Florida (12-8/3-5 SEC) vs. Oklahoma State (10-9/3-5 Big 12) Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (10,151) | Gainesville, Fla. SEC/Big 12 Challenge | Game 21 | Jan. 29, 2022 | 4 p.m BROADCAST INFO ESPN2 | ESPN App Play-by-Play: Roy Philpott Analyst: Mark Wise Gators Sports Network Play-by-Play: Mick Hubert Analyst: Lee Humphrey
HEAD COACHES Mike White 135-83 | 7th season at UF 236-123 | 11th season overall Mike Boynton 82-67 | 5th season at OSU/overall MATCHUP BASICS All-Time Series: 3-0 All-Time/Home: First Meeting Series under White: 1-0 All-Time vs. Big 12: 25-19 vs. Big 12 Under White: 6-5 UF in SEC/Big 12 Challenge: 5-3 Last Meeting: W, 72-70, 12/19/15 (Sunrise)
NUMBERS OF NOTE 22 Florida’s 22 non-conference wins vs. power conference opponents under Mike White mark the most by any SEC team since 2015-16. No other team has more than 19 (see page 5). 4 With a victory on Saturday, the Gators would own wins vs. ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 opponents in a single season for the first time in program history. 1,000 Myreon Jones needs four points to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career. He looks to join backcourt mates Tyree Appleby, Phlandrous Fleming Jr. and Brandon McKissic in the 1,000-point club. Anthony Duruji is also closing in, just 20 points from the milestone
FLORIDA POSSIBLE STARTERS # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Min. Pts. Reb. Misc. 4 Anthony Duruji F 6-7 209 Sr. 25.4 9.8 4.5 1.2 stl 14 Kowacie Reeves G 6-6 182 Fr. 15.0 4.9 1.3 1.0 3fg 22 Tyree Appleby G 6-1 163 Sr. 27.2 10.1 2.3 3.9 ast 23 Brandon McKissic G 6-3 185 Gr. 26.6 6.5 3.3 1.3 stl 24 Phlandrous Fleming Jr. G 6-5 205 Gr. 24.2 10.3 3.6 1.3 stl OSU POSSIBLE STARTERS # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Min. Pts. Reb. Misc. 33 Moussa Cisse F 7-0 225 So. 18.2 6.2 5.5 1.8 blk 0 Avery Anderson III G 6-3 170 Jr. 27.6 11.3 2.8 2.1 stl 1 Bryce Thompson G 6-5 195 So. 25.0 9.8 2.2 0.9 ast 5 Rondel Walker G 6-5 180 So. 20.5 4.0 2.3 1.1 ast 13 Isaac Likekele G 6-5 215 Sr. 31.9 7.4 3.5 1.5 st
2021-22 AT A GLANCE • Florida takes the floor for its fifth game in 11 days, welcoming Oklahoma State for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and seeking its third straight home win. In the most recent clash, UF topped OSU in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla., during Mike White’s first season at UF. • The Gators are one of six teams with a win in each of the past four NCAA Tournaments, joined by Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan, Villanova and Florida State. UF is also one of 12 teams nationally and the only Southeastern Conference team to reach every NCAA Tournament in that span (since 2017). • Florida’s frontcourt has been severely depleted by health and injury setbacks recently. All-SEC big man Colin Castleton posted 17.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots through four SEC games before suffering a left (non-shooting) shoulder injury during practice on Jan. 18. CJ Felder (illness) was also out against Ole Miss and limited at Tennessee (three minutes). Jason Jitoboh (eye) exited the Tennessee game late first half after being hit in the face by an opposing player and did not return. All of those setbacks come in addition to the Gators continuing to compete this season without Keyontae Johnson. • The Gators stifled Vanderbilt, limiting the Commodores to 14 second-half points. Vandy’s 42 total points marked the second-fewest UF has allowed vs. an SEC opponent under Mike White (41 at SC, 2/10/18). No Commodore scored more than seven points against the UF defense, and the Gators forced the SEC’s leading scorer Scotty Pippen Jr. into a 1-for-10 day with a season-low six points. • Anthony Duruji scored 18 of his 22 points vs. Mississippi State in the second half, helping UF rally from seven points down with 7:20 to play. Duruji nabbed a career-high five steals vs. MSU, becoming the fifth Gator since 1996 (Donovan/White Era) to post a 22-point, five-steal outing. He joins Nick Calathes (twice), Corey Brewer (twice), Brett Nelson and Jason Williams (twice). • Florida ranks among SEC leaders in blocked shots (second, 5.7), scoring defense (third, 63.8) and steals (fourth, 9.3). • UF’s 3-point defense has been strong in the Gators’ wins, limiting opponents to .254 shooting from beyond the arc in those games. Florida’s foes are averaging 4.3 made 3-pointers in its victories, including four games with just two 3-pointers allowed. • Florida battled back from a double-digit deficit to knock off Ohio State on Tyree Appleby’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Phlandrous Fleming led the Florida attack with 19 points and four steals, supported by Colin Castleton’s double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. • The Gators used a 13-0 second-half run to spark the win against 20th-ranked FSU, and Colin Castleton earned SEC Player of the Week honors with a 15-point, 16-rebound, six-blocked shot performance. • After playing with no seniors on their roster last season, the Gators have six senior or graduate players on the active roster this season. • The Gators’ quartet of veteran impact transfers combined for 3,882 career points scored at their previous schools. The groups consists of grad transfers Brandon McKissic (UMKC) and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (Charleston Southern) along with Myreon Jones (Penn State) and CJ Felder (Boston College)
ABOUT THE OPPONENT • Oklahoma State has a pair of high-quality wins vs. Texas at home and on the road at then-#1 Baylor. The Cowboys nearly upset #23 Iowa State, taking the Cyclones to overtime on Wednesday. OSU picked up a non-conference win vs. N.C. State on a neutral floor in November. • Avery Anderson III leads Oklahoma State with 11.3 points per game, followed by Ole Miss transfer Bryce Williams at 10.6. • Isaac Likekele paces OSU with 5.8 rebounds per game and 66 assists. Rondel Walker has 34 steals, and Moussa Cisse has blocked 32 shots. • Florida assistant Erik Pastrana is in his first year on Florida’s staff after coaching at Oklahoma State for two seasons. OPPONENT’S LAST 5 GAMES Jan. 13 at Texas Tech L 57-78 Jan. 15 at Baylor W 61-54 Jan. 19 TCU W 57-56 Jan. 22 at Texas L 51-56 Jan. 26 Iowa State L/OT 81-84 OPPONENT’S NEXT 5 GAMES Feb. 2 at Kansas State Feb. 5 Oklahoma Feb. 8 at TCU Feb. 12 West Virginia Feb. 14 at Kansas ALL-TIME SERIES (3-0) Dec. 28, 1993 N W 74-69 March 26, 2000 NCAA W 77-65 Dec. 19, 2015 N W 72-70 VS. BIG 12 UNDER WHITE (6-5) Dec. 19, 2015 vs. Oklahoma State (Sunrise) W 72-70 Jan. 30, 2016 West Virginia W 88-71 Jan. 28, 2017 at Oklahoma W 84-52 Jan. 27, 2018 Baylor W 81-60 March 17, 2018 *vs. Texas Tech (Dallas) L 66-69 Nov. 21, 2018 vs. Oklahoma (Bahamas) L 60-65 Dec. 4, 2018 vs. West Virginia (NYC) W 66-56 Jan. 26, 2019 at TCU L 50-55 Jan. 25, 2020 Baylor L 61-72 Jan. 30, 2021 at West Virginia W 85-80 Dec. 1, 2021 at Oklahoma L 67-74 *NCAA Tournament UF IN SEC/BIG 12 CHALLENGE (5-3) Dec. 10, 2013 #13 Kansas W 67-61 Dec. 5, 2014 at #11 Kansas L 65-71 Jan. 30, 2016 #9 West Virginia W 88-71 Jan. 28, 2017 at Oklahoma W 84-52 Jan. 27, 2018 Baylor W 81-60 Jan. 26, 2019 at TCU L 50-55 Jan. 25, 2020 #1 Baylor L 61-72 Jan. 30, 2021 at #11 West Virginia W 85-8
Thank you GG Just going by "records" it would appear Oak State is very "beatable" but I don't follow them at all.
They remind me of a certain familiar team. Ability to play with anybody, but proclivity to under achieve against lesser opponents.
Oh boy I was not considering Jitoboh being out, was the face pop that serious? We will get out rebounded by 20+ without him...............
Not 100% sure about Jitoboh's status for Saturday's game but based on Chris Harry's pregame article posted today it doesn't sound all that good regarding Jitoboh: UF vs Oklahoma State (Saturday, 4 pm) - Florida Gators
Well if you read Chris’s full pregame analysis it sounds like OK St is a mirror of what UF is dealing with (poor shooting, missing key players due to injury, etc). I think it could be a close game but I give UF a fighting chance to win at home. I’m guessing it could be a lot like the Vandy game where UF does just enough on offense to get the win. At least that’s my hope
Jitoboh being out takes a lot of pressure off. Realistically can’t demand to win any games anymore until CC returns. Hopefully they surprise and go on a run.
Wonder how many minutes Gatkek will log? He may not be seasoned and no doubt he could use some weight but he is a gamer from what I can tell.
Head Coaches, 2021-22 SEC/Big 12 Challenge Name National titles Final Fours NCAA tournaments Bill Self, Kansas 1 3 22 John Calipari, Kentucky 1 6* 20* Scott Drew, Baylor 1 1 9 Ben Howland, Mississippi State 0 3 11 Bob Huggins, West Virginia 0 2 25 Rick Barnes, Tennessee 0 1 25 Bruce Weber, Kansas State 0 1 13 Bruce Pearl, Auburn 0 1 10 Chris Beard, Texas 0 1 4 Porter Moser, Oklahoma 0 1 2 Jamie Dixon, TCU 0 0 12 Kermit Davis, Ole Miss 0 0 6 Cuonzo Martin, Missouri 0 0 4 Eric Musselman, Arkansas 0 0 4 Nate Oats, Alabama 0 0 4 Will Wade, LSU 0 0 4 Mike White, Florida 0 0 4 T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State 0 0 2 Mike Boynton, Oklahoma State 0 0 1 Mark Adams, Texas Tech 0 0 0 *includes appearances officially vacated by the NCAA
Give us a predicted final tally on the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Medcalf: SEC, 6-4 Borzello: Tie, 5-5 Gasaway: Big 12, 6-4 Lunardi: SEC, 6-4
