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Florida basketball students shine on College -Gameday and in Texas A&M Win

Florida basketball students shine on College -Gameday and in Texas A&M Win

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Two days before the tip, UF students started camping outside the O'Connell Center. Due to the spectacle of College Gameday and the victory against Texas A&M, it was a worthy experience

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  • Florida Gators' basketball fans, which are associated with the success of the team and the return of ESPNS College Gameday, have created an electrical atmosphere in the O'Connell Center.
  • Some fans stored more than 50 hours to secure their places for playing against Texas A&M and demonstrated their commitment to the team.
  • Trainer Todd Golden gave the Gator a new energy and a new hustle and bustle, which led it to a 14: 1 home record this season and praised long-time fans.

Braeden Phillips and Sunny Ho set up a camp in front of the O'Connell Center around 4 p.m. on Thursday.

With the exception of short trips for meals in the Gator Corner Dining Center, the beginning of the biology and engineering will dedicate their next two days to Florida basketball.

“Usually people work in layers, not in us,” said Phillips. “We didn't even take a shower.”

Over 50 hours after the beginning of their trip, the third-placed Gators rewarded the amount of 10,784 with a masterful 89-70 victory against number 11 in Texas A&M. Sieg has completed a day on which Gator Nation bent its muscles.

The ESPN College Gameday visited the campus for the first time since 2017. In the show, Host Reece Davis praised the students behind him who filled the lower bowl.

“Every place is not Florida,” said Davis.

The presence of students like Phillips and Ho is one reason why Davis made such statements, and coach Todd Golden said Live: “The best crowd in the nation is just behind me.”

Phillips and Ho sat in the second row for the show. Ho said the show fulfilled its expectations and even more.

“I had as much fun as I could have had,” said Ho. “Sitting there on TV, in the background of Andraya (Carter) and Reec (Davis), which played around in front of the camera, it was so much fun.”

The two stayed for the rest of the afternoon in front of goal 3. Some friends brought color and together with five friends they wrote Gator-! on her chest.

This was Phillips and HoS second camping. You made it for South Carolina two weeks ago. They called it a large community.

“We met him to camp for USC because he was in line for the first time and we were third,” said Phillips. “The child who was second in line we also sat with him. We are all the best friends now. “

Golden noticed their effects on Friday, over 24 hours before the tip, when he saw that students were already camping. He said they opened the entire team, and this was shown on Friday evening, especially the senior Will Richard, who scored 25 points at 9-13 shootout.

“You always have the feeling that you have a really good shot there, especially the atmosphere that our fans and our marketing team could create last season,” said Golden.

The team's performance has left a lasting impression on Phillips and HO. They weren't big basketball fans before they stepped onto the UF campus. Now they are bought fully three decades ago in the mysticism created by Billy Donovan.

“Next year I could come to every single basketball game. I don't care if we are 1-50, ”said Phillips.

A great time in the past

Bob and Deb Geambazi went through the doors of the O'Connell Center for 15 years. They saw players like Bradley Beal and Scottie Wilbek and the three elite eight and one last four trips they brought with them.

In nine seasons you also missed four NCAA tournaments. Saturday felt like a return to the former.

“This is the loudest thing I've heard for years,” said Deb. “It was just crazy here.”

The two stayed in the O'Dome 30 minutes after the end of the game. Like many Gator fans, they are not quite ready for this home season, one in which UF is over two seasons with 14-1 and 28-2.

“I feel really bad because we only have one game and it's Senior Night,” said Deb. “It gets sad for these seniors.”

The two agreed Golden are the key to the turn. In contrast to his predecessor, Golden has a knack for calling timeouts at the right time and gathering the team.

“He celebrates the children up, he works on the referees,” said Bob. “This team really hears and dives for balls. It is different from the past few years. “

“We could be 20 points at halftime, they go in and they become another team,” said Deb. “He can train them.”

It didn't take a half -time break on Saturday evening. Florida remained in the early part of the first half, but around the 12-minute brand took the lead 21-19 and did not open it for the rest of the game.

The gators also showed their deep Saturday. Richard headed the team in the rating, but Alijah Martin, Thomas Hagh, Alex Condon and Walter Clayton Jr. all scored in two figures.

This UF team differentiates for DEB. You can send that to the Final Four.

“It's not just one, two or three players, it is the entire team that can contribute to it,” said Deb. “You can set a guy and he starts to fall threesome.”

The Gators complete their home season next Saturday against Ole Miss at 6 p.m.

Noah Ram covers the Gainesville-High School Sports and the University of Florida Athletics for the Gainesville Sun, Gatersports.com and the USA Today Network. Contact him by e -mail at nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 On X/Twitter.

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