Category: Men’s Basketball

Gators hoops sees small rise in CBS Sports rankings after Ohio State win

The Gators are up to No. 19 in CBS’ rankings after their gutsy win over Ohio State.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=none image=https://gatorswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Florida basketball is off to its best start in a while, sitting at 6-0 with a pair of Quadrant 1 wins already over Florida State and Ohio State. The former came by 16 points and snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Seminoles, while the latter came on a buzzer-beating three from Tyree Appleby.

The Gators have been one of the most surprising teams in college basketball to this point in the season, and they continue to rise in both the polls and power rankings from publications. CBS Sports’ college basketball rankings are no different, and they have UF up one spot to No. 19 in the latest power rankings (note: these rankings were released before Florida’s 84-45 beatdown of Troy on Sunday).

Phlandrous Fleming Jr. got 19 points off the bench in Wednesday’s 71-68 win over Ohio State. The Gators’ next game is Sunday against Troy.

Fleming’s impressive performance against the Buckeyes was enough to earn a start against Troy, and he finished with a solid 11 points and six rebounds as every member of UF’s starting five scored in double figures.

The Gators have one of their toughest tests of the season so far on Wednesday night as the team travels to Norman to take on Oklahoma for what will be its first true road game of the season. A win over the Sooners could mean an undefeated run in conference play for Florida, as its only remaining Quadrant 1 game after this one before SEC play begins comes against Maryland.

UF didn’t have many expectations to start this season, but the transfer portal strategy seems to be working so far. The question will be if this level of play will be able to continue once the team gets into the meat of conference play in a league that should be very competitive this season.

[lawrence-related id=62558,62546,62490,62488]

[listicle id=62408]

[vertical-gallery id=62560]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

How to follow Florida basketball at Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday

Here’s everything you need to know to follow tonight’s clash between the Gators and Sooners.

Florida basketball returns to the parquet on Wednesday night to face the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. The Gators bring in a perfect 6-0 record and a top-20 placement in both major polls into tonight’s tangle while the Sooners are 6-1 on the young season but fresh out of votes in the polls.

This game was originally scheduled for last season but got sidetracked by the COVID pandemic, shifting the home-and-home series a year back. The two schools have only met three times before, with UF holding a 2-1 edge thanks to a neutral court OT win on Dec. 30, 1995, and a road win on Jan. 28, 2017; OU won the most recent game on a neutral court on Nov. 21, 2018.

After starting the season perfect, Florida basketball heads to Oklahoma

Gameday betting odds for Florida basketball at Oklahoma Sooners

Here is a look at how to follow Sunday afternoon’s action across various media starting at 8 p.m. EST.

Television: Bally Sports

Play-by-Play: Chad McKee

Analyst: Bryndon Manzer

Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network

Play-by-Play: Mick Hubert

Analyst: Lee Humphrey

Game Track: FloridaGators.com, ESPN app

Game Notes: FloridaGators.com

Follow the Action: Follow Gators Wire (@GatorsWire) Twitter for more updates.

Prediction: Florida 78, Oklahoma 67

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

After starting the season perfect, Florida basketball heads to Oklahoma

Florida basketball has been hot lately, but the Gators need to get it done on the road against Oklahoma to stay perfect.

After finishing the month of November with an unblemished record for the first time since 2012-13, Florida basketball is set to face a transitioning Oklahoma program on Wednesday.

Defense has been the name of the game for the Gators, and key wins over Florida State and Ohio State has Florida ranked No. 14 in the latest AP Poll. The Seminoles lost to No. 2 Purdue by nearly 30 points on Tuesday so the early win over FSU might not age too well outside of Gainesville, but Ohio State managed to upset No. 1 Duke on the same night. The differing outcomes might not paint the clearest picture of where Florida sits in the grand scheme of things, but a top-10 ranking is becoming more reasonable for the Gators by the day.

The matchup against Oklahoma won’t be as easy as Florida’s blowout win over Troy on Sunday. Similar to Florida, Oklahoma made good use of the transfer portal in the offseason by adding 6-foot-10-inch, 235-pound forward Tanner Groves to the team. Groves leads the team with 14.6 points per game and uses his size to pull down 6.3 rebounds per game. That size should come in handy against Florida’s big man Colin Castleton.

If Castleton does have the toughest matchup on the floor, then Florida’s guards should be able to step up offensively for the team. Tyree Appleby was the hero late against Ohio State hitting a buzzer-beating three to seal the tournament victory. Myreon Jones got things going with some early threes against Troy, and the Gators never trailed in that one.

On defense, the switch to an aggressive 2-2-1 zone has seemed to pay off for Florida. The Gators like to play gritty basketball, and every loose ball is worth diving for to them. That energy has helped Florida win the turnover battle in every game so far this year, and the team record speaks for itself. “Defense wins championships” might be overused these days in sports, but it’s repeated because the adage has proven to be true time after time.

Projected Starting Lineup: FLORIDA

Player Pos H/W Class
Anthony Duruji F 6-7 / 220 R-Senior
Colin Castleton F 6-11 / 231 Senior
Tyree Appleby G 6-5 / 205 Senior
Phlandrous Fleming Jr. G 6-5 / 205 Graduate
Myreon Jones G 6-3 / 175 Senior

Projected Starting Lineup: OKLAHOMA

Player Pos H/W Class
Jalen Hill F 6-6 / 218 Junior
Tanner Groves F 6-10 / 235 Senior
Jordan Goldwire G 6-2 / 194 R-Senior
Umoja Gibson G 6-1 / 169 Senior
Elijah Harkless G 5-8 / 160 Senior

Betting odds for Florida basketball vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Betting odds for Florida basketball vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

Here is a look at the odds for tonight’s Gator game against the Sooners.

We have a midweek matchup for Florida basketball on our hands tonight when they travel to face the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman for the first of a home-and-home between the two schools. This game was supposed to be played last season but was canceled due to the COVID pandemic, so this is one that has been brewing for some time.

The Gators enter the game with a perfect 6-0 record, which includes a buzzer-beating win over the Ohio State Buckeyes — who just knocked off the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday night — while sitting in the top 20 of both major polls. The Sooners are 6-1, with their lone loss coming against the Utah State Aggies at the Myrtle Beach Invitational in November; Oklahoma received zero votes in both polls this week.

On Wednesday morning, the Tipico Sportsbook gave the Gators a 1.5 point edge over the Sooners while the over-under set at 135.5, and the moneylines for Florida and Oklahoma are -112 and -108, respectively, as of 11 a.m. EST.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday inside the Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Oklahoma. The game will be broadcast by Bally Sports, livestreamed at BallySports.com and can be heard on the Gators IMG Sports Network.

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

Visit our free to play game lobby at Daily Ticket, Powered by Tipico Sportsbook

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida basketball finally cracks ESPN’s top 16 after Ohio State win

Florida was previously just outside the power rankings and “in the waiting room.”

It’s been a fantastic start to the 2021-22 basketball season for coach Mike White’s Florida team. The Gators took down a ranked Florida State team, earning their first win in the rivalry series since 2013, and they followed that up with winning the championship at the Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament, downing Ohio State with a buzzer-beater three from Tyree Appleby.

UF had previously been “in the waiting room” outside the top 16 in ESPN’s power rankings, but after a 6-0 start that has featured two Quadrant 1 wins (one of only two schools to do so, the other being Duke), the Gators are up to No. 13 in the power rankings this week.

The preseason buzz coming out of Gainesville centered mostly on Charleston Southern transfer Phlandrous Fleming Jr., an excellent two-way player in the Big South who was adapting seamlessly to life at an SEC program. But that didn’t come across during the first couple of games of the season, as Fleming came off the bench and had 13 points on 14 shots in wins over Elon and Florida State. Maybe the preseason sparkle had worn off? Not so fast. Fleming has stepped forward in the past four games, including 19 points and four steals in last week’s win over Ohio State. He has scored in double figures in four straight games, and Fleming earned a start against Troy on Sunday, tallying 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal in 24 minutes on the floor.

Fleming has certainly been a big part of Florida’s success in the last few games, and with Brandon McKissic and Myreon Jones playing well and C.J. Felder starting to see more playing time as well, coach Mike White‘s transfer haul is off to a very good start this season.

The Gators have what will likely be their toughest remaining test in the non-conference slate on Wednesday night when they travel to Norman to take on a good Oklahoma team. This will be Florida’s first true road game this season, and if it wins, it has a good chance of entering conference play with an unblemished record.

This team didn’t begin the year with many expectations, but that is quickly beginning to change. White’s teams haven’t exactly handled expectations well in the past, but this veteran squad could be different.

[lawrence-related id=62490,62488]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Quick Hitters: Oregon Ducks get back on the right track with 87-47 win over Montana

The Ducks got a much-needed blowout victory over the Montana Grizzlies on Monday night.

After the last few games for the Oregon Ducks, this was surely a sight for sore eyes.

The Ducks had dropped 3 of their past 4 games before this one, dating back to the BYU blowout in the Phil Knight Invitational. In all three losses, they failed to score over 20 points in the first half.

So when they surpassed the 20-point mark before the first half even reached the 10-minute mark on Monday, it deserved recognition.

The offense was flowing, the shots were falling, and players in large part looked to be having fun on the court. They weren’t thinking, but they were simply playing basketball. With a few big games on the schedule coming up, including a home-stand against a top-10 ranked Baylor team on December 18th, it will be important for Oregon to get back on the right track.

Here are a couple of quick-hit stats to know after the game:

Florida basketball moves into AP Top 15 after starting 6-0

Florida didn’t get a single vote in the preseason AP Poll, but the Gators are ranked in the top 15 going into Week 4.

A 6-0 start by Florida has the Gators ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 Poll heading into Week 4 of the college basketball season.

Wins over Cal and Ohio State at the Fort Myers Tip-Off before Thanksgiving and a 39-point blowout against Troy helped Florida move up nine spots and past No. 16 Alabama. Before the season started, the Gators had no votes in the AP Poll and were expected to finish somewhere between sixth and eighth in the conference.

Tennessee sits one spot ahead of Florida this week at No. 13, and Kentucky and Arkansas control the No. 9 and 10 spots, respectively. Auburn rounds out the list of ranked SEC teams at No. 21, and LSU is just the third team out of the top 25 after starting undefeated as well.

Florida beat some quality teams in November, but none of them will start December ranked. Conference play will be the most challenging part of Florida’s season, but the Gators have to it one week at a time until then.

The Gators only face Oklahoma on the road in the coming week. The Sooners already took care of one Florida team this season (a 65-62 win over UCF) and are looking to get some poll votes of their own after a 6-1 start.

Here is the full top 25 in the AP Poll this week.

AP Top 25 Poll – Week 3

Rank Team Record Points
1 Duke 4-0 1,513 (51)
2 Purdue 4-0 1,442 (9)
3 Gonzaga 6-1 1,428 (1)
4 Baylor 7-0 1,324
5 UCLA 6-1 1,253
6 Villanova 4-2 1,147
7 Texas 4-1 1,115
8 Kansas 5-1 1,027
9 Kentucky 5-1 1,002
10 Arkansas 6-0 960
11 Arizona 6-0 851
12  BYU 6-0 791
13 Tennesse 4-1 730
14 Florida 6-0 681
15 Houston 5-1 631
16 Alabama 6-1 456
17 Connecticut 6-1 437
18 Memphis 5-1 435
19 Iowa State 6-0 403
20 USC 6-0 380
21 Auburn 5-1 325
22 Michigan St. 5-2 295
23 Wisconsin 5-1 224
24 Michigan 4-2 177
25 Seton Hall 5-1 151

Schools Dropped Out

No. 14 Illinois; No. 16 St. Bonaventure; No. 25 Xavier.

Others Receiving Votes

Illinois 111, St. Bonaventure 106, LSU 93, Ohio St. 75, Indiana 63, Colorado St. 59, Xavier 46, Texas Tech 34, Marquette 23, North Carolina 9, Iowa 9, San Francisco 7, Loyola Chicago 3, Virginia Tech 3, Louisville 2, Wake Forest 2, Ohio 1, Iona 1.

[lawrence-related id=62488]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida basketball sees major rise in latest USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll

Take a look at where Florida basketball landed in the latest Coaches Poll.

Florida basketball is off to a fantastic start to the 2021-22 season. The Gators are 6-0, snapped their seven-game losing streak against rival Florida State and took down the Ohio State Buckeyes on a buzzer-beater to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday night.

After a hot start for a team that didn’t begin the year with high expectations, UF is quickly rising in the polls. In the latest update to the USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, the Gators saw a 12-spot rise from No. 24 all the way up to No. 12. This is the highest Florida has been ranked in the Coaches Poll since the preseason poll to begin the 2019-20 season, in which it ranked No. 6.

The Gators are now the third-highest ranked team in the SEC, behind No. 9 Arkansas and No. 10 Kentucky. UF ranks ahead of No. 15 Tennessee, No. 16 Alabama (who fell seven spots after a loss to Rick Pitino’s Iona team), and No. 21 Auburn. LSU isn’t ranked, but it was the third-highest vote recipient of teams outside the top 25.

Florida coach Mike White is off to perhaps his best start with the Gators, and though the next game is a difficult one on the road against Oklahoma, this team could enter conference play with a lot of momentum (and potentially, an undefeated record).

Here’s the full top 25 in the Coaches Poll this week.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Duke 7-0 761 (16) +5
2 Purdue 6-0 742 (10) +2
3 Gonzaga 6-1 706 -2
4 Baylor 7-0 693 (2) +1
5 UCLA 6-1 627 -3
6 Villanova 4-2 563 +1
7 Kansas 5-1 524 -4
8 Texas 4-1 500 –
9 Arkansas 6-0 473 +3
10 Kentucky 5-1 436 +3
11 Arizona 6-0 431 +8
12 Florida 6-0 425 +12
13 BYU 6-0 399 +5
14 Houston 5-1 321 -3
15 Tennessee 4-1 304 +2
16 Alabama 6-1 231 -7
17 Connecticut 6-1 222 +4
18 USC 6-0 205 +7
19 Memphis 5-1 184 -9
20 Auburn 5-1 145 +2
21 Wisconsin 5-1 140 –
22 Michigan State 5-2 138 +7
23 Iowa State 6-0 134 –
24 Michigan 4-2 123 -11
25 St. Bonaventure 5-1 96 -9

Schools Dropped Out

No. 15 Illinois; No. 20 Seton Hall; No. 23 Oregon.

Others Receiving Votes

Seton Hall 86; Texas Tech 68; Louisiana State 66; Illinois 65; Ohio St. 43; Marquette 42; Colorado St. 38; Indiana 29; Iowa 28; Xavier 25; Florida State 22; Utah St. 13; Providence 11; West Virginia 5; San Francisco 5; Saint Louis 3; Oklahoma State 3.

[listicle id=62408]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Three takeaways following Florida’s dominant win over Troy

This one was never in doubt. The Gators crushed Troy, 84-45.

Florida started the game off with a 13-0 run against Troy and never looked back in an 84-45 victory over the Trojans.

The Gators didn’t shoot the ball too well against Ohio State on Wednesday, but it was a different story against Troy. Myreon Jones drained his first few three-point attempts and Tyree Appleby, the hero against the Buckeyes, added a couple more from deep. The starting guard duo combined for 24 points and six three-pointers.

As well as the offense played for Florida, the defense might have been the bigger story forcing 21 turnovers. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. got his first start for Florida, giving the Gators a different spark to start the game. It became clear very quickly that Troy didn’t have the talent to keep up with Florida, and backups made their way into the game. Freshmen Elijah Kennedy and Kowacie Reeves played 13 minutes each in the win, a career-high for both players.

Colin Castleton didn’t need to be the star in this one, but he still managed to score 10 points and collect eight rebounds. The big man has been pivotal in some of the team’s early wins, but the guards have picked things up lately for the team.

How to follow Florida basketball vs. Troy Trojans on Sunday

Here’s everything you need to know to follow today’s parquet action against the Troy Trojans.

It is gameday once again and this time it is the Florida men’s basketball team in action against the Troy Trojans in the O’Connell Center on Sunday afternoon. The Gators are looking to finish off a perfect November to start the 2021-22 campaign with six wins — interestingly, the same number of wins the football team has thanks to its victory over FSU on Saturday.

While today’s matchup lacks the history and drama that yesterday’s did, it is still an important game for Florida as it needs to take advantage of its non-conference schedule before entering the gauntlet that is SEC play.

Can Florida basketball finish November 6-0?

Betting odds for Florida basketball vs. Troy Trojans

Here is a look at how to follow Sunday afternoon’s action across various media starting at noon EST.

Television: SEC Network

Play-by-Play: Mike Morgan

Analyst: Dane Bradshaw

Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network

Play-by-Play: Mick Hubert

Analyst: Lee Humphrey

Game Track: FloridaGators.com, ESPN app

Game Notes: FloridaGators.com

Follow the Action: Follow Gators Wire (@GatorsWire) Twitter for more updates.

Prediction: Florida 85, Troy 65

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.