A trip to the Sweet Sixteen is on the line when the Pac10 clashes with the SEC in Tampa.

Ben Howland vs. Billy Donovan

Bruins vs. Gators

History vs. “The Kid”

Gators and Bruins collide in Southeast Regional play.

Florida Gators’ No.2 seed is no advantage.

A view from both sides.

Pre-tournament quotes: Florida Gators

This is UCLA’s 44th NCAA Tournament appearance (ranks second nationally) and the sixth for the Bruins under head coach Ben Howland. UCLA has an all-time winning percentage of .735 in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 100-36, which ranks second behind Duke’s .758 (94-30). UCLA’s 100victories rank third, only to North Carolina’s 102 and Kentucky’s 102 wins. UCLA made three straight trips to the Final Four (2006-08) and leads the
country in National Championships (11) and Final Four appearances (18).

*****************

2 … NCAA Championships won by Florida (2006,2007)
3 …Florida has played for the national title three times since 2000, the only SEC team to do so in that time
4 … The Gators have played in four Final Fours, three of which have come under Billy Donovan (2000,2006, 2007)

…UF’s three Final Four appearances since 2000 tie for third nationally behind Michigan State (five) and North Carolina (four)
27 … UF reached 27 wins for just the fifth time in school history…All four of the previous 27-win teams (1993-94, 1999-00, 2005-06, 2006-07) have gone on to the Final Four, with two of those squads (2006 and 2007) winning the NCAA title
307 … Florida has won 307 games since the 1999- 2000 season, the highest total in the Southeastern Conference
.928 … The Gators’ .928 NCAA Tournament winning percentage since 2005-06 is the nation’s highest
3 … Billy Donovan is the third-youngest coach to win multiple NCAA titles (Bobby Knight, Indiana – 35, 40; Phil Woolpert, San Francisco – 39,40).

Florida Category UCLA*
71.8 Points Per Game 70.0
62.6 Opp. Points Per Game 65.8
.464 Field Goal Percentage .456
.423 Opp. Field Goal Percentage .416
.356 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage .329
.317 Opp. 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage .342
.669 Free Throw Percentage .683
+6.2 Rebound Margin +4.7
6.3 3-Pts. Per Game 5.2
5.6 Opp. 3-Pts. Per Game 5.0
3.5 Blocks Per Game 5.8
6.0 Steals Per Game 5.5
14.0 Assists Per Game 14.6
12.4 Turnovers Per Game 14.9
12.7 Turnovers Forced Per Game 12.1

Notes courtesy of uclabruins.com and gatorzone.com.

By Paul Gotham

Setting: Atlantic 10 meets the Southeastern Conference at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida when Chris Mack and his Xavier Musketeers (16-7/ 8-2) pay a visit to Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators (17-7/ 6-4).

Plot: Jockeying for an at-large bid is always a concern this time of year. The Gators face an uphill battle in the upcoming SEC conference tournament with the possibility of facing  Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. Xavier’s plight is not easier. The A-10 has been ranked as high as fifth by the RPI.

Sub-plot: Both schools play their final non-conference game of the regular season.

Flashback: Xavier and Florida have only tangled once in their history. The Musketeers downed the Gators 86-74 in the 1959 Hurricane Classic.

Under Billy Donovan, the Gators have made nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament including back-to-back National Titles in 2006-2007. The Gators have earned 14 berths in The Dance, but have not been in the field of 65 since the winning the championship.

Florida has lost their last two contests versus the A-10. Earlier this season, Richmond downed Florida 56-53. UMass topped the Gators last season 78-66.

Xavier has danced on 20 occasions in school history. The Muskies have made two Elite Eight and one Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last six seasons.

Xavier is 1-0 this season against the SEC, beating LSU 89-65.

Foreshadowing:  Twenty former Gators have made rosters in the Association. Current players include Matt Bonner, Corey Brewer, Udonis Haslem, Al Horford, David Lee, Mike Miller, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights and Jason Williams.  Sixteen Musketeers have played in the Association, including current stars Derrick Brown, James Posey , and David West.

Conflict: Xavier is 21st in the country with 79 points a game. The Muskies hit 46 percent of their shots, including 39.4 percent from behind the three-point arc. Florida limits opponents to 31 percent from long range and 63 points.

Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker drive the Florida engine. The back court tandem goes for 27 points and eight assists per outing.  The freshman and sophomore have hit a combined 100 three pointers on the season. But their biggest contribution tonight will be slowing the Xavier perimeter game.

Florida’s front court is imposing in stature. Alex Tyus (6’9″), Chandler Parsons (6’9″), and Vernon Macklin (6’10″) haul in 19 boards per outing and have led the Gators to a 3.3 rebound margin.

Jordan Crawford leads three Musketeers in double figures. The sophomore transfer has put behind his questionable shot selection of earlier this year to lead the X-Men. Crawford scores 19 a game hitting 41 percent from long range. The shooting guard has adjusted well to opposing defenses, averaging just under three assists.

Make no mistake though, Terrell Holloway gets it going for Xavier. The sophomore point guard has an assist to turnover ratio of 2.2:1. Holloway makes it difficult for opponents to make up late deficits hitting 86 percent (100-116) from the free throw line.

Jason Love averages 11 points and 8.4 rebounds. The senior center uses a jump hook that is nearly indefensible. Love hits 58.6 percent of his shots.

Jamel McLean and Dante Jackson round out the starting five.

McLean is an instinctive ball getter. He is listed at 6’8″, but plays much bigger because of his agility. Florida will have their hands full trying to keep McLean from his nearly seven rebounds a game.

Jackson only averages six points, but the small forward is capable of exploding. Jackson hit five of eight from behind the arc against Dayton.

Resolution: Florida will find it difficult to keep up with Xavier’s bench. Mack uses a nine-man rotation with Kenny Frease, Mark Lyons, Brad Redford, and Andrew Taylor all seeing significant minutes.

Redford leads the Muskies hitting 44 percent from long range. Holloway has become proficient in finding Redford open in transition for the trifecta. Florida will need to gather themselves quickly to hold down Redford.

Frease averages just under six points and slightly less than five rebounds. The sophomore has four double-digit point outings and three performances of ten or more rebounds.

Last time out, Xavier was hammered by Dayton. The Muskies are itching to play, and the Gators will be recipients of ‘misplaced’ aggression. Xavier makes it 2-0 versus the SEC.

By Paul Gotham

Setting: It’s time for an SEC showdown at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the University of Florida campus.  John Calipari comes calling with his No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (16-0/1-0) to take on Billy Donovan and his Florida Gators (11-4/0-1).

Plot: After beginning the season with eight victories, the Gators have limped through a 3-4 stretch with losses to Richmond, South Alabama and most recently at Vanderbilt, 95-87. Six of Kentucky’s victories have been by single digits.

Sub-plot: Florida has shown flashes of brilliance this year. They recovered from a second-half eight-point deficit to draw even with the Syracuse Orange in November. Kentucky deceives its opponents into thinking they can be beaten. SEC rival, Tennessee knocked Kansas from the ranks of the undefeated by going with a zone. Will Billy Donovan follow Bruce Pearl’s lead?

Flashback: Walter Hodge led Florida with 18 points as the Gators closed last year’s SEC regular season play with a 60-53 victory over Kentucky. Alex Tyus added 11, and Erving Walker chipped in 10 off the bench. Kentucky leads the all-time series 86-32, but Florida has won the last five in Gainesville and eight of the last ten meetings between these rivals.

The two schools have combined for 15 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2001. The Wildcats reached the Elite Eight in 2003 and 2005. Florida won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007.

Foreshadowing: Sixty-seven Wildcats have made their way into the NBA including current players Kelenna Azubuike, Keith Bogans, Chuck Hayes, Jamal Magloire, Jodie Meeks, Nazr Mohammed, Randolph Morris, Tayshaun Prince and Rajon Rondo. Twenty former Gators have made rosters in the Association. Current players include Matt Bonner, Corey Brewer, Udonis Haslem, Al Horford, David Lee, Mike Miller, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights and Jason Williams.

Tone: Florida needs redemption. Losing four of their last seven has the Gators in a tail spin. Knocking off the number two team in the country could propel Florida into SEC play. Going undefeated is unrealistic in 21st century division one play. Kentucky will lose eventually. Is it tonight?

Conflict: Nine Wildcats average double-figure minutes played per game.

Six Gators log at least 22 minutes per game. Ray Shipman plays just under 15 minutes per contest. Erik Murphy gets 9.8 per game. Which number is closer to reality and which is closer to fiction?

Do all the Wildcats get meaningful minutes, or has Calipari been able to substitute liberally in blowout games?

Five Gators average double figure points per game while three Wildcats score 15 or more.

Kentucky scores at a rate of 82.4 per tilt. Florida holds its opponents to 61.7 per game. Kentucky has a rebound margin of 10.6 while Florida grabs 2.6 more boards than its opponents.

Kentucky hands out 16.6 assists per game. Florida gets eights steal per night.

Which force will succeed?

Figuring out Kentucky out Kentucky becomes an analysis of the cart and horse theory.

Popular opinion suggests rookie sensation John Wall is the horse. Wall leads the Wildcats with 17,  seven assists and two steals.

Would Wall’s effectiveness decrease if he did not have Eric Bledsoe hitting threes. Bledsoe averages 45.2 percent from long range. It is not so much that Bledsoe has hit from behind the arc, but it is THAT he can hit from long range. Bledsoe nailed back-to-back three pointers as the Wildcats took a one-point halftime lead over Indiana and turned the game into a 17-point blowout.

Of course, Bledsoe and Wall benefit from Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins combining for 17.5 boards per game. Cousins grabs almost four offensive rebounds per game.

Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker combine for 26 points and eight and a half assists per game to lead the Gators. The back-court tandem has hit 60 three pointers and 73 free throws.

Vernon Macklin, Alex Tyus, and Dan Werner will have the responsibility for keeping the Wildcats off the boards. The trio combines for 17 rebounds.

Chandler Parson adds 11 points and six and a half rebounds off the bench.

Symbol: Florida prides itself on defensive pressure, but playing an extended man-to-man against Kentucky is a losing proposition. Will Billy Donovan deploy a zone?

Resolution: There is long way to go before the end of the season, but Florida needs this game more than Kentucky.  The Gators can not afford to start out conference play in a two-game hole.

As a team, the Gators shoot 70.4 percent from the free throw line. Kentucky finishes 68.6 percent from the stripe, but the Wildcats have made 118 more attempts (398-280) than their conference rival.

Kentucky is ripe for a loss, and the Gators are prepared to do the picking.

Got any comments on the game? Please post them here.

By Paul Gotham

Setting: The St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida is the backdrop for a top ten clash as Billy Donovan’s #10 Florida Gators do battle with Jim Boeheim’s #7 Syracuse Orange in the Big East -SEC Invitational.

Flashback: Syracuse leads the all-time series 2-1, including an 89-83 victory for the Orange in last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE.

Plot: Boeheim and Donovan teams combined for three national titles in the past decade. Deans of their individual conferences – Boeheim (34 years) and Donovan (14 years) are the longest tenured coaches in the Big East and SEC.

Sub-plots: The maintenance staff should prepare for soggy floor conditions as both teams will make it rain with 3s. After taking just 10 attempts from behind the arc in a 77-74 win over Michigan State, the Gators have taken 19 a game in three contests since – making 50% or better in those games. Florida made 12 of 20 in a win over Jacksonville.  As a team, Syracuse has made over 42% of their attempts from behind the arc knocking down nine or more trifectas in seven of eight games.

Tone: Both teams will have a chip on their shoulder trying to prove the pollsters wrong. Neither the Orange nor the Gators earned a top 25 ranking from any major media outlet.

Suspense: Syracuse’s rebound margin equals 3.4. Florida’s margin is 3.5. Which force will win out?

Conflict: Vernon Macklin meet Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson. The 6’10″ Macklin has avoided foul trouble thus far while posting 11.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg. 42.6% of Macklin’s rebounds come on the offensive end. Orange opponents have made it a priority slowing down 6’9″ wide bodies, Jackson and Onuaku. Can Macklin stay out of foul trouble while limiting Onuaku and Jackson? Will the Orange zone keep track of the Gator front court? Macklin should know a thing or two about the Orange; he transferred from Georgetown.

Florida averages 8.3 steals per game (49 in the past five games), and Syracuse swipes 14.3 per game. Can the Gator back court get out and disrupt the Orange? If Florida takes chances, will the Orange capitalize? Or will the defensive pressure bother SU’s three-point barrage?

Syracuse averages 90 ppg while holding opponents to 61.6. Florida scores 75.8 per game but keeps opposing offenses to 57.9.

Pick your poison: Five players have led the Orange in individual game-scoring this season. Nine different Orange have scored double digits.

Characters: Andy Rautins (4) and Wes Johnson (2) have hit five or more threes in multiple games.  Mookie Jones has hit 14 of 30 from behind the arc.

Freshman Brandon Triche has shown poise taking over the point from Jonny Flynn. While fans won’t see the spectacular athleticism of Flynn, Triche provides stability at the point. The Syracuse native holds an assist to turnover ratio of 1.2/1.

Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton lead the Gator attack with 13.9 ppg and 11.8 ppg respectively. The back court tandem has combined for 25 threes to date and have dished 68 assists with 34 turnovers.

Florida hits 71% from the free throw line with Walker and Boynton getting to the charity stripe a combined 61 times through eight games.

Resolution: Florida is 4-2 at The St. Pete Times Forum. The Orange have not been  out of upstate New York since November 20th. This could be a welcomed respite from the recent winter weather, but it comes at the expense of playing in front of a partisan Gator crowd.   Both teams have their sites set on an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.  Onuaku and Jackson will prove themselves too much for the Florida front court. Rautins will continue his sharp shooting as the Orange earn a key early-season win.

Got any comments about the game? Post them here.

Leading up to the 2009 NIT Season Tip Off on November 16th, Pickin’ Splinters will be counting down the top 25 of the college hardwood nation.

By Paul Gotham

’08 – ’09 Results: 25 – 11 (9 – 7 SEC). Lost to Penn State, 71 – 62, in the third round of the NIT.

Coach: Billy Donovan 310 – 126 in 13 seasons at Florida / 345 – 146 in 15 overall seasons.

Key Returners:

Kenny Kadji – 4.4ppg, 2.7rpg

Chandler Parsons – 9.2ppg, 5.7rpg

Alex Tyus – 12.5ppg, 6.2rpg

Erving Walker – 10.4ppg, 2.4apg

Dan Werner – 8.9ppg, 4.9rpg

Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 11/24 vs. Florida St., 11/27 vs. Michigan State, 12/10 vs. Syracuse, 1/3 at North Carolina State, 2/13 vs. Xavier.

Stat of Identity: 1.39 assist to turnover ratio – 9th in the country.

Billy Donovan could have grown jaded with winning. After all, the Florida Gators coach guided his squad to back-to-back titles not so long ago.  Since then, the Gators could have changed their name to Bazooka (think gum) because they have only known life on the bubble.

If he didn’t know before, Donovan learned last year how small the difference is between a win and a loss. Only once did Florida lose by double digits in ’08-’09. In fact, eight of Florida’s eleven losses were by six or fewer points.  The Gators have had time to lick their wounds.

Florida returns eight players who fought in those battles.

For Donovan and the Gators the recipe stays the same. Florida values the ball, always looks for the open man, and it’s bombs away from behind the arc.

The Gators led the SEC hitting 42% from behind the arc last season. The 294 trifectas made were second in school history only to the ’06 ‘-07 title team.  Erving Walker earned All-Sec Freshman honors leading the way hitting 42% from long range. Erving will take over point guard. Adam Allen returns after sitting out last year with a knee injury. Allen hit 43% from behind the arc as a freshman.

Alex Tyus led the Gators in rebounds and field goal percentage last year. Tyus should only improve as he slides into his more natural position at power forward.

Florida’s 1.4 assist to turnover ratio ranked seventh in the country. Their 12.1 turnovers per game ranked second in school history.

Kenny Kadji, Dan Werner, and Chandler Parsons give the Gators depth and a balanced attack. Freshman Kenny Boynton should make an instant impact.

Ray Shipman will help the back court.

With 13 years under his belt, Billy Donovan is now the dean of SEC coaches.

Billy Donovan (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Back a month ago I remember scratching my head when looking at a few of the pre-season rankings for the ’08-‘09 NCAA Men’s Basketball Season.

The Associated Press ranked the Florida Gators #19. Hmmmm….

The ESPN/ Coaches poll? They also put the Gators at 19.

Rivals.com? Surely they could add a little levity to the equation. Not quite – the Gators again pulled in at #19.

The Gators finished 21-11 last year right? And they had trouble getting out of their way most of the time right? They had a nice little run during March…IN THE N.I.T.!!!!

#19?

Don’t get me wrong, Billy Donovan is heckuva coach. Those two title winners he had? If nothing else those teams were methodical. And judging by the modest successes of Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer in the N.B.A., Donovan’s Xs and Os carried much of the weight with that group. Yeah I know Al Horford is doing well in the pros.

But even Donovan knows that this Gator gang is not worthy of #19.

Take for instance tonight as Florida dropped a 57-55 decision to Florida State. With the shot clock inside :10 and his team clinging to a two-point lead, Donovan called a time out. Why? Because he knows his kids can’t get it done in a half-court. So why not call time out – set up a play – get the ball out-of-bounds – run a couple of screens and get an open look. Problem is it didn’t work.

For the most part the Gators had trouble doing anything in the half-court all night. Billy the Kid better find some ex-lax for his half-court offense ‘cause it sure looks constipated.

If not for some effective one-on-one play by Nick Calathes – including a nifty running shot put late in the game – the Gators could not manage to create anything for themselves.

The points on the board came pretty much from their full-court press. And this was against FSU. Now if the Gators held some other ACC teams under 60 that would be impressive. But this is Florida State. And the Seminoles’ idea of a press-breaker looked like a game hot potato tonight.

And the Gators benefitted.

By the way – props to Donovan for bringing in former St. Bonaventure standout and Siena head coach, Rob Lanier. Donovan has turned over the defense to Lanier, and it is paying early dividends. Just don’t get too caught up in the hype. That press will work well now. But come February? We’ll see.

On the surface Florida’s 6-2 record looks okay. Delve into it a little and you might find some ounces of truth.

Among its victims Florida lists the Kangaroos of the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Florida A & M, Toledo, Southern Utah, and Bradley. The only major conference win for the Gators would be their two-point victory over Washington. Problem is the Huskies already have three losses, and one is to that goliath of a team the Portland Pilots.

Florida’s two losses? - tonight to Florida St. and a couple of weeks ago to Syracuse. Which basically means if a team can yell – BOO – the Gators crumble.

Now Gator proponents are gonna come in and claim how both of those losses came on the road. Okay. Fair enough – but both of those losses were to unranked teams. Which brings me back to my original premise – Florida is over-ranked.

One last thing – would it be possible for a major conference to only get one team in the field of 65 because right now the SEC is hard pressed to get any more than that.