#24/RV Florida Men’s Basketball (18-8, 8-5 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (7-19, 2-11 SEC)
Florida Game Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/2/23/2024.02.24_Vanderbilt.pdf> | 2023-24 Media Guide<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/10/30/2023-24_Media_Guide_Web.pdf> | Media Resources<https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iv6cc1nl98a49pv/AAD_LkZm6hKvVz7FpyboOUR1a?dl=0>
Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center | Gainesville, Fla.
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 | 1 p.m.
*SOLD OUT*
TV/Streaming
SEC Network | ESPN App<http://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=6e311a9a-9b8b-4409-a8a8-51bac2b65f22>
Play-by-Play: Mike Morgan | Analyst: Mark Wise
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | FloridaGators.com<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5325> | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 208 or 191 & SXM App<https://sxm.app.link/962>
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida returns home to a sold-out Exactech Arena to host Vanderbilt as the Gators look to bounce back from a hard-fought overtime loss at #13 Alabama. All five of Florida’s home SEC Saturdays this season have sold out in advance.
* UF has won seven of its last nine games and entered the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since Dec. 6, 2021. This marks the latest in a season UF has held a ranking since entering the 2018 NCAA Tournament at #23.
* The Gators’ recent success has been powered by taking care of the ball as UF has committed single-digit turnovers in seven of its last nine games, while Walter Clayton Jr. has four straight 20-point performances.
* Zyon Pullin leads the SEC and ranks second in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (4.04), and his 4.9 assists per game rank second in the SEC. Pullin has scored 10+ points in every appearance this season, and his 23-game double-figure scoring streak is tied for the third-longest by a Gator since 1996-97.
* Florida has two of the top three offensive rebounders in the SEC in Micah Handlogten (3.9) and Tyrese Samuel (3.1). UF’s 39.8% offensive rebounding rate is third-highest in the nation, while Handlogten’s 19.2% offensive rebounding rate ranks second nationally and his 3.88 offensive rebounds per game rank 10th.
2023-24 Highlights
* Florida’s win vs. #12 Auburn marked the Gators’ 15th in a row at home vs. the Tigers. Riley Kugel’s 22 points led the Gators, along with 20 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 19 by Zyon Pullin, while the Gators matched a season low with just seven turnovers.
* The Gators notched a big resume win in their victory at 10th-ranked Kentucky, led by a trio of 20-point scorers in Walter Clayton Jr. (23), Tyrese Samuel (22) and Zyon Pullin (21). Clayton’s 3-pointer with 3.0 seconds left in regulation forced overtime and another with 1:42 left in overtime put the Gators ahead for good.
* Micah Handlogten posted 23 points and 17 rebounds in the home win vs. Georgia, while Zyon Pullin scored seven of his 20 points in the overtime period. The Gators completed the sweep in Athens for a 10th straight win vs. Georgia behind 21 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 17 by Thomas Haugh.
* The Gators outlasted LSU at home, led by Walter Clayton Jr.’s 21 points, along with 15 points from Tyrese Samuel and 14 by Zyon Pullin. Florida overcame LSU’s 11-for-21 3-point game by scoring 20 points off 19 offensive rebounds while committing just eight turnovers.
* Will Richard led the Gators with 23 points and nine rebounds in the win vs. Mississippi State as Florida committed a season-low seven turnovers. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. each added 15 points.
* Zyon Pullin scored 22 and Tyrese Samuel posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Gators’ double overtime victory vs. Michigan in Charlotte. Pullin’s 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime forced the second extra session, where an 11-0 UF run put the game away.
* The Gators topped Pitt in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off behind 28 points from Walter Clayton Jr. on 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, a 20-point, 10-rebound performance from Tyrese Samuel and a 24-to-8 assist-to-turnover showing as a team.
