The O'Connell Center through the years.
36 Seasons, 36 Memorable Games
Monday, February 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- For decades, Florida basketball fans (what there were of them) came to watch the Gators at Florida Gym, or the cracker box better known as "Alligator Alley." For the big games, like Kentucky, they'd pack in 5,000 people. It'd be loud, sure, but if UF basketball had to take the next step it needed a new home.
In 1977, ground-breaking began on the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, named for the university's sixth president. When its innovative Teflon roof was raised in late 1980, the $14 million building of 292,000 square feet and 12,000 seats marked the dawn of a new era. Due to some late glitches, the much-hyped grand opening game against Mississippi State on Dec. 15, 1980 had to be switched. The Gators and Bulldogs agreed to flip-flop home dates.
Instead, the inaugural game was rescheduled for Dec. 18 against Florida Southern.
Nope.
More minor delays forced dates against both FSC and Missouri Western two days later to be moved to UCF in Orlando.
Finally, on Dec. 30, 1980, the Gators opened the wind-blown O'Dome doors for a game against East Tennessee State. The team had practiced in the facility a few times, but now it was about to get real.
"It's still like a new toy to us," senior Mark Giombetti said.
Said Coach Norm Sloan: "This building is what everyone has been waiting on. Now we have a total commitment to basketball."
That was more than 35 years ago. Been a lot of great moments in the O'Dome since. The joint has even been upgraded a couple times, most notably the $8 million project in 1998 that removed the parachute-like bubble and replaced it with a hard roof. Now it's time for something else. Something much bigger. Much better.
The O'Connell Center isn't going anywhere, but the dome -- as we know it -- is about to change. On Tuesday night, when the Gators take on Southeastern Conference heavyweight Kentucky, the event will mark the final men's basketball game before construction crews move in and gut the innards as part of an ambitious $65 million renovation. Next season, when the Gators -- be it the basketball, volleyball or gymnastics teams -- take the floor in late-December or early January, it'll be among flashy and splashy new digs that will signal yet another dawn to yet another era.
So with that Florida-Kentucky game Tuesday in mind, here's a look back at 36 of the most memorable men's basketball games -- laid out in chronological order -- played at the O'Dome over its 36 seasons, with my five signature games in larger type.
Repeat: My five. I'm sure you have yours.
Here's hoping Mike White can add one to his list Tuesday.
Dec. 30, 1980
Florida 72, East Tennessee State 54
Before the tip, Sloan looked around the O'Dome in wonder. "My whole career keeps flashing through mind. This is a symbol of what basketball can be at Florida," he said. "The kids are so aware of this happening and want to do so well so badly. I don't know whether the tension will help or hurt them. We'll find out soon." With that, Sloan unleashed the Gators on ETSU before what instantly became the largest crowd crowd (8,159) in UF history. "I didn't think this was a home game at first," Gators senior Mike Milligan said. "I had to pinch myself to finally comprehend we weren't on the road." Florida started four freshmen — forward Ronnie Williams, center Tim Strawbridge, guards Vernon Delancy and Mike Moses — and led by 20 at halftime. Williams had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Delancy 17 points and seven rebounds. The reception, obviously, was overwhelmingly positive. "I thought I'd miss Alligator Alley, but the fans came in so great," guard Kenny McCraney said. "They're so close to the action. I love this place."
Jan. 24, 1981
Florida 97, Alabama 91
Delancy grabbed the opening tip and soared in for a slam-dunk that sent the crowd into a frezy seconds into a game that long-time UF basketball observers left calling the first big-time basketball "atmosphere" in UF history. Delancy finished with 38 points.
Dec. 21, 1982
Florida 91, Biscayne 80
Sophomore center Eugene McDowell dominated by scoring 40 points, the most by a UF player since Andy Owens went for 41 against Mississippi State in 1970, making 15 of his 22 shots from the floor. The number stands as the most ever scored by a Gator at the O'Dome.
March 17, 1986
Florida 77, Texas Christian 75
Guard Joe Lawrence bombed in a 20-footer at the buzzer to shock the Horned Frogs and send UF into the NIT quarterfinals. The game-winner came after Lawrence grabbed an offensive rebound, passed it to guard Ronnie Montgomery, who passed it back to Lawrence. The Dome turned deafening (and, yes, Florida went on to reach the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden).
Feb. 14, 1987
Florida 74, Kentucky 56
For the first time in 20 years, the Gators posted a 20-win season and did it in style — against the Wildcats and in front of more than 12,000 — behind 20 points from Andrew Moten, 16 from guard Vernon Maxwell and eight points and 11 rebounds from center Dwayne Schintzius. The win moved UF to 20-5 and all but secured the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history.
Dec. 10, 1988
LSU 111, Florida 101
It didn't matter who or how many Gators were sent at Tigers freshman guard Chris Jackson. He made everything, closely defended or not. Jackson, playing in just his fourth collegiate game, rained in a numbing 53 points, hitting 16 of his 29 shots, including five 3-pointers and 16 of 17 free throws to shatter the O'Dome record for points set seven years earlier when South Florida's Charlie Bradley went for 41 in the Florida Four tournament against Florida State. It was the most ever scored by a UF opponent, as well, breaking the 52 by Pete Maravich at Alligator Alley in 1969. "When you're hot, it just seems like you can do whatever you want," Jackson said. He was hot, all right. "I thought Jackson put on a phenomenal performance, to say the least," Sloan said. "We tried to double-team him, but he handled it well. You need someone bigger and stronger than him and we don't have anyone like that." Florida trailed by 26 in the first half before twice storming back, behind a career-high 28 points from Livingston Chatman and 26 points and 13 rebounds from Schintzius, to cut the lead to two inside the final six minutes. "We just bowed our necks and went out there in the second half and played like we should have played in the first half," Schintzius said. Then guess who put the game away. Sloan, who won an NCAA title at North Carolina State, called it the greatest individual performance he'd ever faced. "I've played against James Worthy, Walter Davis and the like," Sloan said. "Nobody has ever scored like that." The combined 212 points still stand as the most ever scored in a UF game. Interesting side note: LSU got its 111 with just two assists.
Feb. 25, 1989
Florida 83, Vanderbilt 80
In the final home game of the season, the Gators took sole possession of first place in the SEC, capturing their school-record 10th straight conference game behind Clifford Lett's 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds on his senior night. UF, which rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit, left the Dome knowing one win its final two games — at LSU, then at Alabama — would give the Gators the first conference title in school history. [Note: Florida won at Baton Rouge 104-95 four days later]
Feb. 27, 1990
Florida 76, LSU 63
Don DeVoe, the former Tennessee coach hired to replace Norm Sloan following his firing over NCAA allegations mere days before the start of the season, announced during a pregame interview with ESPN that he no longer would seek the Gators job on a permanent basis. DeVoe, who proclaimed himself a "no-nonsense coach in a nonsense program," dealt with a multitude of mishaps during the season, including the departure of Schintzius in January. The Gators, just 7-18 and huge underdogs against a team with Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal and Stanley Roberts, shocked the Tigers behind 22 points from forward Stacey Poole, plus 17 from guard Renaldo Garcia and 16 from guard Scott Stewart.
Feb. 5, 1992
LSU 70, Florida 50
On UF's first possession, guard Hosie Grimsley drove the lane for a jumper that O'Neal swatted so violently it nearly decapitated a tuba player in the Gators band (positioned in the lower bowl in those days). "Shaq," who became the No. 1 pick in the draft by the Orlando Magic four months later, finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.
March 4, 1992
Florida 79, Kentucky 62
Down six at halftime, the Gators shot an unconscious 75 percent in the second half (15 of 20) and outscored the No. 10 Wildcats 54-31 in the final 20 minutes. Poole went for 19 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots, while spending most of the night guarding UK All-American Jamal Mashburn, who finished just 5-for-22 with 12 points. Also on the floor that night, future UF assistant coach John Pelphrey, who had just three points in 28 minutes, plus a certain future head coach alongside UK coach Rick Pitino. That Kentucky team infamously fell one win shy of the Final Four (See Laettner, Christian)
Jan. 27, 1992
Florida State 68, Florida 67
Seminoles guard Sam Cassel drove through a clogged UF defense and managed to bank in a reverse layup with two seconds left to hand the Gators a heartbreaking defeat. Cassel led FSU with 19 points, followed by Doug Edwards and Rodney Dobard each with 15. FSU point guard Charlie Ward had six assists. UF sophomore center Andrew DeClercq had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
Florida 62, Vanderbilt 61
Poole banged in an 18-foot turn-around jumper to stun the 18th-ranked Commodores as Commodores coach Eddie Fogler went ballistic on officials for not calling what looked like an obviously travel on the game-ending play. Vandy guard Billy McCaffrey, the transfer from Duke, went for 29 points, but it was forward Bruce Elder who gave Vanderbilt the lead with two free throws with four seconds left. In the post-game news conference, Fogler praised the "wonderful" job by the officials. [Note: A year later, on Vandy's next visit to the O'Dome, Fogler opened his post-game by stating, "Stacey Poole [blanking] walked last year."
Jan. 18, 1994
Florida 59, Kentucky 57
UF, off to the best 15-game start in school history, won a grueling defensive slugfest to improve to 4-0 in SEC play. The Gators shot just 32 percent and went eight minutes without scoring in the second half, yet held the Wildcats, averaging 96 points per game, to 35 percent from the floor and just 4-for-22 from the 3-point line. Point guard Dan Cross scored 22, while DeClercq grabbed 20 rebounds. Kentucky got 12 points and 10 boards from Rodrick Rhodes, plus 11 points from Travis Ford.
Dec. 9, 1995
Wake Forest 77, Florida 53
The Gators were never in the game, thanks to a certain Demon Deacon center named Tim Duncan, who amassed 14 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and seven blocked shots in easily one of the best all-around individual games ever by a UF opponent.
Jan. 14, 1995
Villanova 72, Florida 70
Jonathan Haynes knocked down an 18-foot shot at the buzzer to stun the O'Dome crowd in a special January made-for-CBS non-conference showdown. The Wildcats hit their final five shots to finish at 64 percent for the second half, led by future NBA lottery pick and school all-time scoring leader Kerry Kittles' 21. It was Kittles, swarmed by Gators on a drive in the final seconds, who passed out to Haynes for the game winner. DeClercq had 20 points and nine rebounds, while Cross went for 13 points and eight assists.
Feb. 24, 1995
Alabama 69, Florida 66
With marquee Daytona Beach (Fla.) recruit Vince Carter in the house and being serenaded with chants of "WE WANT VINCE! WE WANT VINCE,' another O'Dome dagger went against the Gators just six weeks after Haynes' buzzer beater. This time, it was Crimson Tide guard Eric Washington popping a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left after teammate Jason Caffey grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw. Junior center Dametri Hill scored 21 and cleared seven rebounds for the Gators in a terrific big man matchup against Antonio McDyess (21 points, 7 rebounds). Epilogue: Carter's decision to go to North Carolina all but convinced Coach Lon Kruger he could not land the big-timers at Florida. Kruger bolted for Illinois 13 months later.
Nov. 22, 1996
Florida 80, UCF 63
The season-opening win seemed innocent enough, but it was the first victory for first-year UF coach Billy Donovan, thanks to 20 points from guard Greg Williams, 18 from freshman wing Kenyan Weaks off the bench and 14 from walk-on forward Joel Reinhart. As for Donovan, there would be more where that came from (exactly 466 more over his 19 seasons).
Nov. 21, 1997
Florida 95, Duquesne 85
Playing in just his fourth game, Marshall transfer guard Jason Williams set a UF school record by dishing 17 assists, including one very rude (and awfully flashy) behind-the-back one late in UF's route of the Knights. The record broke the 26-year-old mark of Jerry Hoover. That night on SportsCenter, Dan Patrick ran highlights of all 17 of the assists. Williams, of course, would play just 20 games in his lone Florida season, his career ending with a third suspension in a year. He was still the seventh overall player taken in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings.
Feb. 4, 1999
Florida 75, Kentucky 68
The Gators opened their '99 SEC slate on Jan. 2 with a 35-point blowout loss at defending national champion Kentucky. That result seemed like lightyears away when Mike Miller scored 20 points, including a roof-raising four-point play late in the final minutes, to lead the Gators past the fifth-ranked Wildcats and into a tie for first place in the SEC. "That was fun out there," Miller said afterward. "Now you know why I came to Florida." Indeed, the South Dakota basketball prodigy was recruited by all the elite programs in the country, but took a chance on a young, energetic coach with a vision that UF could compete with anyone. The Gators proved it by defeating their highest ranked opponent at home since 1983. Donovan gave huge praise to the amazing crowd. "This was another level," he said. "It was bedlam out there." His players, like Miller and Udonis Haslem (14 points), created it. Six weeks after UK shot 56 percent from the floor and 50 from the arc in Lexington, the UF defense held the Cats to 41 percent and 2-for-18 from deep, with SEC Player of the Year candidate Scott Padgett held scoreless until 32 seconds remained. Florida led by seven when Miller drained a 3-point shot and was fouled by Kentucky's Heshimu Evans, who reached down, helped the Gator star to his feet and added a sportsmanlike, "Nice shot." At the final buzzer, guard Teddy Dupay hopped on the press table and played to the Rowdy Reptiles. "Florida is for real," Wildcats coach Tubby Smith said. Prophetic statement, to say the least. This game was a beacon to the college basketball world. Donovan and the Gators had arrived.
Jan. 18, 2000
Tennessee 81, Florida 79 (2OT)
The Gators' first double-overtime game in six years ended their 11-game home winning streak. The Volunteers erased a seven-point deficit in the final seven minutes, tying the game on Isiah Victor's shot with 0.3 on the clock and sending it into overtime. Donnell Harvey's free throw with 30 seconds left in the first extra period paved the way for the second OT, where UT took the lead for good on free throws by C.J. Black with 1:03 left. Harvey had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Gators, who were donned in rare black uniforms that night.
March 4, 2001
Florida 94, Kentucky 86
The Gators defeat the Wildcats for the third straight time at home for just a second time in school history, with this one clinching a second straight SEC regular-season crown. UF forward Brent Wright, part of Donovan's first signing class, started the game on his senior day despite a stress fracture in right foot, with the Gators taking a timeout in the early seconds to pull him off the court. Dupay bombed in a career-high 28 points, making five of six 3-point shots, plus had six assists. Haslem had 20 points and nine rebounds. Tayshaun Prince had 18 for UK.
Jan. 11, 2003
Florida 66, Georgia 63
UF's Anthony Roberson and UGA's Jarvis Hayes put on a scoring show, with Hayes going for 25 and Roberson for 23, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win. The Gators were down 13 in the second half, charged back and won it on Roberson's seventh trey of the game.
March 8, 2003
Kentucky 69, Florida 67
The Wildcats were ranked No. 2 in the nation and were going for just the second perfect 16-0 conference season in history and only the second unbeaten record in the SEC since 1956. The Gators were No. 3, playing on senior day and riding a school-record 19-game home winning streak. Roberson's 3-point attempt at the horn was an air ball and UK walked out of the O'Dome with a milestone victory. Guard Gerald Fitch led the Wildcats with 18 points. Matt Bonner, in his final home game, played through the plantar fascia tear that dogged him for weeks and finished with 25 points. It was also final home appearances for Brett Nelson and Justin Hamilton, two key players for Donovan's first Final Four team in 2000.
Florida 53, Kentucky 52
The Wildcats owned an eight-game winning streak in the series, dating to January 2002, and had a four-point lead with just over a minute to go when forward Matt Walsh bombed in a 3. Then Roberson stripped UK guard Patrick Sparks, was fouled and hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left for the decisive points. UK's Kelenna Azubuike had a dead-on look at a buzzer-beating 3, but missed. The crowd at the baseball game at McKethan Stadium heard the roar of the sold-out senior day crowd that said goodbye to center David Lee, along with his "Big Three" brothers Roberson and Walsh, who would turn pro after the season. One week later, the Gators defeated the Wildcats again, in Atlanta, for the the program's first SEC Tournament title.
Dec. 18, 2005
Florida 101, Jacksonville 58
Sophomore forward Corey Brewer recorded the first triple-double in Florida basketball history, scoring 15 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing 13 assists as the Gators smashed the Dolphins. No one could have predicted what lay ahead for that '05-06 team.
Feb. 22, 2006
Tennessee 76, Florida 72
The "Sweaty Bruce" game, with UT coach Bruce Pearl virtually melting through his suit amid the excitement and hysteria. The game was tied at 72 with 18 seconds left when Brewer's inbounds pass was picked off by Dane Bradshaw for an easy layup and Volunteers lead. On Florida's end, Brewer missed a 3-pointer. Tennessee's Chris Lofton hit a pair of free throws to ice it and the Vols clinched the SEC title on the Gators' home floor.
March 1, 2006
Florida 77, Georgia 66
The Gators were just 8-6 in the league at the time, had lost three straight and needed a win to bolster their postseason resume. With both his father from France and grandfather from Cameroon in the house, sophomore center Joakim Noah dropped a career-high 37 points on the Bulldogs, plus 11 rebounds — and did it off the bench, surrendering his starting spot to Adrian Moss on senior day. The tally was the most by a UF player since Delancy got his 38 in the O'Dome's first month 26 years earlier. Noah went 9-for-14 from the floor and 19-for-22 at the free-throw line. The Gators, by the way, did not lose another game, running off 11 straight on the way to the program's first NCAA title.
Dec. 20, 2006
Florida 88, Stetson 67
The Florida effort was lackluster enough for Donovan to break a clipboard on the sidelines, sending pieces of plastic and magnets spilling onto the floor. The eruption got his players attention and the Gators, in turn, got Donovan his 236th victory at Florida making him the winningest coach in school history. The victory moved Donovan past Sloan's 235 -- with well over 200 more still to come.
Florida 86, Ohio State 60
The Buckeyes had Greg Oden and the Gators weren't supposed to have Al Horford. Oh well. Horford, out for several weeks with a badly sprained ankle, returned to score 11 points, grab 11 rebounds and along with the rest of UF's elite front court pester Oden, the freshman center and future No. 1 overall draft pick, into foul trouble in a game that became a blowout in front more than 20 NBA scouts. "It was huge," Noah said of his frontline mate's surprising comeback. "I know he's still not 100 percent. But just having his presence, his smarts, everything that he brings to the team, his rebounding, his physicality and everything. He's a hell of a player." The defending national champion Gators, by the way, were still a hell of a team. Hyped as a precursor to the Florida-Ohio State football national championship football game in two weeks, No. 3 UF got 24 points from guard Taurean Green, who went 9-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-7 from deep to torch point guard counterpart Michael Conley (13 points) and the third-ranked Buckeyes. OSU erased a nine-point halftime lead to tie the game in the second half, but Horford responded with a pair of jumpers, two dunks, a layup, a free throw and three rebounds over a three-minute stretch as UF went on an 11-2 run and began taking out the lead. "The first half I was a little nervous just because of my ankle," Horford said. "But then the second half I got more comfortable and decided to go out there and play and be aggressive like I always am." Brewer had 18 points and Lee Humphrey 12. Oden was held to just seven points and six rebounds. The two teams, of course, would meet again in the NCAA title game three and half months later. On that front, Noah was a virtual sage. "The games are a test," Noah said. "And Ohio State was like the exam for the first semester. We passed it. We got an A. We're pretty happy right now. We're going to show mommy and daddy the grade and then we're going to do it all over again the second semester." Wow.
March 4, 2007
Florida 85, Kentucky 72
It was senior day for Lee Humphrey and Chris Richard, but everybody in the building knew it was also the final home game for junior quartet of Noah, Horford, Brewer and Green. The " '04s," as Gator Nation had dubbed them. The defending national champions had lost two straight, but Noah vowed his team would bounce back against the "Kitty Cats" and the Gators responded by becoming the first program in SEC history to beat Kentucky's storied program six straight, while also finishing with a record 18-0 at home and with the program's fourth SEC title. Noah had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Walter Hodge went 5-for-5 from the floor and scored 15 points.
Jan. 23, 2010
Florida 58, South Carolina 56
Just 20 days earlier, UF forward Chandler Parson's bombed in a 60-footer at the buzzer to shock North Carolina State on the road. Diminutive Gamecocks guard Devan Downey raced through the Florida press, spun through a trio of defenders and banked in a layup with five seconds left that put USC ahead 56-55. UF, with no timeouts, inbounded the ball to the equally diminutive Erving Walker, who raced up the sidelined, then zipped a crosscourt pass to Parson's on the left wing. His 22-footer at the horn was good. The 5-8 Downey finished with 36 of his team's 56 points.
March 1, 2011
Florida 78, Alabama 51
After a three-year drought of two NITs and one one-and-done exit from the NCAA Tournament, the Gators regained their SEC glory by capturing the program's first conference crown in four years — the fifth all time — and did it at home with a blowout of the Crimson Tide. The game was tied 30-all at the half, but Florida made 26 of its final 37 shots against the league's top-ranked defense. Both Parsons and center Vernon Macklin played their final home game. Parsons, who would be crowned SEC Player of the Year, had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Macklin had 19 points.
March 4, 2012
Kentucky 74, Florida 59
The No. 1 Wildcats extended their nation-best winning streak to 22 games by hitting 54 percent and unleashing their stable of future first-round draft picks — including 2012 No. 1 overall Anthony Davis — on the Gators in the regular-season finale. Davis scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked six shots for the eventual national champions, who also had Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (the No. 2 overall pick in that draft), plus first-rounders Terrence Jones (19 points) and Marquis Teague (12 points, 4 assists). UF ad a lottery pick on the floor, but freshman guard Bradley Beal went 1-for-10 and finished with just five points and seven rebounds. UF sophomore center Patric Young had 21 points and nine rebounds.
Dec. 10, 2013
Florida 67, Kansas 61
Six minutes in, the Gators trailed 10-3, but erupted on a numbing 21-0 run to take a 15-point lead at halftime then withstood a show-stopping late scoring spree by KU forward Andrew Wiggins for a big win against one of college basketball's blue-blood programs in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Wiggins scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half and also grabbed 11 rebounds, but UF senior guard Scottie Wilbekin's 18 points, six assists and four steals helped provide the Gators with the cushion to withstand the Jayhawks' late rally. Sophomore forward Dorian Finney-Smith, in just his seventh game as a Gator, hit four of six shots from the 3-point line for 15 points and five rebounds. Worth noting: Florida did not lose again for 30 games (and 111 days).
March 8, 2014
Florida 84, Kentucky 65
The confluence of events was just too spectacular to believe. The Gators, No. 1 in the nation and winners of 25 in a row, hosted SEC giant UK with a chance to become the first program in league history to finish a conference season 18-0. And it was senior day for the winningest outgoing class ever — Young, Wilbekin, Casey Prather and Will Yeguete, who together would amass 120 victories in their four years together — and they celebrated with 12,000-plus by handing the Wildcats their most lopsided defeat in series history. "This is the way to go out," Young said. "You couldn't have scripted this one any better. I mean, What else could you want?" Nothing. Together, the foursome accounted for 51 points and 20 rebounds, made 19 of their 29 shots and clinched its second straight SEC title, the third in four seasons and sixth all time. Florida led by 21 at halftime, but Kentucky stormed back to make it a six-point game with 12 minutes left. Guess which players made the big baskets down the stretch. "When you invest four years likes these guys have invested, it means something to them," Donovan said. "They're going to carry this with them for the rest of their lives. They're going to have their children and they're going to come back here and they're going to be remembered for what they've done." After the game, as players, coaches and support staffers cut down the nets, the seniors en mass knelt to kiss the O'Dome floor and placed pieces of the nets behind their ears. "I'm going to take a shower with it and everything," Prather said. "I can't believe we got it done." Note: The Gators went on to capture their fourth SEC Tournament title (beating Kentucky for a third time in the finals) and advanced to their fifth Final Four, the fourth under Donovan, only to fall to Connecticut in the NCAA semifinals.
Feb. 28, 2015
Florida 66, Tennessee 49
In a season defined mostly by frustration, the Florida faithful chanted their coach's name as the final seconds ticked away and Donovan became the second-youngest coach in college basketball history to claim his 500th career victory. Only Indiana's Bobby Knight hit the mega-milestone sooner than Donovan did at 49 years old. Finney-Smith, returning from a three-game suspension for violating team rules, scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, hitting four 3-pointers. Guard Eli Carter sank his first three attempts from distance and had six steals. It turned out to be Billy D's next-to-last game in the Dome.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballUnbreakable: Florida Gators Gymnastics | Episode 3
Wednesday, April 01
One on One with Alex Faedo
Sunday, March 29
One on One with Harrison Bader
Saturday, March 28
Road to Gameday: Florida Softball
Friday, March 27
