Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Gators Host Hawaiian Hoops Night, Tennessee on Thursday
Not only do the first 500 fans in attendance will receive limited edition Gators Hawaiian tank tops, the first 200 students in attendance can receive free wings and tailgate snacks ... AND ... the first 125 students can get free smoothies courtesy of Planet Smoothie!
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Aloha! It's Hawaiian Hoops Night at the O'Dome when the Gators play host to Tennessee on Thursday.
Not only do the first 500 fans in attendance receive a limited edition Gators Hawaiian tank top, they can cheer on a Florida team coming off its first SEC win of the season and is riding the emotion of that big win against rival Georgia.
Tip-off from Exactech Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
See Ya Real Soon
- This is the first of two meetings this season between the Gators and Lady Vols.
- The teams will meet again in Knoxville on Thurs., February 23.
Twice the Fun
- During the 2016-17 season's 16-game SEC schedule, the Gators will play Georgia (their 'permanent' rival), Tennessee and Texas A&M twice.
The Series: Florida vs. Tennessee
- 52-Game Series: UF trails 4-48 (UF Home: 2-19; Away: 2-21; Neutral: 0-8)
- While Tennessee holds a commanding lead in the all-time series against Florida, the Gators won the most recent meeting.
- Florida pulled the 74-66 upset on January 7, 2016, in Knoxville, snapping an 11-game skid to the Lady Vols.
- Four of the last five meetings have been decided by single digits.
Flashback
- In the most recent game against Tennessee, the Gators scored 74 points.
- Only 19 of those points were scored by Gators who will be suiting up on Thursday.
What Just Happened
- Florida defeated Georgia, 76-68, on January 22 and captured its first SEC win of the season while snapping a five-game skid.
- Tennessee popped instate rival Vanderbilt, 91-63, on January 22 and completed its season-sweep of the Commodores.
Gator Watch
- Ronni Williams - the lone four-year senior on the roster - led UF in scoring as a sophomore and junior and is doing so again this season.
- Williams became the 24th Gator to score 1,000 career points, doing so on Dec. 3 vs. Long Beach State.
- She became the 15th Gator to collect 700 career rebounds, eclipsing the mark on January 5 at LSU.
- In addition to leading the Gators in scoring with 17.6 points per game, Williams also leads the Gators in rebounding (7.7 pg), field goal percentage (56.8) and free throw percentage (72.5%) and is second for assists (50) this year.
Who's Hot
- During the last TWO games - both decided by eight points - Ronni Williams is contributing 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
- Junior Dyandria Anderson is tallying 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists over the last two games.
Local Flavor
- UF Head Coach Amanda Butler and junior 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 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.
Notes from Florida's Last Game: won at Georgia, 76-68 (Jan. 22)
- Florida exploded out of the halftime locker room on an 18-3 lead and then withstood a Georgia's furious run late to earn its first SEC win.
- UF's sixth win ever against the Lady Bulldogs in Athens
- Georgia held the 43-42 rebound edge, but 17 of UF's were offensive and the Gators turned those into 22 second-chance points.
- Florida finished 20-30 from the free throw line; Georgia was 22-27
- There were six lead changes and four tied scores all during the first half.
- During the first half, Ronni Williams passed Cheryl Fisher (1,221 points from 1977-81) for 19th-place on UF's all-time scoring list.
- This was UF's 15th road game of the year.
Gripping Gators
- Get the Pepto ready if you're a fan of the Gators! Over the previous three-plus seasons, the team has played a combined 51 games decided by 10 points or less, with a 28-23 record)
- In 2016-17, the Gators are 2-4 in games decided 10 points or less (1-2 SEC).
| Tennessee's Probable "Starting 5" |
| Pos |
## |
Name |
HT |
YR |
PPG |
RPG |
| F |
31 |
Jaime Nared |
6-2 |
JR |
15.2 |
6.9 |
| C |
21 |
Mercedes Russell |
6-6 |
R-JR |
16.6 |
9.4 |
| G |
10 |
Meme Jackson |
5-11 |
SO |
6.2 |
2.2 |
| G |
11 |
Diamond DeShields |
6-1 |
R-JR |
16.9 |
6.6 |
| G |
0 |
Jordan Reynolds |
5-11 |
SR |
7.1 |
6.1 |
| Stat Comparisons (All Games) |
| Stat Check |
Florida |
Tennessee |
| Record |
10-9 |
12-7 |
| FG% |
45.7% |
43.2% |
| 3FG% |
26.5% (67-253) |
33.8% (97-287) |
| FT% |
65.1% (231-355) |
74.5% (284-381) |
| Points Per Gm |
72.6 |
75.2 |
| Points Allowed |
67.0 |
65.5 |
| FG% Defense |
38.0% |
37.7% |
| 3FG% Defense |
32.2% |
29.6% |
| Scoring Margin |
+5.6 |
+9.7 |
| Reb Margin |
+5.6 |
+5.7 |
| Assists PG |
15.6 |
14.8 |
| Turnover Margin |
20.2 |
-1.1 |
| Steals PG |
10.0 |
6.6 |
| Blocks PG |
4.2 |
4.7 |
| Stat Comparisons (SEC Games, ONLY) |
| Stat Check |
Florida |
Tennessee |
| Record |
1-5 |
3-3 |
| FG% |
41.0% |
41.1% |
| 3FG% |
27.8% (20-72) |
26.6% (21-79) |
| FT% |
66.1% (80-121) |
82.4% (103-125) |
| Points Per Gm |
76.3 |
70.0 |
| Points Allowed |
76.3 |
67.5 |
| FG% Defense |
44.5% |
40.5% |
| 3FG% Defense |
35.9% |
29.5% |
| Scoring Margin |
-11.7 |
+2.5 |
| Reb Margin |
+2.2 |
+4.0 |
| Assists PG |
11.7 |
13.2 |
| Turnover Margin |
-6.3 |
-1.7 |
| Steals PG |
8.0 |
6.5 |
| Blocks PG |
3.0 |
4.2 |
Game Day at a Glance
- Who: Florida (10-9, 1-5 SEC) hosts Tennessee (12-7, 3-3 SEC)
- Where: Exactech Arena (10,151) * Gainesville, Florida
- When: Thur., January 26 * 7 pm ET
Game Notes
Game Coverage & More!
- Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville 98.1 with Tom Collett and Kelly Davis
- Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)
- Television: none
- Streaming Video: SEC Network + w/ Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
- Internet Scoring: LIVE through FloridaGators.com
- Tickets: Reserved General Admission (sections 23-29) - $7
- Adult General Admission - $5
- Children 12 and Under (non-reserved, GA seating) - FREE
- UF and SFC Students, with valid ID - FREE
- Courtside Seats - SOLD OUT
Additional Hoopla for this Game
Presented by Pepsi
- Hawaiian Hoops Night - Make sure to dress the part as we have a fun beach-themed night at the O'Dome!
- Hawaiian Tank Top Giveaway - The first 500 fans in attendance will receive limited edition Gators Hawaiian tank tops!
- Student Tailgate - The first 200 students in attendance can receive free wings and tailgate snacks! The first 125 students can get free smoothies courtesy of Planet Smoothie!
- Dance Marathon Night - UF DM organizations are invited to attend the game and check-in for their organization. The organization with highest attendance will receive $250 donated on their behalf and the highest percentage will also receive $250!
- Rowdy Reptile Check-In - Students, check-in on your mobile app to earn points towards great prizes all year long!
- UMMP/FOS Day - Mentor programs will receive free admission to the game and a pregame social.
- Kids Club - Kids Club members and their families receive free admission.
- Josh Horton - Don't miss an incredibly talented juggler, Josh Horton, perform at halftime!
- Enter to Win - Apple Watch
Gator Pronunciations:
DYANDRIA Anderson: dee-ANN-dree-uh
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