Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center| Gainesville, Fla.
Box Score<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2022_1_22_1987552.PDF&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=KySiJWfigSqKSvjtaMFx6ocmBedUR4BuofV5lcq0ompSZhA89qi9cXvsu_sZiPgj&s=bgDZNq4kzHwdtN4ZpUP_wdq1XYaj7wEAO1pP3QlW8y0&e= > | Season Stats<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_documents_2021_11_9_2021-5F22-5FUFStats.pdf&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=KySiJWfigSqKSvjtaMFx6ocmBedUR4BuofV5lcq0ompSZhA89qi9cXvsu_sZiPgj&s=p1lobdpPr8Kqa0-HZjnBOdo04Kej2xsW6gIiTaV-KoE&e= >
Records: Florida 12-6 (3-3 SEC); Vanderbilt 10-8 (2-4 SEC)
Next up for Florida: at Ole Miss, Monday, 7 p.m. ET, SEC+
Notable
* Florida opened the second half on a 12-0 run, extending its lead by as many as 21 during the second half as the defense keyed the Gators’ victory.
* The 42 points allowed marked the second-fewest vs. an SEC opponent under Mike White (41, at South Carolina, 2/10/18).
* No Vanderbilt player scored more than seven, and the Gators limited the SEC’s leading scorer Scotty Pippen Jr. to a season-low six points on 1-for-10 shooting.
* Florida surrendered just 14 points and three made field goals, none from three, in the second half.
* Tyree Appleby led the Gators in scoring with 11 points off the bench, while Jason Jitoboh scored eight points and grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds.
* Florida has won eight straight vs. Vanderbilt, the longest winning streak by either team in series history surpassing UF’s seven straight spanning 2004-07. The Gators also moved into to the all-time series lead, 72-71, for the first time ever.
Head Coach Mike White
On the game plan…
“Team effort. The particular emphasis was how good they are. Nothing schematically special. We’ve got good defensive guards. Our bigs were really locked in to their ball screen coverage. It’s about the collection of the five guys out there and how connected they are. Most of all, just the respect our guys have for how good Scotty Pippen Jr. is. I can’t imagine he goes 1-for-10 another time in his collegiate career. He missed some for us. He got in early foul trouble. That’s not him. That’s not them. I think they’re the most improved team in our league. I think they’re very good. They missed some open ones for us. [Myles] Stute missed an open one for us as well. I thought we were pretty good defensively. I thought our shot selection was good. We moved it really well and our ball security continues to improve.”
On Jason Jitoboh…
“Jason’s quick in a small area. He’s got terrific feet. As he continues to get in better condition, he’ll get even faster. He can utilize his quickness for long periods of course. Jason’s also very intelligent. He’s a really quick thinker, as is Scotty Pippen.”
On the first half…
“We saw a lot of the same stuff. We’re watching a little bit less film and doing a little bit of more talking with this group. Our group has responded better. I thought Vanderbilt was at a really good place at halftime with Scotty having sat most of the first half, knowing he was going to play probably eighteen or twenty in the second half and get it going to a certain extent. Again, I liked our looks offensively and the way we moved, but defensively I thought we had some breakdown. I thought they had missed several open ones in the first half. We could’ve went into the locker room down five or seven, easily. I thought our guys were just really sharp. It wasn’t as much of what they were saying, it was action. We just came out early second half and our guys collected some stops. You could hear some communication from the other end. I thought it was pretty sharp, loud, and early. Pretty good defensive effort.”
#23 Brandon McKissic, Graduate Guard
On if the game was a thing of beauty for a guy like him who loves defense…
“Yeah, I was really excited for this game coming into it guarding someone like Scotty Pippen Jr. I was excited to see how I would match up with him and it was a fun game. It was a really exciting one for me.”
On the defensive mindset…
“You guys are seeing what we’re capable of and our ceiling. We’ve been really looking at our identity the past few games, and that’s what we’ve been emphasizing in the locker room – just be us to the fullest and max out. That’s what we’re working toward and this is what we’re trying to show you guys. We are a defensive team.”
On how proud he is of Jason Jitoboh’s transformation…
“Extremely proud. We know what he was capable of all summer and all year, and finally, he is getting the opportunity to show the world. In that locker room, we all know what he’s capable of if he puts his mind to it. He’s a very intellectual person on and off the court, so we really respect his game and him as a person. He deserves this. He grinded hard all this time that I’ve been with him, and he deserves everything that’s coming to him.”
On Jason Jitoboh being able to get out on the edge and get back to the rim…
“When J is moving his feet and he’s doing what he’s capable of, it makes us a better team. That’s a piece we’ve been missing. I’m really happy he’s able to do what he’s been doing at the efficiency rate that he’s doing it.”
#33 Jason Jitoboh, Junior Center
On the halftime adjustment…
“Our mentality during halftime was to come out and take away their confidence early. We know if we did what we’re supposed to do, that we would’ve been up 15. So, we just came out and did that.”
On his last two games and elevating his play…
“I’m just happy I’m able to contribute to a win. That’s all I’m happy for. I’m happy I’m playing well, but I’m just happy we’re winning now.”
On playing a career-high in minutes…
“All the conditioning I’ve been doing in practice is paying off. I can feel myself just moving better out there. I didn’t feel as tired as I normally felt in 10 minutes, so I felt good out there.”
On the upcoming schedule…
“It’s going to be very tough, but we have to handle it. … We have to lock in on the scouting report every day, and just come to practice and do what we need to do to give us the best chance to win the game.”
