Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators have enjoyed a lengthy run playing five games inside the borders of the Sunshine State since a Dec. 10 outing at Wisconsin. Now, Florida embarks on a two-game SEC road trip that begins Thursday in Knoxville, where the Gators play No. 12/11 Tennessee.
 
Tip-off from Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. ET
 
The game will be televised live by SEC Network, with Tom Hart and Gail Goestenkors calling the action.
 
Whip-Around the SEC

• Thursday's game will be part of the SEC Network's 'whip-around' coverage of women's basketball.
• It will be a stagger start for the seven games featuring all 14 league teams played Thursday, similar to what ESPN does during its NCAA Tournament coverage.
• Two games will start at 7 p.m. ET, one at 7:30 p.m., one at 8 p.m., two at 8:30 p.m. and the final one tipping off at 9 p.m. ET.
• All games will be available to watch in their entirety online via SECNetwork.com and the WatchESPN app.
• SEC Network will flip between games to give viewers the most exciting action of the night.

 
Preseason Picks

• Florida was voted by the league's coaches and media to finish 12th in the 14-team league.
• Tennessee was selected second by the coaches and media.

 
Local Flavor

• UF Head Coach Amanda Butler and sophomore Brooke Copeland are natives of the Volunteer State.
• Butler hails from Mt. Juliet, located 165 miles from Knoxville. Her parents, Steve and Barbara Butler, still reside in Mt. Juliet.
• Copeland is from Cleveland, Tenn., located just 84 miles from Nashville (about a 1:17 drive).
• Copeland graduated from Bradley Central High School, the same place as former Lady Vol All-American Brittany Jackson.

 
Alma Mater/SEC Coaching Pride

• Seven of the 14 SEC head coaches have a college degree from an SEC school, however, Florida's Amanda Butler and Tennessee's Holly Warlick are the only two SEC head coaches currently at the helm of the program of which they once played.
• Arkansas' Jimmy Dykes has returned to coach his alma mater, but naturally didn't play for the women's hoops team.
• Georgia's Joni Taylor played college ball at Alabama.
• Kentucky's Matthew Mitchell is a graduate of Mississippi State.
• LSU's Nikki Caldwell starred at Tennessee.
• Mississippi State's Vic Schaefer is a Texas A&M graduate.

 
The Series vs. Tennessee

• 51-Game Series: UT leads 48-3
• UF Home: 2-19; Away: 1-21; Neutral: 0-8
• Tennessee has dominated the series and rides an 11-game win streak against UF into Thursday's contest.
• The Gator's last win against the Lady Vols was a 66-57 victory on February 8, 2009 in the O'Connell Center.
• Florida's lone win against UT in Knoxville was a 95-93 overtime thriller on February 26, 2006.

 
A Gator Win on Thursday would ...

• Halt Florida's 11-game skid against the Lady Vols.
• Prevent consecutive losses for the first time this season.
• Tie for the second-best 15-game start in program history, trailing only the 2008-09 club that opened its season 15-1 before losing its second game. Other teams that started 13-2: 2005-06, 2000-01 and 1984-85.
• Equal the total number of wins the Gators compiled all of the last season.
• Halt UF's overall three-game skid versus SEC teams, dating back to last year.

 
Florida vs. Ranked Teams

• UF is 1-1 this year against ranked teams.
  • Defeated No. 6/7 Florida State, 82-72
  • Lost to No. 8 Mississippi State, 76-70

 
What a Run!

• After a season-opening loss at Temple, Florida won its next 12 games, a run that tied for the second-longest in program history.
• The streak began with an 82-72 win against No. 6/7 Florida State on November 16 and ended with a 76-70 loss to No. 8 Mississippi State on January 3, 2016.
• The Gator's 12-1 record tied for the fourth-best 13-game record in program history.
• The Gators earned victories in four different states during the streak: Florida, Colorado, Alabama and Wisconsin.

 
What's Next?

• The Gators continue their road travels to Oxford on Sunday, January 10 when Florida is the inaugural opponent at the brand new Pavilion at Ole Miss.
• This will be the second time Florida will be the opponent in an SEC arena launch, having been the inaugural foe when Alabama opened Foster Auditorium for women's basketball on February 13, 2011 (a Gator loss, 64-59).
• Florida was the debut SEC opponent for the Auburn Arena on January 11, 2009 (a Gator loss, 81-65).

 
Looking Back: Florida lost to #8 Mississippi State, 76-70 (Sunday, January 3)

• Early shooting woes and turnover issues were too much for the University of Florida women's basketball team to overcome on Sunday afternoon at the O'Connell Center in a 76-70 loss to No. 8 Mississippi State
• Despite making seven of its 16 shots during a furious rally in the fourth quarter when UF outscored MSU 25-16, the Gators went just 22 of 68 (32.4 percent) from the field. They also committed a season-high 32 turnovers, making it even more difficult to chip away at MSU's lead, which swelled to 19 points early in the third quarter.
• Redshirt senior guard Carlie Needles, who appeared off the bench for the first time all season, scored a season-high 17 points. Junior forward Ronni Williams recorded her fifth double-double of the year, finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Sophomore forward Haley Lorenzen and junior center Tyshara Fleming snagged seven rebounds apiece for the Gators. All seven of Lorenzen's boards came at the offensive end of the floor.

 
Gator Watch

• Ronni Williams, a preseason Second Team All-SEC performer, is UF's leading scorer  (10.7 ppg) and rebounder (6.6 pg).
• She has recorded five double-doubles this season (10 in career), including three straight during early November
• She became the first Gator to record three consecutive double-doubles since Jennifer George posted four in a row from Dec. 4-20, 2012.

 
Who's Hot!

• Over the last three games, Eleanna Christinaki has averaged a team-best 13.0 points per game.
• During that three-game span, she has it 46.5 percent from the floor (13-28), 42.9 percent from the three-point arc (3-7) and all 10 of her attempts from the free throw line.
• She has scored in double-figures in five of the last seven games.

 
Game Day at a Glance

• Who: Florida (12-2, 0-1 SEC) at #12/11 Tennessee (10-3, 1-0)
• Where: Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) * Knoxville, Tennessee
• When: Thurs., January 7, 2016 * 7:30 p.m. ET

 
Game Notes

• Florida
• Tennessee

 
Game Coverage & More!

• Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM and 850 AM) with Adam Schick & Jennifer George
• Internet Audio: LIVE thru floridagators.com (FREE)
• Television: SEC Network with Tom Hart & Gail Goestenkors
• Internet Video: SECNetwork.com and WatchESPN
• Internet Scoring: (FREE) thru floridagators.com

 
Opening Tip

• The Gators are coming off a 12-game winning streak that was tied for second longest in program history.
• Tennessee is the third ranked opponent Florida is playing this year.
• The Lady Vols hold a commanding 48-3 lead in the all-time series against the Gators.
• UF's last win in the series vs. UT was back on Feb. 8, 2009
• Four of UF's five SEC wins last year came on the road.
• UF leads the SEC (all games) in scoring offense & steals
• Nationally, the Gators rank No. 3 in steals, No. 4 in scoring offense, No. 4 in made free throws, No. 4 free throw attempts, No. 5 in turnovers forced and No. 5 in steals.
• 6 of UF's games have been decided by 10 points or less (4-2).

 
 
FOLLOW THE GATORS:
Gatorzone.com
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Coach Amanda Butler on Twitter