Gators Return Home to Face Tall Test in Mississippi State
Saturday, January 28, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – There are always added challenges when going on the road, but Florida's trip to Ole Miss on Thursday offered enough to make a AAA representative cringe.
The biggest hurdle the Gators faced was a 16-point deficit in the first half. Florida overcame its cold start shooting by clamping down defensively and storming back for a 64-60 win.
Afterward, the Gators were unable to get out of Oxford's airport so they had to drive nearly an hour to Tupelo. Once in Elvis' hometown, the Gators had ample time to listen to his music if they had any on their iPods due to waiting on their plane after it was re-routed for weather reasons.
There was also a communication problem with the air traffic controller in Memphis that caused a delay. They finally made it back to Gainesville around 1:30 a.m., pushing head coach Billy Donovan's bed time back to around 3 in the morning.
“Last night was tough,'' Donovan said late Friday afternoon.
Florida practiced earlier in the day in preparation for one of the biggest hurdles it will face this season: Mississippi State's front line.
At least the Gators get them at home – no flight delays afterward – where they are 10-0 this season and winners of 16 in a row overall.
The No. 18-ranked Bulldogs (17-4, 4-2 SEC) feature 6-foot-10, 280-pound Renardo Sidney, 6-11 Arnett Moultrie and 6-8 guard Rodney Hood in the starting lineup. They aren't just big. They can play, too.
Moultrie is averaging 17.1 points and 11.2 rebounds, Sidney 10.1 points and Hood 11.5. Point guard Dee Bost scores16 points and averages 4.7 assists a game.
“They have got a lot of answers at a lot of different spots,'' Donovan said. “We've got to be able to provide some help and be able to play collectively as a group to contain the ball wherever it is.”
Donovan considers Mississippi State as talented as any team the Gators have faced, and that's saying something considering the Gators played Ohio State and Syracuse earlier this season. And he sees some similarities between the Bulldogs and Rebels.
Both teams have a size advantage inside over the Gators, and Ole Miss used that to its advantage some in racing to a 20-4 lead Thursday night.
However, the No. 14-ranked Gators (16-4, 4-1) clawed back into the game behind one of point guard Erving Walker's better performances of the season (10 points, nine assists) and 15 points off the bench from sophomore forward Patric Young.
The 6-9 Young will likely have to perform big again on Saturday to help the Gators offset a size disadvantage against the Bulldogs.
Young has come off the bench the past three games while nursing tendinitis in his right ankle. Donovan is uncertain if Young will start on Saturday. He isn't too concerned either way.
“I don't think it's all a bad thing, him coming off the bench,'' Donovan said. “He brings a lot of energy. He brings a different element into the game when he does go in. The other thing that is not bad, too, sometimes with his burst of energy … he's maybe coming in when some of those big guys [on the other team] have played a little bit.
“He's all about whatever is best for the team.”
Another steady performance from Walker will also be key against a Mississippi State team that has beaten the Gators in four of their past five meetings.
“I thought he played a very good floor game,'' Donovan said. “It was a situation where I thought he made the game easy for everybody else.”
This is the first of three consecutive home games for the Gators, their longest home stand of the season. Once the Bulldogs leave town, the Gators host South Carolina on Thursday and Vanderbilt on Feb. 4.
While Florida's trip to Ole Miss didn't exactly start the way Donovan drew it up, the Gators returned home with a victory.
Another one Saturday against Mississippi State would get the home stand off to a good start.
“Our guys will fight. I have confidence in that,'' Donovan said. “I think we'll be fine [following the delays to get home]. I think they will have enough time to get some rest. I do think there are some elements of this that hopefully brings your team together.
“I don't think our team should have any excuses.”
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GATORS GAMEBOX
No. 18 Mississippi State at No. 14 Florida
Tip-off: 1:30 p.m. (O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla. C.M.)
Records: Florida 16-4, 4-1; Mississippi State 17-4, 4-2
TV: SEC Network (w/Clay Matvick and Joe Dean)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (w/Mick Hubert and Mark Wise) -- Click here for affiliates ) / Sirius 220/XM 199
Game notes: Florida notes; Mississippi State notes
Need to know: This will mark the 107th meeting between the two teams, with Florida leading the series 57-49, including a 10-8 record under Coach Billy Donovan, however the Bulldogs have won four of the previous five meetings. ... UF opens a three-game home stand (its longest of the season) with its first date against a ranked team at the O'Dome this season. Mississippi State is the fourth ranked opponent the Gators have faced, with UF 1-2 in the previous three (losses at Ohio State and Syracuse; a win vs. Texas A&M at Sunrise). ... A victory would pull Florida even with Vanderbilt for second place in the SEC, one game behind No. 1-ranked Kentucky. A Mississippi State win will vault the Bulldogs over the Gators and alone in third place, while dropping UF into no better than fourth place. ... Florida is coming off a huge Thursday night at Ole Miss, which was undefeated in eight home games. The Gators erased a 16-point first-half deficit -- their largest in a road win in two seasons -- and stormed back for a fourth straight conference victory, despite giving up nearly 60-percent shooting in the first half and being pummeled 41-23 on the glass. UF got 26 points off its bench, including 15 points from sophomore C Patric Young, who played in a reserve role for a third straight game due to a nagging sprained ankle. Backup G Mike Rosario pitched in eight points, including two 3-pointers. ... The Gators lead the SEC in scoring at 81.3 points per game and are second in 3-point shooting at 40.5 percent, but those numbers dip to 69 points and 37.4 percent in conference play. And while UF's five starters each average double-figure scoring, junior G Kenny Boynton (18 ppg), the club's top scorer, is just 13.6 points per game in SEC play. ... The Bulldogs, winners of four of five, are a high-scoring and athletic bunch that can also close out games from the free-throw line. MSU averages 73.8 points per game on 46-percent shooting and 6.8 3-pointers per game, while ranking third in the SEC in rebounding margin (nearly plus-4) and free-throw shooting (nearly 71 percent). ... Junior PF Arnett Moultrie is an early favorite for SEC Player of the Year. The 6-11, 230-pounder is averaging 17.1 points, leads the league in rebounding at 11.2 per game and Wednesday carded his 12th double-double with 28 and 12 boards in a home win over LSU. Moultrie is shooting 56.3 percent from the floor, which ranks second in the conference. ... The Bulldogs have three other starters scoring in double-figures, with PG Dee Bost (16 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.7 rpg, 2.2 spg) also an impact player for Coach Rick Stansbury's squad. Bost scored 24 points in MSU's 71-64 win over UF last season at Starkville, Miss.
--Chris Harry, GatorZone.com
