Tag: Florida Gators Basketball

Everything Buzz Williams had to say after the win over Florida

Here’s what Texas A&M Head Coach Buzz Williams 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.

This was a very interesting game to watch as Florida is what some would consider a run-and-gun team putting a ton of pressure on opponents while averaging over 80 points a game. They came into Aggieland sporting a four-game winning streak. That came to an end on Saturday afternoon and a big factor was the second-half defense leading to a 67-66 win.

Outside of the emotionally charged performance from veteran guard Tyrece Radford, who led the game with 26 points and the game-winning bucket, one fellow standout from the game was the high-energy sophomore forward Soloman Washington, who’s been making the most of increased playing time. Coach Buzz Williams touched on how Washington always wants to guard the best player from the other team.

“..because of how he grew up and where he’s from in his life story, he embraces how hard things are, and he wants to be at the front of the line, and I think he was the last well he was throughout the day, but those last two possessions he was stellar.”

Below, you can watch the full post-game presser with Coach Buzz.

 

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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After a tumultuous week, Texas A&M guard Tyrece Radford leads the Aggies to a thrilling 67-66 win over Florida

Dealing with personal adversity this week, veteran Aggies point guard Tyrece Radford willed the Aggies to an exciting 67-66 win over Florida.

Texas A&M (13-8, 4-4 SEC) earned a much-needed 67-66 win over the visiting Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon, as one of the hottest teams in the country succumbed to a second-half Aggie surge, engineered by embattled veteran guard Tyrece Radford.

Radford, who scored a game-high 26 points (10-16, 2-3 3-Point), including the eventual game-winning shot with 35 seconds remaining, played like a man on a mission just a day after his arrest for an incident in December.

Looking to re-integrate himself as a dependable scoring option outside of star guard Wade Taylor IV, Radford’s 13 points in last Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss was as much of a wake-up call as ever.

Knowing that every game remaining on the Aggies’ conference schedule is a must-win from now on, Radford noted head coach Buzz Williams’s trust in his ability on the court and character through all the adversity he has dealt with the past two days.

“Buzz Williams believes in me. I believe in him. Buzz will be my guy for life. We believe in each other every day.”

This week, GigEm247’s Carter Karels and I conveyed the same message regarding Radford’s importance to Texas A&M’s offense not to waste Wade Taylor’s exceptional outings throughout the season and, most importantly, close games.

However, credit to Taylor’s 15 points coupled with forwards Soloman Washington’s (10 points, four rebounds) and Andersson Garcia’s (9 points, six rebounds) solid performances aided the Aggies late to overcome what was a 12-point deficit at the start of the second half.

“It was a team win, not just my big game. Everybody did a great job with what they’re supposed to do.”

Simply put, Stats do not lie, as the Aggies are now 10-1 when Radford scores at least 20 points in a game, and while Saturday’s production likely can’t be depended on week to week, this was indeed a solid rebound for a player with everything to prove.

With the win over the Gators, the Aggies now hold an impressive 5-4 Quad 1 record.

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

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Post Game: Texas A&M defends home court, escaping the Florida Gators 67-66

The Aggies bounce back on Saturday afternoon to beat a surging Florida Gator team at Reed Arena

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 game started at an exciting pace, with the officials letting both teams play while letting some of the softer calls go. A series of runs between the teams kept the game close early, with the Gators knocking down threes and the Aggies driving to the basket. Neither team could pull away, with the game being tied at 25 apiece with six minutes left in the first half.

Around the four-minute mark, Florida began winning the rebounding battle and getting numerous foul calls for easy points from the free throw line to go up 32-25 for their largest lead of the game. With A&M star guard Wade Taylor IV on the bench with three fouls, the Aggies struggled to find any offense outside of Tyrece Radford driving to the basket.

Florida shot lights out from beyond the arc, eventually pulling out to an 11-point lead before the Aggies finally started to get a few things going. A&M scored the final five points of the half, capped off by a Radford three to cut the Gator lead to 40-34 heading into the locker room.

The second half started off in the worst way possible for the Maroon & White, as the Gators scored a quick six points off consecutive three-pointers, leading to Wade Taylor leaving the court with an apparent injury. Fortunately, he could reenter the game after a brief trip to the locker room. After the early surge, Florida’s lead hovered around the six to ten range and would answer back every time A&M tried to make a run.

In a change of pace between both squads, the Aggies started to push the ball end to end and aggressively attacked the basket for a few and-ones off fouls. Then a beautiful legs step-back three from Taylor gave A&M Its first lead of the second half to go up 57-56 with around eight minutes left.

Texas A&M’s defense finally settled in well, and the offense stayed aggressive to the basket, keeping the game extremely close until the final seconds. Then, with the Aggies up 67-66 following Tyrece Radford’s smooth lay-in, A&M forced the Gators into a tie-up that favored the Maroon & White. With a chance to seal the game or at least turn it into a free-throw match, the Gators pressed the inbound pass from Taylor.

In a mental lapse, Taylor ran the baseline right after being told not to, which led to an untimely and possibly game-sealing turnover. Now, with the ball back and only down one, the Gators were in prime position to take the lead with under 18 seconds left on the clock. However, after the inbound pass, Florida made two clean shots at the basket but missed both, giving the Aggies a much-needed 67-66 win at home.

Note: Tyrece Radford started the game after his recent arrest.

Below are the Aggies critical contributors from the game:

Wade Taylor IV:  15 points / 3 rebounds / 1 assists

Tyrece Radford:  26 points / 5 rebounds

Andersson Garcia:  9 points / 6 rebounds

Soloman Washington:  10 points / 4 rebounds / 4 assists

Florida’s top contributors:

Will Richard: 15 points / 1 rebounds

Zyon Pullin: 18 points/ 8 assists

Riley Kugel: 12 points / 5 rebounds / 4 assists

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

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

How to watch: Texas A&M vs. Florida basketball game

Texas A&M will welcome the Florida Gators to Reed Arena on Saturday noon for a pivotal SEC matchup

Texas A&M (12-8, 3-4 SEC) will be at home to host the Florida Gators (15-6, 5-3 SEC) on Saturday at 1:00 PM CST.

The Aggies are who they are at this point until we see a different type of consistency from this team. After looking like A&M might be turning a corner, they were unable to close out the game against Ole Miss. Wade Taylor IV, like usual, led the way with 30 points. Still, a late defensive lapse allowed the Rebels to snatch the victory away in the final minutes. The Aggies remain a very up-and-down team, still trying to find their identity.

Florida started off a little rough but is now one of the hottest teams in the SEC. All five starters average double-digits in scoring and are currently averaging 85 points a game while sporting a four-game winning streak. They are rising high after defeating #10 Kentucky and will look to extend their steak when they visit Reed Arena on Saturday.

The A&M SEC opponents are hosting Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee at Reed Arena to highlight the home slate. The Aggies’ road foes include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.

Gators drop couple of spots in first KenPom ratings of 2024

The Florida Gators are on a six-game win streak after the conclusion of the 2023 calendar year, rising its stock in the KenPom ratings

After an impressive run through December, the Florida Gators built a six-game win streak, but the statistics caused a drop in the first edition of the 2024 KenPom ratings.

The Gators fell two spots in Wednesday’s update, which isn’t drastic considering they haven’t played a game since Dec. 30. Head coach Todd Golden and Co. are working with a plus-16.17 adjusted efficiency margin, marking them at No. 35 in the nation. Before the update, Florida dropped to plus-16.66, plummeting .26 points.

The team’s adjusted offensive efficiency (points scored per 100 possessions) is currently sitting at 34th best in the nation, falling five spots from the previous list.

Florida’s upcoming opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats, are No. 18 overall in the adjusted efficiency margin and are ranked among the top 10 for the adjusted offense.

To put it simply: The Gators will have their hands full on Saturday.

Florida will host the conference opener against the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 12:30 p.m. and the rivalry matchup will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Florida Gators SG Julian Rishwain cleared for season opener

The Florida Gators open its season against the Loyola Greyhounds on Monday night and transfer SG Rishwain has been cleared for action.

Finally, the Florida Gators basketball season is upon us.

The Orange and Blue are ready to lace up and take to the hardwood to start a brand new year. Florida is hosting the Loyola Greyhounds at the O’Dome on Monday night and they’ll have a key player returning to the lineup.

Senior transfer [autotag]Julian Rishwain[/autotag] was cleared to play on Thursday afternoon after going through an offseason of rehab in his right knee. The shooting guard tore his ACL back in January.

Rishwain stated that he feels more than ready to play on Monday night.

“I’m feeling like I’m a go for Monday,” Rishwain said. “I felt great out there tonight. The recovery process was long but I did it at 150 percent and I feel like I made up some time to come back. Duke Werner, our [trainer], thought I’d come back a little later but I think I made great time to get back in time for the start of the season.”

Rishwain transferred from San Francisco over the offseason and participated in the Orange and Blue scrimmage game Thursday night, giving him the clear sign that he’s ready to go.

The transfer will be getting a fresh start with Florida but with a familiar face at head coach. Todd Golden was in charge of San Francisco when Rishwain transferred to the program in 2020.

Tipoff between the Florida Gators and Loyola Greyhounds is set for 8 p.m. EST and will broadcast on SEC Network+.

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Todd Golden is building the future of Florida Gators basketball

Todd Golden is building the future of Florida Gators basketball

Florida Gators basketball head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] is entering his second year leading the Orange and Blue on the hardwood.

The Gators finished with a subpar 16-17 record last season and an early exit in the National Invitational Tournament at the hands of the UCF Knights, 67-49.

Golden is drinking with a glass-half-full perspective for this season and wants to build off last year.

“Yeah, obviously Year 1, a great experience,” Golden said. “We didn’t finish the way we wanted to, but we had some really good moments. I thought toward the middle of conference play we kind of figured ourselves out.”

The Gators were 6-2 in conference play until leading scorer Colin Castleton broke his right hand during a contest against the Ole Miss Rebels.

“We just didn’t have enough behind (Castleton) to weather that storm,” Golden said.

Golden will look to weather the storm and ride the lightning this year by bringing in fresh faces, utilizing the transfer portal. The second-year coach is welcoming five transfers to the 2023 squad, including graduate power forward Tyrese Samuel.

“We knew we needed to replace a lot of production as (Castleton) left our program and I feel like we did a really good job of getting a balance in the frontcourt and the backcourt,” Golden said. “Starting with Tyrese Samuel, who averaged double figures and did a really good job at Seton Hall last year.”

Golden is looking forward to the performances of incoming center Micah Handlogten from Marshall and point guard Zyon Pullin from UC Riverside.

“Those guys can all really help us in different ways,” Golden said. “And to get guys who have performed and been efficient and done well at their previous stops should help us this coming year.”

The former San Francisco coach thinks retaining players each season is vital to a program’s long-term success, and the Gators faced the challenge of rebuilding after losing a number of pieces.

“I think the key to that also is you have to get your program to a spot where you want to retain everybody and make sure those guys are on board with what you’re doing,” Golden said. “But I look at our program going from last year to this year, we did not have a lot of retention but we did highlight and find a handful of guys we thought were great fits for our program to take the next step.”

Golden added the team is welcoming back nine players from last year, and he wants to use them as the pillars for the future of Florida Gators basketball program. The chemistry between players will be vital to separating the team from the others.

The process will be tested when the Florida Gators open the season at the O’Connell Center on Nov. 6 against the Loyola Greyhounds. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. EST and air on SEC Network+.

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Twitter reacts: UGA hires head coach Mike White away from Florida

The Georgia Bulldogs basketball program is hiring former Florida Gators coach Mike White. Fans of both schools are optimistic about the move

The Georgia Bulldogs are hiring former Florida Gators coach Mike White.

Mike White has a career record of 243-127 as a head coach. He helped Louisiana Tech achieve three first-place regular finishes in conference play. White made the NCAA Tournament four times with Florida, which does not include the canceled 2020 NCAA Tournament (Florida was projected to make the field of 68 teams).

White replaces former Georgia head coach Tom Crean following Georgia’s 6-26 season. The Bulldogs went 1-17 in SEC games in 2021-2022.

Georgia Bulldogs guard Kario Oquendo was a bright spot in 2021-2022. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

White will have an uphill battle to begin his Georgia career. He will have to improve the roster’s talent level. Georgia did have some bad luck with injuries in 2021-2022, but the Bulldogs need more talent.

Georgia had 10 players added to the roster last offseason. UGA needs to add some recruits or transfers to the class of 2022.

Mike White played college basketball in the SEC at Ole Miss from 1995 to 1999. He helped Ole Miss make three NCAA Tournaments and later served as an assistant coach for Ole Miss.

White served as the head coach of Louisiana Tech from 2011 to 2015. White had been Florida’s head coach since 2015.

How did Georgia basketball Twitter react to Mike White’s hiring at Georgia?

Georgia basketball has different expectations than Florida basketball:

Was Florida considering moving on from Mike White? Probably not, but if they were, then the Gators saved some money.

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Georgia basketball hires Florida’s Mike White as head coach

The Georgia Bulldogs did not take long to find a new head men’s basketball coach. Georgia is hiring former Florida Gators coach Mike White.

The Georgia Bulldogs did not take long to find a new head men’s basketball coach. Georgia is hiring former Florida Gators coach Mike White.

Mike White helped Florida go 19-13 and 9-9 in SEC play during the 2021-2022 season, but the Gators final to make the NCAA Tournament. Former Georgia head coach Tom Crean and the Bulldogs had a rough 6-26 season. Georgia went just 1-17 in conference action.

White will have an uphill battle to begin his Georgia career. He will have to try to build the roster with recruits for the long run while adding a few impact transfers.

Mike White played college basketball at Ole Miss from 1995 to 1999. He helped Ole Miss make three NCAA Tournaments.

White started his coaching career as an assistant with Jacksonville State from 2000 to 2004. He later returned to an assistant coach role with Ole Miss from 2004 to 2011. He finally became head coach of Louisiana Tech from 2011 to 2015. White had been Florida’s head coach since 2015.

Former Florida Gators head coach Mike White will have the same role with the Georgia Bulldogs. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Mike White has a career record of 243-127 as a head coach. He helped Louisiana Tech have three first place finishes in conference play. White made the NCAA Tournament four times with Florida. The Gators were projected to make the canceled 2020 NCAA Tournament. Mike White and Florida made the Elite Eight in 2017. He holds a 6-4 record in the NCAA Tournament.

The University of Georgia announced the move via Twitter:

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Wisconsin and Florida basketball programs are eerily similar

More on Wisconsin and Florida

The Wisconsin Badgers won the 1941 NCAA Tournament and made the Sweet 16 in 1947. The Florida Gators won two national championships in the 21st century, whereas the Wisconsin Badgers — in their Final Four runs over the past 20 years — were not able to cut down the nets on Monday Night. Those are two significant differences between these two programs… but other than those obvious divergences, so many aspects of their histories mirror each other.

Why are we even talking about Florida basketball in relationship to Wisconsin hoops? The occasion which stimulated this line of thought was Billy Donovan’s ceremony in Gainesville on Saturday night. The University of Florida officially unveiled Billy Donovan Court in conjunction with the Gators’ game against Vanderbilt. The coach who truly built Florida basketball was accompanied by his family and 28 Gator players who made the trip to Gainesville to show their appreciation. Florida fans exasperated by the 2020 Gator team, and current head coach Mike White, were able to step back and remember how much Billy D transformed their program.

It is a story worth sharing with Wisconsin fans because a lot of the story is shared by the Wisconsin basketball program.

How similar are these programs when you cast aside Wisconsin’s 1940s successes and the fact that Florida won multiple national titles this century, whereas Wisconsin merely came close?

If you didn’t already know, let’s show you how much these two basketball programs have paralleled each other over the past 35 years:

The NCAA Tournament era began in 1939. In this era of college basketball, Wisconsin went 47 years without an NCAA Tournament appearance, from 1947 to 1994. Florida went without an NCAA Tournament appearance for 48 years, from the start of the era until its first bid in 1987.

Wisconsin made a very unexpected Final Four run in 2000. Florida made a very unexpected Final Four run in 1994.

The author of Wisconsin’s unexpected 2000 Final Four run, Dick Bennett, did not coach the team well beyond that season. He was out one year later. The author of Florida’s unexpected 1994 Final Four run, Lon Kruger, did not coach the team well beyond that season. He was out three years later.

After a surprising Final Four run and an abrupt coaching change, Wisconsin turned to Bo Ryan. Florida turned to Billy Donovan. Ryan stayed on the job for 14 years, Donovan for 19.

Ryan made 14 of 14 NCAA Tournaments. Donovan made 14 of 19 NCAA Tournaments. Wisconsin and Florida became annual NCAA Tournament teams, marking a completely new and prosperous identity for both programs.

Ryan made Wisconsin a top-four NCAA Tournament seed seven times. Donovan made Florida a top-four NCAA Tournament seed eight times.

Ryan led Wisconsin to seven Sweet 16s or better. Donovan led Florida to eight Sweet 16s or better.

Wisconsin and Florida both lost to Michigan State in the 2000 Final Four.

Wisconsin and Florida both lost to blue-bloods — Kentucky for UW, Connecticut for Florida — in the 2014 Final Four.

Much as Dick Bennett didn’t last very long at Wisconsin after his 2000 Final Four run, Bo Ryan didn’t last long at Wisconsin after his 2015 Final Four run. He didn’t even make it through the 2015 calendar year.

Much as Lon Kruger didn’t last very long at Florida after his 1994 Final Four run, Billy Donovan didn’t last long at Florida after his 2014 Final Four run. He coached one more season in 2015 and then went to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2015-2016 NBA season.

Ryan’s successor, Greg Gard, has missed the NCAA Tournament only once, despite his various struggles.

Donovan’s successor, Mike White, has missed the NCAA Tournament only once, despite his various struggles.

Gard’s struggles are reflected in the fact that Wisconsin has not been higher than a 5 seed in his tenure in Madison.

White’s struggles are reflected in the fact that Florida has not been higher than a 4 seed in his tenure in Gainesville.

Wisconsin has lost 10 games so far this season. Plenty of fans have grumbled, but the Badgers are still on course to make the NCAA Tournament.

Florida has lost nine games so far this season. Plenty of fans have grumbled, but the Gators are still on course to make the NCAA Tournament.

Wisconsin basketball and Florida basketball aren’t the same exact program, no… but they sure do have a lot of striking similarities, that’s for sure.