Tag: Vanderbilt Commodores

Florida football announces homecoming game for 2021 season

The Gators are 69-26-2 all-time in their homecoming games, notching a 27-5 mark since 1989.

The University of Florida announced on Thursday that its annual homecoming game will take place on Saturday, Oct. 9, against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — if everything goes as planned.

The Gators are 69-26-2 all-time in their homecoming games, notching a 27-5 mark since 1989. Florida faced the South Carolina Gamecocks last year and prevailed, 38-24, while upsetting then-No. 7-ranked Auburn Tigers in 2019, 24-13. The last time UF hosted Vandy for the annual affair, it snuck away with a 9-7 victory in 2015.

Historically, Florida holds a 42-10-2 edge over Vanderbilt, having won the last seven and 29 of the last 30 — the Commodores’ only win during that stretch came on a 34-17 gut punch in The Swamp back in 2013. Last season, UF left Nashville with a 38-17 victory, and the year prior, the Gators posted a 56-0 blowout win at home.

Suffice to say, the Gators have owned this overall series throughout the years.

More specific details regarding the homecoming game and surrounding events will be released at a later date.

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Florida basketball holds off Vanderbilt’s late charge, wins third-straight

Florida survived a 32-point effort from Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. and staved off a last-minute Commodore comeback in a 78-71 victory.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by Field Level Media and has been republished in its entirety below. 

Florida survived a 32-point effort from Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. and staved off a last-minute Commodore comeback in a 78-71 victory at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville on Wednesday evening.

The Gators (9-4, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) led for 39:05. They shot 51.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3 and had 15 turnovers to Vandy’s 17.

Florida’s Tre Mann (15 points), Colin Castleton (13) Tyree Appleby and Noah Locke (12) and Scottie Lewis (10) all scored in double figures.

Pippen had a career high in points and also led Vanderbilt (4-8, 0-6) in assists (six) and minutes (39), but also had six turnovers.

Vandy’s Dylan Disu added 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds, but the rest of the team was 7 of 26 from the floor.

Mann, Florida’s leading scorer, played just three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.

But he opened the second period with a 3-pointer to give the Gators an 11-point advantage, then, lofted a pass to Castleton on the low block that resulted in a layup and a 47-31 lead with 15:08 left.

Castleton knocked down a short shot from the other block with 12:34 left for a 20-point lead.

Vandy got within six on Pippen’s contested layup with 1:24 remaining.

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Mann missed a layup on Florida’s next trip and then Pippen picked up an offensive board and nailed a 10-foot jumper to cut it to 73-69 with 37.7 seconds left.

Appleby hit two free throws, and then Disu threw the ball out of bounds on Vanderbilt’s next possession with 31 seconds remaining.

Pippen scored 12 of the Commodores’ first 15 points and had 18 at half, but the Gators led 37-29 at the break anyway thanks to 7 of 13 3-point shooting.

Pippen hit a jumper to start the game, but the Gators scored the next nine points and never trailed again. They took their first double-digit lead at 20-10 on Locke’s steal and subsequent 3-pointer with 10:39 left in the half.

The Commodores fought back to get within two, but Lewis picked up steals on back-to-back possessions, leading to 3s from Appleby and Samson Ruzhentsev, pushing the lead to 35-25 with 3:50 left.

Lewis, who’d missed the last four games, checked in with 15:16 left in the first half.

Vanderbilt has lost its last six games and is the SEC’s only winless team in conference play.

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Florida survives late push from Vanderbilt, earns third-straight win

A late Vanderbilt push made this game a lot closer than it looked like it would be, but Florida escaped with its third-straight win.

Florida nearly squandered a 22-point lead against Vanderbilt on Wednesday night. The Commodores brought the margin within four in the final minutes, but adequate free throw shooting down the stretch allowed the Gators to hang on to a 78-71 win.

UF (9-4, 6-3 SEC) was limited for much of the first half by foul trouble, as starters Tre Mann and Colin Castleton drew two quick fouls each and had to sit for most of the first frame. When they returned in the second half, they guided Florida on a big run that stretched the lead, but the explosive play of Vanderbilt’s Scottie Pippen Jr. kept it in the game down to the very end.

Florida was back at full strength (aside from Keyontae Johnson) for the first time in four games, as Scottie Lewis returned and played 28 minutes. And though the victory over the struggling Commodores (4-8, 0-6) saw some of the positive trends from the last two games continue, it also gives reason for concern heading into a crucial road matchup with No. 11 West Virginia on Saturday.

Here are three takeaways from the Florida win.

Pippen Jr. among our storylines to watch when Florida plays Vanderbilt

Florida beat VU handily in December, but both these squads look a little different now than they did a month ago.

Florida’s men’s basketball team is on a two-game winning streak and is looking to push it to three on Wednesday night when the Vanderbilt Commodores come to town.

UF (8-4, 5-3 SEC) has already played Vanderbilt (4-7, 0-5) once, earning a 91-72 win on Dec. 30 in its first game back on the court after Keyontae Johnson’s collapse. The Commodores have been at the bottom of the SEC for a number of years now, and though this team is still yet to win a conference game, coach Jerry Stackhouse’s team is more formidable than it was last season.

Three intriguing numbers for Wednesday’s game between Florida and Vanderbilt

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs. Vanderbilt, per BetMGM

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball vs Vanderbilt

Here are three things to keep an eye out for as Florida tries to keep its momentum going. The game tips off at the O’Connell Center at 6:30 p.m.

Three intriguing numbers for Wednesday’s game between Florida and Vanderbilt

Florida and Vandy’s men’s basketball series is one with a great deal of history, with the two schools facing each other 139 total times.

Wednesday’s men’s basketball matchup between the Florida Gators and the Vanderbilt Commodores is one with a great deal of history, with the two schools facing each other 139 total times since their first meeting on Jan 17, 1931. Since then, it has been a tug of war between the two teams and the all-time record currently sits at 70-69 in favor of Vandy.

However in more recent years, Florida has held the upper hand in the series, winning their last five including a 91-72 victory on Dec. 30 to kick off the Southeastern Conference schedule. The last time the Gators took six-straight from the ‘Dores was 2006 — a streak that ultimately reached seven, representing the high-water mark for both teams.

Thing is, it is not that UF has been that good over the past five meetings, it is that Vanderbilt is pretty bad. Its combined conference winning percentage for the past four seasons (.152) comes from a 9-40 record that stretches between two coaching regimes, while their overall record of 36-71 (.336) over that same stretch is pretty ugly as well.

With those numbers in mind, here is a look at three intriguing digits provided by the official press release for the game.

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs. Vanderbilt, per BetMGM

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball vs Vanderbilt

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball vs Vanderbilt

UF is getting set to host Vandy this evening in the O’Connell Center in a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions this season.

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team is getting set to host the Vanderbilt Commodores this evening in the O’Connell Center in a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions this season.

While the Gators have struggled at times — and it is hard not to when you are missing your SEC Preseason Player of the Year, Keyontae Johnson — they have shown some signs of brilliance over the past couple of games, including a marquee win over a top-10 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Florida’s last two performances, in fact, earned head coach Mike White SEC Coach of the Week honors.

Tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST in the O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida, and will be broadcast on SEC Network, livestreamed on the ESPN app and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network/XM 190. Here is everything you need to know below.

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs. Vanderbilt, per BetMGM

Television: SEC Network

Play-by-Play: Mike Morgan

Analyst: Debbie Antonelli

Stream: ESPN App

Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network

Play-by-Play: Mick Hubert

Analyst: Lee Humphrey

Score Track:  FloridaGators.com, ESPN app

Game Notes:  FloridaGators.com

Follow the Action:  Follow Gators Wire (@GatorsWire) and college sports reporter Jay Markle (@thebettermarkle) on Twitter for live updates.

Prediction: Florida 90, Vanderbilt 70

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Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs. Vanderbilt, per BetMGM

Florida has won their last two while the Commodores have not notched a W since Dec. 27. It looks like this will likely be another lopsided.

Wednesday night the Florida Gators men’s basketball team (8-4, 5-3 SEC) will host the Vanderbilt Commodores (4-7, 0-5) for UF’s first repeat opponent of the season. The two first met in Nashville back on Dec. 30, with the Gators emerging with a 91-72 victory to kick off their Southeastern Conference schedule.

Suffice to say, this Vandy squad is not very good, going winless so far in conference play, while the Gators have picked up some steam after struggling for a few games. Florida has won their last two while the Commodores have not notched a W since Dec. 27 against Alcorn State. It looks like this will likely be another lopsided affair tonight.

BetMGM has the Gators a 12.5-point favorite over the Bulldogs while the over/under is set at 145.5 ahead of game time.

Tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST in the O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida, and will be broadcast on SEC Network, livestreamed on the ESPN app and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network/XM 190.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Is a former friend, Clark Lea, now turning into a big time foe?

Could Clark Lea be giving Notre Dame a run for their money with recruits that both schools are looking for the same profile in their players.

Today Vanderbilt’s new head coach Clark Lea and former Notre Dame defensive coordinator officially announced some of his main staff members with, in my estimation, the biggest one being the hire of Barton Simmons.

The former 247Sports lead scouting director is paving the way for Lea and his pursuit of high level academic and athletic prospects. The same type of prospects that Notre Dame recruits.

It should come to no ones surprise that Lea is going to target many of his old connections from his tenure with the Irish. Today, one of those connections was made with an offer to 2022 Illinois linebacker Sebastian Cheeks.

Cheeks is seen by many as a Notre Dame lean, but that could potentially be changing, with Lea leading his efforts to lure Cheeks to Vandy. Recruits don’t alway pin their offers on Twitter, but that has happened with Cheeks. The past relationship with Lea is playing a big part in the offer.

This should not be taken lightly. Yes, Vanderbilt is no where close to the Irish in terms of on-field football success, but with a high level coaching staff, and the knowledge that Simmons possesses in regards to recruits, they could be a thorn in Notre Dame’s side in future battles for prospects.

This will not be the last Irish prospect that Lea is going to offer. In fact, I feel like he is going to pursue plenty of current 2022 and beyond prospects that hold Irish offers or they have been heavily in contact with.

This could turn out to have a very teacher/student feel as Lea tries to accumulate talent for the Commodores. If he is able to quickly turn their program around, it is not good news for the Kelly and the Irish.

Colin Castleton and Scottie Lewis shine in the defeat of Vanderbilt

Florida defeated the Commodores in a 91-72 midweek matchup in their first game after losing Keyontae Johnson.

The Florida mens’ basketball team made their triumphant return to the court on Wednesday night, defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores with a final score of 91-72. The midweek matchup marks the beginning of the Gators’ conference schedule; the team cancelled the remainder of their non-conference games after losing Keyontae Johnson to a cardiac incident.

Vandy came out of the gate strong, playing competent offense and slowing down the Gators with good on-ball defense. A major factor in their early success was successfully shutting down starting Florida point guard Tre Mann, dogging him with double-teams and preventing him from making plays.

Gators head coach Mike White prepared his team well for this game, though. The offensive identity that served them so well in early games doesn’t work against better teams without Johnson at their disposal. Instead, they found their identity by playing old-school, physical basketball and limiting Vanderbilt’s opportunities.

Incredibly, center Colin Castleton was the leading scorer on either team. He scored 23 points by pounding the hoop on 11-of-13 shooting, all of those attempts coming in the paint. “Whenever they need me to do the dirty work, I’m all here for it,” said Castleton after the game. Scottie Lewis was another major factor in this game, scoring 16 points and accumulating 3 blocks.

There’s a whole lot of meat on this bone, as this team faced a whole slew of problems and won by implementing interesting solutions. Here are three things we observed during Florida’s victory over Vanderbilt.

Here are three keys to victory against Vanderbilt without Keyontae Johnson

It would mean a lot for the Gators to come out of their long layoff with a win against the Commodores. Here’s how they can make it happen.

Wednesday evening, the Florida Gators are scheduled to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores for their first game in over two weeks. The obvious narrative filling the airwaves during the game will be the conspicuous lack of the best player on Florida’s roster. Keyontae Johnson has progressed past the need for concern about his survival, but he’s not returned to the team and there is no public information about when he may do so.

Regardless, the Gators have the advantage against their SEC rivals in this game, given a 73 percent chance of victory by the ESPN Basketball Power Index. The Commodores haven’t broken easily so far this year, though, and have gone 4-2 so far on the young season.

In terms of experience, Vandy has a nicely balanced roster this year. They’ve been able to get a significant amount of production out of their youthful talent, as three of their five players with the most minutes are underclassmen. It seems to work just fine; in their four victories, the Commodores have outscored their opponents by 21.8 points, although they haven’t played the thorniest schedule.

Of course, the Gators can’t pull any punches if they’re going to win this game. The Mike White era has been a mostly successful one, but his teams have a bad habit of playing down to the competition. Florida can’t afford to do that on Wednesday, instead, here are three things that need to happen for a victory against Vandy.