We had a tie game at 37-37 going into halftime, but the Gators had all the momentum. The Gators used a 27-6 run – highlighted by four 3-pointers and plenty of points in the paint – to turn a close game into a lopsided affair. The victory snapped Tennessee’s six-game winning streak in the series. The team was led by Chandler Parsons and Erving Walker who each scored 19 points. Also in double digit scoring were Vernon Macklin with 13 points and Kenny Boynton with 12.

I was really impressed with the way the Gators dominated the boards last night. For one of the first times all season they really used their height as an advantage. Florida out rebounded Tennessee 38-29. Macklin led the team with 18 boards, while Tyus and Parsons each had 8.

I’ll add a highlight video to this post once I find one on Youtube.

The Gators return to action on Saturday as they travel to Athens, Ga. to face the Georgia Bulldogs at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.

The Gators have won 10 straight regular season meetings between the two dating back to 1999 – though Auburn did defeat the Gators last year in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Florida clearly has more talent and better coaching, we just never know which team is going to show up. Florida is 4-0 against the SEC West this year.

The Gators need big games from guys like Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus. Parsons nearly went for his third straight double-double on Saturday, leading UF with 15 points and eight rebounds against Xavier… Over his last three games he has two double-doubles and is averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. If he shows up big, I really like the Gators chances.

The Gators have a big size advantage over Auburn. The Tigers play a 3-2 and don’t have a starter over 6′8″. The Gators on the other hand have two guys over 6′8″ in Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin. If we get out-rebounded I will be pissed.

What are your thoughts on tonight’s game? Can we pull out a victory at home?

Dan Werner. I think we are all in agreement that Dan Werner is a liability on the court at any given time. Now I’m not one that concentrates too much on basketball. I try to catch every Gator basketball game I can, but I certainly have less knowledge of the game than some. But every time I have seen Werner check in this season, I get nervous. He is shooting a career-low .336 from the field, and .279 from bonus range, as well as averaging 2 turnovers a game. He was previously shooting .433 as a starter from the field, and .333 from behind the arc. And the guy simply has no confidence. I’m not bashing the man, The guy is the nicest person you can meet, I’m sure of it. But I know you are asking yourself, as am I, why does he get an average of 24 minutes a game since January 16th? As Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com has explained, Billy Donavon’s hands are tied with this situation. With Kenny Kadji out for the season, Chandler Parsons doing well in Werner’s old starting position, and freshman Erik Murphy getting 9 minutes a game, there are no more big guys on the roster to use. Parson’s is recovering from a knee injury, so you don’t want to give him extra time, and risk having him injured again. Maybe Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin should get more playing time? Just thoughts. But in my opinion, if something drastic doesn’t happen in the next few games, like maybe hitting more than 8 free throws a game, then we are a no go for the big dance in March. Most think that last loss to Xavier put the season in serious jeopardy. I wish they were wrong.

Now, to something I know a little more about(hehe). Football. I’ve listed in previous blogs who I think are going to be BIG impacts as newcomers this spring and into the season. My favorite pick to breakout is Andre Debose. Of course, his rehab is still progressing, but it has been said that he might not participate in full contact drills this spring. I’ve read on his Twitter that his hamstring is feeling much better, and that his work outs are going great. I’ve also heard that he is now able to sprint full speed on a treadmill. I know it’s unfair to compare Andre to Percy Harvin, especially since we haven’t even seen Andre on the field as a Gator, and since his injury. But I am REALLY excited to see him as a multi-position player. And I think that when the season rolls around, he will be full speed ahead. Another impact player I have mentioned is Matt Elam. Another multi-position athlete. I think we will see him start as a safety along with Ahmad Black. Going over his highlight film, It’s very easy to see that Elam will fit in on the field, no matter the spot. He should do well filling the spot of Major Wright as that hard-hitting safety.

There are multiple receivers to sort through to figure out who will be the biggest impact in the fall. And I don’t think they can go wrong with any of them. They are all very capable of being a go-to guy. The freshman that stands out the most to me is Chris Dunkley. At 5’11”, he could use a little more height, but he has very long arms to make up for it. He may need to put on a little more weight to compete in the SEC, but he certainly has the structure for it, and I don’t think it will be a problem. I also think that Dunkley will emerge as a leader, and captain of this football team for the next few years. Gerald Christian, the tight end from Dwyer High School, and a teammate of Matt Elam, I think will emerge as a go-to guy for Brantley. Much like Hernandez had been for Tebow. He has great athletic ability for his size. Ronald Powell, the monster from the left coast, Is going to be a force to be reckoned with over the next few seasons. I don’t think there is a doubt around, that this guy will make an immediate impact at defensive end. I’m looking for Powell to be a leader on this defense just as Brandon Spikes has been. Powell, along with Sharrif Floyd, and Lynden Trail I think will breakout as headaches for opposing offenses.

Looking at this class, I want to say that everyone of these young athletes will make noise in Gainesville over the next few years. Though it is very unlikely that all of them will. I think most are going to get some playing time their first two seasons. Whether it be on special teams, or their natural positions rotating in.

Many of us have questions concerning the hiring of the defensive backs coach, Teryl Austin, from the Arizona Cardinals as our new co-defensive coordinator. He has never been a defensive coordinator at any level before. Though he has been coaching in collegiate and professional football since 1991. He has been an assistant under the likes of Joe Paterno, Dick MacPherson, Lloyd Carr, and Mike Holmgren after playing college ball at Pittsburgh from 1984-87. He has no known connections to Urban Meyer, but Austin has worked with Steve Addazio during his tenure at Syracuse and with QB coach Scott Loeffler at Michigan. He has had two positions in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams reached the Super Bowl while he was coaching the teams’ secondary. One thing is for sure, Austin must have made a major impact on Urban Meyer. Teryl Austin is a big family man, and we all know that is a trait that Meyer has high on his list. Austin comes highly recommended from Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Bill Davis, a close friend of Meyer’s. While we don’t know how this move will work out until spring practice or the season begins, I rest assured that Meyer and Addazio have made a great hire. Chuck Heater being co-defensive coordinator along with Austin should make the transition of the defense a lot smoother than it would be. And with all the talent that Austin and Heater have to work with, I think the defense will be as strong as ever.

The projected 2010 Florida Gator coaching staff goes as follows…

Head Coach: Urban Meyer

Interim Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line: Steve Addazio
Quarterbacks: Scot Loeffler
Wide Receivers: Zach Azzanni
Running Backs: Stan Drayton
Tight Ends: Brian White

Defensive Coordinator: Teryl Austin
Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Backs: Chuck Heater
Associate Head Coach, Defense/Defensive Line: Dan McCarney
Linebackers: D.J. Durkin

Special Teams: D.J. Durkin, Urban Meyer?
Recruiting Coordinator: Stan Drayton
Director of Player and Community Relations: Terry Jackson

Only 54 more days until 2010 Orange & Blue Debut!!!

As always, Be Well Gator Nation

p.s. The Nationally ranked number 7 Gator Baseball team will play its first game of 2010 on February 19th against the South Florida Bulls, at home in Gainesville at 6:30pm. The team will have games against LSU, Alabama, and Georgia featured on ESPN affiliated channels on May 1st, 2nd, 8th and 14th.

The Gators were trailing big in the first half, but managed to fight their way back into the game and tied it up with 13 minutes left in the second half. The final score of the game was 64-76, but it was a lot closer than that at the end… the Gators were within 3 points with just about 3 minutes left in the game. Xavier the Gators tough on defense. They out-rebounded us, had more blocks and forced more turnovers.

Vermon Macklin played well – notching his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Gators were led in scoring by Chandler Parsons with 15, followed by Kenny Boynton with 12 and Erving Walker with 11. Walker didn’t play as well as he had been the past few games. He was only 3-10 from the field and 1-5 from beyond the arc; he did have 8 assists though.

Like I said above, time is running out for this squad. They’ll have to beat Tennessee and Kentucky if they want a shot at the Tourney come March. Florida will resume conference play Thurs., Feb. 18, when it plays host to Auburn University in the O’Connell Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN.

The Gators lost this game because of turnovers and their inability to make free throws. We turned the ball over 20 times compared to South Carolina’s 6 – you just can’t do that and expect to win ball games. Coming into the game, the Gators were the second best free throw shooting team in the SEC, but last night they shot like the worst. They were 10-23 from the line and missed every free throw when it counted. You can’t shoot 43% from the line and expect to win.

Note from the game:
- Erving Walker led the Gators with 20 points.
- Alex Tyus had a double-double for UF, notching 11 points and 15 rebounds. He also had 3 blocks
- Parsons had 13 points, 11 rebounds
- Kenny Boynton had 13 points

Florida returns home to face Xavier on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

I’m impressed with the Gators ability to stay close to highly ranked opponent. They slowed the game down and played good defense. Moral victories don’t count for much and a win here would have been huge for this team. Hopefully they can recover and keep winning in the SEC.

Alex Tyus led the Gators in scoring with 18 points, he also added 7 rebounds. Junior Chandler Parsons scored 14 points, including a three-pointer with 30 seconds left in the game to put the Gators up 60-59. He also had eight rebounds. The Gators really missed Kenny Boynton – in 33 minutes of play he was 2-11 from the floor and 0-5 from beyond the arc.

Florida travels to Tuscaloosa on Thursday to face Alabama at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Here is a highlight recap from the game:

You might remember that Parsons has been in this situation before. Early this month he hit a 75-foot game winning shot against North Carolina State. He’s turning into Robert Horry – always making the big shots. “I’m the most blessed player in this country,” Parsons said. “I swear to God.”

Parsons was in the starting lineup on Saturday, replacing Dan Werner – we’ve been advocating this move for over a year and I’m glad Billy Donovan finally gave it a go. Parsons finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the way to his fourth career double-double, his second this season.

Other notes from the game:
- Alex Tyus had 12 points, 9 rebounds
- Kenny Boynton led the Gators in scoring with 14
- Erving Walker scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and had 7 assists.

The Gators are in action again on Wednesday when the Georgia Bulldogs come to the Dome.

Here’s a video of Chandler Parson’s last second shot.

Parsons finished the game 1-5, the only basket he made was the buzzer beater (he did make two free throws though). Vernon Macklin led the team in scoring with 14 points. Erving Walker and Alex Tyus were both over double digits with 13 and 11 points respectively. Tyus also led the team in rebounding with 7.

The Gators have now won 3 games in a row. Florida will open play in the Southeastern Conference next Saturday (Jan. 9), when they travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. The game will be televised live on ESPN at noon.

Here’s the video in case you missed it.

For the first time all year, the Gators (4-1 SEC) have a height advantage over the Dawgs (0-4 SEC). It’s rare to see the Gators size up with anyone, being that their tallest player is only 6′9″. The Gators have struggled against the boards all season, now is the time to rebuild confidence and dominate the rebounds.

Similar to how the Gator football team lost to Ole Miss midseason, maybe the basketball team’s loss to South Carolina the other night will turn out to be a good thing. That missed free throw at the end certainly pissed of Chandler Parsons enough. The kid BLEW UP against Vanderbilt putting up 27 points (7-8 from beyond the arc), 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

In case you missed his spectacular performance, here is a video of all the big plays.

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The Gators will need to be at least 9-7 in SEC play to make the NCAA Tourney, so ever win counts!

Go Gators!