Florida Men’s Basketball (17-7, 7-4 SEC) at Georgia (14-10, 4-7 SEC)
Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 | 1 p.m.
TV/Streaming
SEC Network | ESPN App<http://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=75a00caa-dac2-4988-a7ed-cb1e362bd076>
Play-by-Play: Mike Morgan | Analyst: Mark Wise
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | FloridaGators.com<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5323> | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 385 & SXM App<https://sxm.app.link/975>
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida outlasted Georgia in the first meeting this season, earning a 102-98 overtime win, part of UF’s current stretch of six wins in its last seven outings. Micah Handlogten led the Gators with 23 points and 17 rebounds in the Gainesville end of the series.
* The Gators’ recent success has been powered by taking care of the ball as UF has committed single-digit turnovers in five of its last seven games, including a season-low seven in the wins vs. Mississippi State and Auburn.
* Florida looks to extend its nine-game winning streak vs. Georgia, tied for its second-longest winning streak in series history (11, 2004-09; nine, 1964-68). UF’s longest winning streak vs. an SEC foe was a 14-game run against Tennessee (1991-98).
* Zyon Pullin leads the SEC in assist/turnover ratio both overall (3.9) and in conference play (4.0), and his 4.9 assists per game rank second in the SEC. Pullin has scored 10+ points in every appearance this season, and his 21-game double-figure scoring streak is the fifth-longest by a Gator since 1996-97.
* Florida has two of the top three offensive rebounders in the SEC in Micah Handlogten (3.8) and Tyrese Samuel (3.2), and UF’s 40.2% offensive rebounding rate is second-highest in the nation.
* Will Richard stands at 999 career points, one away from the 1,000-point career milestone. He scored 399 in one season at Belmont and has 600 as a Gator.
* In UF’s first 20 games of the season, the team shooting a higher field goal percentage won the game. By contrast, the last four games have all been won by the team that shot a lower field goal percentage.
2023-24 Highlights
* The Gators outlasted LSU, 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.
* 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 win vs. Georgia, while Zyon Pullin scored seven of his 20 points in the overtime period. Handlogten is just the fifth SEC player over the last 10 seasons to post 23 and 17 in a conference game, joining Oscar Tshiebwe, Sindarius Thornwell, Ben Simmons & Jordan Mickey.
* 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.
* Five Gators in double figures highlighted UF’s win vs. Arkansas, as Riley Kugel scored 20 points off the bench to lead the way and Tyrese Samuel added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
* 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.
