Gator Backcourt Club

The Official Booster Club of the University of Florida Women's Basketball Team

Florida and Kentucky Battle Thursday at Exactech Arena

 

Florida returns to Gainesville for a two-game homestand, first playing host to Kentucky on Thursday (Jan. 11) and then to LSU on Sunday (Jan. 14) at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

The game between the Gators and Wildcats is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m.

The Gators and Wildcats both are in search of their first SEC win of the season, respectively. UF played at Auburn, vs. Alabama and at Ole Miss. UK played Tennessee, at Texas A&M and vs. Georgia.

Get There Early

  • Senior Haley Lorenzen will be officially recognized as a member of Florida’s 1,000-point club in a short pregame ceremony before the playing of the National Anthem (when the game clock reads, “00.00”).
  • Lorenzen topped the scoring milestone during the Dec. 27 home win against Delaware State.
  • She is the 25th Gator to score more than 1,000-career points.

Gators vs. Wildcats: The Series

  • 53-Game Series: UF trails 25-28 (UF Home: 13-9; Away: 9-14; Neutral: 3-5)
  • Streak: Kentucky has won the last two meetings in the series, as well as 10 of the last 13 match-ups.
  • 10 of the last 12 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less – with eight of those by six points or fewer.
  • The last two meetings, however, been lopsided decisions in Kentucky’s favor, which posted a 25-point win last year in Lexington and a 23-point victory in the quarterfinals of the 2016 SEC Tournament.

Common Opponents

  • Florida and Kentucky shared one common non-conference opponents: Marshall
  • Both SEC teams posted wins, with the Gators defeating the Herd, 74-69, and the Wildcats getting the 69-39 win.

Kentucky Team Ties

  • Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell was an assistant coach at Florida for three years (2000-03), serving under former head coaches Carol Ross and Carolyn Peck.
  • The Gators were 51-36 during his three-year stay in Gainesville, where he met his future wife Jenna.

Cam and Kentucky

  • Before being named UF’s head coach in late March 2017, Cam Newbauer had guided Belmont University into the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year.
  • His Bruins earned the No. 13 seed and played No. 4-seed Kentucky in Lexington in the first round.
  • The Wildcats nipped Belmont in a 73-70 thriller at Memorial Gym.

“Chuck it from the Cheap Seats!”

  • The Gators are listening to Coach Cam Newbauer’s approach to shooting and has told every member of the team to “chuck it from the cheap seats!” (Coach is a HUGE movie guy and the quote is from “Hoosiers”)
  • The Gators reset the program record for threes in a game twice already. The new standard stands at 17 after the Nov. 23 performance against Savannah State.
  • The team canned 15 three-pointers vs. Richmond (11/21/17) to first break the program record for threes in a game, which was 13 at Arkansas, Feb. 1, 2009.
  • Four of the top five single-game records for threes have come under Cam.

Gators for THREEEEEE!

  • Entering Thursday’s game, the Gators are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game and converting at a 34.4 percent clip.
  • Thru games played Jan. 9, UF ranks tied-No. 11 in the country in threes per game; and No. 11 in total three-pointers made (153).
  • Florida has converted double-digit threes in EIGHT games this year, most recently 10 at Ole Miss (Jan. 7).
  • It took just six games for TEN of the 11 players on the scholarship roster to hit at least one trey this season.

What Else do the Gators do well?

  • Aside from hitting the three at an SEC-leading rate (all games), Florida does not get fouled. The Gators rank No. 5 in the country in staying out of foul trouble, being whistled for just 12.8 fouls per game.
  • It wasn’t until Florida’s 16th game of the season that a Gator (Delicia Washington) fouled out – and that didn’t happen until there was 2:45 remaining in the second-overtime period at Ole Miss!

What Just Happened

  • Florida dropped a thrilling 78-75 double-overtime decision at Ole Miss on Sunday.
  • Kentucky lost 56-42 at home to Georgia on Sunday.

Gator Watch

  • Through 16 games, Florida is averaging a respectable 72.1 points per game, with all five starters averaging double-figure scoring.
  • Top two Gator scorers: Funda Nakkasoglu (15.7 ppg) and Haley Lorenzen (12.4 ppg)
  • Top two rebounders: Haley Lorenzen (9.3 pg) and Delicia Washington (8.6 pg)
  • Assists leaders: Delicia Washington (57 total, 3.6 pg) and Dyandria Anderson (51 total, 3.2 pg)

Who’s Hot!

  • During the last two games, four Gators are averaging a double-figure scoring effort, with Haley Lorenzen atop the chart with 16.5 points per game.
  • Funda Nakkasoglu is averaging 14.5 points, connecting on 8-of-22 (36.4%) of her three-pointers.
  • Paulina Hersler is averaging 10.0 points and a team-best 10.0 rebounds.

Game Day at a Glance

  • Who: Florida (8-8, 0-3 SEC) vs. Kentucky (8-9, 0-3 SEC)
  • Where: Exactech Arena (10,151) * Gainesville, Florida
  • When: Thu., January 11 * 7 pm ET

 

VIDEO: Gators previewed the game

 

Game Notes

  • Florida’s game notes (PDF) can be found online:  

o   http://floridagators.com/documents/2018/1/10/17_UF_Kentucky.pdf

  • Kentucky’s game notes (PDF) can be found online:  

o   http://floridagators.com/documents/2018/1/10/UKnotesforUF_011117rfs.pdf

 

Game Coverage & More!

  • Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1FM & 850AM WRUF in Gainesville with Tom Collett and Kelly Davis
  • Internet Audio: link thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)

o   http://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=948

  • Television: none
  • Streaming Video: SEC Network + (with Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis)

o   http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3245797/kentucky-vs-florida-w-basketball

  • Internet Scoring: link through FloridaGators.com

o   http://www.sidearmstats.com/florida/wbball/

Opening Tip

  • One thing for sure will happen on Thursday – either Florida or Kentucky will collect its first SEC win of the season.
  • The Gators have lost their last three games, while the Wildcats have dropped eight straight outings.
  • Florida is 5-5 at home this season, while Kentucky is 2-5 on away courts.
  • The Gators lead the SEC (all games) in 3-pointers made per game (9.6), threes made (153) and fewest personal fouls per game (12.8).
  • The Wildcats are fourth for turnovers per game (12.9) and fifth for assist/turnover ratio (1.08)

Additional Hoopla for Thursday – Sponsored by 100.5 The BUZZ

  • Student Tailgate – Students, arrive early for FREE food from Moe’s Southwest Grill … Location—O’Connell Center Practice Court
  • Basic Night – Bring your besties to the game and take a #selfie to post on your story. Additional giveaways at the game for students … Location—O’Connell Center Practice Court
  • Goggle Foam Finger Giveaway – The first 500 fans will receive a 3 goggle foam finger … Location—Main Atrium
  • $1 Day – All general admission tickets are $1 and hot dogs are available for $1, as well … *Deal available until halftime; 2 per person*
  • UMMP/FOS Reception – University Minority Mentor Program and Florida Opportunity Scholars can participate in a pre-game social at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Dance Marathon Check In – Greek organizations invited to attend game and receive spirit points toward their organization.  Organization with highest attendance and highest percentage receive cash prizes … Location-Practice Court

Gator Pronunciations for this Release:

  • DYANDRIA Anderson: dee-ANN-dree-uh
  • FUNDA NAKKASOGLU: FOON-da knock-a-SO-glue
  • DELICIA Washington: duh-LEE-shuh

 

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