Florida Basketball Hour

Florida big man Olivier Rioux joins FBH to discuss his journey from Canada to IMG and ultimately, to Todd Golden and the Gators. Rioux tells his story, from youth hoops at the age of 5 to the Canadian National Team at the FIBA U19 World Cup and U18 FIBA Americup. Rioux dishes on which Gators teammates keep the team loose, why he chose Florida, the joy of a dish of poutine, and more.   To support a...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) discuss the commitment of four star wing CJ Ingram to Florida. Why Ingram is a massive get with NBA upside, and what work he'll need to do at the collegiate level to reach his lofty potential. Plus, Neil and Eric discuss Olympic basketball, the commitment of Santa Fe guard Kevin Pazmino, and Florida's finalized non-con...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) break down Florida's final 2 roster additions of the offseason in Urban Klavžar and Viktor Mikic. Why Klavžar will help the Gators immediately, and why Mikic is an exciting add from a value standpoint. Plus, are computers and preseason polls disrespecting the Gators?

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) break down the return of Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard. What the return of two senior starters means for the Gators, and how each team can improve in 2024-25. Plus, a fair NBA comparison for Clayton Jr., and the improvement at the margins that would be a gamechanger for Richard. The guys also pay homage to...

Jake Winderman (CBS Sports) joins Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) to discuss Florida's SEC basketball schedule, which was just released by the league this week. Neil and Jake also break down the winners and SEC Contenders from Portal Season, with a focus on the teams they believe can win the SEC in 2024-2025. Finally, are the Gators deep enough to go deep? Jake and Neil on how they'...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) offer breakdowns of Florida's newest portal additions, Sam Alexis of UT Chattanooga and Reuben Chinyelu of Washington State. What to expect from the 2 newest Gators frontcourt pieces, and why Todd Golden's defensive thinking may have influenced the decisions to recruit these players. Plus, Florida lands its first top 5...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) answer questions asked by our Patreon subscribers. Questions range from transfer portal targets to defensive scheme to what to expect from Florida on the recruiting trail. The national championship game, between UConn and Purdue, is also previewed.

FBH sat down with former All-SEC Gator Jennifer George to chat about Florida hoops on the men's and women's sides. What she likes about the build of each program, and what she hopes to see in 2024-25. We also talked about Jennifer's charity, the Girls Basketball Worldwide Foundation, which brings hoops into underserved communities, offering young girls the game and mentorship and educa...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) break down Florida's 102-100 loss to Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Yes, the referees were abysmal. Yes, Florida was bad on defense. Yes, Walter Clayton was a win away from being immortal. Yes, it was a good season. But it left us all wanting a little more... Plus, an overview of Florida's portal n...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's 7 seed on Selection Sunday. Why a 7 seed was wrong, but could work in Florida's favor. Plus, previews of Florida's opening round matchup, which will be against the First Four winner of Colorado/Boise State. The guys also recap Florida's tough SEC Championship Game loss to Auburn. Finally, a...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) breakdown Florida's epic comeback win over Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament semifinals. How Denzel Aberdeen and Alex Condon keyed the Gators rally against the Aggies-- and why Florida's defense won the day early in the second half. Plus, our preview of the SEC Championship Game, against an Auburn team with an except...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) break down Florida's 85-80 SEC Tournament win over Georgia. Why the 11th straight win over Georgia is always the toughest, and what to expect in Florida's SEC quarterfinal against Alabama. Plus, bracketology, SEC Tournament thoughts, Nashville food, and much more...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) breakdown Florida's 105-87 win over No. 16 Alabama. All the takeaways from a special Senior Night in the O'Dome. Plus, why Florida's offensive adjustments-- and its best defensive game all season-- were encouraging long term. Next- a preview of Florida's trip to Vanderbilt. Finally, the guys talk brackets, Flor...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) break down Florida's 82-76 loss at . 18 South Carolina. Why Florida struggled with the Gamecocks zone, and how Florida could have won the game regardless.. Plus, a big preview of Florida's Senior Night game against Alabama. The first game was a classic. Will the Gators exact some vengeance-- and grab a huge win in the...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) on Florida's 20th win over the season-- a strange, grind it out game against Missouri. Other topics discussed include Florida's return to an offensive rebounding identity, the value of turnover percentage, and what to make of Riley Kugel's decreased usage. Finally, a preview of Florida's road game and Quad 1 op...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Brandon Carroll (Sports Illustrated) team up to break down Florida's heartbreaking overtime loss at No. 13 Alabama. How Florida's guards shined, but the Gators came up just short. Plus, a preview of Florida's sold out weekend home game against Vanderbilt.

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's 88-82 win in Athens. How good offense, and Thomas Haugh's huge lift off the bench won Florida its 10th game in a row over Georgia. The guys also break down No. 13 Alabama. Why Mark Sears is Neil's pick for SEC Player of the Year; why Eric loves Alabama's identity as a program; and much more...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) joins Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) to break down Florida's 82-80 win over LSU. What goes wrong when the Gators face a zone defense, and what the Gators might do to remedy it. Plus, why Todd Golden may want to buck industry trends using his timeouts. Finally, Florida visits Georgia this weekend. Why this game will test Florida's culture-- and how a win...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's 81-65 rout of No. 12 Auburn on Saturday in the O'Dome. Why Florida's guards stole the show, Florida's frontcourt was up for the challenge, and the continued maturation of Riley Kugel. Plus, a preview of an improved LSU, who visits Gainesville on Tuesday night. Why has LSU struggled under Ma...

Jacob Rudner (247 Sports) joins Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) to break down Florida's 94-91 overtime win at No. 10 Kentucky on Wednesday night. From Walter Clayton Jr.'s shot to Thomas Haugh's help defense, the guys discuss all aspects of a signature win for Todd Golden and Florida. Plus, why the work to be an NCAA Tournament team is not done, and how the Gators match up with...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) is joined by Graham Hall (247 Sports) to talk Florida's 102-98 overtime win over Georgia. Why this Florida offense is humming, and what can Florida fix on defense? Plus, what is going right-- and wrong-- with Riley Kugel's game this season. Plus, a big Kentucky preview as Florida looks to avoid being swept by their rival for the third consecutive seas...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) is joined by Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun to break down Florida's 79-70 résumé building win over Mississippi State. Kevin Brockway breaks down how Florida's defense on Tolu Smith led the way, and talks the improvement of the Gators on both sides of the ball. Plus, how Florida's hedge busting offense impressed Neil. Finally, a preview of t...

Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) and Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) break down Florida's road win at Mizzou. Why this was Florida's most complete defensive performance of the year, why Micah Handlogten can build on this performance, and why Riley Kugel's improved play continued in CoMo. Plus, Tolu Smith and Mississippi State will test Florida physically. Can the Gators meet the cha...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) discuss two blowouts: a win over Arkansas and a loss at Tennessee. What did we learn from 2 lopsided games? Plus, thoughts on Florida's lack of frontcourt physicality, the wonderful skill of Walter Clayton Jr., the improvement of Denzel Aberdeen, and plenty of content to preview a must-win road game at Missouri...

Neil W. Blackmon (Saturday Down South) and Eric Fawcett (Gator Country) break down Florida's loss at Ole Miss. What went wrong for the Gators-- and how Florida might approach fixing things defensively. Plus, what ails Riley Kugel, and should he be given the chance to play through the slump? And should Florida consider playing 4 around 1 and abandoning the 2 big setup at times? Finally, an Arka...