Parsons' blood pumping.
“Every time we play Kentucky, everybody is excited,'' Parsons said Thursday.
But the 10th-ranked Wildcats aren't the only ones stopping by. So are Digger, Rece, Jay and Hubert. If you need last names, Digger Phelps, Rece Davis, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis and the rest of the ESPN College GameDay crew are setting up shop and broadcasting live from the O-Dome on Saturday.
Doors open at the O'Connell Center at 8:30 a.m. and admission is free. GameDay will air live on ESNPU from 10 a.m. to 11, and on ESPN from 11 to noon. The show will return for an additional hour of coverage on ESPN starting at 8 p.m. leading into the 9 p.m. tip-off between the SEC East rivals.
“I think it's awesome,'' Parsons said. “You can't really get into it or listen to what they say, but I think the atmosphere it creates with all our fans and our students and with our community is really good for us.''
Click here for the official release announcing GameDay's visit. Also, click here to watch a video preview of Saturday's game from Phelps.
It's the third time the show has aired live from the O'Connell Center and first since 2008.
When Gators coach Billy Donovan took over the program 15 years ago, the Gators had much less national exposure. But 348 wins and two national titles later, Florida is one of the more prominent programs in the country.
It doesn't hurt that Saturday's game is likely to have a huge impact on the final SEC East standings. The Gators (17-5, 6-2) are currently atop the division with Kentucky (16-5, 4-3) close behind.
Dick Vitale will also be in the house. He is calling the game with play-by-play man Dan Shulman.
Donovan's program might get more national exposure than when he showed up, but he welcomes any chance to play on a national stage.
“I think it's a great thing,'' he said. “When I first came here 15 years ago there was so much of a demand to try and find a way to get your program on TV, to get that national exposure.
“And I think now with the TV package, with the SEC and ESPN, with CBS, ESPNU and ESPN2, there's so much exposure, there are games on all over the place right now. But I do think that kind of environment where ESPN is choosing a game they want to highlight for the weekend is a good thing.
“It creates enthusiasm, it creates excitement, and it creates energy on campus. I think all those things are always a positive.''
What else has changed over the years? The Gators' success against Kentucky, the SEC's traditional power.
Florida has won eight of the last 12 meetings between the schools and is looking to improve that mark after losing both regular-season meetings a year ago for the first time since 2004.
