'Pre-Game Stuff' - Florida at Vanderbilt (Tuesday, 9 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
FLORIDA at VANDERBILT
When: Tuesday, 9 p.m. (ET)
Where: Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, Tenn.
Records: UF 12-9 (5-3); Vanderbilt 11-10 (1-7)
TV: ESPN (with Joe Tessitore and Kara Lawson)
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network (with Mick Hubert and Mark Wise), check for local outlets here.
STAKES, STARS & STATS
>>> Vandy leads the all-time series 64-62, but Florida is 24-12 under Coach Billy Donovan, with an 8-9 mark when playing at Memorial Gym. UF has won six of the last seven meetings, with the lone defeat coming in 2012 at Nashville. ... The Gators won the last meeting 57-54 on Feb. 25, 2014, thanks to 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench from Dorian Finney-Smith, including a clutch 3-point shot late to help put the game away. ... UF will host Vandy on Feb. 18.
>>> After opening the SEC slate with three wins, then losing three in a row, the Gators have put together back-to-back, down-to-the-wire defeats at Alabama and home against Arkansas, with their sights set on another 3-game winning streak. UF is not scoring points like it has during the Donovan era (66.2 pg, 11th in the league), but the Gators have defended better of late, especially from the 3-point line. While Florida still ranks 10th in the SEC in 3-point defense (.339), the last three opponents are a combined 15 of 54 (.277). ... Finney-Smith (13.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is back on top as the team's leading scorer after a couple tough shooting nights for junior guard Michael Frazier II (13.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg), who went 2-for-14 combined the last two games, yet made winning plays (on defense at Alabama; on the offensive glass and free throw line against Arkansas) in both. Frazier's persistence in pushing through his shooting woes and finding other avenues to impact the game earned praise from Donovan for “staying engaged." ... Senior center Jon Horford (6.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) is coming off his best SEC outing after going 3-for-3 from the floor for eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks vs. the Hogs.
>>> Weird team, the Commodores. They are the league's best shooting bunch from both the floor (47.1 percent, which ranks 35th nationally) and 3-point range (37.1 percent, which ranks 64th nationally), but their 1-7 record in conference play is tied with South Carolina for last in the standings, thanks to seven consecutive losses after beating Auburn to open SEC play. The Commodores have been in every league game they've played -- six of their overall losses have been by five points or less -- including a 65-57 loss at No. 1 Kentucky. ... Vandy tends to undermine its ability to make shots with an inability to protect the basket (opponents shoot 40.6 percent, which is next-to-last in the SEC) and the ball, thanks to nearly 14 turnovers per game (last in SEC). ... Six-foot-10 center Damian Jones (15.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, pictured left) is one of the best big men in the league. Vandy also has a 7-foot stretch-4 forward in Luke Kornet (9 ppg, 3.9 rpg) who can be really streaky from the outside, having hit a couple 3s vs UF to keep the Commodores in last year's game. ... Starting guards Riley LaChance (12.4 ppg, 3 rpg) and point guard Wade Baldwin IV (7.5 ppg, 4.3 apg) are both freshmen.
SOME NUMBERS OF NOTE
* .182 - Florida's 3-point percentage Saturday at home against Arkansas on 4-for-22 shooting.
* .600 - Florida's 3-point percentage on the road just one week earlier at Ole Miss on 12-for-20 shooting, which speaks to the team's inconsistency from long distance. That's been an ongoing theme for the Gators this season.
* 3 - Combined margin of victory for UF the last two games, the slimmest during Donovan's 19 seasons. Throw in a 72-71 loss at Ole Miss on Jan. 24 and Florida's last three games have been decided by only four points. 
* 26 - Consecutive free throws by Frazier, going back to the SEC opener at South Carolina. His pair with 1.9 seconds left (after grabbing an offensive rebound) pushed the Gators over Arkansas.
* 400 -- Free throws taken by UF sophomore point guard Kasey Hill at practice Sunday, the day after going 4-for-8 from the line against Arkansas. Hill, who is averaging 7.5 points and 4.3 assists, is shooting free throws in league play at just 57.4 percent and has been challenged by his head coach to get in the gym and practice.
WATCH FOR IT
The fact Vandy is prone to turnovers and starts two freshmen in the backcourt would suggest the Gators figure to be more aggressive with their press and traps than they would be, say, against an Arkansas team that wants to race the ball up and down the floor. If the Commodores can take care of the ball and can get into their offense, the actions Coach Kevin Stallings runs are some of the toughest to prepare for in the league.
