No. 9 Florida Gators vs. No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes

Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 6:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPN
Online Video: ESPN3.com
Online Audio: Yahoo!
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida -2; O/U 142.5

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Ohio State leads the all-time series against Florida 6-4, but the Gators are 2-1 in Gainesville, FL, against the Buckeyes. UF’s last victory against OSU was 84-75 in the 2007 NCAA National Championship game, but Ohio State struck last with a 62-49 win in Columbus, OH, in 2007.
» Florida hasn’t fared well against the Big Ten, posting a 15-26 all-time record against the conference; however, the Gators defeated then-No. 2 Michigan State 77-74 just last year in a similar early season game.
» UF has started the season with a 2-0 record for the last eight years.
» Under Donovan, the Gators have defeated 10 top five opponents. The last three have all been against the Big Ten.

KEEP AN EYE ON…
Some contributions from Malik Grady – OGGOA Correspondent

» Defending freshman Jared Sullinger…who is 6’9” and 280 lbs. but has an offensive repertoire as a big man that will match any seen across the entire country this year. Sullinger simply knows how to score and use his body to put stress on defenses. He can shoot, post up and move without the ball.
» Force turnovers from David Lighty…who is a senior that handles the ball for Ohio State but is not a true point guard. He showed some weakness in their opener with four turnovers and is prone to making mistakes.
» Establish a fast tempo…by trapping in the half court and shooting at a high percentage. If Florida doesn’t score early, the Gators are often unable to set up the press, where smaller guys like junior PG Erving Walker and sophomore guard Kenny Boynton can thrive more as defensive factors.
» Stay out of foul trouble…something that could certainly happen early to hobbled redshirt senior center Vernon Macklin and green freshman C Patric Young against the Buckeyes’ strong and physical frontcourt.
» Let senior F Chandler Parsons get his…because once he gets on a roll it become increasingly difficult to cool him down. Parsons will have a number of responsibilities on Tuesday, but feeding him the rock early on the perimeter and allowing him to make some plays will pick him up from the get-go.
» Take advantage of the home crowd…which is hungry for a victory in Gainesville after the football team suffered a tough loss on Saturday. The O’Connell Center can be one of the toughest places to play in the United States (recently ranked No. 5) when the crowd is hyped and into the game.

INJURIES

» Active: Redshirt senior C Vernon Macklin (knee)
» Inactive: Redshirt junior F Adam Allen (knee)