Florida Gators

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Four of Florida's next five games are on the road and that travel adventure begins Thursday, Feb. 11 when the Gators play at Southeastern Conference leader South Carolina.
 
Tip-off from the Colonial Life Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
 
While there will not be television coverage of the game, live streaming video will be provided by SEC Network +.
SEC Network + is only available through WatchESPN (accessible through the WatchESPN app) and on SECNetwork.com.
 
Where we Stand

• The Gators enter Thursday's set of league games with a 7-3 SEC record, a half-game behind Mississippi State (8-3 SEC) for second place in the SEC standings.
• South Carolina is 10-0 in SEC action.
• Mississippi State is at Texas A&M (6-4) on Thursday.
• Texas A&M sits in fourth place in the SEC standings, a half-game in front of Georgia (6-5) and Auburn (6-5).
• SEC women's basketball does NOT divide teams into East-West like other league sports - just Nos. 1-14.

 
10 Down, 6 to Go!

• Florida has just six regular-season games remaining, including Thursday's outing at South Carolina.
• Four of the six games are on the road.
• A look at Florida's closing stretch:
• Feb. 11 at #2 South Carolina (10-0 SEC)
• Feb. 14 at Auburn (6-5 - T-No. 5 in SEC)
• Feb. 18 host Vandy (4-6 - No. 11 in SEC)
• Feb. 21 at Georgia (6-5 - T-No. 5 in SEC)
• Feb. 25 at LSU (2-9 - No. 14 in SEC)
• Feb. 28 host Auburn (6-5 - T-No. 5 in SEC)

 
Run vs. Ranked Teams Off to a Good Start

• Florida is playing the final game of a three-game span against three teams each ranked in the top-12 of the national polls.
• The Gators defeated No. 12 Kentucky, 85-79 in Gainesville on January 31 ...
• Before knocking off No. 12/11 Texas A&M, 83-81 in Gainesville on February 4.
• Next up: No. 2 South Carolina on Thur., February 11 in Columbia.

 
Preseason Picks

• Florida was voted by the league's coaches and media to finish 12th in the 14-team league.
• South Carolina was selected to win the SEC by the coaches and by the media.

 
Picked No. 12 ... Defeated No. 12 - three times

• During the preseason, Florida was picked to finish 12th in the SEC standings by the leagues coaches and media.
• This season, Florida has defeated THREE teams that were ranked No. 12 at the time of tip-off: No. 12/11 Tennessee, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 12 Texas A&M.

 
The Series vs. South Carolina

• 24-Game Series: UF leads 20-14
• UF Home: 8-8; Away: 10-6; Neutral: 2-0)
• South Carolina has won the last six meetings in the series.
• Florida's last win against the Gamecocks was a 65-63 thriller on Jan. 9, 2011 in Columbia: Lanita Bartley stole the inbounds pass underneath Florida's basket and converted a three-point play with 16.7 seconds remaining and the Gator defense did the rest as Florida earned a 65-63 victory at South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena in front of 3,071. In a tight game that featured 13 lead changes and nine tied scores, Florida collected its first true road win of the season.

 
Gripping Gators

• Florida is 10-3 this year in games decided by 10 points or less, including 6-2 in SEC games
• 2015-16 games: Temple, Florida State, Ball State, Arkansas State, NC State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Texas A&M.
• 14 of UF's 30 games last year were decided by 10 points or less. The Gators were 5-9 in those games.
• 17 of Florida's games in 2013-14 were decided by 10 points or less (10-7 record).
• Last year, 10 of the Gators' 16 SEC games were decided by eight points or less (2-6 this year)

 
A Gator Win on Thursday would ...

• Be the third-best 24-game record in program history, trailing only the 22-2 record of the 2008-09 and the 2000-01 clubs.
• Be UF's first win against South Carolina since January 9, 2011
• Snap South Carolina's six-game win streak in the series.
• Give the Gators their 20th win of the season.
• Be UF's fifth win over a ranked opponent this season.
• Tie the highest-ranked opponent the Gators have ever defeated (downed No. 2/3 LSU on Feb. 16, 2006)

 
One Win from 20

• Florida enters today's game with 19 wins - one shy of the notable 20-win mark.
• Florida has had 14 seasons with 20 wins, with five of them coming under current head coach Amanda Butler.
• The last 20-win season: 2013-14 finished 20-13
• The last time UF won 20 games before the start of the SEC Tournament was during the 2008-09 season, when the Gators tied the program record for wins with a 24-8 record and advanced to the NCAA second round where they lost at eventual champion UConn.

 
Florida vs. Ranked Teams

• UF is 4-2 this year against ranked teams.

 
Looking Back: Florida def. No. 12/11 Texas A&M (Thursday, February 4)

• No. 22 Florida battled back from an eight-point deficit to upset No. 12/11 Texas A&M, 83-81, on Thursday (Feb. 4) at the O'Connell Center.
• Florida was led by junior Ronni Williams, who became the first Gator in over eight years to score at least 20 points and grab 15 rebounds in a game.
• Simone Westbrook added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Dyandria Anderson made some of the night's biggest shots en route to a 12-point outing

 
Gator Watch

• Ronni Williams, a preseason Second Team All-SEC performer, is UF's leading scorer (11.0 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 ppg).
• In SEC games, Williams is averaging 11.3 points (second behind freshman Eleanna Christinaki (11.6 ppg)) and a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game.
• Williams ranks No. 5 in the SEC for rebounding in league games
• She has recorded seven double-doubles this season (12 in career)
• Has 13 double-figure scoring games this year (tied for most on team with Christinaki)
• SEC Player of Week (honored Feb. 9) for 20-point, 15-rebound game vs. No. 12 Texas A&M - first such honor of career

 
Rookie Review

• Eleanna Christinaki is the only true freshman on the Gator squad and has made quite an impact!
• Has scored in double-figures in 11 of the last 16 games (entering South Carolina)
• Has 13 double-figure scoring games - tied for most on the team
• Is UF's assists leader
• Has been UF's leading game scorer seven times
• Has been UF's leading rebounder twice
• Has been UF's assists leader in a team-best 12 games
• THREE TIMES named the SEC Freshman of the Week (Dec. 8-14, Jan. 5-11 and Jan. 25-Feb. 1)

 
Florida's DEPTH at a Glance!

• On the 13-player roster...
• 10 Gators average at least 12.7 minutes of playing time per game
• 9 Gators average at least 5.1 points per game
• 11 Gators have made at least one three-pointer (Fleming and Lorenzen have never attempted a three-pointer).
• 11 have started at least one game during their respective Gator careers, while 10 of the 13 have started at least once this season.
• 8 have been UF's leading scorer in a game
• 7 have been UF's leading rebounder in a game this season
• 6 have scored at least 20 points in a game this season

 
Balance, too!

• UF ranks No. 9 in the nation in scoring offense (81.0 ppg), however, the team's leading scorers - Ronni Williams and Eleanna Christinaki- average just 11.0 and 10.7 points per game, respectively.
• Sophomore Haley Lorenzen averages 9.6 points, while senior Cassie Peoples and junior Simone Westbrook are close behind at 8.7 per game apiece.

 
Quotes from the Court – UF Head Coach Amanda Butler:
On a different motivation facing South Carolina because they are so highly ranked:
"They are a great team. The thing that is so amazing about our league, though, is that you feel that way that every school is. It's not like we go, "Oh, gosh! South Carolina – what are we going to do." We just came off of playing Texas A&M and Kentucky back-to-back, who are, in my opinion, both top-10 teams. That's what this league presents. I think our team is really excited about playing South Carolina but they fully understand and respect how good they are"
 
"Our team has a really good idea of who they are and from the outside there is still this idea that when we beat someone, it's an upset. Our team doesn't really look at those games as upsets. That's no disrespect to our opponents. I just think they have a good sense of who they are, how good they are and it's just two great SEC teams going head-to-head and we'll have that on Thursday, as well."
 
 
Game Day at a Glance:

• Who: #16/19 Florida (19-4, 7-3 SEC) at #2 South Carolina (22-1, 10-0 SEC)
• Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000) * Columbia, S.C.
• When: Thurs., February 11, 2016 * 7 pm ET

 
Game Notes:

• Florida
• South Carolina

 
Game Coverage & More!

• Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville (WRUF-AM850/FM95.3) and Jacksonville (WFXJ-AM930) with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
• Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)
• Television: none
• Internet Video: SECNetwork + with Derek Scott and Robin Muller (WatchESPN app and thru SECNetwork.com)
• Internet Scoring: (FREE) thru FloridaGators.com

 
Opening Tip

• The Gators have just six regular-season games remaining, with four of those on the road.
• Florida leads the all-time series against South Carolina, 20-14, however, the Gamecocks have won the last six meetings.
• South Carolina has won 22 consecutive SEC home games.
• SC leads the SEC with a perfect 10-0 record, while Florida is a half-game behind Mississippi State for second in the league standings.
• South Carolina and Florida rank 1-2 in scoring offense in SEC games.
• UF is 4-2 vs. ranked opponents this year.
• UF leads the SEC (league games only) in steals, while ranking second for scoring offense.
• 13 of UF's games have been decided by 10 points or less (10-3), including eight SEC games (6-2).

 
 
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