Tag Archives: Will Yeguete

Patric Young to Return to Florida Gators for Senior Season

  By The Bull Gator | April 8, 2013 - 10:23 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

For the second-straight year, the Florida Gators can breathe a sigh of relief. Center Patric Young has announced he will return for another season.

Patric Young - Florida Gators

Once thought to be a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft, Young may have seen his stock fall slightly over the course of his junior season. While Young is a physical specimen with plenty of potential at the professional level, he is no longer a lock for the first round of the draft. That, along with other factors, may have made it easy for Young to decide to return for one final season donning the orange and blue of the good guys.

Academics could have been one of those other factors. Young has been selected as the SEC’s Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year following each of the last two seasons. The studious Young may be looking to bring home the three-peat.

The Gators’ finish at the end of each of Young’s seasons may be yet another reason. Florida took its final bow in the Elite Eight of the last three NCAA Tournaments, leaving Young exactly one game away from reaching the Final Four on three different occasions. Despite an extremely different Gators’ team set to take to the court in 2013-14, Florida should have another great opportunity to advance far in the tourney again.

Head coach Billy Donovan has some work to do, but having Young back should make it all a little easier. Young brings leadership and experience to a largely overhauled roster. With incoming freshmen and transfers set to join the likes of Young, Will Yeguete, Scottie Wilbekin, Michael Frazier II and the rest of the roster, the Gators are poised to make another deep run.

Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers: Top-Seeded Gators Look for Victory in Opening SEC Tournament Game

  By The Bull Gator | March 14, 2013 - 9:57 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team will begin their quest for the 2013 SEC Tournament on Friday. At 1:00 PM, the top-seeded Gators will face the LSU Tigers in Nashville, TN. LSU defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 68-63 on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals.

Kenny Boynton - Florida Gators

The Gators are looking for their fourth conference tourney championship. Florida won its first three titles in back-to-back-to-back seasons from 2005 to 2007. The Gators, as you surely remember, would go on to win national championships after the final two of those three. Just a few short weeks ago, Florida was considered a national title contender again, but a 3-3 record over the final six games of the regular season has left many questions unanswered.

That 3-3 record is behind the Gators now. It doesn’t matter anymore. The postseason starts on Friday and Florida is only permitted one more loss. Not that we want that loss to occur, far from it, but there is one on the table.

We would prefer the Gators to make this easy on all of us and go 9-0 over the next few weeks. That would be the clean and simple end to this season’s story that we’re all looking for. We’ll take 8-1, 7-1, or even 6-1, but only if that loss comes in the next three days. Let’s throw those scenarios out though and go back to the 9-0 dream. Again, clean and simple.

The Gators and Tigers last faced each other in Baton Rouge, LA on January 12. Florida cruised to a 74-52 victory. Senior guard Kenny Boynton led the Gators with 20 points and junior forward Will Yeguete had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. LSU struggled to find any sort of rhythm, only shooting 32.3% from the field.

The stakes are much higher this time around. For Florida, it’s about NCAA Tournament seeding. For LSU, it’s about survival. The Tigers will bring more against the Gators than they did two months ago. They have to. The Gators, on the other hand, look to prove they can live up to the lofty expectations that have faded in recent weeks. Florida is the team that should win not only on Friday, but on Saturday and Sunday as well. They question is if they will.

Florida Gators 64 – Alabama Crimson Tide 52: Strong Finish Leads To Gators Win

  By The Bull Gator | March 2, 2013 - 7:40 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
1 Comment

There was a fast start, an almost dramatic slowdown, an impressive comeback and a convincing finish. All of those described the Florida Gators 64-52 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide at one point or another during the game. Florida improved to 23-5 (13-3 SEC) on the season, while Alabama fell to 19-10 (11-5 SEC). With the Gators eyeing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the loss will make it harder for the Tide to even get in.

Kenny Boynton - Florida Gators

The Gators were down by three at the break and by as much as eight in the second half. It looked like it was gearing up to be quite the let down when Florida kicked it into the next gear and went on a 15-0 run to but Bama away. That run put the Gators up by nine and they would go on to win by 12. It was another double-digit SEC win, but was also a game that easily could have gone the other way. There were definitely times when you could almost feel the game slipping away, but–as opposed to recent losses–the Gators composed themselves, fought back and came away with the victory.

Junior forward Will Yeguete and freshman guard Michael Frazier II returned, but they were limited. The pair gave Florida 17 minutes, no points and just one lone rebound, but their appearances were enough to spark the rest of the team. Senior forward Erik Murphy led the way with 15 points, senior guard Kenny Boynton had 13, junior guard Scottie Wilbekin had 11 and junior forward Casey Prather added 10 off the bench.

One of the more telling stats of the day was the number of times the Gators allowed the Tide to go to the charity stripe. Alabama attempted just 10 free throws during the game as Florida only fouled the Tide nine times. The fact that the Tide could only connect on four of those 10 attempts hurt their chances even more. On the other end, the Gators hit 22 of their 26 attempts. It was an impressive display from Florida and made up for the fact that the Gators were only 2-of-13 from three-point land.

The win pushes Florida into the final week of the season on a high note. The Gators only have two games remaining–March 6 against the Vanderbilt Commodores and March 9 at the Kentucky Wildcats–and will look for big victories in both. Florida hasn’t faced Vandy yet this season, but defeated Kentucky by 17 in the first matchup between the two. With two more convincing wins, the Gators could be looking at a No. 1 or No. 2 seed come tourney selection time.

Florida Gators Vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Gators In Need Of A Big Win

  By The Bull Gator | March 2, 2013 - 10:53 am | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

On February 2, the Florida Gators defeated the Ole Miss Rebels to improve to 18-2 (8-0 SEC) on the season. The orange and blue would rise to No. 2 in the polls and hold that position for, well, not very long at all. Three days after beating Ole Miss, Florida fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks in an 11-point loss that felt much worse than even that double-digit margin. Three big wins followed, putting the Gators in the driver’s seat for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. A 1-2 record over the last three with losses to two unranked opponents puts that in danger.

Will Yeguete - Florida Gators

On Saturday, Florida has a chance to prove itself once again. One of the nation’s better teams when healthy and playing up to their talents and abilities, the Gators host an Alabama Crimson Tide team that is eyeing a tournament appearance as well. Florida is in, but Bama may not be. A win over the Gators will go a long way for the Tide, but a big win for Florida is just as important.

Junior forward Will Yeguete and freshman guard Michael Frazier II return for the Gators, giving Florida a full lineup. It’s not clear exactly how much either Yeguete or Frazier can or will contribute, but having them available is a plus for a team that was extremely limited in the recent loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. If Yeguete is healthy enough to earn quality minutes, he brings an intensity the Gators need down low. And Frazier has been used substantially more than his freshmen classmates, providing a spark off of the bench. With the two healthy, Florida gets back more than 40 minutes, 12.4 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game.

The latest of Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology (updated on March 1) has 22-5 (12-3 SEC) Florida as a No. 3 seed in the East Region. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as it appears to be a very winnable region. But we know that’s not how it will shake up in the end and the Gators want and feel they deserve a higher seed. 19-9 (11-4 SEC) Alabama is on the outside looking in and not many are convinced they have the resume to be selected. A win over the No. 8/6 Gators will go a long way for the Tide. Closing out the regular season with three strong wins will go a long way for Florida. Both teams need victories and because of an increased level of intensity the Tide will surely bring, the Gators must play a full 40 minutes.

Florida won the 2006 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed, but the Gators would like to go into this year’s tourney higher up the ladder. It’s very possible, Florida just needs to prove it over the next couple of weeks.

Florida Gators 69 – Kentucky Wildcats 52: Gators Win Convincingly Over Defending Champs

  By The Bull Gator | February 13, 2013 - 11:38 am | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

It’s hard to call the Kentucky Wildcats the defending national champions. They are, but at the same time they aren’t. Most of the roster is now in the NBA and the team we see this season is largely a new one. But there sits John Calipari, coaching a program that hoisted the trophy just one season ago. Commanding the other team is one Billy Donovan, masterfully leading the Florida Gators to a 69-52 win over the defending champs.

Kenny Boynton - Florida Gators

The Gators are quickly approaching what could be a dream season by many standards. At 20-3 (10-1 SEC), Florida is one of the nation’s better teams and the convincing win over Kentucky further proved that. The No. 7/6 Gators have lost games to only No. 9/9 Arizona, No. 10/11 Kansas State and—most recently—Arkansas. While the double-digit loss to the Razorbacks hurts, the Gators counter that with an RPI currently at No. 4. Those are the types of things the NCAA Tournament selection committee will take into account. So is the fact that Florida has beaten opponents by double digits in each of its 10 SEC victories. Even more impressive, all 20 of the Gators’ wins—SEC or not—have come by double digits. This is a team that has struggled—three times to be exact—but is approaching near-impossible-to-stop status when running on all cylinders.

Take Tuesday night for example. The Gators stretched a 13-point halftime lead to a 17-point win. Florida shot 49.1% from the field against a team that had only allowed opponents to connect on 37.8% of their shots. The Gators also made 42.9% of their three-point attempts and connected on nearly 80% of their free throws. Offensively, the Wildcats didn’t have an answer. Defensively, they struggled to keep up with the orange and blue as well. Shot blocking freshman phenom Nerlens Noel—who would leave the game with an injury in the second half—managed three blocks, but that was also the total for Kentucky as a whole. The Gators blocked nine Wildcat attempts on the night.

Junior guard Scottie Wilbekin lead Florida with 14 points, but junior center Patric Young was the Gators best player for most of the night. Young put in 12 points to go with 11 rebounds and four blocks. We continuously thank him for decided to return to Florida for his junior season. Three other Gators had double-digit point totals, including junior reserve guard/forward Casey Prather. Prather—filling in admirably for injured junior forward Will Yeguete—had 12 points for the second-straight game.

Winning is good; beating Kentucky by 17 is better. The Gators have only done that once before in Donovan’s time as the Florida head coach. They’ve beaten the Wildcats numerous other times, but only once by that much. Even winning had become rare as Kentucky had taken seven of the last eight meetings. The win gives the Gators their 20th of the season and their 15th-straight season doing so. With seven regular season games remaining and both the SEC and NCAA tournaments to play, Florida has a good chance to make it eight 25-win seasons under Donovan and even possibly get to 30 wins for the third time. The other two times? You already know when those were.

Florida Gators 27 – Georgetown Hoyas 23; What 1 Half Of A Basketball Game Can Tell Us

  By The Bull Gator | November 12, 2012 - 2:56 pm | Florida Gators Football
6 Comments

On Friday night, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team played half of a game against the Georgetown Hoyas on an aircraft carrier. The court–temporarily housed on the USS Bataan–became unworthy for use and both teams decided it was in their best interests to call the game at the half. That can happen when you play outside on a court meant to be used inside. You generally don’t find the same sort of condensation problems unless your gym has serious air conditioning issues. In the end, there never was an end and the game was canceled after only 20 minutes of play. The Gators won–if you can call it a win, which you really can’t because it doesn’t count–27-23, so they have that going for them.

Will Yeguete - Florida Gators

We only saw 20 minutes of action, but it was enough to give us a brief glimpse into what the 2012-13 version of the Florida Gators may look like. We didn’t learn a lot–and the entire half could have been an aberration of what the season will really bring–but we were taught a thing or two about what’s ahead.

First of all, this looks to be another team that will live and die by the three-point shot. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but keep a lookout for the first time the Gators fall behind by 9-12 points in an important game. How they try to get back into that game will be extremely telling. This team has the talent to win games behind the arc, but also the ability to lose them.

Without a true point guard, the Gators don’t have an assist man. The assists will come, but Florida needs someone to find Kenny Boynton for the open shot. Boynton can’t find himself and works well receiving the ball. He has the ability to play the point guard position, but the Gators would benefit greatly from having a distributor to play alongside him. Braxton Ogbueze will have to grow up quickly.

On that note, so will all of the freshman. It looks like they will be relied upon early and often this season. Billy Donovan likes fresh players on the court and to do so, he’ll have to play the four true freshman. They’ll need to get up to the speed of the college game immediately.

Continue reading (more…)

Will Yeguete Recovering From Injury; Gators Forward Eyes 2012-13 Season

  By The Bull Gator | April 17, 2012 - 8:00 am | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

As a sophomore during the 2011-12 Florida Gators men’s basketball season, Will Yeguete contributed more than anyone ever could have imagined. Coming off of a freshman season in which he averaged 7.1 minutes per game, Yeguete was expected to see more time on the court, but just how much was anyone’s guess. What the Gators got was their hardest worker from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

Despite Florida’s march to the Elite Eight – which could be considered a successful season by many – injuries cut into Yeguete’s season. He played his last game on February 21 in a win over Auburn. At that point in the season, the Gators were 22-6. Even with three wins in the NCAA Tournament, Florida would go 4-5 with Yeguete done for the season. His absence left the Gators without a gritty forward not afraid to do the dirty work.

Yeguete’s role will only expand as he enters his junior season. He’ll be part of a rotation that will include Patric Young, Erik Murphy and up-and-comer Casey Prather. The Gators will need Yeguete healthy from the first practice in the fall until the clock reaches 00:00 in their final game of the 2012-13 season.

Yeguete is currently recovering from his broken foot and working to get back to 100%. Recovery is a slow moving process, but with so much time until the new season begins, it’s nothing to worry about. Yeguete should be ready when the pace is picked up later this year.

For more Florida Gators coverage, like the TBG Facebook page and follow TBG on Twitter.

NCAA Tournament Preview: Florida Gators Vs. Marquette Golden Eagles – March 21, 2012

  By The Bull Gator | March 21, 2012 - 10:06 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

The Florida Gators’ basketball team heads into the Sweet 16 with renewed hope and a fanbase feeling confident in the team’s chances against the Marquette Golden Eagles. After two big wins in the opening rounds of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, the Gators march into the final 16 with a great opportunity to push this run even further.

The Facts

Opponent: Marquette Golden Eagles
When: Thu., Mar. 21, 2012 – 10:17 PM
Where: Phoenix, AZ
Broadcast: TBS, Sirius 93, XM 191
Records: Florida: 25-10, Marquette: 27-7
Seeds: Florida: 7, Marquette: 3
Current Streak: Florida: W2, Marquette: W2
Point Spread: Marquette -2
Over/Under: 147
Calculated Score: Marquette 74-73/75-72
Point Scored: Florida: 76.3, Marquette: 75.9
Points Allowed: Florida: 66.0, Marquette: 66.2

The Preview

The teams have similar records, they have approximately the same production on the offensive end of the court, and they allow an eerily similar amount of points. While neither had a noteworthy finish to their regular and conference tournament seasons, both have looked good in the Big Dance to get to this point.

Vegas thinks this will be the highest scoring of the four Thursday night games and they could be right. The Gators, for lack of a better way to put it, utterly destroyed their first two opponents and will look to do the same. While the Golden Eagles had a tougher fight in the third round against Murray State, they beat BYU by 20 in the second round. According their seeds, Marquette should be here and Florida shouldn’t, but another Gators’ win would hardly surprise at this point.

While Florida can have any number of different players lead the team offensively, Marquette relies heavily on Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom. The two combined to score 79 of the Eagles 150 total points in their first two games and were the only members of the roster to average double digits this season. Amazingly, even when they aren’t putting up points, Marquette wins. Only four times this season did one of the duo not score at least 10 points. The Eagles were 3-1 in those games. Slowing Crowder and Johnson-Odom will help the Gators cause, but it might not turn the tide completely in Florida’s favor.

The Gators will need another solid performance from freshman Bradley Beal who has more than proved his worth so far in the tourney. Beal is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds. He has only taken 16 shots in two games, but is making smart decisions and shooting the ball well. He has become the glue with Will Yeguete only able to watch.

In addition to Beal, Florida will be served well by another good outing from Kenny Boynton. The junior guard had hit the slump of all slumps when it came to shooting in recent games, but he finally found his stroke again in the win over Norfolk State. Boynton only went 2-for-7 from behind the three-point line, but made all five of his other field goal attempts and led the Gators with 20 points.

Florida needs to perform at both ends of the court against Marquette. The Gators need to continue to push opponents to keep up with them on offense, but also hope they can stop the Eagles from actually doing just that. If they can stay active on both ends, Florida should remain in this game and can advance to the next round. Marquette is a good team deserving of their No. 3 seed, but Florida’s recent improvement shows the talent is there to compete.

Men’s Basketball Recap: Georgia Bulldogs 76 – Florida Gators 62; Same Old Inconsistency

  By Evandagator | February 26, 2012 - 9:03 am | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

With only two games remaining in the Florida Gators men’s basketball regular season, the consensus of Hail Florida Hail for one word to sum up the Gators’ play this year: inconsistent. They experienced highs and lows all season, with convincing wins over Florida State, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and most recently, Auburn. But they’ve also suffered disappointing losses to top teams Ohio State, Syracuse, and Kentucky and heart-breaking losses against downright bad teams Rutgers, Tennessee (twice!), and, Saturday, Georgia. The Gators were dismantled 76-62 by a sub-.500 team (13-15), the Bulldogs, who are second to last in the SEC standings.

The Gators never seemed to be in the game, and when they were, they choked. When the Gators finally got the deficit down to only five points during the final few minutes of the game, Bradley Beal committed a freshman mistake. Beal, the Gator’s top scorer for the game (19 points), seemingly the only Gator who showed up, had a double-double, but he suffered a late brain lapse. He committed one of the deadly basketball sins: fouling with one second on the shot clock by running into a Georgia player. Florida scored no points after that mistake.

The blame cannot be placed solely on Beal though, as everyone else on the team basically decided to take the worst games of his year and put them all together into one fun-packed night. The Gators, one of the top offenses in the country, shot an embarrassing 37% from the field and 22% from the three-point line. Experienced guards, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker, favored taking tough shots all game, which they unfortunately missed. Sharp shooter Mike Rosario couldn’t find a rhythm from behind the three-point line and went 0-for-3. Erik Murphy was even worse, going 0-for-5.

Although the starters had rough games, the bench was not to be outdone. The bench played with low energy without Will Yeguete, injured for the season. They altogether gave forth a whopping eight points. Georgia’s bench doubled them with 16.

Saturday’s game, to say the least, was rough for the Gators. They only have two games left in the regular season, and big ones at that. The next two games are against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Gators’ record is now 22-7 overall and 10-4 in the SEC.

As always, be sure to let us know how far you think the Gators will go in the NCAA Tournament (even if your opinion has gone down after the loss) The poll is located in the bar to the right. Scroll down and you’ll find it.

Men’s Basketball Preview: Florida Gators Vs. Georgia Bulldogs – February 25, 2012

  By The Bull Gator | February 25, 2012 - 9:11 am | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
Leave a comment

The No. 11/12 Florida Gators head to Athens, GA to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday. The Gators and Bulldogs are two different teams with similar streaks. Well, similar in number only. Florida has won three straight, while Georgia has lost three in a row.

The Facts

Opponent: Georgia Bulldogs
When: Sat., Feb. 25, 2012 – 4:00 PM
Where: Athens, GA
Broadcast: SEC Network, GatorVision
Records: Florida: 22-6 (10-3 SEC, 4-5 Away), Georgia: 12-15 (3-10 SEC, 9-6 Home)
Rankings: Florida: 11/12, Georgia: NR
Current Streak: Florida: W3, Georgia: L3
Point Spread: Florida -7.5
Over/Under: 129.5
Calculated Score: Florida 68-61/69-61
Points Scored: Florida: 78.3, Georgia: 61.0
Points Allowed: Florida: 64.8 Georgia: 62.8
Last Meeting: Florida 70-48 (January 10, 2011)

The Preview

The 22-6 (10-3) Gators are working for NCAA Tournament seeding at this point. With only three games remaining in the regular season, Florida is looking to show the selection committee that it can finish strong. These final couple of games both lead up to the March 4 matchup with No. 1 Kentucky. But first, Georgia and a march toward the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament.

Florida and Georgia first met during the 2011-12 season early in January. The Gators led by 24 at the half and won by 32. Much of the same is expected even if the game is in Athens this time around and Florida is without sophomore forward Will Yeguete. Not to say Yeguete won’t be missed, but he wasn’t much of a factor against Georgia the first time around, so hopefully his absence won’t make too much of an impact. What the Gators do need to do in this one is learn how to play without him. Florida beat Alabama without the forward, but now has the realization that he’s done for the season.

The Gators won that first game by such a large margin in part due to 17 points each from junior guard Kenny Boynton and freshman guard Bradley Beal, but one key item had a lot to contribute to the victory – turnovers. The Gators only turned the ball over six times. Compare that to Tuesday’s win over Auburn when Florida lost the ball 18 times. The Gators had the luxury of having a game like that against Auburn, but hopefully it’s now out of their system and they can step up their performance against Georgia.