Last time Florida matched up with Vanderbilt, the Commodores frontcourt had a field day.
Vernon Macklin fouled out. Erik Murphy did, too, despite playing just 13 minutes. The two centers combined for six points, four rebounds and 10 fouls while UF lost 95-87 in Nashville, Tenn.
Meanwhile, VU center A.J. Ogilvy exploded for 24 points and eight rebounds, forward Jeffery Taylor scored 14 points on perfect shooting and forward Andre Walker was two points and three assists shy of a triple-double.
With their NCAA Tournament hopes potentially hanging in the balance, the Gators (20-9, 9-5 Southeastern Conference) will take on the No. 13 Commodores (22-6, 11-3 SEC) tonight at 7 in the O’Connell Center hoping their frontcourt can redeem itself.
“We’ve got to establish Vern and Alex (Tyus) down low,” junior forward Chandler Parsons said. “Those guys have got to be our energy, they’ve got to be relentless on the glass, they’ve really got to just battle for 40 minutes. They’ve got to make it just as tough on them as they will on us.”
Unfortunately for UF, one of its most glaring weaknesses is one of VU’s greatest strengths: depth. The Commodores used seven forwards or centers on Jan. 9, while only eight total Gators saw playing time.
“When you look at their depth across the front line, it is probably as good as anyone in the country,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “With Vernon, Alex and Murphy as being our core, those three guys are going to have to do a heck of a job against their seven. That’s what it’s going to come down to.”
That kind of depth has allowed Ogilvy to rest on the bench, making him more effective in the 25.4 minutes per conference game he is averaging.
The 6-foot-11 center is scoring 15.1 points and grabbing 6.8 rebounds in SEC play, and he has gotten to the free-throw line a staggering 125 times, making 90 of those attempts.
No Gator has attempted anywhere near 125 free throws in league play. In fact, Parsons has taken as many free throws on the year as Ogilvy has in 14 conference games, and he has shot the most free throws on the team this season.
“Because they have an enormous amount of depth across their frontcourt, they can rest him at different times and really give him a break,” Donovan said. “They have a lot of guys at the three, four and five they can throw at you.”
By attacking the basket with their arsenal of post players, the Commodores can get their opponents in foul trouble down low or open up the perimeter for guard Jermaine Beal, who scored 22 against the Gators earlier this season.
UF hung around against VU due to an incredible shooting day from guards Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker, who combined to score 50 points and make 11 three-pointers.
But if the Gators want to avenge their loss and stay in the running for third place in the SEC East, they will need a much more complete, well-rounded performance tonight.
“It’s going to take the whole team to physically compete with those guys,” Parsons said. “They’re really tough. They’re smart. They defend. They have shooters. They have a really good guard in Beal. They have it all.”
