OGT-Florida vs. East Carolina Lakeland, Fla Dec. 14, 2023 | 7 p.m

Florida 6-3/0-0 SEC 6-4/0-0 American
RP Funding Center (8,178) | Lakeland, Fla.
Florida Tip-Off | Game 10 | Dec. 14, 2023 | 7 p.m

BROADCAST INFO​

SEC Network | ESPN App
Play-by-Play: Mike Morgan
Analyst: Mark Wise

Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley
Analyst: Lee Humphrey
Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan

 

HEAD COACHES​

Todd Golden
22-20 | 2nd season at UF
79-56 | 5th season overall
Michael Schwartz
22-21 | 2nd season at ECU/overall

MATCHUP BASICS​

All-Time Series: 0-0
Series under Golden: 0-0
All-Time/Neutral: 0-0
All-Time vs. American: 50-29
Last Meeting: None

DECEMBER​

5 Merrimack SEC+ W 77-57
9 vs. Richmond (Sunrise) SEC Net. W 87-76
14 vs. E. Carolina (Lakeland) SEC Net. 7 p.m.
19 vs. Michigan (Charlotte) ESPN 7 p.m.
22 Grambling State SEC+ 4 p.m.
30 Quinnipiac

 

NUMBERS OF NOTE
5​

Five current Gators won a Florida high school state championship in
Lakeland: Denzel Aberdeen, Walter Clayton Jr., Cooper Josefsberg,
Riley Kugel and Jack May.

3​

Three Gators rank among the SEC’s top seven offensive rebounders,
including Tyrese Samuel (3.33, tie 3rd), Micah Handlogten (3.29, 5th)
and Alex Condon (2.56, 7th).

7​

Florida returns to Lakeland for the first time in seven years, last visit-
ing for a win vs. St. Bonaventure on Nov. 17, 2016. KeVaughn Allen and
Canyon Barry each scored 16 points for the Gators in that victory.

 

THE TIP-OFF​

• Florida returns to Lakeland for the first time since 2016 for the team’s first all-time meeting vs. East Carolina. The Gators bring a two-game win streak into the contest after topping Richmond in Saturday’s Orange Bowl Classic.

• In its last trip to Lakeland, Florida defeated St. Bonaventure 73-66 on Nov. 17, 2016, as the Gators toured the state while renovations on Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center were
completed.

• The Gators have had a 20-point scorer in seven of nine games so far this season.

• UF’s roster boasts five players who claimed a Florida high school state championship in Lakeland: Riley Kugel and Denzel Aberdeen, 2021 7A, Dr. Phillips; Walter Clayton Jr., 2020 & 2021, 6A; Jack May, 2020 3A, Saint Andrew’s; Cooper Josefsberg, 2023 3A, Riviera Pre.

 

2023-24 HIGHLIGHTS​

• Will Richard earned Orange Bowl Classic MVP honors as he scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Gators vs. Richmond. Richard posted a solo 9-0 run as he hit three 3-pointers in a 90-second span that helped create separation vs. the Spiders.

• Walter Clayton Jr. scored 21 of his 26 points vs. Merrimack in the second half. Freshman Alex Condon added
his first career double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Condon’s 16 boards were the most by a Florida freshman since Al Horford’s 18 vs. Alabama during the 2004-05 season.

• Florida came up just short against 13th-ranked Baylor in the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game as Riley Kugel exploded for 25 points and nine rebounds, both career highs. Tyrese Samuel and Zyon Pullin earned All-Tournament Team honors, and Samuel added SEC Player of the Week recognition.

• 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.

• Florida blitzed Florida State, leading 27-5 before taking a 52-22 advantage into halftime. The Gators shot .643 and held the Seminoles to .258 from the field during the first half. Walter Clayton Jr. led UF with 19 points, while Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel added 15 each and Thomas Haugh grabbed 10 rebounds.

• Micah Handlogten (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Tyrese Samuel (10 points, 11 rebounds) both posted their first double-double as Gators in a hard-fought loss vs. Virginia in Charlotte.

 

ABOUT THE OPPONENT​

• East Carolina has posted wins vs. UNC Wilmington and Kennesaw
State and played a closely-contested game vs. South Carolina on
Saturday.

• The trio of RJ Felton (16.2 ppg), Brandon Johnson (14.6) and Ezra
Ausar (14.3) lead the Pirates in scoring, while Felton and Johnson have
idetical 16-for-46 (.348) showings from 3-point range.

• Johnson grabs a team-high 8.4 boards per game, and Felton owns a
6.8 rebounding average and a team-best 19 steals on the season.

• Bobby Pettiford has dished a team-high 37 assists vs. just 13
turnovers.

• East Carolina shoots more than 25 free throws per game on average,
getting 7.7 more free throw attempts per game than its opponents.

 

OPPONENT’S LAST 5 GAMES​

Nov. 21 Kennesaw State W 85-84
Nov. 25 at George Mason L 59-81
Nov. 30 UNC Wilmington W 74-66
Dec. 4 Maryland Eastern Shore W 63-52
Dec. 9 South Carolina L 62-68

OPPONENT’S NEXT 5 GAMES​

Dec. 20 Delaware State
Dec. 29 East Tennessee State
Jan. 2 at Florida Atlantic
Jan. 7 Tulsa
Jan. 10 at Temple

LAST 10 VS. CURRENT AMERICAN (9-1)​

Nov. 23, 2004 Florida Atlantic W 90-45
Dec. 30, 2006 UAB W 75-70
Dec. 30, 2007 vs. Temple W 86-69
Nov. 23, 2010 Florida Atlantic W 79-66
Jan. 3, 2012 UAB W 79-61
Dec. 17, 2013 vs. Memphis W 77-75
Nov. 27, 2014 vs. UAB W 56-47
Dec. 17, 2016 vs. Charlote W 87-46
Dec. 18, 2021 vs. South Florida W 66-55
Nov. 14, 2022 Florida Atlantic L 74-76