CHARLOTTE, NC – Making its 23
rd postseason appearance, the University of Florida women's basketball team is set to take on Charlotte in the opening round of the 2021 Postseason WNIT on Friday, March 19 at 5 p.m. ET from inside Bojangles Coliseum.
| Date: |
Friday, March 19 |
| Time: |
5 p.m. ET |
| Matchup: |
Florida (11-13) vs. Charlotte (10-10) |
| Location: |
Charlotte, NC | Bojangles Coliseum |
| Live Stream: |
FloHoops |
| Live Stats: |
Here |
| WNIT Bracket: |
Full Bracket |
| WNIT Info: |
Website |
| Tickets |
There are no general public ticket sales. Attendance is limited to game personnel only and player guests. |
| Game Notes: |
Florida |
| Preview Press Conferences: |
Newbauer | Rainey |
Depending on Florida's result Friday, it will either draw UMass or Villanova on Saturday with a tip time to be determined by whether the Gators remain in the winners draw or head to the consolation bracket. Regardless of verdict the Gators are guaranteed at least two games in the Queen City.
All games will be available via streaming through FloHoops.
The Gators enter postseason play with an 11-13 overall record and most recently took the court two weeks ago in Greenville, SC at the SEC Tournament. In Greenville, just over 100 miles away from Charlotte, the Gators put together a strong showing and left with a 1-1 record. After taking out the Auburn Tigers 69-62, in first round action, Florida gave nationally-ranked Kentucky all it could handle in round two. Paced by Kiki Smith's career performance, Florida had some serious momentum and led for over 15 minutes in the contest, including the 58-55 edge it held with 4:42 to play at the game's final media timeout.
Smith's efforts in the conference tournament were flat out impressive as the senior guard averaged 27.5 points per game over the two contests. The Maryland native became the 26
th player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point mark, finishing with a team-high 19 against Auburn. Smith followed that up with a career-best 36 points against Kentucky in round two, totaling the second-most points in an SEC Tournament game in program history and the ninth-most by any player in the event's history. The 2020-21 campaign has been a special one for Smith. The Maryland native is averaging 19.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game and has scored over 20 points 10 times. The left-handed point guard is the only player in the SEC leading her team in points, rebounds and assists. Smith has increased her production to even greater numbers over the stretch run of the season, averaging 23.3 points per game over her last 12 games. In that span, Smith totaled eight 20+ point games and twice she scored over 30.
After it was announced that sophomore standout
Lavender Briggs, an All-SEC Second Team selection, would miss the remainder of the season due to a foot injury on Feb. 15, Smith and several others have ramped up their production to try to fill the sizable void. These contributions were on full display in Florida's regular season finale against Georgia when it featured four or more players with 14 or more points for the first time this season.
Jordyn Merritt,
Danielle Rainey,
Floor Toonders and Smith have all stepped up during the stretch run of the season.
|
WITH BRIGGS IN LINEUP (18 GAMES) |
WITHOUT BRIGGS IN LINEUP (6 GAMES) |
| PLAYER |
POINTS/REBOUNDS/ASSISTS/MINUTES |
POINTS/REBOUNDS/ASSISTS/MINUTES |
| Kiki Smith |
16.9 / 6.6 / 3.8 / 33.6 |
25.8 / 7.2 / 3.3 / 39.0 |
| Danielle Rainey |
6.7 / 1.9 / 0.9 / 13.9 |
9.7 / 2.8 / 0.3 / 19.8 |
| Jordyn Merritt |
5.1 / 3.4 / 0.6 / 18.7 |
7.2 / 5.5 / 1.0 / 30.5 |
| Floor Toonders |
3.4 / 3.7 / 0.3 / 15.6 |
4.3 / 4.0 / 0.2 / 15.7 |
One of the youngest rosters in the SEC, Florida started three underclassmen in its last game. Merritt, a freshman forward from Texas, is one of the new faces on campus that has made an impact. The 6-foot-3 forward, who has started Florida's last seven games, earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors. Averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds, Merritt has scored in double figures in two of the Gators last four games and is averaging 10.3 points per game during those games.
The veteran Rainey poured in 13 points and knocked down three treys in Florida's win over Auburn in Greenville. The Washington, DC native leads the Gators in three-pointers (37) and three-point percentage (.411) and has made multiple three-pointers in 10 games this year.
Making its 16th postseason appearance and sixth trip to the WNIT in the last 10 seasons, Charlotte earned an at-large selection to the field. The 49ers enter the matchup 10-10 overall and posted a 9-5 record in Conference USA action. Finishing with its best conference winning percentage since 2017, the 49ers feature four double-figure scorers and average a Conference USA-best 76.1 points per game as a unit. Octavia Jett-Wilson, a senior guard from Maryland, averages 21.1 points per game to pace the squad. Jett-Wilson, an All-Conference USA First Team selection, has scored over 40 points twice this season. Jada McMillian, also an All-Conference USA First Team pick, averages 16.7 per game to go with a team-best 5.3 assists. During the non-conference slate Charlotte played three ACC squads, Clemson, Wake Forest and North Carolina in succession, and fell in single-digit matchups in all three. Charlotte holds a 10-7 record against teams ranked 100 or above in the NCAA NET but is 0-3 against top 100 programs. Cara Consuegra, in her 10th year in charge of the Charlotte program, has over 150 collegiate victories. The long-time Marquette assistant has guided the 49ers to six WNIT appearances.
UF holds a 7-1 edge over Charlotte in terms of the all-time series and is 1-1 against the 49ers in WNIT play. Two of the last three meetings between the programs have occurred during WNIT action as the Gators claimed a 67-65 win in the 2013 event after falling 81-77 in overtime in 2011.
LOOKING AHEAD: With a second game in Charlotte guaranteed, Florida will take on UMass (14-7) or Villanova (15-6) depending on how the teams fare Friday. With a win, Florida will play again Saturday at 8 p.m. and with a loss it will be play at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Gators and Wildcats have met just once (1-0) in 1999 and UF is 3-0 against UMass.
NOTABLES
- Florida is making its eighth appearance in the WNIT and its first since 2013. The Gators have traditionally fared well in the WNIT with a 14-7 overall record and a pair of appearances in the event's finale. UF advanced to the semifinals in 2013, its last appearance in the tournament, securing a place in the semifinals for the third time. 2021 marks UF's 23rd postseason appearance (15 NCAA Tournament trips).
- Florida enters the matchup with a No. 62 ranking in the NET while Charlotte enters at No. 104. The SEC features 12 squads ranked within the top 65.
- Friday's matchup features two players averaging over 19 points per game in Kiki Smith's (19.1) and Charlotte's Octavia Jett-Wilson (21.1).
- Friday marks Florida's fifth game played in the states of South and North Carolina. The Gators have played three contests in SC and in non-conference action they traveled to UNC Asheville.
- With a victory Friday, Florida would have its first win in the postseason since the 2013-14 season when it defeated Dayton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Florida holds a 5-1 record in first round WNIT contests and has won four straight since falling to USF in the opening act in 2005.
- The Gators are 9-4 when winning the rebounding battle and are 10-3 when holding their opponent to fewer than 70 points.
- Seven of UF's 13 losses have been by 10 or fewer points.
- UF is 7-1 against non-conference foes this season.
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