After opening the season with a pair of home victories by double-digit margins, Florida goes on the road to face a familiar rival for its first true test of the season.
Florida (2-0) travels to Tallahassee to face Florida State (1-0) tonight at 7 in the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The meeting will be the 69th between the two teams — the most matchups UF has played against any opponent.
But it will be the first chance for coach Amanda Butler to see how her team — particularly the freshmen — reacts to a hostile environment.
“This will be a really unique experience for our freshmen,” Butler said. “Not just to play a real game on the road but to play in that environment with the intensity and pressure the rivalry brings.”
Florida was just 3-7 in true road games last season. Its first matchup outside of Gainesville this season will feature contrasting styles.
A veteran Florida State team will look to expose the Florida freshmen.
Butler said her team’s ability to overcome its inexperience will be critical.
“We’ve got to go in there and really grow up in a hurry,” Butler said. “We can’t let a more experienced team against our less experienced team be a factor.”
In Butler’s five years at Florida, success against Florida State has been a litmus test for the rest of the season.
Butler has won just twice in five tries against the Seminoles. The victories came in the 2008-09 and 2011-12 seasons, the two years Florida made the NCAA Tournament under Butler.
“This game has been a game that has either made or broke our season,” assistant coach David Lowery said. “It has been the difference between an NCAA Tournament bid and going to the WNIT.”
The intrastate rivalry is extra motivation for junior Jaterra Bonds. Bonds grew up in Gainesville and has seen the rivalry develop.
“It’s always that hatred toward a rival team,” Bonds said. “You always want to be queen (of your state).”
Recent history suggests a tight contest should be expected, as the past five games have been decided by an average margin of 7.6 points.
Florida lost a back-and-forth game 74-72 when it last visited Tallahassee in 2010 before winning an emotional game 72-58 at home last season.
Senior Jennifer George said she anticipates another battle.
“With how we beat them last year, they are going to come out and have a lot of fans there,” George said. “It’s always a huge game between us, and I don’t expect anything less this year.”
Williams Commits: After compiling the No. 20 recruiting class with four signees in 2012, the Gators added just one player in the class of 2013.
But the addition was an important one.
Daytona Beach Atlantic forward Ronni Williams, the No.13 player in the ESPN HoopGurlz 100, officially signed her National Letter of Intent with Florida on Wednesday. Williams is the top recruit in Florida and the highest-ranked player to ever sign with the Gators.
“The type of kid you see coming out now who has professional aspirations, Ronni is what they look like,” Butler said. “She’s really versatile and has the type of potential we want to build on moving forward.”
Williams played three years of AAU basketball with freshman January Miller, who said Williams was a special player and great addition to the program.
Butler hopes Williams can join UF’s current freshmen in blazing a trail for the program.
“You can choose to go to programs that are already established and have been doing things the same way for the past 20 years,” Butler said. “Or you can come to a place like ours where we are trying to do things for the first time and say ‘I want to make history.’ Ronni is definitely that type of player.”
Forward Jennifer George attempts a shot in Florida’s 84-65 win against Georgia State on Nov. 11 in the O’Connell Center. In order to improve three-point shooting, coach Amanda Butler wants the Gators to establish the paint more with post players such as George.
