GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida returns home and plays host on Sunday to its first top-five opponent of the season, as No. 5 South Carolina visits Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, where action gets underway at
12 Noon.
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ESPNU will televise the game live, with Tiffany Green and women's basketball legend Rebecca Lobo calling the action.
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Florida vs. South Carolina: The Series
- Florida leads the overall series against South Carolina, 20-15, however, the Gamecocks have won seven straight in the series, with the last four all double-digit decisions.
- SC won last year's game in Columbia, 86-71.
- The Gators' last win against the Gamecocks was on January 9, 2011, when UF claimed the 65-63 thriller in Columbia.
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Florida vs. Top-5 Teams
- The Gators are 5-63 all-time against teams ranked in the top-5 of the national polls, with four of those wins against teams ranked No. 5.
- South Carolina was the last top-5-ranked team UF has played and that was when the Gamecocks were No. 2 on Feb. 11, 2016.
- UF's last win versus a top-5 team was when the unranked Gators traveled to Knoxville and stunned the Lady Vols, 95-93 in overtime on Feb. 26, 2006.
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Flashback
- In last year's game against South Carolina, the Gators scored 71 points.
- Only 21 of those points were scored by Gators who will be suiting up on Sunday.
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What Just Happened
- Florida dropped a 78-67 road decision at LSU on Thursday night and fell to 0-2 in SEC action. The Gators opened league play with an 82-75 setback to Auburn.
- South Carolina has won six straight games entering Sunday's outing, including Thursday's 73-47 road win at Auburn.
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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.
- In addition to leading the SEC in scoring with 18.6 points per game, Williams also leads the Gators in rebounding (8.3 pg) and is second for assists (42) this year.
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Who's Hot
- During the last FIVE games, Ronni Williams, the lone four-year senior on the team, is contributing 25.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, while hitting 68.0 percent (51-75) from the field.
- Classmate Tyshara Fleming has corralled a team-best 9.4 rebounds over the last FIVE games, in addition to 11.6 points and sinking 52.8 percent (19-36) from the floor.
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Notes from Florida's Last Game: lost at LSU, 78-67 (Jan. 5 in Baton Rouge)
- Florida outrebounded LSU by 27 but it wasn't enough.
- Florida hit just 38.5 percent of its shots during the game – its second-lowest mark of the season and that effort diffused the Gator's 27 offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities, collecting only 18 points in that fashion.
- Turnovers also hampered the Gator effort, as LSU flipped 28 miscues into 36 points.
- The Gators were able to whittle a 15-point deficit down to six points with five minutes remaining thanks to a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter. LSU came right back with three-point-play that sparked a 9-2 run and the Gators were unable to counter.
Numbers of Note
- Florida outrebounded LSU, 51-24, for a season-high margin of +27 (had been +20 twice)
- In the third quarter, the Gators missed their first 14 shots from the floor before Fleming put back an offensive rebound with 4:23 remaining and made a free throw to complete the three-point-play.
- Florida made just 2-of-19 field goals in the third quarter, while LSU hit 8-of-14
- UF committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter that LSU converted into 11 points. Tigers led 17-12 after first quarter.
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| Stat Comparisons (All Games) |
| Stat Check |
Florida |
South Carolina |
| Record |
9-6 |
12-1 |
| FG% |
47.2% |
47.7% |
| 3FG% |
26.1% |
34.8% |
| FT% |
65.1% |
68.4% |
| Points Per Gm |
75.6 |
81.6 |
| Points Allowed |
65.0 |
53.5 |
| FG% Defense |
36.4% |
32.4% |
| 3FG% Defense |
32.1% |
24.8% |
| Scoring Margin |
+10.6 |
+28.1 |
| Reb Margin |
+8.3 |
+12.2 |
| Assists PG |
16.7 |
17.2 |
| Turnover Margin |
-1.1 |
13.2 |
| Steals PG |
10.7 |
8.8 |
| Blocks PG |
4.4 |
6.5 |
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| South Carolina's Probable "Starting 5" |
| Pos |
## |
Name |
HT |
YR |
PPG |
RPG |
| F |
22 |
A'ja Wilson |
6-5 |
JR |
16.4 |
7.2 |
| C |
41 |
Alaina Coates |
6-4 |
SR |
14.2 |
10.4 |
| G |
3 |
Kaela Davis |
6-2 |
JR |
14.4 |
4.8 |
| G |
10 |
Allisha Gray |
6-0 |
JR |
12.3 |
4.0 |
| G |
52 |
Tyasha Harris |
5-10 |
FR |
4.8 |
1.4 |
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Game Day at a Glance
- Who: Florida (9-5, 0-2 SEC) hosts #5 South Carolina (12-1, 2-0 SEC)
- Where: Exactech Arena (10,151) * Gainesville, Florida
- When: Sun., January 8 * 12 Noon ET
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Game Coverage & More!
Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville 98.1 with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)
Television: ESPNU with Tiffany Green & Rebecca Lobo
Streaming Video: ESPNWatch app
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
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Opening Tip
- South Carolina has won seven straight against Florida, with the Gators' last win in the series coming on Jan. 11, 2011 in Columbia.
- Sunday's game is the first of back-to-back games against top-5-ranked teams, with South Carolina ranked No. 5 and Mississippi State No. 4 (Thu., Jan. 12).
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Additional Hoopla for this Game - Presented by Honda of Gainesville
- O'Dome Arcade: Throwback arcade games will be setup and available for all fans in the concourse, including Pac Man, Whac a Mole and Donkey Kong! Location—Main Atrium
- Performance T-shirt Giveaway: The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a blue "Run With Us" performance t-shirt! Location—Main Atrium
- Sunday Layup Line: All kids 12 and under will be able to participate in post-game layups on the court for 15 minutes. Location—Check in and Register in Gate 3 Lobby during 4th quarter
- Florida Gators Kids Club presented by Allison Ables Real Estate: Kids Club members and their families receive free admission. Members receive credit for attending by checking in at the Kids Club table inside the main atrium. Allison Ables Real Estate will be on hand at table with a giveaway item for kids—item TBD
- Kids Korner: Check out great games and activities for kids in attendance, featuring poster making, tailgate games, face paint and more! Location-Main Atrium
- Rowdy Reptile Check-In: Students, check-in on your mobile app to earn points towards great prizes all year long! Location—Behind Section 07 on concourse
- Jr. Dazzlers: The Jr. Dazzler camp and clinic will take place pre-game and include a special halftime dance!
- Sofie Dossi: Don't miss one-of-a-kind talent, as seen on America's Got Talent, Sofie Dossi, perform at halftime!
- Enter to Win: 32" Roku Smart TV; Location—Marketing Tables on Main Atrium
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Gator Pronunciations:
TYSHARA Fleming: tie-SHEER-uh
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