Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
The Florida Gators (6-3) defeated the Richmond Spiders (5-5) 87-76 in the Orange Bowl Classic at the Amerant Bank Stadium in Sunrise, Florida, Saturday. Richard scored a season-high 21 points and the Gators shot at a 45% clip for the game.
The Florida Gators (5-3) defeated the Merrimack Warriors (4-6) 77-57 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Tuesday.
Brandon Hernandez says goodbye to the Alligator after five semesters. He served on the Sports desk as the Fall 2023 Enterprise reporter. He also held positions covering Gators men's basketball and the Summer 2023 Assistant Sports Editor.
My proudest moment at The Alligator was when I got the men’s basketball beat position last Spring. I was already covering UF men’s basketball on an internship, but when the 2023 Spring sports editor Kyle Bumpers called me up, I lit up like I went third overall to the Boston Celtics.
The Florida Gators (6-2) suffered their second loss of the season to the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-4) 91-88 at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, West Virginia, Saturday. Despite Gators senior guards Leilani Correa and Aliyah Matharu combining for 50 points, UF struggled to answer back to a 10-0 three-minute Marshall run to end the game.
The Florida Gators (4-1) defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers (4-1) 86-71 in UF’s first game of the NIT Season Tip-off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Wednesday. Despite a rough start, UF held Pitt to 35% shooting from the floor and led for nearly 19 minutes in the contest.
The Florida Gators (2-1) defeated the Florida A&M Rattlers (0-3) 89-68 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center to open up a two-game homestand Tuesday. Led by junior guard Will Richard, UF shot 47.6% from the floor and led for more than 35 minutes through the contest.
The trio of sophomore forward Micah Handlogten, graduate student forward Tyrese Samuel and freshman forward Alex Condon produced 44 points as a collective in UF’s season opener. All showed signs of agility, movement and a defensive identity for the Gators.
The Florida Gators (1-0) pounded the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (0-1) 93-73 in their season opener at home in the Exactech Arena. The Gators shot 58.1% from the field, 50% from the free throw line and held LMU to shoot at a 45.8% clip.
Any underdog team can go into enemy territory and grab a win in the world of college basketball. Especially when no team has played a minute on the court for the 2023-2024 season. In the case of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team, they’ll look to avoid this going into their season opener against the underdog Loyola Maryland Greyhounds — an opponent they’ve never faced.
Alligator Weekly Round Up - August 17
Solutions by The State News
