Ray Shipman News

Prime Matchup : Florida's Kenny Boynton, left, had 15 points and six assists in the Gators' win over Jacksonville on Saturday.

Florida is 8-0 for the third time in school history entering today's game against Syracuse in the SEC-Big East Invitational in Tampa.

When Florida jumped into the polls, Billy Donovan could understand and thought it was earned after beating Florida State, Rutgers and Michigan State in one stretch.

After opening the season out of the polls, Florida vaulted into the Top 25 with a win over one of the best teams in the country.

Dan Werner posted 16 points and nine rebounds as 13th-ranked Florida surged past Florida A&M, 80-59, at O'Connell Center.

Chandler Parsons scored 14 points and Florida survived a pair of missed three-pointers in the waning seconds to topple second-ranked Michigan State, 77-74, at the Legends Classic.

Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker and Alex Tyus scored 13 points apiece as Florida beat Florida State 68-52 Tuesday night and snapped a three-game losing streak in the series.

If Florida is going to snap a three-game losing streak to Florida State, the Gators are going to have to do something they haven't been able to do much the past two seasons.

Published: Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 5:29 p.m. Florida coach Billy Donovan is not sure yet if his team's early 3-point shooting funk is an aberration or a trend.

Georgia Southern's Antoine Johnson and Johntavious Rucker put the pressure on Florida's Ray Shipman as he tries to get to the basket during the first half.

Published: Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 2:56 p.m. Just two years ago, Florida sat atop the college basketball landscape.

When: 4 p.m. today. Where: O'Connell Center, Gainesville. TV/Radio: Sun Sports/WFXJ . Probable starters Hatters 4 Sheldon Oliver, F, 6-5 Avg.: 5.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg 11 Olivier Dupiton, F, 6-7 Avg.: 1.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg 15 Mark Lohuis, F, 6-4 Avg.: 5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg Avg.: 12.6 ppg, 3.8 apg 3 Brandon Williams, G, 5-10 Avg.: 1.9 ppg, 1.0 apg Gators 32 Vernon ...

Florida is two years removed from back-to-back national championships. And in some ways, that's probably a good thing for Gators coach Billy Donovan.

FGCU men's basketball coach Dave Balza begins team practice most days at 6 a.m. - and even seeks recruits who embrace such early starts - for several reasons: He feels it teaches his players self-discipline, keeps them out of trouble at night and even helps with a consistent diet and conditioning.

Florida junior forward Chandler Parsons is adapting to different surroundings and a new look.

The Florida men's basketball team decided to commence at the O'Connell Center last night to play some roundball.

Chandler Parsons and Ray Shipman are not starters, but the two certainly will have key roles for the Florida basketball team.

Kenny Boynton scored 25 points, Ray Shipman added 16 and Florida beat Webber International 104-53 in its exhibition finale Monday night.

Hard to believe, especially considering that Boynton has played in the McDonald's All American game and on some of the brightest national stages in the summer travel circuit.

This is Sentinel correspondent Bobby Callovi bringing you a game story on Florida's exhibition game against Saint Leo.