GAINESVILLE, Fla. by Robert P. Judin- The Florida Gators moved up to the number one basketball recruiting class on Sunday when the number seven prospect in the nation announced his commitment to UF.

Chris Walker, class of 2013, of Bonifay, Fla., is currently ranked seventh in the ESPN top 100 basketball recruits in the nation. The 6’10″ and 195 pound power forward has drawn comparisons to former NBA player, Shawn Kemp and current Atlanta Hawk, Josh Smith.

Walker chose UF after declaring to play at the same university as his former teammate, Kasey Hill, class of 2013, of Eustis, Fla. Hill, the number six prospect and second ranked point guard in the nation, committed to wear orange and blue on December 31.

With the commitment of Walker, UF has past North Carolina as the top recruiting class in college basketball. The Gators are also still in the running for the number one ranked prospect, Jabari Parker, class of 2013, of Chicago, Ill.

The Gators will look for Walker and Hill to play vital roles in righting a ship that got knocked out of the 2012 NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight.

With the loss of both Bradley Beal, the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft to the Washington Wizards, and Erving Walker, the Gators will hope that their fabulous freshmen can lead them deep into the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

On ESPN’s Chad Forbes latest top 100 list of NCAA stars, the Gators own Bradley Beal is ranked 3rd overall, only behind Anthony Davis & Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (both from Kentucky). Unfortunately the trend of “1 and done” affects all top programs, and I’m sure I join most Gator fans in wishing Bradley Beal nothing but success at the next level.

Phoenix: The Florida Gators men’s basketball team lost to the Louisville Cardinals 72-68 after struggling the final 8 minutes of the game and blowing an 11 point lead. Gator fans can only be disappointed, yet proud, of the UF men who were able to get hot at the right time of year but just came up a little short with only 2 games remaining. Bradley Beal & Patric Young certainly excite the Gator Nation and I know that we all look forward to watching them in the NBA whenever that times comes for them.

The Gators started the game off with a 7-0 lead, but then shooting ignited the Cardinals to keep things interesting. The Gators were 8-11 from 3 point range in the first half, and 0-7 in the second half.

Louisville ended the game on an 18-3 run, making the loss even more bitter for the blue & orange. Rick Patino credited the gators with shutting down Louisville’s match up zone, saying they were the first team this year to do so. Louisville will either play Kentucky or Baylor in their first game of the final four.

Florida finishes the year 26-11.

Box Score:

Bradley Beal 14 pts, 7 rebs, 4 assts

Eric Murphy: 14 pts, 8 rebs

Erving Walker: 12 pts, 7 assts

The Gators hustled and scrapped late Thursday night and beat the athletic and higher seeded Marquette Golden Eagles. The first 10 minutes were concerning for Gator fans, with a frenetic Marquette team running the floor and creating turnovers – it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Gators. UF ended the half with a 9-0 run with Bradley Beal & Kenny Boynton leading the charge and scoring effort for the orange & blue. Marquette star and Big East Player of the Year, Jae Crowder, struggled with missed shots and foul trouble allowing the Gators to gain momentum in the second half. Erving Walker sealed the deal with about 2 minutes remaining with a 3 point nail in the coffin.

Florida’s next game is against Louisville, with the winner advancing to the final four in New Orleans.

The 7th seeded Gators faced 15th seed Norfolk State in Omaha in their second game of the 2012 NCAA tournament. UF started the game 28-6, including a 25-0 run! Kenny Boynton added 20 points to help elevate the Gators in the blow out win. Bradley Beal had 14 points & Erving Walker added 15 points.

The Gators, again in the sweet 16, will face Marquette on Thursday night in Phoenix. Hopefully Billy D, Boynton, Beal, Walker, Young and the rest of the Gators will dominate again to reach the elite 8. One thing is for certain, the Gators are streaking at a great time of year!

UF basketball whooped the Virginia 71-45. The Gators success was balanced with a strong offense game displaying 3 point shooting prowess & inside power and also by double & triple teaming the Cavaliers. UVA had 13

turnovers which helped Billy Donovan and Casey Prather, who scored an unexpected 14 points off the bench. The Gators got hot at the end of the 1st half and finished with a 17-4 run.

Bradley Beal: 14 points, 11 rebounds

Casey Prather: 14 points, 4 rebounds

Patric Young: 13 points, 7 rebounds

Erving Walker: 9 points, 4 rebounds

Omaha – #7 UF Basketball will open the NCAA 64 tournament against #10 Virginia on Friday, March 16th. The gators coming off a loss to Kentucky, finished the 2011-2012 season 23-10 and look to get hot at the right time of the year.