Tag: Florida Gators Basketball

RJ Davis passes another UNC basketball legend on All-Time Scoring List against Florida

RJ Davis moved up UNC’s all-time scoring list on Tuesday night against Florida.

It was only a matter of time before star UNC guard RJ Davis, the reigning ACC Player of the Year and preseason pick for the same award, enjoyed the offensive breakout we became accustomed to last season.

Davis enjoyed his breakout game on Tuesday night, as North Carolina lost 90-84 to Florida in the Jumpman Invitational.

Despite shooting just 3-of-11 from deep, Davis led all scorers with 29 points. He shot 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

What you may not know, though, is Davis climbed the Tar Heels’ (6-5, 1-0 ACC) all-time scoring list with his big game Tuesday. Davis, who now has 2,332 points according to GoHeels, passed Phil Ford for third in UNC history.

Tuesday was just the third time Davis scored over 20 points on North Carolina’s young season. Davis dropped 24 in the Tar Heels’ opener against Elon, then set a season-high with 30 against Dayton in the Maui Invitational.

Ford played at North Carolina from 1974-1978, then played seven NBA seasons after being the second overall pick in 1978.

Davis got scoring help on Tuesday night, particularly from his backcourt teammates. Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble each scored 11 points starting alongside Davis, while Ian Jackson added 11 off the bench.

In short, UNC’s guards combined for 62 of their 84 (73.8 percent) points. Without Davis’ production, Tuesday’s score looked significantly worse.

The Tar Heels still have plenty of season left to go, but their early returns are concerning. If North Carolina wants to turn its season around, it’ll need Davis to deliver more vintage performances like Tuesday’s.

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UNC basketball only program to have two Top 10 Games of the Week

The UNC-Florida and UNC-UCLA games are must-watch college basketball this week.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are still trying to discover themselves on the basketball court, but Saturday’s win over La Salle showed how good they can be.

UNC (6-4, 1-0 ACC) beat the visiting Explorers, 93-67, on an afternoon unofficially known as the Cade Tyson breakout game. North Carolina’s top offseason transfer, who developed into a perimeter shooting ace at Belmont, broke out for a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

The Tar Heels’ 2-game winning streak is about to be tested, though, as they face Florida (Tuesday) and UCLA (Saturday) in their next two games.

With plenty of marquee college basketball matchups on tap the week before Christmas, UNC-Florida and UNC-UCLA were named two of the country’s Top 10 matchups.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz tabbed UNC-UCLA the fourth-ranked game, then UNC-Florida fifth.

On Tuesday, December 17 at 7 p.m., North Carolina will face the Florida Gators in the Jumpman Invitational. Florida (10-0) is favored, rightfully so, but Tar Heels guard RJ Davis expects the Spectrum Center (Charlotte, NC) to feel like a home-court advantage.

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On Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. from New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, UNC will take on a much-improved UCLA (9-1) squad. The Bruins are off to a 2-0 start during their first season in the Big 10, beating Oregon and Washington in consecutive games.

North Carolina has a 1-4 record against Power 4 opponents on its young season, with the Tar Heels’ lone victory coming against Georgia Tech in their ACC opener.

Alabama blew out UNC in the ACC-SEC Challenge, while Auburn did the same in the Maui Invitational. North Carolina nearly came back to beat then-top ranked Kansas on the road, then took Michigan State into overtime.

If the Tar Heels want to prove they’re a good team this season, beating Florida and UCLA will go a long way towards that goal.

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Tip-off time announced for UNC-Florida Jumpman Invitational men’s basketball clash

UNC-Florida is one of the coming college basketball season’s highest-anticipated matchups. We now know what time the two historic programs tip off.

Despite winning the ACC Regular Season Title and carrying ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis on its roster last season, the UNC men’s basketball team wasn’t able to capture its seventh NCAA Championship.

North Carolina lost a high-scoring 89-87 battle against Alabama in the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels did plenty of things wrong in their loss, but it will sadly be remembered for an ill-advised 3-point attempt from reserve forward Jae’Lyn Withers

Florida was another team with plenty of talent on its roster, but the Gators lost to Colorado in the Round of 64.

In one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2024-2025 college basketball season, UNC will play Florida in the Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

North Carolina discovered its date three months ago, but now knows the time it’ll be playing at: 7 p.m. Eastern. This means that if you’re a Tar Heels basketball fan, start making plans to be free for some college hoops that night.

There isn’t a ton of history between UNC and the Gators, but the two programs did last meet on Nov. 28, 2014 in the Bahamas. North Carolina won this game, 75-64.

The Tar Heels play Florida as part of a grueling non-conference slate, which also includes Dayton, Alabama, UCLA and 2022 NCAA Champion Kansas,

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Oklahoma men’s basketball announces SEC opponents for 2024-2025

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball program released their conference opponents for the 2024-2025 season and a blue blood is coming to Norman.

The 2024-2025 college basketball season is a pivotal one for the Oklahoma Sooners. Despite an improved season in 2023-2024, the Sooners failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the third season in a row.

They have to work to get back into March Madness against a whole new batch of opponents. On Monday, the OU men’s basketball program released its conference opponents for their maiden voyage in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

The Sooners will play home and home against former Big 12 counterparts Texas, Texas A&M and Missouri. The Sooners will go on the road to face Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss. Making their way to the Lloyd Noble Center are Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

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Texas A&M guards Hayden Hefner & Jace Carter explain second half woes vs. Florida in SEC semifinals

Texas A&M was eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals following a 95-90 loss against Florida. After the game, the media spoke to Aggies guards, senior Hayden Hefner and junior Jace Carter. The Gators outscored …

Texas A&M was eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals following a 95-90 loss against Florida.

After the game, the media spoke to Aggies guards, senior Hayden Hefner and junior Jace Carter.

The Gators outscored Texas A&M in the second half 53-40 and Carter was asked by TexAgs about what was different in the final 20 minutes.

“I don’t think anything changed, I think our recipe is our recipe. I don’t think we changed up the way we were playing at that time in the game. I think they just made a lot of shots down the stretch,” Carter explained. “I don’t think it was an offensive problem, we scored 90 points. We just didn’t get stops, had a low amount of turkeys and they shot 50% from three, it was our defense.”

The Eagle asked Hefner about the Aggies’ stagnation in the second half versus Florida.

“When the whistle is getting blown a lot, it’s just hard maintaining a flow with what we’re trying to accomplish,” Hefner said. “We always try to reiterate to one another and the coaching staff is always talking to us about just staying in the moment and not letting that affect what we’re trying to accomplish.”

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Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams discusses defense after loss to Florida in semifinals of SEC Tournament

“Our defense is wired to not give up points at the rim, not to allow the ball to get to the paint,” he said. “We were slow on the contest.”

Texas A&M men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams spoke to the media after a 95-90 loss against Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and discussed his team’s defensive effort.

“We did a good job in their secondary and transition. It was similar to what we did in College Station when we played them,” Williams said. “I think you have to make a decision on are you going to let them score at the rim or try to be in position to contest the three? They shot 26% of their shots at the rim.

“Our defense is wired to not give up points at the rim, not to allow the ball to get to the paint. We were slow on the contest and I thought they did a good job when it came out of the post. If we mustered getting it to the next guy, the guy that’s in the double is the one who has to get it to the next guy.

“That’s where we were hurt the most.”

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Texas A&M men’s basketball team blows 18-point lead vs. Florida in semifinals of SEC Tournament

The Aggies will not be advancing to the finals of the SEC Tournament for the third year in a row after blowing a 18-point first half lead.

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team will not be advancing to the finals of the SEC Tournament for the third year in a row after blowing an 18-point first half lead against Florida.

The Aggies (20-14) were defeated 95-90 by the Gators (24-10) on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Five Florida players scored at least 15 points, led by sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-9 field goal attempts, 4-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Aberdeen was the difference this weekend after scoring only 2 points during the Gators‘ 67-66 loss at Reed Arena on Feb. 3.

Aggies junior point guard Wade Taylor IV came out on a mission Saturday after tallying 32 points Friday during a victory versus Kentucky. Taylor scored 11-of-15 Texas A&M points to start the game against Florida on 4-of-5 shots and 3-of-3 from downtown.

At halftime, the Aggies led 50-42 and had 40 of their points come from three guards: Taylor (20), junior Manny Obaseki (12) and senior Tyrece “Boots” Radford (8).

Texas A&M’s floor general finished with a game-high 30 points (10-23 FG, 6-12 3PT, 4-4 FT). Eight-two points is the most scored in the SEC Tournament since Collin Sexton with Alabama in 2018.

The Gators went on a 24-8 run in the second half to take their first lead of the game at 72-70 with 7:37 left. Coach Buzz Williams joked with ESPN sideline reporter Marty Smith at intermission about getting him to suit up since most of the key Aggies were in foul trouble, which ultimately sparked Florida’s scoring streak.

The Gators will play Auburn on Sunday at 11 a.m. in the SEC Championship game on ESPN. Texas A&M will now await its NCAA Tournament fate, which will be revealed on Sunday night.

With two victories in a competitive conference tourney, the Aggies have likely locked up a March Madness berth.

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Texas A&M Basketball has earned another all-important Quad 1 win

With Florida’s win this weekend, Texas A&M’s recent victory over the Gators has turned into another all-important Quad 1 victory.

Texas A&M (15-10, 6-6 SEC) may be reeling from a two-game losing streak in conference play, but for Aggies fans who feel the team has regressed completely, this is just part of the chaotic journey towards earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

With six games remaining in the regular season, finishing 3-3, 4-2, or better is realistically in reach, barring a complete meltdown. As we’ve seen throughout SEC play and the last two seasons under head coach Buzz Williams, this team will not lack motivation when a second consecutive trip to the Big Dance is on the line.

Texas A&M’s record may be ugly this season, but there’s more to the story. Still, after enduring one of the toughest nonconference slates, including a neutral court win over No. 10 Iowa State, the Aggies earned five Quad 1 victories after defeating then-No. 6-ranked Tennessee last Saturday, and as of Sunday morning, A&M’s Feb. 3 win over Florida has now turned into another Quad 1 win, making six on the season for the Maroon & White.

Looking back to last season, when the Aggies finished 15-3 for a second-place finish in the SEC, A&M received a surprising 7-seed in the tournament due to a soft nonconference schedule and a lack of Quad 1 victories in the NET rankings. With Sunday’s news, the Aggies are one of ten teams in the country with six Quad 1 wins, making their NCAA Tournament dreams much more attainable, coupled with a solid finish to end the season.

Texas A&M will host Arkansas inside Reed Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

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Game Preview: Florida Gators look keep rolling vs LSU Tigers

Here’s how the Florida Gators will lineup against the LSU Tigers on Tuesday night

The Florida Gators have found new life within the past few weeks, and seem to be feeling themselves a little bit extra after a bye last week. The Orange and Blue return to Exactech Arena on Tuesday night, coming off a double-digit upset against the Auburn Tigers.

Now the Gators are welcoming the other Tigers into Gainesville as LSU will attempt to halt Florida’s momentum. LSU has struggled since the start of SEC play, claiming a 4-6 conference record and is 1-5 while playing on the road.

The Tigers most recently fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide at home and on the road against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Here’s how the teams will line up during the opening tip of Tuesday night’s contest.

Everything Tyrece Radford & Solomon Washington had to say after the win over Florida

Here’s what Texas A&M players Washington and Radford had to say after the win at home over Florida.

Texas A&M (13-8, 4-4 SEC) stormed back in the second half to defeat a hot Florida Gators (15-7, 5-4 SEC) team on Saturday afternoon.

The Aggies needed a win to keep pace in a very competitive SEC where there was a log jam in the middle of the conference with five teams at 3-3.5 games out of the top spot.

While A&M did go cold from the field after starting hot, they continued to attack the basket and play solid defense, leading to a much better second half. Tyrece Radford went off for a game-high 26 points, and sophomore forward Solomon Washington’s defense caused multiple turnovers down the stretch to seal the win. Both sat down after the game to discuss their performances after the victory.

“it’s a team win it wasn’t just only me my big game I think. Manny played big minutes Solo played big minutes everybody who played really did a good job at what they was supposed to do”

-Radford

“I told them put me on zero simple, uh we lost the last game on that type of shot, so I feel like I’m the best defender on the team, so I just accepted the challenge I said I wanted them and I want a match up right now”

– Washington

Below, you can watch the full post-game presser with Solomon Washington & Tyrece Radford.

Texas A&M will be back on the road to take on the Missouri Tigers on February 7th at 8:00 pm CT

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