Florida Snaps Xavier's 30-Game Home Winning Streak with 71-67 Victory

CINCINNATI, Ohio - The University of Florida men’s basketball team snapped Xavier’s 30-game home winning streak with a 71-67 victory Friday afternoon at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. By snapping the second-longest home winning streak in the country, the Gators (10-3) won their 10^th game before New Year’s for the sixth-straight year and the 10^th time in the last 12 seasons.

Junior guard Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Orange and Blue with a team-high 18 points, including 9-of-11 from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton (Pompano Beach, Fla.) added 15 points and six assists, while Florida big men Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) and Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) chipped in with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Senior Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) recorded game highs with a career-best seven assists and a season-high tying 11 rebounds.

Playing on New Year’s Eve for the first time since 1968, the Gators led by as many as 15 in the second half (50-35 with 13:20 to play), before Xavier (8-4) cut the lead to five (60-55) with a little over two minutes remaining. After trading baskets to make the game 66-61 with 30 seconds left in the game, Walker connected on four-straight free throw attempts to seal the victory for Florida.

For the game, UF made a season-high 46.2 percent (6-of-13 3FG) of their attempts from three-point range. The Gators shot a blazing 83.3 percent (5-of-6 3FG) from downtown in the second half after shooting just 14.3 percent (1-of-7 3FG) in the first half. The Orange and Blue outshot the Musketeers overall, 45.1 percent (23-of-51 FG) to 40.3 percent (25-of-62), and improved to 9-1 this year when shooting better than its opponent. Florida outrebounded XU, 39-31, while also sinking eight more free throws than the home team (19-11).

The Gators spent the first half going to the paint, with Macklin and Tyus combining for nine of UF’s 12 field goals, scoring 20 of the Gators’ 31 first-half points. Both teams shot almost identical in the first half, with UF shooting 41.4 percent from the field on 12-of-29 shooting, and the Musketeers shooting 37.9 percent on 11-of-29 shooting. Xavier stayed in the game with its bench, outscoring Florida’s bench by nine (13-4) in the first 20 minutes of action.

Xavier, which was 65-3 at home over the last five years, was led by guard Tu Holloway, who scored a game-high 26 points (9-of-18 FG, 6-of-7 FT) and dished out a team-best six assists.

With the win, Florida head coach Billy Donovan picked up his 341st win at UF, moving him into sole possession of third place in SEC history for wins as an SEC head coach. The triumph also gave the Gators their first-ever victory over Xavier (1-2), while snapping a three-game losing streak against the Atlantic-10 Conference.

The Gators return to the court this Monday as they host Rhode Island at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ET.

Meyer to meet with Brantley about future

After the season, Florida quarterback John Brantley plans to sit down with his family to discuss is football future. Coach Urban Meyer said he hasn't spoken to the junior about potentially staying or transferring from Florida.

Meyer said Friday the focus has been on the bowl game and expects to talk with Brantley after Saturday.

"One thing about Johnny is he's a professional," Meyer said. "Johnny is going to do the best he can to help Florida win a bowl game against Penn State."

Brantley has taken some harsh criticism this season, and Meyer acknowledges that, but it should be expected as the quarterback at a high-profile program like Florida.

"With playing quarterback, that's like a pitcher for the New York Yankees — you better be really good, every day and not have a bad day," he said. "Unfortunately, that's rare."

Sources: Gators pursuing Charlie Weis

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is being targeted by the University of Florida Gators to become the offensive coordinator under new coach Will Muschamp, two sources confirmed to ESPN.

Weis is expected to take the job, but no firm agreement is in place.


Muschamp contacted the Chiefs this week for permission to talk to Weis, with the full intention of hiring the Chiefs offensive coordinator and former Notre Dame head coach, sources said. A Florida source said Weis would continue to coach the Chiefs into the AFC playoffs. Another source reiterated that Weis is expected to accept the job.

In his first year on the job, Muschamp has been focused on hiring an NFL offensive coordinator to install a pro-style offense and to assist with attracting pro-style quarterbacks and receivers to the Gators program, sources said.

Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun first said that Weis was the leading candidate for the Gators' offensive coordinator position.

Chiefs coach Todd Haley did not wish to comment on the report when he was contacted by ESPN and other media members at his Friday press conference.

Penn State, Florida are similar, but Nittany Lions think they can run on the Gators

When the Gators line up for Saturday’s Outback Bowl, they will see an opponent that took a similar route to this game.

Florida and Penn State opened the year with high expectations - the Gators were No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and the SEC media picked them second in the conference; Penn State was coming off an 11-2 season in 2009 and this season reached No. 18 after Week 1 .

But both teams meandered through mediocre 7-5 campaigns and meet at Raymond James Stadium unranked. Riding their cache of impressive history and popularity, both landed a spot in the Outback Bowl ahead of several others from their respective conferences that had better seasons.

The biggest difference between the programs? Gators coach Urban Meyer, 46, is retiring, while Penn State’s Joe Paterno, 84, is gearing up for the 2011 season and beyond.

“I’m different than Urban,” Paterno said with Meyer sitting next to him. “I got people who are calling up saying, ‘When the hell are you getting out?’ I’ve got a little different slant on the thing.”

Aside from Florida’s imminent coaching change, which takes effect when Meyer hands the program to Will Muschamp after the game, the teams look alike.

Both were below average offensively and decent on defense.

Penn State was No. 68 in the country in total offense this year, 11 spots ahead of Florida.

The Gators were ninth in fewest yards allowed at 302.9 per game; Penn State was 45th. Both are top-25 against the pass.

Florida’s run defense was fifth in the SEC, but struggled against some of the conference’s top running backs. Penn State senior Evan Royster, who is on the brink of his third straight 1,000-yard season, believes the Nittany Lions can beat Florida on the ground.

“We see some holes in their front seven,” he said. “If we can control the line of scrimmage, we can control the game.”

Penn State went 7-0 when it rushed for at least 130 yards in a game this season, including victories over Michigan and Northwestern. In the Gators’ five losses, they allowed an average of 178.8 rushing yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Matt McGloin took over the Nittany Lions’ offense late in the season and they went 2-2 in his starts.

In six games, McGloin completed 58 percent of his passes, threw for 1,337 yards, connected on 13 touchdown passes and was intercepted four times. In consecutive wins over Michigan and Northwestern, McGloin totaled 475 passing yards, five touchdown passes and a rushing score.

“If McGloin keeps playing at a high level like he has been, I think we’ll be able to put up some points,” right guard Stefen Wisniewski said.

As ineffective as the Florida offense has been at times, it presents a unique challenge for Penn State. Running backs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps are faster than most ball-carriers the Nittany Lions have seen this year.

Demps, who was limited most of the regular season with a sprain and a stress reaction in his left foot, said he feels healthier and expects to play.

The Gators plan to continue with a three-quarterback rotation and a no-huddle offense, and it is difficult to anticipate other innovations Meyer might have added during the five weeks since Florida’s last game.

“If we were playing them just in a week’s time, we’d have a better idea what they can do,” Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said. “They’ve had a month off, so I’m sure they’ve progressed each quarterback to do more things. How far they can expand their package - who knows with this amount of time off?”

Top spending schools on football

A glance at the 10 highest spending bowl-bound football programs, and the programs that spend the most per undergraduate student, according to the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool.

TOP 10 SPENDERS

1) Ohio State, $31,763,036
2) Alabama, $31,118,134
3) Notre Dame, $29,490,788
4) Auburn, $27,911,713
5) LSU, $25,566,520
y-6) Florida, $24,457,557
7) South Carolina, $22,794,211
8) Wisconsin, $22,041,491
9) Arkansas $22,005,014
10) TCU, $20,609,361

TOP 10 PER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
1) Notre Dame, $3,531
2) Tulsa, $3,236
3) TCU, $2,822
4) Stanford, $2,625
5) SMU, $2,113
6) Miami (FL), $1,927
7) Boston College, $1,891
8) Northwestern, $1,851
9) Arkansas, $1,625
10) Auburn, $1,518

Figures for most schools were for 12-month periods ending in mid-2010.

y-University of Texas spent $25.1 million but did not make a bowl game this season.

Outback Bowl keys

Courtesy of ESPN


Here are three keys for Florida in its Outback Bowl matchup with Penn State:

1. Make some plays down the field: Throughout much of Urban Meyer’s tenure, nobody was better than the Gators when it came to making explosive plays down the field. But that was a component that was sorely missing this season from the offense. Florida could use some quick strikes early to get its offense going and spread out the Penn State defense. Chris Rainey figures to play a key role in this game.

2. Force Penn State to throw: Even though Florida will be without top cornerback Janoris Jenkins in this game, the Gators are still plenty talented in the secondary. They will gladly take their chances with Penn State throwing the football as opposed to the Nittany Lions getting their running game cranked up and moving the chains that way. If Florida can get Penn State into a lot of third-and-long situations, then it’s probably going to be a long day for the Nittany Lions.

3. Take care of the ball: The Gators turned the ball over an SEC-high 25 times this season, which is extremely uncharacteristic of an Urban Meyer team. They turned the ball over six times in their last two games against FBS opponents -- South Carolina and Florida State. If they turn it over two or more times against Penn State, they’re going to be in trouble.

---

Basketball: Florida vs. Xavier (Cintas Center): Game time: 04:00 PM Dec 31 - TV: ESPN 2

Outback Bowl Broadcast Information

The Florida Gator football team wraps up the 2010 campaign when it takes on Penn State in the Outback Bowl on Saturday at 1:00pm ET in Tampa. The game airs live nationwide on ABC, and the audio broadcast is available in multiple formats.
PREGAME COVERAGE

• TailGator Pre-Game Show - 11:00am - Gator Radio Network

RADIO

• Gator Radio Network (Airs in Tampa on WFLA - 970 AM)
• XM Ch. 140
• Sirius Ch. 120

TELEVISION

• ABC

TELEVISION/ONLINE REPLAYS

• Sun. 1/2 - 3:30am - ESPN2
• Mon. 1/3 - 1:00am - ESPNU

• The full game will also be available for on-demand viewing on ESPN3.com beginning at 2:30am Sunday. Click here to view.

Hall's Long Journey Reunites Him With Gators

TAMPA, Fla. -- His odyssey has been long, winding and remarkable when you truly examine it. The journey has taken him across the Atlantic and back, making stops in seemingly every professional football outpost known to man.

You may not remember the World League of American Football, but Galen Hall does. He was head coach of the Orlando Thunder in 1992. If you don’t know much about the Charlotte Rage of the old Arena Football League, Hall can tell you all about them. He was their head coach and director of football operations in 1994.

Remember NFL Europe? Yup, Hall was there too, spending six seasons as head coach of the Rhein Fire. His coaching career landed stateside once more in 2001, when he was named the Orlando Rage’s head coach in Vince McMahon’s short-lived XFL.

In 2002, Hall finally found his way to the NFL as running backs coach of the Dallas Cowboys, spending one of the most special days of his career watching former Gator running back Emmitt Smith – a player Hall recruited to UF – break Walter Payton’s all-time NFL rushing record on a late October afternoon at Texas Stadium.

They shared a handshake and a hug, far removed from their days together at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the late-80s when Hall was Florida’s head coach and Smith his go-to guy.

After 15 years away, Hall returned to college football in 2004 when Penn State coach Joe Paterno recruited him for the second time. As a Penn State assistant coach, Paterno recruited Hall to play quarterback for the Nittany Lions in 1959.

Paterno didn’t hesitate to add the well-traveled Hall to his staff to help boost a stagnant offense coming off a 3-9 season in 2003, the worst of Paterno’s Hall of Fame career. Hall quickly added a boost, helping the Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten is scoring in 2005 on the way to an 11-1 season.

“Galen has a great football mind,’’ Paterno said. “He’s really good at teaching; the kids really like him. He’s great for the staff because he’s had a lot of ups and downs and he’s been through a lot of things.

“He’s been a real asset to our program.’’

Hall will face the Gators on Saturday for the first time since he was forced out as Florida’s head coach early in the 1989 season for providing improper benefits to his assistant coaches and a player in need of child-support help.

His next-to-last game as Florida’s coach – a 21-0 win over Mississippi State on Sept. 30, 1989 -- was played at Tampa Stadium, which stood where a parking lot now resides outside Raymond James Stadium, site of Saturday’s Outback Bowl.

Some view Hall’s career as coming full circle with an opportunity to coach against the Gators. He downplayed those suggestions Wednesday.

Still, Hall remembers his time on the Gators’ sideline from 1984-89 as some of the best days of his career.

“I loved my time with the Gators,’’ Hall said. “Their fans are great and they were good to me. That was a very exciting time for myself, my family and all of Gator Nation – a lot of very fond memories.’’

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley chatted with Hall at Sunday night’s Outback Bowl Welcome Dinner, revisiting old times and old friends. Foley wasn’t UF’s athletic director at the time of Hall’s departure, but he worked in the athletic department and said it was a difficult period for the football program.

Through the ups and downs, Foley never lost respect for Hall or what he did at Florida and considers the end of Hall’s time at UF as an unfortunate ending for “a good person.’’

“I think time always takes care of those situations,’’ Foley said. “I don’t know how Galen feels about that – in terms of the University of Florida – but he did some great things.

“Galen is a good guy. He’s a good person. There were some difficult times there … but he has always been a good guy and I know people at the University of Florida always remember him very, very fondly.’’

Hall, hired by Charley Pell to replace Mike Shanahan as offensive coordinator, replaced Pell three games into the 1984 season and went 15-0-1 in his first 16 games as head coach. Hall was named AP National Coach of the Year in 1984 when the Gators went 8-0 after he took over for Pell.

If not for NCAA sanctions unrelated to Hall’s tenure, the Gators would have won their first official SEC title that season.

Hall said he doesn’t hold any grudges against Florida after being let go with a 40-18-1 career record.

“You are in this profession and there are ups and downs that you have to deal with,’’ Hall said. “What happened there was a long time ago. Things happen either for the good and bad and you have to move on with your life.

“You cannot sit and be a hermit. You’ve got to go out and you’ve got to try and be successful. I have the greatest respect for the Florida program, the fans, and the players there.’’

According to those around him daily, Hall sounds excited about Saturday’s matchup against the Gators.

“He’s been talking a little bit about being down here,’’ Penn State senior receiver Brent Brackett said. “He’s really been talking highly of the program and getting us ready for a big-time football game.”

Hall is 70 and like Paterno, has mellowed some with age. However, his passion for coaching remains the same. He sounds like his mentor when retirement talk pops up in the conversation.

“I really enjoy [coaching],’’ he said. “This is something that you wake up in the morning and you want to go, you want to get better as a person, you want to get your team better.

“As long as Joe will have me, I’ll stay around.’’

No. 25 Florida State edges UF in women's hoops

TALLAHASSEE — Cierra Bravard struggled through one of her worst halves at Florida State.

Bravard scored half of her 10 points in the final 84 seconds, including two free throws with 30 seconds left to lift the 25th-ranked Seminoles to a 74-72 victory over archrival Florida on Tuesday.

Bravard’s 3-point play with 1:24 left less than a minute earlier gave the Seminoles (10-3) a short-lived 71-70 lead.

Bravard, Florida State’s scoring leader on the season, was held to a free throw and no rebounds in the first half.

“You can’t let missed shots get you down,” Bravard said. “I stay focused all game.”

That was a good thing for the Seminoles.

“She knows that her time is going to come when she’s really needed,” Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. “We talked a lot about getting the ball inside, getting it into Cierra.”

Jaterra Bonds driving jumper gave the Gators a 72-71 lead with 59 seconds left.

Courtney Ward scored 20 points, including a final free throw with a tenth of a second left, and freshman Natasha Howard added 17 points and 10 rebounds for her second career double-double for the Seminoles, who narrowly avoided losing three straight games for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Jordan Jones hit four of six 3-pointers to lead Florida (10-4) with 14 points. Bonds added 11 points and a game high seven assists and Deana Allen finished with 10.

“When you’re on the short end of the stick it’s not a good game,” Florida coach Amanda Butler said. “We’ve got a lot of young players out there that need to be battle tested.”

Christian Hunnicutt’s steal and layup gave the Seminoles a 39-37 halftime lead. There were seven ties and five lead changes in the first half.

The Gators jumped to an early 10-3 lead, but Florida State took the lead at 19-16 on Bravard’s 3-point play and the Seminoles opened their biggest lead of the half at 33-27 on Alexa Deluzio’s 3-point basket. Deluzio also finished in double figures with 10 points.

The Seminoles opened a 51-41 lead on Bravard’s jumper with 17:12 left, but Florida went on 20-5 run and opened a 61-56 lead midway through the final half.

Florida got back into the game by dominating the boards in the second half to finished with a 39-31 rebound advantage.

Florida State was coming off successive losses for the first time in two years. It was their first game since a loss at UConn last week when the Huskies recorded an NCAA-record 89th straight victory with a 93-62 win.

The Gators became the fourth Southeastern Conference school to lose to Florida State this season. The Seminoles also beat Alabama, Auburn and Vanderbilt.

Gators' Meyer ponders ESPN; Joe Pa to stay

TAMPA — Joe Paterno just turned 84. Urban Meyer is 46.

Paterno has been head coach at one school for 45 years. Meyer is completing his sixth year at Florida -- his third head coaching position in a decade.





Paterno said he plans on returning to Penn State next season -- and joked that he was chewing out someone for being late to a meeting when reports circulated he recently was in the hospital.

Meyer has been to the hospital for health worries in the past and says he won't coach -- anywhere -- in 2011.
Instead, he's thinking about taking a position with ESPN after the two schools meet in Saturday's Outback Bowl.

"I think so," said Meyer, when asked Tuesday if ESPN is in his future. "I took my family up to New York City, that's where they wanted to go. We went and had three of the greatest days we've ever had together and (ESPN) called up and said, 'Why don't you drive up for the day?' So I brought my son (Nate) and he loved it.

"What I found out . . . what a place, what great people. I have no idea, I'm not concerned about that until after (the Outback Bowl). But I'll have to do something, and if Coach Paterno doesn't hire me, I'm going to have to (find something else)."

Meyer had joked earlier, "I've put in my application for graduate assistant at Penn State."

"This has been fairly well thought out," Meyer said of his decision to step down, catching the school by surprise in early December. "When we started this whole run -- I have a great family, as close as you can imagine, and at one point in a five-year period we lived in four different states bouncing kids in and out of school. Not by choice, but just kind of with that in mind, we're going to go as hard as we can and then at some point pull away.

"They've sacrificed for us, now we're going to sacrifice for those kids. It's kind of humbling to be able to do that. Not many people have that opportunity (to) step away and then give back to the people who have given so much to us. The people are those three kids and they deserve to have their dad go watch some games and be around. Last December (when he quit then came back the next day) was kind of, that was a frontal blow that said let's evaluate this whole thing here for a minute and we did. I was planning on coming back. I was excited about it, then one morning I woke up, and (after) careful prayer and discussion, and just made the decision."

Paterno hates to see Meyer leave coaching but did note with a smirk: "I've got an apartment I could rent you in Brooklyn," because his family likes New York so well.

Paterno, joking about ex-coach Lou Holtz being known as Dr. Lou on ESPN, said Meyer, "Is going to be great at that. I hope he never becomes Dr. Urban. We can only handle one doctor at a time. But I think that it's great. That would not be my style."





Paterno called the Ohio State-Michigan game one year for ABC and that was enough for him.


"I must have gotten 58 calls, guys said, 'I didn't know you were from Brooklyn,' " he said.

While Meyer could have been gathering material for a a comedy routine for his probable new gig, Paterno made it clear he isn't putting any resumes together. His logic? Why stop now?

"I'm being selfish when I say I hate to see guys like that leave the game," Paterno said. "To me, I'm different than Urban. I've got people calling up saying, 'When the hell are you getting out?' People think I'm going to quit this year. I haven't even thought of it. The situation around me is very stable. The athletic director (Tim Curley) was a kid that I recruited as a walk-on. The coaches have been with me. I haven't had a lot of guys leave. Our president (Graham Spanier) has been with us now maybe 14, 15 years. We have a lot of fun together and I don't see any reason to get out of it yet.

"I was in State College last week and somebody said that I was down at the Hershey Hospital. Geez, Hershey Hospital? I was home chewing out somebody for being late for a meeting. It's ridiculous. I don't know when I'll get out. I honestly don't know. And I haven't even thought about it yet."

Notes: Meyer said junior Janoris Jenkins hasn't decided on whether he will leave for the NFL. He said Jenkins' torn labrum in his shoulder, which he had surgery on after the regular season and will miss the bowl game, actually happened two or three games into the season. "He fought through it," Meyer said. "He's a competitor, he never missed practice. It got really bad near the end." With Jenkins out, Jeremy Brown and either Moses Jenkins or Cody Riggs will start at corners in the bowl. . . . Meyer is big in the Paterno family. "My son, Jay, worships the guy. I keep telling him, 'Hey, your old man is a head coach too you know,' "

Paterno joked. . . . UF will play all three quarterbacks in the bowl. "All three are healthy now. The good news is Jordan Reed (concussion) is 100 percent and ready to go," Meyer said.

UF coordinator Austin hospitalized with abdominal pains

TAMPA - Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was admitted to a Tampa hospital Tuesday suffering from abdominal pains.

Austin was admitted to Tampa General Hospital, where he underwent tests. He was diagnosed with mild gastritis, according to UF spokesman Steve McClain, and released from the hospital. Gastritis is an inflammation (irritation and swelling) of the lining of the stomach. He was not at practice Tuesday.

Austin, 45, is in his first year as the Gators' defensive coordinator. He came to UF from the Arizona Cardinals, where he was the secondary coach. It has been reported that Austin is one of the leading candidates to become the next defensive coordinator at Texas.

Women's Hoops Falls Just Short of Upsetting No. 25/23 Florida State, 74-72

In another classic battle between the two intrastate women’s basketball rivals, Florida made more field goals and outrebounded its taller foe, but 25th/23rd-ranked Florida State escaped with the 74-72 decision at the Donald L. Tucker Center in front of 3,368 Seminole fans.
 
The Gators (10-4) took a 70-68 lead with 2:38 remaining when Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) nailed her fourth three-pointer of the game. Florida came up with a defensive stop on the other end, but Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, Fla.) couldn’t add to the lead, as Cierra Bravard converted a three-point play for the Seminoles (10-3) and gave the home team a 71-70 lead with 1:24 on the clock.
 
Freshman Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, Fla.) converted a slashing layup with 59 seconds remaining, but Bravard stepped up at the free throw line again and knocked down two that swung the lead for the 11th time in the game, this time with 30.8 seconds left, 73-72.
 
Florida had one final possession and Bonds missed the first attempt. Deana Allen (Houma, La.) collected the rebound in traffic and tried to put up a shot, but couldn’t get a good look, as Courtney Ward was fouled and made one free throw with 00.1 second remaining to provide the final scoring.
 
“We had a couple of ways that we wanted to score, but we forced up a bad shot,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said of the team’s final possession. “We were fortunate enough to come up with the rebound and we tried to call a timeout, but it didn’t work out so we forced up another bad shot.
 
“I’m really proud of our team’s fight and effort,” Butler said. “It was a great basketball game for the basketball fans in this state. They got to see two teams play hard. I feel bad for our kids because they played so hard and battled. A lot of the statistical categories went in our favor, but we have to give Florida State a lot of credit for their composure at the end of the game.”
 
Jones, who had missed the last two games because of injury, scored a team-high 14 points with four assists and two steals for Florida, which hit 30-of-62 from the floor, including 8-of-15 from the three-point arc. The Gators also held a 39-31 rebound advantage against the taller Seminoles, who made 15-of-20 free throws compared with Florida’s 4-of-6 effort.
 
Bonds finished the game with 11 points and a game-high seven assists, while Allen added 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes of action. Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) collected a team-high nine rebounds, while holding FSU’s leading scorer and rebounder Bravard in check for the majority of the contest.
 
“We got some great individual efforts from players like Deana Allen, who gave us a great spark,” Butler praised. “Jaterra Bonds stepped up and hit some tough shots. Jennifer George (8 points, 7 rebounds) played fantastic minutes and just made plays when we needed them the most.”
 
Ward scored a game-high 20 points with four assists and four steals to lead FSU, which hit 28-of-63 overall and 3-of-13 from long range.
 
“Courtney Ward is the best point guard we have faced so far and hopefully the best one we’ll play all year. She did a great job of running her team,” Butler said.
 
Florida State ripped out of the halftime locker room with a 12-4 run and built a 51-41 lead with 17:12 remaining. The Gators, meanwhile, turned the ball over three times during those opening minutes of the second period
 
Florida regrouped and scored nine straight points to spark a 20-5 run that saw scoring from six different players and took a 61-56 lead with 9:04 remaining.
 
The Gators were able to maintain the advantage for the next few minutes, still carrying a five-point edge with 6:01 on the clock, 65-60.
 
That’s when the Noles scored five consecutive points and took a 68-67 lead with 3:05 remaining after the Gators turned the ball over twice during the mini spree.
 
Florida ended the game with 18 turnovers that FSU converted into 21 points. In all, there were 11 lead changes and 11 tied scores.
 
The Gators now turn their focus entirely to Southeastern Conference action. Florida begins league play on Sun., January 2, when the team hosts No. 22/24 Arkansas in the O’Connell Center with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m.

Florida Gators QB John Brantley will weigh future plans after bowl, but options limited

Florida quarterback John Brantley apparently did not spend his Christmas break contemplating whether he will return to the Gators for the 2011 season.

As difficult as it might be to believe, Brantley said he used the past two weeks to prepare only for this week's Outback Bowl match-up with Penn State, not the possibility of transferring to a new school for his senior season.

"We haven't discussed much about it right now," Brantley said Monday after Florida's practice at the University of Tampa. "I'm a Gator. I always wanted to be a Gator. We're going to go home, talk to my parents, weigh the pros and cons. That's all I can say right now.

"I want to give my full attention to this game."

Brantley, a red-shirt junior, wrapped up his first year as Florida's starting quarterback by taking fewer than half the snaps in the final regular season game, a 31-7 loss at Florida State on Nov. 27.

In 12 starts, Brantley completed 61.4 percent of his passes and threw for an average of 168.3 yards per game. Florida coach Urban Meyer said early in the season Brantley needed to throw for a minimum of 200 yards each week for the Gators to win.

Brantley threw six touchdown passes and one interception as Florida began the season 4-0, but crumbled in the final eight games with three touchdown passes and eight interceptions. The Gators went 3-5 during that span and head into the Outback Bowl unranked at 7-5.

But the cause of Brantley's problems is yet to be determined. It is possible, despite being one of the most highly recruited and productive high school quarterbacks in the history of the state, that Brantley does not have enough talent to play in the SEC. Or, perhaps, Brantley had no chance of succeeding in an offense that did not suit his strengths.

With Meyer resigning after the Outback Bowl and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio set to take the head job at Temple, new coach Will Muschamp has an opportunity to persuade Brantley to stay. In his introductory press conference earlier this month, Muschamp said he plans to run a pro-style offense, as opposed to Meyer and Addazio's spread-option attack.

Brantley said Muschamp and Meyer both tried to talk him into staying. He also said he has not contacted any other schools about transferring.

While recruiting him from Ocala-Trinity Catholic, the Gators sold Brantley on a plan to switch to a pro-style offense by the time he became the starter. Florida seemed to try that earlier this year, but struggled and reverted back to the spread-option.

Brantley was ineffective in that scheme, so the Gators gradually increased freshmen Trey Burton and Jordan Reed's playing time at quarterback. Burton plays three other positions on offense and Reed started the year as a tight end.

Brantley and some of his teammates said they have continued practicing the three-quarterback system and plan to use it against Penn State (7-5).

If Brantley wants to leave Gainesville, his options are limited. The NCAA instituted a rule in 2006 that prohibits players from transferring from the FBS, formerly Division I-A, to a program in the FCS, formerly Division I-AA, unless they have multiple seasons of eligibility remaining. Brantley can transfer and play immediately for a Division II or team.

He could also attempt to follow a path similar to the one former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli took last year. Masoli, facing a possible suspension at Oregon, completed his graduation requirements and transferred to Ole Miss as a graduate student. He could only maintain his eligibility for the upcoming season if he chose an Ole Miss graduate program that was not available at Oregon.

That route is risky. The athlete needs an NCAA waiver to circumvent the standard transfer policy of sitting out one year before playing. Brantley cannot red-shirt next year because he did so in 2007.

The NCAA denied Masoli's waiver request last summer, but Ole Miss appealed the decision and won, allowing Masoli to play this year.

Brantley also could attempt to turn pro, but that is the least sensible of his choices.

Several Gators said they talked with Brantley recently and believe he will be back at Florida next year.

"I spoke with him and he said he wasn't going anywhere," receiver Frankie Hammond said. "He said he was set."

Gators and No. 25 Fla. State renew women's rivalry

Florida and Florida State are getting together again for another rivalry game.
This time it's the women's basketball teams from the two schools that will square off Tuesday in Tallahassee.

It's the first game for the host Seminoles (9-3) since an historic loss at UConn last week when the Huskies recorded an NCAA-record 89th straight victory with a 93-62 win over Florida State.

The 25th-ranked Seminoles are looking to snap their first two-game losing streak in two years and claim a fourth straight victory over a Southeastern Conference school. Florida State has already defeated Alabama, Auburn and Vanderbilt earlier this season.

Florida (10-3) leads the series with 41 wins in 50 games.

Neither team is ranked.

Brittany Shine Named SEC Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week

The University of Florida’s Brittany Shine (Sacramento, Calif.) was named the Southeastern Conference’s Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Week, the league announced Monday. Kentucky junior guard Keyla Snowden was the SEC Player of the Week.
 
Named Most Outstanding Performer of the Gator Holiday Classic, Shine totaled 47 points and 10 assists, while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, including a 42.9 percent (6-14) from the three-point arc as she helped Florida capture its 10th consecutive non-conference home win, as well as the Gator Holiday Classic Tournament title, the team’s second regular-season championship this season.
 
The 5-foot-10 guard became only third freshman in 20-year history of tournament to be named its MOP.
 
In the first round game against Alabama State, Shine scored a career-high 28 points and became the first Gator this season to eclipse the 20-point plateau this season, besting her previous career high of 16 points set against Harvard on Dec. 7. Her 28 points were the most scored by a Gator since Sha Brooks poured in 29 points against Tennessee on Feb. 8, 2009. She connected on 4-of-9 three-pointers, tying for the most by a Gator in a single game this season. Shine reached her career high by halftime with 19 points in the opening period.
 
In the Gator Holiday Classic title game against Robert Morris, Shine scored seven consecutive points during a 12-3 run late in the first half that helped UF begin to distance itself and take an 11-point halftime lead. Shine finished the game with 19 points and tied for a game-high four assists.
 
Shine started both tournament games in last week’s action, the first starting assignments of her collegiate career and improved her season averages to 8.5 points and 1.9 assists per game.
 
Florida (10-3) returns to action on Tuesday playing at No. 22 Florida State (9-3) in the Donald L. Tucker Center beginning at 7 p.m.

Janoris Jenkins, 3 others won't play in Outback Bowl

TAMPA — The UF football team confirmed after Monday morning's practice that starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins, offensive lineman Maurice Hurt and defensive tackles Terron Sanders and Lawrence Marsh have had surgery this month and will not play in Saturday's Outback Bowl.

The injuries — Jenkins (right shoulder), Hurt (right knee), Marsh (right hip), Sanders (right shoulder) — likely spells the end to the college careers of all four, as Jenkins is likely to skip his senior season to enter the NFL Draft and the other three are seniors.

With Jenkins out, there is a chance true freshman Cody Riggs could get the start at cornerback against Penn State.

UF men's hoops falls out of AP Top 25

The Gators (9-3), No. 20 in the Associated Press poll last week, fell out of the Top 25 after a week that included their first loss to Jacksonville in 16 years.

Florida suffered a 71-68 overtime loss to Jacksonville last Monday before bouncing back with a 66-55 win over Radford on Wednesday. The Gators received 32 votes in the poll, behind six other teams that received votes.

Florida, which started the year ranked 9th in the preseason AP poll, stayed in the poll the first three weeks of the season before losing to UCF on Dec. 1. Florida returned to the poll last week after a 57-44 win over Kansas State.

The Gators resume play Tuesday at home against Fairfield. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at the O'Connell Center.

Gators Arrive In Tampa, Begin Bowl Week Preparations

TAMPA – Urban Meyer’s first season as Florida’s head coach in 2005 ended with a victory in the Outback Bowl, a 31-24 win over Iowa in the Gators’ last visit here.

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley reminded a crowded ballroom at the A La Carte Event Pavilion of that fact on Sunday night during the Outback Bowl Welcome Dinner.

“We really felt like that was the springboard to the national championship we won in 2006,’’ Foley said. “I honestly believe it started down here in Tampa.’’

The Gators reunited here Sunday to begin preparation for Saturday’s Outback Bowl against Penn State in what is Meyer’s final game as Florida’s coach. Meyer announced his resignation earlier this month.

He met with the Gators on Sunday afternoon to remind them why they are here and to seize the opportunity in one of the most-anticipated games of the bowl season.

On one sideline, you have Meyer, the game’s most successful coach the past six years with two national championships. On the other sideline will be Penn State’s Joe Paterno, who celebrated his 84th birthday last week and is already talking about his goals for next season.

“This is a great bowl and we can’t wait to do our best against Penn State,’’ Meyer said. “These are two programs that do it the right way.’’

As Outback Bowl president Jim McVay, Foley, Meyer and Paterno addressed the crowd, the two teams feasted on steak, chicken and ribs.

At the table where Gators senior Mike Pouncey and safety Ahmad Black were seated, the first plate of ribs went fast. A server quickly dropped off another plate. Overall, Outback Bowl officials reported that 5,400 pounds of food was served, including 900 pounds of ribs and 750 pounds each of steak and chicken.

When Paterno took the podium for a few brief remarks, Pouncey turned from his plate to listen to what Paterno had to say. As speculation over his future at Penn State constantly makes the rounds on the Internet, the Nittany Lions say not to expect Paterno to join Meyer in retirement next season.

“We are around coach every day. There is no truth to these rumors at all,’’ Penn State senior receiver Brett Brackett said. “He’s passionate. He loves what he does and he does a great job at it. He puts 100 percent into it. He is really hands on. He’ll be in your face and pretty vocal.’’

Paterno had the best line of Sunday’s dinner when his wife Sue joined him on stage to accept a gift basket from McVay.

“That’s my wife, not my daughter,’’ Paterno quipped.

“The guy is a freak of nature,’’ Nittany Lions defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu said. “I don’t think I would be 84 and I’d be coaching. I think I would be down here in Florida on a beach chair day in and day out relaxing.

“He loves this stuff. We love him for it. I’m happy I’ve been a part of his life for five years. I will always remember him.’’

The Gators will talk to the media after Monday’s practice at the University of Tampa, and like the storyline that has followed Penn State much of the season, you can bet Meyer’s final game will receive most of the attention.

Meyer, 46, quickly rebuilt the Gators into one of the nation’s elite programs, winning a national title in only his second season and two in his first four seasons. Florida enters Saturday’s game with a 7-5 record and something extra to play for since Meyer announced he was stepping away from coaching to spend more time with his wife, Shelley, and their three kids.

Prior to the holiday break, Gators receiver Frankie Hammond talked about the importance of sending Meyer out with a victory.

“We definitely want his last game to be a win,’’ Hammond said. “Coach Meyer has done so much for this program and is one of the greatest coaches of all-time. He deserves to win his last game.’’

McVay told a story about the Outback Bowl almost fading away after a couple of years due to financial issues. More than 20 years later, the 25th annual game at Raymond James Stadium has added buzz.

The combination of Meyer’s final game and the legendary Paterno’s vow to continue coaching is more than McVay could have imagined when the schools accepted invitations.

“We are going to have a lot of fun,’’ McVay said Sunday. “The Gators, the Nittany Lions – this is going to be a very special week.’’

Gators' arrival in Tampa signals beginning of end for Meyer

TAMPA - The long goodbye of Urban Meyer finally begins its conclusion today at the Outback Bowl, where Florida arrives to begin preparation for the New Year's Day game against Penn State.

Meyer announced in early December that he was stepping aside as the Gators' head coach after six years that included the 2006 and 2008 national titles, resigning last December before the Sugar bowl, taking it back the next day, then resigning again after a disappointing 7-5 season in 2010.

Along the way he's mentioned his health, he's talked about missing time with family. Now there are discussions with ESPN about a broadcasting future and he's vowed not to coach in 2011. If that holds true, the Tampa bowl will be the last game Meyer, 46, coaches for at least a while.

Much of the shock has subsided in Gainesville.

Running back Jeff Demps said players were "running around like chickens with our heads cut off'' when Meyer first resigned. There's a little more certainty about the future, with Will Muschamp quickly hired as the new coach.

"He's a great coach, and he told us he's going to bring in the best possible person to help turn this offense around, so we're not really worried anymore,'' Demps said.

It will create a strange situation in Tampa, however, because the former Texas defensive coordinator will be watching the Gators' workouts and evaluating players and coaches.

ESPN's Desmond Howard knows what it's like to have to pick up the pieces when a big name coach steps aside. He was recruited by Bo Schembechler but after one season at Michigan Howard had to adjust to Gary Moeller taking over. Howard went on to win the Heisman in 1991 by what was, at the time, the largest margin ever in the voting.

He predicts the Gators will focus on sending Meyer out the right way - with a win - before turning their attention to the future.

"Once you get out there on the field or you start going to your meetings and you start to prepare for that bowl game, you kind of maintain a sense of normalcy,'' Howard said. "You get back into a routine and then your focus becomes squarely on the Penn State Nittany Lions.

"So I think at one point they just get back into the groove and they really start to focus on winning the bowl game because at the end of the day they know that's what it's all about. They want to win this bowl game, and then when you have a coach like Urban Meyer who most of these players have so much respect for because they've been around him for so long, they want to make sure that they send him out on a good note. That becomes their focus.''

Mike Bellotti, the former Oregon coach and athletic director who also does work for ESPN, said UF players should be motivated.

"They're going to want to put a stamp on that,'' predicted Bellotti, who stepped aside a couple of years ago as the Ducks' head coach, being replaced by Chip Kelly. "I think that that doesn't mean the players are going to want it any more but the coaches may give them a little bit more impetus, a little bit more motivation to, Let's go out on top, let's win this game, let's stamp Urban's career, let's stamp his time at Florida.'''

Regardless, Bellotti called Meyer a "Hall of Fame coach.''

"What he's accomplished, two national championships (at Florida), the undefeated season at Utah (in 2004), just some amazing things,'' Bellotti said. "He coached in a style and a manner that's taken its toll on his body and his family and I think he's recognizing that now. I don't think he's saying that there's not more that I can accomplish, but he's saying that I want to spend a little time with my family while I still can have quality time in influencing my own biological children as well as I've influenced all the other players I've coached over the years.

"It was a great run. It's not the way he would have chosen to end it. I won't say it's just frustration. It's just recognition of the type of energy he wanted to coach with and maybe that was detrimental to his health. I don't know that you can step back and say, 'Gosh I'm not going to be as intense, I'm not going to want it as much, I'm not going to let this affect me as much,' because then you wouldn't be the coach that you were."

Merry Christmas Gator Nation

Merry Christmas! News is slow today because all of the athletes have gone home. Wishing everyone a happy holiday!

Source: Meyer, ESPN discuss possibilities

Florida football coach Urban Meyer, who announced his resignation Dec. 8, met with ESPN officials Wednesday to discuss the possibility of joining the network in some capacity, according to a source.

Meyer was in Bristol, Conn., to appear on SportsCenter and the pregame show for Wednesday night's Las Vegas Bowl.

Meyer will coach his final game at Florida on Jan. 1 against Penn State in the Outback Bowl in Tampa.

Paterno looking at Outback Bowl to jump start 2011

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - Penn State coach Joe Paterno is looking at the Outback Bowl as a combination of this season's final game and the opener of the 2011 campaign.

The Nittany Lions continued their preparation on Wednesday for the New Year's Day game against Florida with a practice session at the Philadelphia Phillies' spring training complex.

A spry-looking Paterno says Penn State has a young team with "pretty good athletes that need some work." So the coach wants to get some things done that will "carry over to next year."

Florida's Urban Meyer will be coaching his last game with the Gators on Jan. 1, but the 84-year-old Paterno - who celebrated his birthday Tuesday - doesn't sound he has any plans of slowing down anytime soon.

Walker's Threes and Tenacious Defense Carry Gators to 66-55 Win Over Radford

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida men’s basketball team improved its record to 9-3 with a 66-55 triumph over Radford University at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Wednesday night.

The Gators were paced by junior point guard Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who scored 20 points—including five triples which matched his career-high—and also tallied three assists and two steals. His backcourt partner, sophomore Kenny Boynton (Pompano Beach, Fla.), was the other Gator in double figures with 11 points while chipping in four assists.  Florida made nine threes, equaling its season-high, with eight of them coming from Walker and Boynton. Florida also collected 19 offensive rebounds that were converted into 19 second chance points while the defense forced 24 turnovers that led to 19 points.

Florida’s defense was stifling at the outset, holding Radford without a field goal until the 12:25 mark of the first half which allowed the Gators to race to a 15-3 lead just more than eight minutes into the contest. Seven different Gators scored in the first half and that balanced attack carried the Orange and Blue into intermission with a 31-24 advantage.

After a Radford lay-up trimmed the Gator lead to five in the opening seconds of the second half, a flurry of dunks highlighted a 9-0 surge that pushed the Florida edge to 17 with 14:43 remaining. Freshman forward Will Yeguete (Bourdeaux, France) began the run with a dunk off of his own offensive rebound. Senior center Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) followed with a lay-up from a Scottie Wilbekin (Gainesville, Fla.) feed three possessions later. After a media timeout, Wilbekin found senior forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) on an alley-oop and Macklin capped the burst with an ‘and-one’ after corralling a missed three-pointer by Wilbekin.

The Highlanders cut the deficit to nine with 1:02 remaining but an Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) rejection followed by two free throws by Parsons sealed the victory for Florida.

Johnathan Edwards led Radford with 15 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double.

Next up for Florida will be Fairfield Stags on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. at the O’Connell Center. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

Florida Teams Up with Nike to Present CAMPUS ROAR

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida and Nike announced today a new partnership in which The Gator Nation can cheer on its men’s and women’s basketball teams this season. Called “Campus Roar,” the initiative is designed to put into words the innermost feelings of the most fanatical Gator basketball fan.
 
Campus Roar is a phrase or slogan in 35 characters or less that sums up why Gator fans love their basketball programs, along with what it takes for the Orange and Blue to make it to the national championship. The most powerful words from the most passionate fans will be used to create the newest Florida basketball Nike t-shirts. Fans will be able to submit their mantra on NikeBasketball.com and Facebook. The top 16 “Roars” will become shirts for the teams and fans to wear as they battle through the tough Southeastern Conference.
 
Tell why you love Florida basketball, in 35 characters or less. Submit your Campus Roar. It could be the next Nike T-Shirt representing your school.
 
Submit your Campus Roar at:
 
GatorZone.com
 
NikeBasketball.com
 
Nike on Facebook

Temple to hire Addazio as football coach

Temple is expected to hire University of Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio to as its next head football coach, according to source who is familiar with the search for Al Golden's replacement.

Golden was introduced as Miami's new coach on Dec. 13. Addazio, 51, could officially be handed the reins before the week is out.

Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw, who has not commented on any of the candidates he interviewed for the vacant position, would not comment on Wednesday.

Addazio saw the coach he worked under at Florida, Urban Meyer, announce his retirement effective after the Gators play Penn State in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1. New Florida coach Will Muschamp is likely to bring in a new staff.

Joe Paterno: Bowl a jump start for 2011

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Penn State coach Joe Paterno is looking at the Outback Bowl as a combination of this season's final game and the opener of the 2011 campaign.

The Nittany Lions continued their preparation Wednesday for the New Year's Day game against Florida with a practice session at the Philadelphia Phillies' spring training complex.

"We've got a very young team," a spry-looking Paterno said. "We've got about 60 kids here that are freshmen and sophomores. Some of them are pretty good athletes that need some work. So I think in that sense, you're hoping that you can get some things developed that are going to carry over to next year. But no matter what, you've got to play a team like Florida, you ought to try and win."

Florida's Urban Meyer will be coaching his last game with the Gators on Jan. 1. He announced his resignation earlier this month to spend more time with his family and because of health concerns.

"It ought to be an interesting game because of that," Paterno said. "I hate to see Urban get out of it because he's been a good coach and he's been a good person. You hate to see college [football] lose guys like that. I feel fortunate that we're here and particularly playing against a team with the tradition of Florida."

Paterno, major college football's winningest coach, is wrapping up his record 45th season on the sideline and shows no signs of stepping down anytime soon. He's also the all-time leader in bowl wins with 24. Paterno is under contract through the 2011 season.

Both teams have 7-5 records.

"Florida's got a team with a lot of ability," Paterno said. "A little bit inconsistent, and that's about the same as we are. We've been a little bit inconsistent. At times we've looked like a decent football team. We've got to play our game and we've got to be ready for anything. I think it matches up as a really good football game. I think it's going to be a fun game to watch."

Paterno turned 84 on Tuesday, and ate some birthday cake during the team dinner after putting his players through a pair of practices. He plans to bring his whole extended family, which will include most of his 17 grandchildren, down for Christmas Eve.

"I hope Santa shows up, but not on Christmas Eve. I hope he shows up on January 1st," Paterno said with a smile.

Inconsistent Florida Gators host Radford tonight

GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Billy Donovan watched his team beat then sixth-ranked Kansas State 57-44 with one of the Gators' best defensive efforts in school history before losing two days later to Jacksonville University 71-68 in overtime.

The only other team to score more than 70 points against Florida (8-3) was second-ranked Ohio State in a 93-75 Buckeyes' victory back on No. 16.


Which Gator team will show up at 7 p.m. today when Sun Belt Conference team Radford (2-8) visits the O'Connell Center? Even the coach doesn't seem sure what he's going to get on any given night.

"I think really what it comes down to going into the game, I've got to find, and I think this is the hard part for me with this team, is I don't know who's going to show up necessarily from game to game," Donovan said. "So you're trying to find combinations of pieces to throw out there. And that's what I was really trying to find (Monday). I was hoping to get more from our freshmen."

It's strange that a team returning all five starters from an NCAA Tournament team still might be searching for the right combinations in late December. But, that's where Florida appears to be.

"This has been a good group," insists Donovan. "They've handled adversity. They handled it after the UCF game, they handled it after the Ohio State game. They'll bounce back, that's what they do. They will do it.
"But if they really want to be a great team, they've got to handle prosperity. And right now, it's almost like they allow a lot of people to fill up their balloon with a lot of great stuff and they feel good. But in reality, it doesn't really mean a whole lot."

Dealing with success can be as hard as trying to battle back from failure. The Gators are getting a lot of experience at both.

"I'd be very disappointed if we didn't play really, really hard (tonight)," Donovan said. "But can we be a team that is almost playing like a faceless opponent and nameless opponent? We would have been better off (Monday) playing the Los Angeles Lakers. That would have been better for us because that would have forced them because they look at (who the opponent is). And that's not what it's about.

Gators Ranked No. 17 in Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - After capturing its first postseason victory and entering the NCAA record books as the sixth team in women’s Division I history to have 10 or more wins in its inaugural season, the University of Florida was ranked 17th in Lacrosse Magazine’s Preseason Poll released on Monday. It is the first preseason ranking for the Gators. Florida’s only ranking of its inaugural season came on April 5, 2010 after defeating then-No. 14 Penn State to claim the 20^th spot in the polls.

Defending national champion Maryland headlines the publication's top five, followed by Northwestern, North Carolina, Duke and Syracuse. Second-year head coach Amanda O’Leary and the Gators will begin the 2011 season on Feb. 12 at Fetzer Field on the campus of the University of North Carolina, when UF visits for the season opener.

Florida was 10-8 overall last season and claimed its first ALC victory against the Nittany Lions of Penn State, while also reaching the semifinals of the ALC Tournament by knocking out the No. 3 seed Johns Hopkins, 14-3. With that victory, UF became just the sixth team in NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse history to have 10 or more wins in their first season, joining Navy (13-4 in 2008), Louisville (12-4 in 2008), North Carolina (12-4 in 1996), Holy Cross (10-0 in 1980) and New Hampshire (10-0-1 in 1977). Florida now ranks fourth all-time, along with Holy Cross and New Hampshire, in inaugural season victories.

The Gators return 24 letterwinners, including 11 starters and 19 Gators from the inaugural signing class that was ranked No. 1 from Inside Lacrosse magazine. Sophomore attacker Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) returns after being named the Rookie of the Year by the American Lacrosse Conference, WomensLacrosse.com and WomensLax.com. She was named both WomensLacrosse.com and WomensLax.com Rookie of the Week twice, while being named the ALC Rookie of the Week three times. She led all freshmen in the nation in points and ranked second among freshmen in assists and third in goals. All-ALC standouts Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) and Jamie Reeg (Atlantis, Fla.) (both Second Team All-ALC) return for the Gators, as well as ALC All-Tournament Team honoree Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) (Reeg was also named to the Tournament Team). Florida returns a solid nucleus of experience at all positions, gearing up for a strong second season.

The Gators join three other American Lacrosse Conference teams in the top 20, as perennial power Northwestern was named No. 2, Vanderbilt was named No. 11 and Penn State comes in at No. 15. There are three other 2011 Gator opponents ranked in the Lacrosse Magazine poll, as the Tarheels are ranked at No. 3, Syracuse comes in at No. 5 and Georgetown rounds out the non-conference slate at No. 6.  

1	Maryland
2	Northwestern
3	North Carolina
4	Duke
5	Syracuse
6	Georgetown
7	Virginia
8	Penn
9	James Madison
10	Notre Dame
11	Vanderbilt
12	Stanford
13	Loyola
14	Dartmouth
15	Penn State
16	Towson
17	Florida
18	Princeton
19	Boston College
20	Hofstra
Preseason Player of the Year: Karri Ellen Johnson, Maryland

Freshmen Shine and Bonds Lead Women's Hoops to Gator Holiday Classic Title

Brittany Shine (Sacramento, Calif.) scored a game-high 19 points and helped Florida defeat Robert Morris 70-50 in the championship game of its own Gator Holiday Classic on Tuesday in the O’Connell Center.

Shine was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Performer after totaling 47 points and 10 assists during the two games and leading Florida to its 10th consecutive non-conference home win. Shine, who is the third freshman in the Gator Classic’s 20-year history to earn the tournament’s top individual honor, also hit 6-of-14 three-pointers.

Freshman Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, Fla.) earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team, as she produced 26 points and 12 assists in the two-game event, including 13 points in Tuesday’s title game. Bonds just missed a double-double in the first round when she dished nine assists.

 

“They are doing what we brought them here to do,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said of the Gator rookies. “We put them on the floor and put them in very important positions early on to win ballgames and be in position to win ballgames and combined with a solid group of returners to complement where we were weak and make us stronger in some areas where we were already strong. Of course I’m proud of them. Top to bottom in these last two games, the freshmen gave us a lot of energy, a lot of spark. There’s a great chemistry and a great blend there that can’t be overlooked.”

Had Shine and Bonds not produced the kind of impressive numbers they did, several other Gators made a case for a spot on the All-Tournament team.

Junior newcomer Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, Fla.) scored 13 points with a team-high seven rebounds and four assists against Robert Morris, while sophomore Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) collected six boards and blocked a shot, one night after swatting nine shots in the victory against Alabama State.

Florida (10-3) led Tuesday’s game wire-to-wire, as the Gators raced out to a 6-1 lead less than two minutes into the game thanks to field goals by junior  Ndidi Madu (Antioch, Tenn.), junior Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) and Shine.

Robert Morris traded scores with Florida for the next two minutes, as Madu added another bucket and Bartley added her name to the score sheet.

With the Gators holding a 10-7 advantage, Madu converted an inside jumper and Stewart sank and started a 9-2 run, as George put back an offensive rebound before Bonds and Shine combine for three free throws to give UF a 19-9 cushion.

The Colonials clawed back with the next five points, but Florida responded with a 12-3 run, as Shine scored seven, Bonds two, freshman Deaundra Young (Titusville, Fla.) two and red-shirt freshman Lily Svete (Granger, Ind.) one point during the spree that extended the Gator lead to 14 points, 31-17, with 5:30 left in the half.

The teams traded buckets for the rest of the way and RMU whittled the margin to nine with 34 seconds remaining, but Bonds nailed a jumper with 11 ticks on the clock and Florida entered intermission with an 11-point lead.

Kristine Silaraja, who represented Robert Morris on the All-Tournament Team, scored the first points of the second half and cut the Gator’s lead to single-digits. Madu answered with a six-foot floater and Bartley put back on offensive rebound for UF which was building momentum. Silaraja struck back with a three-pointer and had the Colonials back within 10 points at 43-33 with less than 17 minutes remaining.

Florida then staged a deciding 17-4 run that spanned the next seven-plus minutes to take a 60-37 lead with 7:46 remaining and never looked back en route to its second straight decisive victory and post the 599th win in the 37-year history of the program.

UF shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field in the game, marking the fourth consecutive game and the fifth time in the last six contests that the Gators have shot better than 40 percent from the field.

The Gators won the rebound battle 39-33 on Tuesday and have won the battle of the boards in 12 of the team’s 13 contests this season.

“I thought we did a great job. For us to be able to mentally adjust to the way we are playing folks, and we even adjusted at halftime the way we were playing, in particular Yohanna Morton,” Butler said. “We really wanted to pressure her and, any time a point guard of her caliber can be forced into 11 turnovers, that’s significant. Our changes that we made from day one of the tournament to day two and even at halftime, I think it’s an indication that we are getting better and maturing a little bit and that we are wanting to be a really good team.”

Robert Morris, which fell to 4-6 and had its four-game winning streak halted, was led by Silaraja’s 16 points. Mary Duojaye added 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Yohanna Morton tallied 12 points, but committed 11 of RMU’s 20 turnovers.

Florida has won its home tournament 16 times in the 20 years of its existence.

The Gators have a few days off from classes and basketball for the holiday season and return to Gainesville for practice on Dec. 26. The team travels the following day to Tallahassee, where it plays at 22nd-ranked Florida State on Tues., Dec. 28. That will be the final non-conference game of the year for the Gators, who play host to Arkansas on Sun., Jan. 2 in their Southeastern Conference opener.

Eleven Games In, Gators Still Searching For An Identity

By SCOTT CARTER
GatorZone.com Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Eleven games into the season, his team remains somewhat of a mystery.

So much so that after Monday’s 71-68 overtime loss to Jacksonville, Florida men’s basketball coach Billy Donovan opined that the Gators would likely have played better against Kobe Bryant rather than Dolphins senior Ayron Hardy.

“We would have been better off tonight playing the Los Angeles Lakers,’’ Donovan said.

Of course, Donovan didn’t mean the Gators are ready for a showdown with Showtime. Instead, they have been a team that appears to notice the name on the front of the opponent’s jersey, a trait known to drive coaches bonkers.

That was never more apparent in Donovan’s case than early in Monday’s loss, Jacksonville’s first win over Florida in 16 years and only fifth in 33 all-time meetings.

Two minutes into the game, Donovan called a timeout and let the Gators have it after they came out looking lackadaisical. They didn’t look like the same team from 48 hours ago.

Two days earlier the Gators walked off the court at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise with their biggest win of the season, overcoming a 12-point deficit to knock off No. 6-ranked Kansas State 57-44 by dominating the second half.

The Gators hadn’t held a ranked opponent to so few points since 1968. Donovan hoped that maybe the win – and more importantly, the way the Gators won – would be contagious against the low-profile Dolphins in a rare Monday matinee at the O’Connell Center.

Afterward, the evidence said otherwise.

The Gators looked ready to break the game open midway through the second half when they went on a 13-4 run to grab the biggest lead (56-49) either team built. But instead running away with the game, Florida started to hand it back.

“We find a lot of ways to sabotage ourselves,’’ Donovan said. “We got up by seven and there was nothing that they did to get back into the game.”

Little by little, the Gators helped Jacksonville’s cause.

Alex Tyus missed a 3-pointer on a fast-break opportunity; freshman guard Scottie Wilbekin overplayed on defense, giving up a 3-pointer to Keith McDougald; Chandler Parsons got stripped by Hardy, who drove the length of the court for a game-tying lay-up.

In the final three minutes, neither team could break free. Gators guard Erving Walker tossed up a 3-pointer at the end of regulation that missed, sending the game to overtime.

“They just outworked us from the beginning of the game,’’ Walker said. “We took too long to start playing.’’

Walker finished with a game-high 21 points, but after McDougald’s two free throws gave the Dolphins a 71-68 lead with 17.8 seconds left in overtime, Walker didn’t have a magical shot in him to force a second overtime.

His 3-point attempt rimmed out and the Dolphins celebrated wildly, winning their first game against a Top 25 team under Coach Cliff Warren.

“I’m just very proud of my team,’’ Warren said. “I feel very blessed that we won this game.’’

Meanwhile, the mood was much different on the other side of the court.

The Gators, who earlier in the day moved up to No. 19 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and re-entered the AP Top 25 at No. 20 following their upset of Kansas State, left the O-Dome looking dazed and likely facing a grueling practice Tuesday.

The feeling was painfully familiar to the one they had when they lost to UCF for the first time in school history earlier this month in Orlando.

“I wish we could play it over,’’ Gators guard Kenny Boynton said.

Senior center Vernon Macklin had a wish of his own.

“I just wish we could have come out here the same team we can out versus Kansas State,’’ said Macklin, who had his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. “We wouldn’t be acting the way we’re acting right now.’’

At halftime, Macklin said the Donovan’s message was clear.

“Coach D wants to know which team we’re going to be?’’

After the game, Donovan didn’t like the answer the scoreboard provided. The Gators next play on Wednesday against Radford. At last check, Radford isn’t the Lakers.

Donovan hopes that after what happened Monday, his team won’t notice.

“Clearly, for the people who watched us play against Kansas State, two totally different teams,’’ Donovan said. “I thought we took a lot of steps backwards. I thought we had a chance to really make a great step as a team.

“In order to be a great, great team, you have to be able to handle prosperity. This has been a good group. They have handled adversity. They’ll bounce back. I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t play really, really hard on Wednesday.’’