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Hoops Gator Gameday: No. 13 Florida hosts South Carolina

No. 13 Florida vs. South Carolina

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 - 7 p.m. ET

Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center

TV: ESPN / Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network

Last meeting: Florida lost at South Carolina 57-53 on Jan. 18

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* 3-2-1: Crucial week will shape SEC regular season title race

* GamecockCentral.com previews Florida-South Carolina

* All 10 of our Class of 2017 Signing Class Reviews

* Anonymous Player: Looking at those who have left

* Anonymous Player: Tidbits on the 2016 signees

* Anonymous Player: Breaking down the offense, playcalling

* Anonymous Player: Taking a closer look at the quarterbacks

* Anonymous Player: Florida football behind the scenes

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No. 13 Florida Gators (22-5, 12-2 SEC)
Position Player Notable Statistic Year Height Weight

G

Kasey Hill

Leads Florida in assists (5.0 APG) and steals (1.8 SPG)

Sr.

6-1

175

G

KeVaughn Allen

Second on team in scoring with 13.2 PPG on 45% shooting

So.

6-2

183

F

Devin Robinson

Averaging 11.1 PPG and 5.8 RPG

Jr.

6-8

200

F

Justin Leon

Shooting team-high 40.9% from three (of players with at least 20 attempts)

Sr.

6-8

196

C

Kevarrius Hayes

Averaging 6.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, team-best 1.7 BPG

So.

6-9

218

Notable contributors: G Canyon Barry (Leads team with 13.3 points per game on 43.3% shooting), G Chris Chiozza (averaging 6.3 PPG, 3.8 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG), F Keith Stone (has gone scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting in his past four games), C Schuyler Rimmer (1.4 PPG, 1.0 RPG) G Eric Hester (2.5 PPG)

Injury/illness report: G Canyon Barry (ankle, game-time decision), F Keith Stone (ear infection, active), C Gorjok Gak (sprained foot, out), C John Egbunu (torn ACL, out for season), F Dontay Bassett (stress fracture in foot, out for season)

Head coach: Mike White (43-20 in second season at UF, 144-60 in six seasons overall)

Streak: Won 8 (and 15 of past 17)

Last game: Won 57-52 at Mississippi State on Saturday

RPI: 8th

SOS: 20th

KenPom.com team ranking: 5th

South Carolina Gamecocks (20-7, 10-4 SEC)
Position Player Notable Statistic Year Height Weight

G

Sindarius Thornwell

Leads South Carolina in scoring (20.2 PPG), rebounding (7.0 RPG) and steals (2.1 SPG)

Sr.

6-5

211

G

Duane Notice

Third on team with 10.2 PPG

Sr.

6-2

225

G

P.J. Dozier

Averaging 13.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG and team-high 2.9 APG

So.

6-6

205

F

Maik Kotsar

Averaging 6.2 PPG and 5.3 RPG this season

Fr.

6-10

245

F

Chris Silva

Leads team with 1.4 BPG, averaging 10.1 PPG and 5.9 RPG

So.

6-9

223

Notable contributors: G Rakym Felder (5.4 PPG), G Justin McKie (4.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG), G Hassani Gravett (3.7 PPG), G TeMarcus Blanton (1.4 PPG), F Khadim Gueye (shooting 25% this season), F Sedee Keita (1.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG)

Head coach: Frank Martin (90-70 in fifth season at South Carolina, 207-124 in 10 seasons overall)

Streak: Lost 2 (and 3 of past 4)

Last game: Lost at Vanderbilt 71-62

RPI: 30th

SOS: 51st

KenPom.com team ranking: 29th

Florida basketball head coach Mike White
Florida basketball head coach Mike White (USA Today Sports Images)

Q&A WITH MIKE WHITE PREVIEWING FLORIDA-SOUTH CAROLINA

Q: What did you take from Florida's last meeting with South Carolina?

White: "Don't go 0-of-17 from 3. We've got to go at least 1-of-17 to have a better shot. A bunch. A bunch. They're doing a lot of things similarly; we are too. We've got to convert, but we've also got to do a better job of getting better looks. We can't allow South Carolina to speed us up as much as they did at their place, and then we've got to have a similar or better defensive effort and I thought we defended pretty well over there."

Q: What’s different about South Carolina from when you played them earlier in the year?

White: "Not a lot. I mean, close losses. League play. Some of it is the schedule. Could've easily won a couple of those ones and they'd be ranked this instead of that. They're a terrific team. Plays as hard as anyone in college basketball. Sindarius Thornwell is, he's a man. He's had an incredible senior year. He's had some incredible finishes to games, both offensively and defensively. Collectively, they really, really guard you. P.J. Dozier is terrific. Chris Silva is one of the most improved players in the country probably, in my opinion. They're just really good. I just say this: I would imagine that they'd be very hungry coming in here tomorrow night. It'll be a high-level basketball game."

Q: Do you want to work more zone defense into the mix moving forward?

White: "We were able to defend at a really high level in Starkville sticking to our man-to-man, which has been our staple for a while now. Even earlier in the year when we were zone pressing we were going back to man-to-man. We haven't done a whole lot of half-court zoning. We've had conversations as a staff about the possibility of doing it more out of necessity, with John out of course and being more shallow up front.

"In the meantime right now, I'd like to have a great zone we could throw at South Carolina and have a great one we could throw out there in Lexington moving forward, but I mean, what do you do? We're banged up as it is - really banged up. We have three bigs out. Canyon Barry will be a game-time decision with his rolled ankle. We don't have much time to even focus on the court for South Carolina, let alone make wholesale changes to what we're doing. So it's a difficult time. We've got to find a way, but definitely under consideration playing some zone at some point."

Q: How do you address the issue with turnovers?

White: "We’ve got to slow down a little bit and stop trying to hit grand slams. We've tried to make some pretty passes the other day. Our guards have seen all of those clips. We've gotta be more sound. We've got to slow down a little bit. We've got to stop pressing. When teams get into a good defensive rhythm, we're not gonna make a 10-point shot. The quicker you get the guy the ball, the fancier the pass, you don't get more points for that. We've just got to be more sound. We've got to play off of two feet. We made a couple jump passes the other day with little guys. Little guys making jump passes, it doesn't work at this level. We've seen that movie a few times. And I know it doesn't work against the Gamecocks."

THREE KEYS TO VICTORY

1. Protect the rim: With Egbunu, Florida was outscored in the paint 36-22 by Mississippi State and allowed the Bulldogs to go 52.6% shooting on two-point baskets. If Florida wants to continue its winning streak, it cannot allow those sorts of numbers and must do a better job at making it difficult for opponents inside the paint.

2. Make more threes than last time: In both teams' last meeting, Florida went 0-of-17 from downtown. Two games later at LSU, Florida broke the program record for threes made in a game with 19. Pretty erratic, right? Well, Florida is capable of lighting it up from downtown - and it must fare better this time around from behind the arc against South Carolina.

3. Avoid careless turnovers: In both teams' last meeting, Florida committed turnovers 16 turnovers, which resulted in 13 South Carolina points. Turnovers were once again an issue Saturday at Mississippi State, as the Gators committed 16 to the Bulldogs' 12 - and MSU scored 17 points off of those mistakes. Discipline will be key Tuesday night against a disruptive Gamecocks team.

PREDICTION

Florida 61, South Carolina 55: Expect another low-scoring affair between two of the top four teams in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com. However, the Gators will come out on top this time and exact revenge on the Gamecocks. Florida will be more careful with the ball this go-around - and won't go without making a three-point basket. Being back at home will also be a welcoming factor. Expect a close contest, but for the Gators to eventually pull away later on in the second half.

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