Gators Look to Rise and Shine vs. Aggies

Saturday, February 11

Gainesville, FL

12 PM

Florida Gators

Texas A&M

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UF coach Mike White will alter his team's morning routine in the run-up to Saturday's noon date against Texas A&M.

Gators Look to Rise and Shine vs. Aggies

Friday, February 10, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

In two noon tip-offs at home this season, UF has not played well, so the staff decided to alter the normal routine.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Good morning.

Make that, "Good afternoon."

At least that's the plan.

The No. 17 Florida Gators (19-5, 9-2) have won five straight games heading into Saturday's high-noon Southeastern Conference clash with Texas A&M (13-10, 5-6) at the sold-out Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. This will mark the third noon tipoff at home for UF this season. Let's review the previous two.

* Georgia came calling on Jan. 14. Florida was on a six-game winning streak and playing at the new O'Dome for just the fourth time. The place was sold out. The Bulldogs scored their first two possessions of the game and jumped to a 10-4 lead. They stayed in front the entire first half and were up by as many as eight in the second half before the Gators started a comeback, got the game into overtime and won 80-76. UGA shot 48 percent that day and out-rebounded UF by nine.

* One week later, Vanderbilt was in the house. The Commodores had lost four straight and were teetering, their three best players were struggling. Less than two minutes into the game, UF coach Mike White already had taken a timeout, Vandy led 8-0 and those three best players had all scored; two of them had hit 3-pointers. The Gators played uphill at home the rest of the afternoon and would go on to lose 68-66, allowing the Commodores to shoot an obscene 56.5 percent in the second half and make 10 3-pointers for the game.

Now whether the starting times had anything to do with UF's overall performances in those two games is something that can be debated. In fact, it was. By Coach Mike White, along with his assistants coaches, with key input from trainer David "Duke" Werner and strength/conditioning coordinator Preston Greene, as well feedback from the players. The same scenario actually came up less than a week after the Vandy letdown, on Jan. 28, but on the road when Florida had a noon (CT) tip at Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. White decided to scrap the normal morning shoot-around — normally a light, one-hour practice and game plan review — and let the players sleep in a little later.

The Gators destroyed the Sooners 84-52.

Guess which routine they're going with at home this time?

"We're switching things up," White said following Friday's practice.

[Read senior writer Chris Harry's UF-Texas A&M 'Pregame Stuff' preview here]

Scratched is the 7:10 a.m. wake-up call in their local hotel rooms, followed by the bus to O'Dome at 7:30, snack at 7:45, shoot-around at 8 and pre-game meal at 9. Instead, the Gators will get to sleep in an extra 90 minutes or so, get their full breakfast at the hotel and — presumably — be more rested and ready to go when they file into dome 90 minutes before tip.

For UF, only its spot in a three-way tie atop the SEC standings is at stake.

"We've tried it the same way for two games and weren't very good," Werner said. "The fact we'd think about doing it the same way again, I think, would be foolish."

By that, Werner meant with this particular bunch.

Take the 2013-14 team that won 30 in a row and went to the Final Four. That group had a few noon tips also, but there were some players on that team — like Michael Frazier II — that liked to get up early and get their bodies (and jumpers going). For them, it worked.

For these guys?

"It hasn't worked," Greene said.

"We played as badly as we have all year at home in those two games," Werner said. "I think you have to change it."

White signed off on it Friday afternoon in the post-practice huddle. Anticipating as much, UF's practice was a little shorter on Thursday (less than two days out), with the team coming in twice Friday; for individual workouts in the morning and for hard, but shortened intense practice the afternoon (the last workout before the game).

"I want to make sure that we're really fresh," White said. "We'll try to give them a little more sleep."

They'll need it against the Aggies, one of the biggest teams in the league. A&M has 6-foot-10, 270-pound star Tyler Davis at center, flanked by 6-9, 237-pound (and possible "one-and-done" NBA lottery pick) Robert Williams alongside 6-10, 225-pound Tonny Trocha-Moreles at the forward spots. Backup forward D.J. Hogg goes 6-9, 220. The Aggies are near the top of the SEC in nearly every rebounding category.

Even their guards go larger than most.

"They have a lot of big dudes," UF senior forward Justin Leon said. "It'll be physical out there."

The goal for the Gators will be to unfold the same smothering defense that has been their calling card during a five-game run of double-digit victories, make the Aggies work for their points and make them pay for their misses by turning the game into a track meet.

Preferably, a lopsided one.

So rest up, fellas.

"We can't have any excuses," senior forward Canyon Barry said. "We just have to get going. I think at this point everyone realizes how important every game is, especially with this SEC race so tight. I think we'll be ready to play."