Who/When/Where: UF (4-2) at Jacksonville (4-2), 5:30 p.m., Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.
Last Time Out:
UF won 54-50 vs. Stetson Monday
Jacksonville lost 50-49 vs Winthrop Saturday
Last Meeting:
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Projected Starters:
Jacksonville:
F Ashley Williams (5-11, Sr.)
C Danielle Gray (6-0, So.)
G Regina Omoite (5-5, Jr.)
G DaVina Hamilton (5-6, Jr.)
G Virginia Gregoire (5-8, Jr.)
UF:
F Marshae Dotson (5-11, Jr.)
F Sharielle Smith (5-10, So.)
G Brittaney Thomas (5-8, So.)
G Sha Brooks (5-7, Jr.)
G Depree Bowden (5-11, Sr.)
Why Jacksonville Might Win:
UF didn't exactly look stellar in its road debut against Nebraska earlier this season. And it is the team's third game in six days. And the Gators have started slowly in games lately. The Dolphins also have some respectable wins to their credit, including at Miami and a neutral-site victory aginst UMass. Jacksonville does sport two players named to the preseason all-conference teams, including Atlantic Sun preseason Player of the Year Ashley Williams. UF coach Amanda Butler said the Dolphins will sport a similar, smaller, athletic line-up like Stetson but Jacksonville will have more talent at certain spots than the Hatters did.
Why UF Might Win:
The Gators will be going up against only player that's taller than 6 foot 1. UF shot pretty poorly in its last game, and have to hope some more shots will fall. Butler's lucky the bench players got their horrible, let-the-team-back-in-the-game-late binge out against Stetson, because a better team like Jacksonville might have taken home the W. UF should push the ball, have more athleticism and then pound it into the paint.
Final Word:
Hopefully UF will come out a little more fired up than they did against Stetson. Slow starts have caught up with them in their two losses and Jacksonville may be a good enough team to pull off the upset if given the chances. The Marshae Dotson-Ashley Williams looks to be a premiere match-up of talented post players that might be considered under-sized by some. It is a double-header for Jacksonville, as its men's team plays afterward, so a large crowd is possible. This will be a good tough test before the Gators leave the state and head to Louisville this weekend. More importantly, UF has to continue to win the games it "should" if it hopes to get a NCAA Tournament bid come March.
