This is from a site called Gamecock Central, by a guy named Scott Hood:
USC-Florida Preview
Scott Hood
January 17, 2003
SOUTH CAROLINA v. FLORIDA
When: Saturday, January 18th
Where: The Carolina Center, Columbia, SC.
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Net
SOUTH CAROLINA (7-6, 1-2)
With 4 of its next five games on the road, where USC is 0-5 this season, it's easy to think of the matchup with the powerful Gators as a must-win for the Gamecocks.
But the harsh reality is that unless USC brings it?s A-plus game and Florida experiences a near total collapse, a win over the No. 6 Gators is unlikely. Unless USC plays its best game of the season, the Gamecocks could be embarrassed on its home floor in front of the first sell-out crowd of the season.
Can USC win? Sure. Few prognosticators gave Ohio Sate much of a chance against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. But is it likely to happen? No. West Virginia, hardly a national power, stunned the Gators in Morgantown, WV on 12/3 (68-66), so there's an opportunity to shock the world. But anything less than USC's best effort of the season will not suffice.
Rolando Howell (10.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG) had one of his best games of the season in USC's 67-60 loss to Auburn Wednesday with 15 points and 11 rebounds. It was his first double-double of the season.
Carlos Powell (15.5 PPG), USC's leading scorer, limped off the court Wednesday after suffering a mild foot sprain. X-rays Thursday were negative and the sophomore from Florence is listed as probable for Saturday.
Kerbrell Brown has shot the ball well since SEC play began, averaging 11.3 PPG, including 7-for-20 (35%) from 3-point range. Michael Boynton has made 7-of-14 3-pointers in the first two SEC home games.
Chuck Eidson is averaging only 8.1 PPG and has made only 41.8% of his shots since scoring a total of 72 points (18.0 PPG) in the first four games. He must improve his shooting for USC to be successful. However, to his credit, he hasn't let his poor shooting affect his defense, as he continues to pile up the steals.
FLORIDA (14-2, 3-0)
Billy Donovan has used aggressive recruiting to transform the Gators into one of the best teams in the nation. How aggressive? I'll let Eddie Fogler answer that one.
Florida is a doughnut team, in a different sense of the word. Eight of the top nine scorers are either seniors or freshmen. The Gators are also a well balanced team. The top scorer is senior Matt Bonner (15.1 PPG), with freshmen Matt Walsh (14.8 PPG) and Anthony Roberson (14.4 PPG) nipping at his heels. The fourth player averaging in double figures is sophomore David Lee (10.6 PPG).
Bonner scored a season-high 25 points in Wednesday's impressive 77-64 victory over Tennessee, Florida's 10th straight win. The stretch matches UF's second longest winning streak in school history. The 14-2 start ties for the second best start in school history.
Bonner, a 6-foot-10 senior from Concord, New Hampshire (how does Donovan find these guys?), hit five three-pointers while holding UT's Ron Slay to 7-of-24 shooting from the floor. Bonner will likely matchup with Rolando Howell, while the physical David Lee (6-9, 240) will take Tony Kitchings.
Walsh was a sensation in nonconference play, averaging almost 16.0 PPG. But in the first three SEC games, the freshman from Holland, PA is averaging only 5.7 PPG. Teams have started the focus on shutting down Walsh, which has opened up the inside for Bonner and the other UF interior players.
Roberson, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, was the hero against Georgia last weekend, draining a 3-pointer from 25 feet out at the buzzer. UF is an excellent 3-point shooting team, reaching double figures in 3-pointers in five of the last seven games.
Just when you think UF has more than enough depth, along comes heralded 6-foot-8 freshman swingman Christian Drejer of Denmark. He has already drawn raves from NBA scouts. After two months nursing an ankle injury, Drejer made his much anticipated debut Wednesday against Tennessee.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Florida leads 23-17.
STREAK: Florida has won 3 in a row.
LAST MEETING: 2/5/02 at Columbia. UF won, 72-63.
DAVE ODOM: "We've got a very difficult game with Florida. Florida has already proven they can play well on the road, winning at Maryland at Mississippi State. They are a team on the rise, on the move. They are rightfully a nationally prominent team. They've got a great mixture of upperclassmen with Bonner, Nelson and (Justin) Hamilton and youth with Walsh, Roberson, and David Lee. It's a tremendous nucleus. Billy Donovan does a great job setting the style and playing to it. We have our work cut out for us, but I look forward to it."
BILLY DONOVAN: "Traveling to Columbia is always a tough challenge for any basketball team. USC has a great home court advantage. I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for Chuck Eidson. Rolando Howell has developed into one of the better front court players in the league. They're getting great play from Carlos Powell. We're certainly going to have to play well. USC has played very well at home this season."
USC'S NEXT FIVE GAMES:
1/22 at Miss. State - 8:00 p.m.
1/29 at Tennessee - 7:30 p.m.
2/1 Kentucky - 1:00 p.m. (JP)
2/5 at LSU - 8:00 p.m. (JP)
2/8 at Vanderbilt - 8:00 p.m.
USC-Florida Preview
Scott Hood
January 17, 2003
SOUTH CAROLINA v. FLORIDA
When: Saturday, January 18th
Where: The Carolina Center, Columbia, SC.
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Net
SOUTH CAROLINA (7-6, 1-2)
With 4 of its next five games on the road, where USC is 0-5 this season, it's easy to think of the matchup with the powerful Gators as a must-win for the Gamecocks.
But the harsh reality is that unless USC brings it?s A-plus game and Florida experiences a near total collapse, a win over the No. 6 Gators is unlikely. Unless USC plays its best game of the season, the Gamecocks could be embarrassed on its home floor in front of the first sell-out crowd of the season.
Can USC win? Sure. Few prognosticators gave Ohio Sate much of a chance against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. But is it likely to happen? No. West Virginia, hardly a national power, stunned the Gators in Morgantown, WV on 12/3 (68-66), so there's an opportunity to shock the world. But anything less than USC's best effort of the season will not suffice.
Rolando Howell (10.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG) had one of his best games of the season in USC's 67-60 loss to Auburn Wednesday with 15 points and 11 rebounds. It was his first double-double of the season.
Carlos Powell (15.5 PPG), USC's leading scorer, limped off the court Wednesday after suffering a mild foot sprain. X-rays Thursday were negative and the sophomore from Florence is listed as probable for Saturday.
Kerbrell Brown has shot the ball well since SEC play began, averaging 11.3 PPG, including 7-for-20 (35%) from 3-point range. Michael Boynton has made 7-of-14 3-pointers in the first two SEC home games.
Chuck Eidson is averaging only 8.1 PPG and has made only 41.8% of his shots since scoring a total of 72 points (18.0 PPG) in the first four games. He must improve his shooting for USC to be successful. However, to his credit, he hasn't let his poor shooting affect his defense, as he continues to pile up the steals.
FLORIDA (14-2, 3-0)
Billy Donovan has used aggressive recruiting to transform the Gators into one of the best teams in the nation. How aggressive? I'll let Eddie Fogler answer that one.
Florida is a doughnut team, in a different sense of the word. Eight of the top nine scorers are either seniors or freshmen. The Gators are also a well balanced team. The top scorer is senior Matt Bonner (15.1 PPG), with freshmen Matt Walsh (14.8 PPG) and Anthony Roberson (14.4 PPG) nipping at his heels. The fourth player averaging in double figures is sophomore David Lee (10.6 PPG).
Bonner scored a season-high 25 points in Wednesday's impressive 77-64 victory over Tennessee, Florida's 10th straight win. The stretch matches UF's second longest winning streak in school history. The 14-2 start ties for the second best start in school history.
Bonner, a 6-foot-10 senior from Concord, New Hampshire (how does Donovan find these guys?), hit five three-pointers while holding UT's Ron Slay to 7-of-24 shooting from the floor. Bonner will likely matchup with Rolando Howell, while the physical David Lee (6-9, 240) will take Tony Kitchings.
Walsh was a sensation in nonconference play, averaging almost 16.0 PPG. But in the first three SEC games, the freshman from Holland, PA is averaging only 5.7 PPG. Teams have started the focus on shutting down Walsh, which has opened up the inside for Bonner and the other UF interior players.
Roberson, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, was the hero against Georgia last weekend, draining a 3-pointer from 25 feet out at the buzzer. UF is an excellent 3-point shooting team, reaching double figures in 3-pointers in five of the last seven games.
Just when you think UF has more than enough depth, along comes heralded 6-foot-8 freshman swingman Christian Drejer of Denmark. He has already drawn raves from NBA scouts. After two months nursing an ankle injury, Drejer made his much anticipated debut Wednesday against Tennessee.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Florida leads 23-17.
STREAK: Florida has won 3 in a row.
LAST MEETING: 2/5/02 at Columbia. UF won, 72-63.
DAVE ODOM: "We've got a very difficult game with Florida. Florida has already proven they can play well on the road, winning at Maryland at Mississippi State. They are a team on the rise, on the move. They are rightfully a nationally prominent team. They've got a great mixture of upperclassmen with Bonner, Nelson and (Justin) Hamilton and youth with Walsh, Roberson, and David Lee. It's a tremendous nucleus. Billy Donovan does a great job setting the style and playing to it. We have our work cut out for us, but I look forward to it."
BILLY DONOVAN: "Traveling to Columbia is always a tough challenge for any basketball team. USC has a great home court advantage. I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for Chuck Eidson. Rolando Howell has developed into one of the better front court players in the league. They're getting great play from Carlos Powell. We're certainly going to have to play well. USC has played very well at home this season."
USC'S NEXT FIVE GAMES:
1/22 at Miss. State - 8:00 p.m.
1/29 at Tennessee - 7:30 p.m.
2/1 Kentucky - 1:00 p.m. (JP)
2/5 at LSU - 8:00 p.m. (JP)
2/8 at Vanderbilt - 8:00 p.m.
