Gator Backcourt Club

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

Gators and Ole Miss Set for SEC Tournament Opening Round

The Gators earned the No. 11 seed in the 2018 Southeastern Conference Tournament that gets underway Wednesday, February 28 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

 

The Gators will play 14-seed Ole Miss on the opening day at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT.

 

That game is the second of the 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT session that features Vanderbilt and Arkansas.

 

What’s Next?

  • The winner of the game between the Gators and Rebels will play 6-seed Missouri (23-6, 11-5 SEC) on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT.

 

Hi Mom!

  • SEC Network will broadcast every game in the first three rounds (10 games) of the tournament, with Courtney Lyle and Tamika Catchings on the call for Wednesday’s game.
  • Pam Ward & Gail Goestenkors call the action for the evening session games – which is Florida’s side of the bracket – beginning Thursday.
  • Gator great Steffi Sorensen serves as the sideline analyst throughout.

 

Also on SEC Network +

  • Every postgame press conference from the SEC Tournament will be streamed live online through SEC Network + and can be viewed online through the WatchESPN app.

 

SEC Tournament Skinny

  • This is the fourth time the Gators are the No. 11 seed in the SEC Tournament. They sport a 2-3 record as that seed.
  • Florida is 20-37 all-time record in SEC Tournament games, including a 2-2 record in Wednesday games that began play in 2013.
  • In SEC Tournament games, Wednesday will be the first meeting between Florida and Ole Miss.

 

On the Line

  • The winner of the 13-game tournament will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

 

Gators vs. Rebels: The Series

  • 38-Game Series: UF leads 21-17 (UF Home: 9-10; Away: 12-6; Neutral: 0-1)
  • This Season: The teams met twice this season and each won thrillers on its respective home court with a combined 18 lead changes and nine tied scores!
  • This Season’s Scores: Ole Miss took the 78-75 double-overtime outcome in Oxford, before Florida captured the thrilling, 61-60, in Gainesville.

o   Game 1 recap: http://bit.ly/2owIZRb

o   Game 2 recap: http://bit.ly/2CqmE0e

  • Whew! Both regular-season meetings between UF and Ole Miss were decided by a combined total of four points, with the first one going to double-overtime.
  • SEC Debut: Wednesday’s game marks the first time the two teams will meet in the SEC Tournament.
  • Last 10 Meetings: both teams won 5

 

Florida at the SEC Tournament

  • Florida holds a 20-37 all-time record in the SEC Tournament.
  • Florida has played in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal round in five of the last seven years, as well as in nine of the last 12 tournaments. If the Gators are to reach that round in 2018, they will have to win two games to do that – something Florida has accomplished just twice (1996, 1997) in its previous 37 appearances.
  • The Gators’ best finish was reaching the championship game in 1997, the team’s lone appearance in the final.

 

Ouch!

  • Two of Florida’s starters have been dinged up down the stretch.
  • Haley Lorenzen sprained her right ankle with 8:01 remaining in the third quarter against Georgia in UF’s regular-season finale, Feb. 25. She did not return after the injury and will be day-to-day for the tournament.
  • Delicia Washington sprained her ankle with 23.1 seconds left in the third quarter of the game at Texas A&M (Feb. 15) and she did not return to the game. She played three days later against Vanderbilt and nearly recorded a triple-double (9 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists). She missed the next game (Feb. 22 vs. Tennessee) due to soreness.

 

Gators for THREEEEEE!

  • Entering Wednesday’s game, the Gators are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game and converting at a 31.6 percent clip.
  • Florida has converted double-digit threes in 11 games this year, most recently 12 against Vanderbilt (Feb. 18).

 

Three or Free?

  • Florida has converted almost as many three-pointers (245) this season as made free throws (252).
  • Over the last SIX games, the Gators have MADE MORE three-pointers (49) and free throws ATTEMPTED (48).

 

Close Ones

  • Overall this season, the Gators have played 14 games – including nine in the SEC – decided by 10 points or less (4-10 record overall, 1-8 SEC).

 

Gator Watch

  • Top two Gator scorers: Funda Nakkasoglu (15.0 ppg) and Haley Lorenzen (12.2 ppg)
  • Top two rebounders: Haley Lorenzen (8.8 pg) and Delicia Washington (8.7 pg)
  • Assists leaders: Delicia Washington (101 total, 3.6 pg) and Dyandria Anderson (87 total, 3.0 pg)

 

Who’s Hot!

  • During the last SIX games, Funda Nakkasoglu averaged 17.7 points, connecting on 23-of-45 three-pointers for an impressive 51.1 percent!

 

Twice the SEC Fun

  • During the 2017-18 season’s 16-game SEC schedule, the Gators played Georgia (their ‘permanent’ rival), Ole Miss and 2017 NCAA national-runner-up Mississippi State twice.
  • Florida was 1-5 in these games, with the win coming at home against the Rebels.

 

Check this Regular-Season-Ending Stretch!

  • Eight of Florida’s final nine regular-season games were against teams ranked in the top-25.
  • The run began January 25 at then-No. 3 Mississippi State and ran through the end of the regular season at No. 19 Georgia.

 

Florida vs. Ranked Teams

  • Florida has lost its last 16 games against nationally ranked teams, including 10 this season:
  • Florida State, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Georgia, at Missouri, vs. Mississippi State, at South Carolina, at Texas A&M, vs. Tennessee and at Georgia.

 

That’s a Lot!

  • With Florida’s final regular-season opponent – No. 19 Georgia – ranked in the current top-25, the Gators will enter the SEC Tournament having played 10 games against ranked opponents, which is tied for the second-most number of games against ranked teams in program history to this point of the season.
  • The 1996-97 team played 11 games versus ranked foes before the SEC Tournament, ending the year with 16 dates against ranked foes.
  • The 1999-2000 Gator squad played 10 games against ranked teams before the start of the league tournament and finished with 11 games total.

 

“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.
  • Five of the top six single-game records for threes have come under Cam.

 

 

Game Day at a Glance

  • Who: #11 seed Florida (11-18, 3-13 SEC) vs. #14 seed Ole Miss (11-18, 1-15 SEC)
  • What: 2018 SEC Tournament First Round
  • Where: Bridgestone Arena (19,395) * Nashville, Tennessee
  • When: Wed., February 28 * ~2:25pmET/1:25CT

 

Game Notes:

 

Gator Game Coverage & More!

  • Television: SEC Network with Courtney Lyle & Tamika Catchings
  • Streaming Video: WatchESPN app

o   http://es.pn/2BSXVAu

  • Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1FM / 850AM WRUF with Kyle Crooks & Brittany Davis
  • Satellite, Online Radio: Sirius 138 / XM 190 / App Channel 966
  • Internet Audio: link thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)

o   http://bit.ly/2HOdxWB

  • Internet Scoring: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com

 

SEC Tournament Specifics

o   Arkansas-Vanderbilt: http://es.pn/2BSo2ri

o   Florida-Ole Miss: http://es.pn/2oA3xaN

 

Gator Pronunciations for this Release:

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

 

Links of Note:

 

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