Florida has just three home games remaining and the final stretch begins Thursday against No. 12/11 Texas A&M. Tip-off from the O'Connell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida has just three home games remaining and the final stretch begins Thursday against No. 12/11 Texas A&M.
Tip-off from the O'Connell Center 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 +, with Adam Schick and Brittany Davis calling the action.
Where we Stand- The Gators enter Thursday's set of games tied for second place in the SEC standings (SEC women's basketball does NOT divide teams into East-West like other league sports - just Nos. 1-14).
- Florida is tied with Mississippi State for second with a 6-3 SEC record, while Texas A&M sits a half-game back with a 5-3 league mark.
- South Carolina - UF's next opponent - is 9-0 in SEC action and hosts Kentucky on Thursday.
- Mississippi State is at LSU.
- Florida is one of seven SEC teams that has not had its one bye-date of the season.
- The Gators will have Sunday, February 7 'off' from competition before resuming play for the remainder of the stretch.
Off to a Good Start- Florida is playing the middle 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.
- 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.
- Texas A&M was selected third by the coaches and fourth by the media.
The Series vs. Texas A&M- 4-Game Series: UF trails 0-4
- UF Home: 0-1; Away: 0-3; Neutral: 0-0
- Texas A&M and Missouri are the two 'newcomers' to the SEC and the only two teams Florida has yet to defeat in the league.
- Thursday will be the Aggies second trip to Gainesville.
Gators vs. Aggies: Historic First Meeting- Florida and TAMU played once prior to the Aggie's membership into the SEC – March 16, 1994.
- Texas A&M won inaugural meeting in the series between the Gators and Aggies, taking the 78-76 win in the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
- The game was played in College Station, Texas, however Florida was the higher-seed (No. 4) and would have been awarded the host site if a Rod Stewart concert was not already scheduled in the O'Connell Center that weekend.
- Instead, the Gators took their game on the road in what would be the final collegiate game for Amanda Butler, who was Florida's senior captain. Butler scored 15 points, hitting four three-pointers, while dishing five assists in 39 minutes of action.
Gripping Gators- Florida is 9-3 this year in games decided by 10 points or less, including 5-2 in SEC games
- 2015-16 games: Temple, Florida State, Ball State, Arkansas State, NC State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky
- 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 23-game start in program history, trailing only the 21-2 record of the 2008-09 and the 2000-01 clubs.
- Be UF's first win against Texas A&M.
- Snap TAMU's four-game win streak in the series.
- Improve UF's overall home record to 11-2 this season, including 4-2 in the SEC.
- Be UF's fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.
The Halfway Mark- The January 28 contest at Arkansas was UF's eighth SEC game of season, marking the halfway point of league action.
- Florida posted a 5-3 SEC record during the first half of league play.
- The 5-3 record placed the Gators tied for third in the 14-team conference race, even with Mississippi State, a half-game back of Texas A&M (5-2) and a half-game ahead of Vanderbilt (4-3).
Florida vs. Ranked Teams- UF is 3-2 this year against ranked teams.
- Defeated No. 6/7 Florida State, 82-72
- Lost to No. 8 Mississippi State, 76-70
- Defeated No. 12/11 Tennessee, 74-66
- Lost to No. 23/rv Missouri, 79-64
- Defeated No. 12 Kentucky, 85-79
- UF is 36-73 at HOME vs. ranked teams (2-1 this year)
Looking Back: Florida def. No. 12 Kentucky, 85-79 (Sunday, January 31)- Eleanna Christinaki scored the final five points of the game that included a big steal resulting in a three-point-play with four seconds remaining and the Gators knocked off No. 12 Kentucky, 85-79, in the O'Connell Center Sunday afternoon.
- Florida led by as many as 12 points with 6:36 left in the thrilling SEC battle, before the Wildcats staged an 18-8 rally and got within two points, 79-77, with 42 seconds to play.
- Ronni Williams made the inside bucket after a great feed from Chistinaki, who finished with a career-best 11 assists to go along with 12 points for her second double-double, and Florida held a four-point advantage with 26 seconds on the clock.
- Kentucky's Makayla Epps, who finished with a game-high 27 points, came right back with a jumper and 20 ticks remaining, before the Wildcats fouled Christinaki and forced her to the free throw line. The Gator rookie missed the first but made the second and Florida held an 82-79 lead with 17 seconds remaining.
- The Wildcats called a timeout and got the ball at midcourt, where they worked the ball around the perimeter. The Gators were able to tie up the ball which took time off the clock, leaving Kentucky with just six seconds to try and tie the game.
- Kentucky inbounded the ball and Christinaki jumped the passing lane, came up with a steal, dribbled the length of the court for the layup and was fouled with four seconds remaining. She made the ensuing free throw to complete the three-point-play and secure Florida's third upset win against a ranked opponent this season.
What is this game called a Super Bowl?- Florida has a bye on Sunday, February 7 - marking the first time since the 1997-98 season that the Gators will not be playing on Super Bowl Sunday!
- Florida had played on Super Bowl Sunday for each of the last 17 years, sporting a, 11-6 record during that span when playing on the big day.
- Overall, Florida is 12-10 when playing on Super Bowl Sunday.
Gator Watch- Ronni Williams, a preseason Second Team All-SEC performer, is UF's leading rebounder (7.2 ppg) and ranks second behind freshman Eleanna Christinaki (10.8 ppg) as UF's leading scorer (10.5 ppg).
- In SEC games, Williams is averaging 10.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
- Williams ranks No. 7 in the SEC for rebounding in league games
- She has recorded six double-doubles this season (11 in career)
- Has 12 double-figure scoring games this year
Threading the Needles- Senior Carlie Needles is UF's third-leading scorer in league contests at 8.0 points per game despite not scoring against Alabama
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 15 games (entering TAMU)
- Has 13 double-figure scoring games - 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)
Lovin' Lorenzen- It's been everything EXCEPT a "sophomore slump" for Haley Lorenzen
- UF's fourth-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder
- This year has been UF's leading scorer in 3 games (tied for the most on the team)
- Has been UF's leading rebounder in a game four times (second-most on the team)
- Scored in a team-leading 50 consecutive games
- Seven double-figure scoring games -(tied for fourth-most on the team)
- Earned MVP honors at the Omni Hotels Classic, Nov. 27-28 in Colorado, where she compiled 26 points (12-17), 16 rebounds, 4 steals
STOP! THIEF! Wait - no, don't stop!- Junior newcomer Simone Westbrook is a huge reason why the Gators lead the SEC in steals (all games & SEC games) this season.
- The crafty guard leads the team in thefts and ranks No. 2 in the league (all games) for steals (No. 4 in SEC games)!
- Westbrook has had at least one steal in every game except one (vs. Arkansas State).
- She's had a career-high six steals in four games this year.
- UF has posted 10-plus steals in all but three games this season.
- UF has at least 10 steals in 13 of the last 14 games (entering TAMU game)
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 5.5 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 (Dimaite and Young have not), 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
Balance, too! Quotes from the Court – UF Head Coach Amanda ButlerOn Texas A&M:"They are very good and they are very well coached. They are a senior-laden team that really understands who they are and what makes them good. They've been the team that has played South Carolina the closest and actually beat them the first time, but just had a miscue at the end of the game. They just do what they do. They are the best mid-range shooting team in the country and they have post players who dominate the low block and dominate the offensive glass. They are very complete. They understand what makes them one of the best teams in the country and they don't deviate from that."
On defending the mid-range shot:"There are a couple different things you try to do, but it's very difficult because we play defense typically to force uncontested mid-range jump shots and that's where they're great. We'll have to mix up some things that we do and just be really smart about our close-outs and make sure that our personnel awareness is high."
Game Day at a Glance- Who: #12/11 Texas A&M (15-6, 5-3 SEC) at #22 Florida (18-4, 6-3 SEC)
- Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center (11,548) * Gainesville, Florida
- When: Thurs., February 4, 2016 * 7 pm ET
Game Notes (PDF) Opening Tip- This will be the fifth meeting between Florida and Texas A&M.
- The Gators have never defeated the Aggies.
- Aggie senior Courtney Walker leads the SEC in scoring (19.4 ppg).
- Two of Texas A&M's three SEC losses have been to No. 2 South Carolina by a combined 8 points
- The final collegiate game Amanda Butler played as a Gator was against Texas A&M in the 1994 NCAA opening round.
- UF is 3-2 vs. ranked opponents this year.
- UF leads the SEC (league games only) in steals, while ranking second for scoring offense.
- 12 of UF's games have been decided by 10 points or less (9-3), including seven SEC games (5-2).
Game Coverage & More!- Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville (WRUF-AM850/FM95.3) and Jacksonville (WFXJ-AM930) with Tom Collett & Jennifer George
- Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)
- Television: none
- Internet Video: SECNetwork + with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis (WatchESPN app and SECNetwork.com)
- Internet Scoring: (FREE) thru FloridaGators.com
- Ticket Prices – Every day:
- $5 – Reserved General Admission (Sections I1, J1)
- $4– General Admission
- FREE – UF and SFC Students with valid ID
- FREE – Children 17 and Under (in General Admission areas)
- Special Tickets for this Game
- FREE - military members, veterans, first responders and their families
- $1 – all general admission tickets
Additional Hoopla for Thursday's GamePresenting Sponsor: WCA
- Gator Fandana Giveaway: The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a Gators Fandana
- Saluting Those Who Serve: Free admission to military members, veterans, first responders and their families
- First 250 fans receive mini American Flags
- Special veteran and military recognitions throughout the game
- $1 Thursdays: Thursday night $1 promotion, all general admission tickets are $1
- DJ Scotty B: Orlando's premier DJ, in attendance again to provide in-game entertainment and emcee
- Halftime basketball game featuring College Veterans and First Responders
- Campus Challenge: Students – here's your first chance to win awesome prizes in our 2015-16 Campus Challenge! Make sure to check-in for your residence hall and enjoy the action with your peers!
- Pizza giveaway for First 100 students!
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