Sports | Men's Basketball - The Independent Florida Alligator

NBA commissioner Adam Silver switched up the All-Star Game's mechanics for the 2017-18 season.

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Dear Adam Silver: Show the draft, please

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 18, 2018

Show the draft!

Guard Chris Chiozza scored just six points in Saturday's loss to Vanderbilt.

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Gators lacking consistency from back court during recent stretch

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 18, 2018

Consistency.

Guard Egor Koulechov had a chance to tie up the game late, but his shot wouldn't go down. He finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

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Gators choke away another game in three-point loss to Commodores

By Skyler Lebron | Feb. 17, 2018

Down 71-68 with 8.9 seconds left, the Gators had a chance to tie the score.

Florida guard Chris Chiozza will play a big role in Saturday's matchup against Vanderbilt.

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UF looking to end late-game woes on Saturday against Vandy

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 16, 2018

When Yante Maten drilled his second three-pointer in 12 seconds, another Florida lead died. The 11-point advantage the Gators built crumbled during a furious Georgia comeback, a loss Florida coach Mike White called as tough as any he’d experienced.

Center John Egbunu has not played in a game this season due to a knee injury.

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John Egbunu might not be back, but could that be better for Florida?

By Skyler Lebron | Feb. 16, 2018

At the beginning of the regular season, Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White relayed to the media what team doctors were telling him about injured center John Egbunu. Late January was the targeted time period for the redshirt senior’s return.

Mike Okauru provided a surprise burst off the bench in Wednesday's loss to Georgia. The freshman guard posted 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

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Mike White disappointed in defensive struggles, Mike Okauru has breakout performance

By Jake Dreilinger | Feb. 14, 2018

Georgia forward Pape Diatta raced toward the right corner of the court and collected a rebound off his own missed three-pointer with 6:11 left in the second half.

Coach Mike White said Wednesday night's loss to Georgia was the toughest he has had to endure as a head coach. “We shouldn’t have even been in overtime," he said. "We had some miscommunication.”

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Gators collapse in final seconds of regulation, fall in overtime to Georgia

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 14, 2018

Nursing a six-point lead with 17 seconds left to play, the Gators men’s basketball team gave up a three-point shot to Georgia forward Yante Maten. Florida still led 59-56.

Florida men's basketball coach Mike White isn't satisfied with his team's defense despite it holding South Carolina to a season-low 41 points on Saturday. “I don’t want to act like this is a new season and we’ve got it all all figured out," he said.

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Gators men’s basketball team geared up for matchup with Bulldogs

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 13, 2018

More than three quarters of the way through a season filled with highs and lows, the Florida men’s basketball team faces Georgia tonight at 9 in the O’Connell Center in the teams’ second meeting of the year. The Gators (17-8, 8-4 SEC) fell 72-60 at Georgia (13-11, 4-8 SEC) on Jan. 30, their second of three straight SEC losses, but enter tonight’s matchup riding momentum from convincing wins over LSU and South Carolina. Here are three things to look for in tonight’s rematch, which will air on the SEC Network.

Florida center Kevarrius Hayes recorded five rebounds and two blocks in the Gators' 65-41 win over South Carolina on Saturday.

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Strong defense sets bar for Gators against South Carolina

By Jake Dreilinger | Feb. 12, 2018

South Carolina guard Frank Booker sprinted toward the basket on a fastbreak opportunity midway through the second half. With no one in his sight, Booker went up for what appeared to be an easy layup, only to have Florida center Kevarrius Hayes come from behind to swat the ball off the backboard and into the hands of guard Jalen Hudson.

Forward Kevarrius Hayes led a resurgent Florida defense against South Carolina Saturday afternoon. The junior provided two blocks and five rebounds in 15 minutes.

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Florida men’s basketball team shuts down South Carolina, cruises to 65-41 victory

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 10, 2018

South Carolina forward Chris Silva attacked the rim, put the ball up and had it swatted back by Florida center Kevarrius Hayes.

Florida guard Egor Koulechov looks forward to matching up against South Carolina forward Chris Silva, who recorded a double-double against UF on Jan. 24. "We'll have a good game plan," Koulechov said. "I'll do whatever I gotta do."

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UF hits road for rematch with South Carolina

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 9, 2018

Florida point guard Chris Chiozza has been posting career numbers all season. He’s scoring, rebounding and assisting at his highest rate since he stepped foot in Gainesville four years ago. The Gators men's basketball team has needed all of it in a topsy-turvy 2018 campaign.

Guard KeVaughn Allen only had seven points but made a crucial bucket with under five minutes to go in a win over LSU.

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Gators bounce back from recent struggles with home win over LSU

By Skyler Lebron | Feb. 7, 2018

With 4:32 left in the game and the shot clock winding down, KeVaughn Allen had a decision to make.

Despite the Florida men's basketball team dropping three of its last four games, guard Chris Chiozza isn't worried. "We went through this before where we bounced back pretty well," he said.

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Florida men’s basketball team looking to end SEC skid Wednesday against LSU Tigers

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 6, 2018

After three straight conference losses, senior guard Chris Chiozza — leader of the reeling Florida men’s basketball team — is ready to see some changes take place during the second half of SEC play.

After Florida scored a season-low 50 points against Alabama on Saturday, forward Keith Stone was not happy with the team's offensive production. "It's pretty frustrating," he said.

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Gators trying to stay afloat in midst of back-to-back losses

By Andrew Huang | Feb. 4, 2018

A common approach to sports is to “control the controllables.” Teams can only focus on their own effort and attention to detail. They have no way of affecting their opponent’s preparation.

Coach Mike White said the lack of identity for his team is frustrating. “We’ve got to find other ways to score other than a catch-and-shoot three,” he said.

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Gators flop in second half against Alabama, get nothing from their bench

By Skyler Lebron | Feb. 3, 2018

When the Florida men’s basketball team isn’t hitting shots, things get ugly.

KeVaughn Allen paced the Gators with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, but the Crimson Tide offense wouldn't relent in the second half.

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Florida men’s basketball team collapses against Crimson Tide for second straight SEC loss

By Jake Dreilinger | Feb. 3, 2018

Alabama forward Braxton Key received a pass inside the three-point line and immediately drove toward the basket. He powered through the Florida’s defense, converting a contested layup with 7:29 left in the second half to cap off an 11-0 run for the Crimson Tide.

Mike White wants to see his team step up its physicality against Alabama on Saturday. "Maybe we can get a guy or two to... (get) us some hard rebounds," he said.

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Florida men’s basketball team hoping to bounce back against Crimson Tide

By Jake Dreilinger | Feb. 1, 2018

Mike White walked into the media room of Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday not sure how to answer questions about his team’s shooting woes at the end of a 72-60 loss to Georgia.

UF coach Mike White didn't mince words after the Gators put up 60 points - their second-lowest mark on the season - in a loss to UGA. “They were tougher, more physical, more aggressive… they played with more edge than we did,” White said.

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Florida men’s basketball team’s offensive woes against UGA due to more than just the ‘Dogs defense

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 31, 2018

At its best, the Florida men’s basketball team’s offense is an explosive, high-scoring machine capable of hitting shots from anywhere on the court.

Florida guard KeVaughn Allen scored nine points against Georgia on Tuesday. After leading UF in scoring last season, Allen has fallen into a lesser role behind transfers Jalen Hudson and Egor Koulechov.

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Florida men’s basketball team, KeVaughn Allen continue to struggle with consistency

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 30, 2018

Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White has said all season that one of his team’s shortcomings is its ability to play with consistency. Facing Georgia in Athens on Tuesday, the Gators continued that trend, suffering a loss several days after a big win for the third time this month.

Guard Chris Chiozza was just one of two Gators to reach double figures in scoring against Georgia Tuesday night. He finished with 13 points and six assists.

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No. 23 Florida’s offense withers against Georgia in 72-60 loss

By Skyler Lebron | Jan. 30, 2018

With just under five minutes left in the game, Georgia forward Yante Maten received a pass at the top of the key.