Florida Basketball Hour

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) team up to take over an hour of your listener questions about the 2019-20 Gators basketball season and what to expect in 2020-21.  Topics include: - toughest losses of 2019-20 season - the futures of Keyontate Johnson, Andrew Nembhard and Scottie Lewis - a projected starting 5 for 2020-21 - Tre Mann's expected leap in producti...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) talk about the cancellation of the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. What they'll miss most about this year's version of March Madness, what SEC teams were poised for deep runs, disappointment and who they think may have cut down the nets in Atlanta. Plus, why Florida's offense was much-improved, but still prone to scoring droughts. C...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's epic second-half collapse against No. 6 Kentucky on Senior Day, which saw Florida blow an 18 point lead in the final 11:30 minutes of play.  Why Florida's switch to zone defense failed, how Florida's offense went cold and why the Blackshear injury was so devastating. Plus, who fills Blackshear's shoes in N...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett wrap Florida's two-game road trip with a show on Florida's loss at Tennessee and win in Athens to finish off a sweep of Georgia. Why the Gators can't seem to start fast; how Florida's offense is at its best with Johnson and Nembhard leading the way; what's with Omar Payne's drop in minutes; coaches corner on Florida's shortened bench-- and mo...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday down South) break down Florida's hard fought loss to Kentucky at Rupp Arena. What's behind Florida's scoring droughts- and why it is more complicated than "run better stuff." Plus, how lineups and rotations impact the droughts. The guys will also talk about how Florida has improved on defense, and how they can continue to get better. A co...

The guys preview Florida's trip to Rupp Arena to take on Kentucky Saturday night. Why this is a strange Kentucky team-- and one that doesn't rely mostly on ferocious defense. How the battle of the bigs will impact the basketball game; why Keyontae Johnson is a matchup problem for the Wildcats, and why Ashton Hagans may be a problem for Andrew Nembhard. Plus- why analytics say these teams are very...

Neil Blackmon (Saturday Down South) is joined by the Gainesville Sun's Graham Hall, who breaks down his observations after covering Florida basketball all season. After a discussion of the Gators victory over Arkansas, other topics addressed include: - why Florida has improved so much offensively - Andrew Nembhard's growth - Tre Mann as an example of a team growing up - Florida's defensive dilemma...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) on Florida's wins over Texas A & M and Vanderbilt this week. How the defense turned it around in two must-win games, and why Florida's offense has been so good against zone. Plus, the progress of Tre Mann and Omar Payne, and what it means for the rest of the season. Next, the guys talk the emotional Vanderbilt game and Billy D...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) opens the show with a discussion of the program, the coaching job this staff has done this year, and hot seats. Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) joins him and offers his perspective on the same. (Minutes 1-20).  Then, a discussion on the Georgia game- a tale of two very odd halves- but one perfect for "team weird." (Minutes 20-35). Plus, a coaches corner on how t...

The guys discuss Florida's home collapse against Miss State last week. Why Florida's rotations seemed odd in the second half, why scheme in pick and roll coverage and bad transition defense doomed Florida, and why the staff is to blame for that loss. We'll also talk about why the Vanderbilt win didn't make us feel better. Plus, a frank discussion about Mike White and what looks like it may be a wa...

The guys break down Florida's loss to No. 1 Baylor in Gainesville Saturday night.  Why Florida's defense failed again in a big game, and why the Gators went to the press too late. Plus, the guys evaluate Florida's defensive weaknesses and assess what schematic changes could help Florida defend at a high level with this roster.  Also- a coaches corner on packline defense: what it is, and why it cou...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country dot com) discuss Florida's narrow two point defeat Tuesday night in Baton Rouge. How Florida did enough on offense to win- but got lost defending LSU's guards and high slot ball screens. Plus, why offensive rebounding isn't  mostly about "Effort" or "Trying hard" and really is often about spacing and sometimes- perimeter and he...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) on a fun week for basketball fans in Gainesville. First, the guys break down Florida's comfortable win over Ole Miss-- and why that Rebels defense is a tricky one to solve. Plus, how the Gators limited Ole Miss from deep, where the Rebs make their living. Second, Florida routs Auburn. How the Gators put on their most impressiv...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's lopsided loss at Missouri. What happened? Was this about investment and effort? Was it about bad pick and roll defense? Abandoning ball-screen offense? All of the above? The guys get into what happened, and whether it can be corrected long-term. Plus, a coaches corner specifically on how Florida could fix...

The guys break down Florida's road win at South Carolina and big-time performances from Andrew Nembhard, Omar Payne, Dontay Bassett and Keyontae Johnson. Plus, a coaches corner on why Florida's continued variations of ball screen offense -- and Andrew Nembhard's midrange game-- have really elevated this team offensively. Plus, a lengthy Missouri preview. Tigers are elite defensively, but where do...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) on Florida's school-record breaking comeback against Alabama. Breaking down: what went wrong in the first half (1-10); how Florida fought back (10-20); how patience keyed the offense (20-30) individual performances (30-45). Also a great set of listener questions on the final sequence of regulation. Finally, a South Carolina pr...

The guys break down Florida's dominant win over Long Beach State, and why the commitment to transition offense was encouraging. They also offer an extensive preview of Alabama, Florida's opponent in the SEC opener next Saturday. Finally, a fun conversation about the decade that was in Florida basketball, featuring favorite team, starting 5, sixth man and player of the decade choices. Happy New Yea...

Neil W. Blackmon of Saturday Down South and Eric Fawcett of Gator Country. Com discuss Florida's 65-62 loss to Utah State in the Orange Bowl Classic. Why shot selection doomed Florida against Utah State, even on a day Florida defended at a high level. Why these types of losses- even to good basketball teams- are too commonplace in this program right now. Is inconsistency Florida's largest problem...

Neil breaks down the talented Utah State Aggies, who are led by Sam Merrill, one of the best players in college basketball. The Aggies are also one of college basketball’s most unselfish offenses. A big time challenge for Florida Saturday!

The guys dive deep into Florida's offense in 2019-- possession by possession, Eric Fawcett of Gator Country explains what has worked, what hasn't, what Florida should run more, what they should run less. Also discussed: the Mike White "we just need to make shots" and "our offense was better" press conference: why analytics show that's right, even if Florida has a long way to go on offense. Finally...

The guys break down Florida's 76-62 loss at No. 24 Butler, what went wrong and why Florida's offense appears yet again stuck in the mud. Is it system? Are they running what is best for Florida's personnel? Plus, why there were rays of hope in the second half offensively, even as the Gators continued to struggle to make open shots. Also: a listener driven discussion of the program: where it is 30%...

It's FEAST WEEK and rivalry week, one of the best times of the year to be a college sports fan! Neil Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's win over Xavier to capture the Charleston Classic Championship.  How did Florida turn things around in Charleston? Was it as simple as making shots?  What's with the take the air out of the ball offense late in gam...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's opening round win over St. Joseph's and semifinal victory over Miami at the Charleston Classic.  What was encouraging about both games (1-10); Scottie Lewis, Ques Glover key win over Miami (10-20); It's nice when Kerry Blackshear Jr. isn't in foul trouble (20-25); Omar Payne is good at basketball (25-30);...

The guys break down Florida's loss to UCONN (Minutes 1-20); Florida's offensive woes: is it shot selection? tempo? not making shots? all of the above? (20-40). Is there anything Florida does well at present?  Was there anything to be encouraged by against UCONN ? (40-45)  Plus, a preview of the St. Joe's game at the Charleston Classic, a look ahead to the next game against either Missouri State or...

This was supposed to be the year Florida ended its bizarre, frustrating 5 game losing streak to Florida State in basketball.  The Gators had the more talented roster, the All-America grad transfer, the top 10 recruiting class, and a sold out Exactech Arena behind them. This game should have been different.  Instead, the game played out like the horror shows of the last 3 seasons, with FSU's length...