Florida Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

GETTING INSIDE

Florida is looking to bounce back from a disappointing December with a strong final tune-up before Southeastern Conference play begins.

The Gators will get another significant test at North Carolina State before opening SEC play at Vanderbilt on Jan. 9.

Behind early season upsets of Michigan State and Florida State, the Gators jumped to an 8-0 start. But the Gators finished December 2-3 which included back-to-back losses to Richmond and South Alabama.

“I think when you look at our non-conference schedule, it’s been challenging,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “But there is no question that the next 18 games we face, every one of those opponents is capable of beating us on any given night.”

A win at North Carolina State would give the Gators a chance to restore some lost confidence. So would a strong start in SEC play. In each of the last two seasons, Florida has gotten off to 4-1 starts in the SEC before stumbling in February and March.

“You want to go out and play well, but at this point, it’s important for us to get wins as well,” Florida senior forward Dan Werner said.

NOTES, QUOTES

• F Alex Tyus is averaging 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds over his last four games.

• Freshman F Erik Murphy posted the first double-double of his career with career highs in points (16) and rebounds (11) against Presbyterian

• F Chandler Parsons is second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and posted a season-high 21 points against Presbyterian.

January At A Glance:   Florida opens Southeastern Conference play Jan. 9 at Vanderbilt before returning home for a big showdown Jan. 12 against No. 3 Kentucky. The Gators will play four of their seven SEC games at home this season. Last season, Florida went 7-1 in the SEC at home with their lone loss coming against Tennessee.

Quote To Note:   “Coach writes (the 3-point line) every day on the board in black and in red. We knew we had to shut that down,” Florida forward Chandler Parsons, on his team’s performance guarding the 3-point line against Presbyterian. Florida held Presbyterian to 3-for-15 from 3-point range after allowing its previous three opponents to shoot 44.4 percent (24-54) from beyond the arc.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Season Recap:   Florida (10-3) bounced back from a three-game losing streak with recent wins against American and Presbyterian. The Gators started strong but recent injuries to freshman forward Erik Murphy (shoulder), sophomore center Kenny Kadji (back) and sophomore guard Ray Shipman (kneecap) have impacted their depth. The Gators will need to continue to address their flaws, which include rebounding, careless turnovers on the fast break and the inability to guard the 3-point line.

Player Rotation:   Usual starters—C Vernon Macklin, F Alex Tyus, F Dan Werner, G Erving Walker, G Kenny Boynton. Key subs—F Chandler Parsons, G Ray Shipman, F-C Erik Murphy.

Game Review:  

South Alabama 67, Florida 66

Florida 76, American 60

Florida 79, Presbyterian 38

Game Preview:  

at North Carolina State, Sunday, Jan. 3

at Vanderbilt, Saturday, Jan. 9

vs. Kentucky, Tuesday, Jan. 12

vs. LSU, Saturday, Jan. 16

at Arkansas, Thursday, Jan. 21

In Focus:   The increased minutes and demands at point guard appear to be affecting the shooting of 5-foot-8 sophomore Erving Walker. Walker, who led Florida in 3-point shooting last season at 41.9 percent, is shooting 30.6 percent from 3-point range this season. Walker is shooting just 4-for-19 from 3-point range over his last four games. Walker is playing 31.7 minutes per game, “It’s been my fault and I’m trying to be more careful with Erving because we are playing him a lot and sometimes he’s being put in tough situations on the defensive end of the floor,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said.

Roster Report:  

• C Kenny Kadji is awaiting a third injection to deal with a herniated disc in his lower back. “It would be safe to say that we wouldn’t be expecting any contributions from him for at least the next two weeks,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said.

• G Ray Shipman (patellar subluxation, kneecap) sat out games against American and Presbyterian and was questionable heading into the Jan. 3 at North Carolina State. Florida coach Billy Donovan said the team is taking a cautious approach with Shipman because trainers have discovered swelling behind the knee.