Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida plays host to Alabama on Thursday when the Gators wrap up a three-game home stand at the O'Connell Center.
 
Thursday's tip-off from Stephen C. O'Connell Center is set for 7 p.m. ET.
 
While there will not be television coverage of the game, live streaming video will be provided by SEC Network +, with Adam Schick and Brittany Davis calling the action.
 
A Quick Look at our Week

• Entering this week's action, Florida sports a 15-3 overall record, tied for the third-best 18-game start in program history, trailing only the 16-2 record posted by the 2008-09 and the 2000-01 clubs.
• The Gators have a split location week of competition, first playing host to Alabama on Thursday, before traveling to face Missouri in Columbia on Sunday.
• Florida trails in the all-time series versus both of this week's foes, with the Tide holding the 29-26 edge against the Gators and the Tigers capturing all four contests.

 
Go Figure

• Alabama is 2-3 in SEC games entering Thursday's outing versus the Gators.
• Each of the Tide's three losses have come against teams UF has yet to play.
• Alabama's two wins are against the two teams Florida faced in its last two games.
• Alabama cruised to wins against LSU (62-45) and Georgia (64-50) in its most recent outing on Sunday in Tuscaloosa.
• Florida lost to Georgia, 71-61, in Gainesville and defeated LSU, 53-45, on Sunday.

 
The Series vs. Alabama

• 55-Series: UF trails 29-26
• UF Home: 14-7; Away: 9-12; Neutral: 3-10
• The 55-game series is the third longest for UF against any opponent, trailing only the games played against Florida State (72) and Georgia (67).
• Florida sports a five-game win streak against Alabama, with each of the last three meetings decided by eight points or less.
• Six of the last eight games in the series have been single-digit affairs.

 
A Gator Win on Thursday would ...

• Tie for the third-best 19-game start in program history, trailing only the 17-2 record of the 2008-09 and the 2000-01 clubs.
• Be UF's sixth straight victory against Alabama.
• Improve UF's overall home record to 9-2 this season.

 
Looking Back: Florida defeated LSU, 53-45 (Sunday, January 17)

• Propelled by a 7-of-12 shooting, 20-point scoring effort in the fourth quarter, No. 20 Florida defeated LSU, 53-45.
• Led by Eleanna Christinaki's 11 second-half points, Florida took control of the game in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Tigers, 20-7, and knocking down 58.3 percent of their shots in the final 10 minutes of action.

 
Gator Watch

• Ronni Williams, a preseason Second Team All-SEC performer, is UF's leading scorer (10.5 ppg) and rebounder (7.7 pg).
• In SEC games, Williams is averaging a double-double: 10.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
• Williams ranks No. 3 in the SEC for rebounding in league games
• She has recorded six double-doubles this season (11 in career), including three straight during early November
• She became the first Gator to record three consecutive double-doubles since Jennifer George posted four in a row from Dec. 4-20, 2012.

 
Threading the Needles

• Through five SEC games, senior Carlie Needles is UF's second-leading scorer in league contests at 10.4 points per game
• In SEC games:
  • >> 10-of-27 three-pointers (37.0%)
  • >> 48.7% FG (19-39)         
  • >> 8 assists and 8 steals

 
Rookie Review

• Eleanna Christinaki is the only true freshman on the Gator squad and has made quite an impact!
• She has been in the starting lineup since the third game of the season.
• Has scored in double-figures in 8 of the last 11 games (entering Alabama)
• Has 10 double-figure scoring games - tied for the most on the team
• Is UF's assists leader
• Has been UF's leading game scorer five times
• Has been UF's leading rebounder twice
• Has been UF's assists leader in a team-best nine games
• TWICE named the SEC Freshman of the Week (Dec. 8-14 and Jan. 5-11)
• Just missed a triple-double vs. UCF (Dec. 30) - 14 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists
• At Tennessee (in first SEC road game): game-high 18 points, game-high 8 assists with 6 rebounds
• Completed a 'career triple-double' with 10 assists at Ole Miss (Jan. 10) ... had 10 rebounds vs. UCF (Dec. 30) and first double-digit scoring game was 13 points vs. Florida State (Nov. 16)

 
STOP! THIEF! Wait - no, don't stop!

• Junior newcomer Simone Westbrook is a huge reason why the Gators lead the SEC in steals (all games & SEC games) this season.
• The crafty guard leads the team in thefts and ranks No. 2 in the league (all games) for steals!
• Westbrook has had at least one steal in every game except one (vs. Arkansas State).
• She's had a career-high six steals in four games this year.
• UF has posted 10-plus steals in all but two games this season.
• UF has at least 10 steals in each of the last 10 games (entering Alabama game)

 
Florida's DEPTH at a Glance!

• On the 13-player roster...
• 10 Gators average at least 13 minutes of playing time per game
• 9 Gators average at least 6.0 points per game
• 11 Gators have made at least one three-pointer (Fleming and Lorenzen have never attempted a three-pointer).
• 11 have started at least one game during their respective Gator careers, while 10 of the 13 have started at least once this season.
• 7 have been UF's leading scorer in a game
• 7 have been UF's leading rebounder in a game this season

 
Balance!

• UF ranks No. 7 in the nation in scoring offense (82.2 ppg), however, the team's leading scorer - Ronni Williams - averages just 10.5 points per game. freshman Eleanna Christinaki averages 10.3 per game - while senior Cassie Peoples and sophomore Haley Lorenzen and are close behind at 10.2 and 9.8 per game, respectively.

 
Gripping Gators

• Florida is 6-3 this year in games decided by 10 points or less
• 2015-16 games: Temple, Florida State, Ball State, Arkansas State, NC State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia and LSU

 
Quotes from the Court – UF Head Coach Amanda Butler
General Alabama comments:
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kristy Curry and I think they have pieces of the puzzle that are all working together really, really well in a way this season that maybe hasn't happened the past few seasons. Their overall record really reflects that."
 
On the amount of 'upset' results in the SEC:
"I think it's a reflection of how good our league is. I know all of us as coaches get sick of hearing that, but we were talking about that as a staff recently that one of the things that is a great equalizer is that when you get to this part of the season, you know everyone's tendencies. You're very, very well scouted. Yet when you look at our SEC board (displaying the current SEC team standings), the one thing that every single school has in common is that somehow, someway, defensively they are going to get you in a bind. Everybody's different. Auburn is with their zone. You have teams like Texas A&M that are very aggressive man and Vanderbilt has a little more trickery with theirs. Every team, defensively, can put you in a compromising position. Us with LSU in our last game – holding us to our lowest point total (53) of the entire season. It is great coaching. The most talent in any league. It's the time of year when there aren't any secrets anymore. Great defense and great rebounding are the long and short of it."
 
Do you focus more on what Alabama does or try to impose your team's style on them:
"It's a little bit of both. You have to find that balance. Drawing off of lessons we learned against LSU. The way that they played the game, there was no way for us to impose our style. They were holding the basketball. They were running back and taking away our transition and really trying to make us be a very slow and methodical team. They did a pretty decent job of that. You have to strike the balance between imposing your style and what you want to do while having enough respect for your opponent and what they are trying to do to you and having great personnel awareness."
 
On Alabama players to watch:
"They are all playing really, really well. I'm impressed with how their freshmen class, in particular, has improved. (Karyla) Middlebrook is playing like a senior and she's not – she's just a sophomore. She's running their team really, really well. Nikki Hegstetter is a senior and looks like a senior. She's leading them and doing all the things that Nikki has always done. She's one of the best screeners that we've played against. She understands the game and has a great sense of feel. Hannah Cook must be most improved on their team. She's offensively aggressive and playmaking for them in a lot of different ways. They are very impressive. They have depth. They can shoot the ball. They are athletic. They are physical. And as I've already mentioned, they are well-coached. Kristy Curry could be in the mix for reasons why they beat Georgia the way they did the other day."
 
On the importance of this final game of a three-game home stand:
"It's critical because it's the next game. We squandered our change against Georgia and I thought we had a really impressive win against LSU because we had to win in a way that was not us. It really showed great growth of our team. I was very proud of that. It's critical. If you really want to be a contender, you have got to protect your home court. It's another opportunity for us at home and we've go to handle our business."
 
 
 
Game Day at a Glance:

• Who: #22/23 Florida (15-3, 3-2 SEC) hosts Alabama (13-5, 2-3 SEC)
• Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center (11,548) * Gainesville, Florida
• When: Thurs., January 21, 2016 * 7 p.m. ET

 
Game Notes (PDF):

• Florida
• Alabama

 
Game Coverage & More!

• Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM and 850 AM) with Tom Collett & Jennifer George
• Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE)
• Television: none
• Internet Video: SECNetwork + with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
• Internet Scoring: (FREE) thru FloridaGators.com
• Ticket Prices:     
  • $5 – Reserved General Admission (Sections I1, J1)
  • $4– General Admission
  • FREE – UF and SFC Students with valid ID
  • FREE – Children 17 and Under (in General Admission areas)

 
We Back Pat

• The annual week-long celebration of legendary Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt - named "We Back Pat" spans from Sun., January 17 through Mon., January 25.
• Players from both teams in today's game will be wearing special "We Back Pat" shooting shirts and the coaching staffs will wear the color purple and Alzheimer awareness pins.
• The conference initiative is helping promote awareness of The Pat Summitt Foundation which is partnering with the UT Medical Center to create the Pat Summitt Alzheimer's Clinic
• #WeBackPat

 
Additional Hoopla for Thursday's Game - Presenting Sponsor: KISS 105.3

• Go Gators Car Magnets: The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a #GoGators car magnet!
• $1 Thursdays: Thursday night $1 promotion, all general admission tickets are $1
• We Back Pat: Raising awareness for Alzheimer's disease through messaging, videos and team engagement during 2016 We Back Pat Week - Asking fans to wear purple in support

 
Opening Tip

• Thursday's contest is the final of a three-game home stand for the Gators.
• Alabama holds a 29-26 lead in the 55-game series against Florida
• Florida sports a five-game win streak against Alabama, with each of the last three meetings decided by eight points or less.
• Six of the last eight games in the series have been single-digit affairs.

 
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