Mr2Bits
Gator Fan
Just when you think the Gators are on the right track, we go and do something stupid like losing to a Georgia team with only 12 wins. The Bulldogs defeated the Gators by a final score of 76-78 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens. The Gators are now 20-9 overall and 9-5 in the SEC. Their next game is against Vanderbilt in Gainesville - a tough game, and possibly most win for the Gators.
Despite the loss, there were still some positives to come out of the game. The Gators did score a lot of points - junior Chandler Parsons and freshman Kenny Boynton scored 29 and 22 points, respectively. Macklin also added 10 points.
Missing from the box sheet is Alex Tyus, usually one of the Gators top scorers. He was ineffective against the Bulldogs, which resulted in Dan Werner getting more playing time than usual. Werner is probably the least liked Gator player in the history of Gator basketball. This guy rarely ever does anything right - and Saturday we saw another example. With Florida down by two, Werner passed up an open 16-footer and attempted to get the ball to a wide-open Vernon Macklin by the basket, but Georgia forward Albert Jackson deflected it out of bounds with 0.1 seconds to go.
Even his own teammates weren't happy. "You tell [Werner] to keep his head up, but he should've shot that one," freshman guard Kenny Boynton said. "At least we could've got a shot up to get a chance. But we didn't even get a shot up." But of course, Billy was there to defend him. "If Dan Werner makes the pass, and it gets through, and Vernon Macklin dunks the ball, you're talking about how smart Dan Werner is today," UF coach Billy Donovan said. "If Dan could have the play back, knowing what the result was, he would've shot the ball because it would've given us a chance."
If the Gators would have won that game they'd be a lock for the NCAA Tourney. Now they have to finish the regular season against Vandy and Kentucky - which could give them 3 straight losses to end the season. If that happens, they'll have to make a run in the SEC Tourney.
Despite the loss, there were still some positives to come out of the game. The Gators did score a lot of points - junior Chandler Parsons and freshman Kenny Boynton scored 29 and 22 points, respectively. Macklin also added 10 points.
Missing from the box sheet is Alex Tyus, usually one of the Gators top scorers. He was ineffective against the Bulldogs, which resulted in Dan Werner getting more playing time than usual. Werner is probably the least liked Gator player in the history of Gator basketball. This guy rarely ever does anything right - and Saturday we saw another example. With Florida down by two, Werner passed up an open 16-footer and attempted to get the ball to a wide-open Vernon Macklin by the basket, but Georgia forward Albert Jackson deflected it out of bounds with 0.1 seconds to go.
Even his own teammates weren't happy. "You tell [Werner] to keep his head up, but he should've shot that one," freshman guard Kenny Boynton said. "At least we could've got a shot up to get a chance. But we didn't even get a shot up." But of course, Billy was there to defend him. "If Dan Werner makes the pass, and it gets through, and Vernon Macklin dunks the ball, you're talking about how smart Dan Werner is today," UF coach Billy Donovan said. "If Dan could have the play back, knowing what the result was, he would've shot the ball because it would've given us a chance."
If the Gators would have won that game they'd be a lock for the NCAA Tourney. Now they have to finish the regular season against Vandy and Kentucky - which could give them 3 straight losses to end the season. If that happens, they'll have to make a run in the SEC Tourney.
