With his team in the midst of a 20-10 run late in the second half, Justin Leon sprinted hard down the court.
Chris Chiozza stood with his shoulders square at the basket, toes at the free-throw line.
Ronni Williams and Delicia Washington trotted toward halfcourt before meeting each other with a chest bump as the final buzzer sounded at the O’Connell Center.
Texas A&M delivered the loss that killed Florida’s NCAA Tournament hopes last season.
Brooke Copeland, the junior forward from Cleveland, Tennessee, is simply focused on one thing.
No. 17 Florida is playing its best basketball of the year. With five straight SEC wins — three of them by more than 30 points — and a statement win over then-No. 8 Kentucky, the Gators have placed themselves in a tie atop the conference standings. But who deserves the most credit for Florida’s improvement? Assistant sports editor Matt Brannon and sports writers Ray Boone and Ian Cohen debate who’s been the Gators’ MVP — the most valuable person.
With just over a minute left in the game, Chris Chiozza stood behind the three-point line with the ball in his hands. He gently rocked the ball back and forth, lulling his defender to sleep.
If you were there, listening to John Calipari speak, if you heard the pure annoyance, the dulled frustration in his voice, you would have realized it.
All five players on the court for Florida sprinted to the defensive end of the floor, positioned themselves into a 2-3 zone and fiercely slapped the hardwood of the O’Connell Center with the palms of their hands.
It was the end of a long film session.
Florida women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler was less than pleased with her team’s effort following its seventh loss in nine SEC games this season.
Before the sold-out crowd cried out, before the Kentucky defender regained his balance, before the ball went in the basket, UF point guard Kasey Hill was already drifting back on defense.
Kasey Hill lost his bragging rights on Saturday, but you likely won’t hear him complain.
Kasey Hill rocked the ball back and forth as he stared down Wenyen Gabriel. Hill crossed over and stepped back as he launched a high-arching jumper over the outstretched fingertips of Kentucky’s 6-foot-9 forward.
As soon as Florida stepped onto the court against Missouri on Thursday night, the game was already decided. The Tigers, in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, weren’t ready to play.
As Haley Lorenzen watched the ball rattle around the rim and into the basket to begin the third quarter, Florida’s bench exploded with roars and cheers.
The net didn’t move.
Shimmy Gray-Miller still gets angry when she watches film of Florida’s last game against Texas A&M.
Mike White doesn’t want to think about the Kentucky Wildcats.
American philosopher and author Norman Vincent Peale once said, “There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.”
Solutions by The State News
