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1988–89 Florida Gators men's basketball team

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1988–89 Florida Gators men's basketball
SEC Regular Season champions
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record21–13 (13–5 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coachMonte Towe (9th season)
CaptainClifford Lett
Home arenaO'Connell Center
Seasons
1988–89 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Florida 13 5   .722 21 13   .618
No. 20 Alabama 12 6   .667 23 8   .742
Vanderbilt 12 6   .667 19 14   .576
LSU 11 7   .611 20 12   .625
Tennessee 11 7   .611 19 11   .633
Kentucky 8 10   .444 13 19   .406
Ole Miss 8 10   .444 15 15   .500
Mississippi State 7 11   .389 13 15   .464
Georgia 6 12   .333 15 16   .484
Auburn 2 16   .111 9 19   .321
1989 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll[1]

The 1988–89 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1988–89 NCAA men's basketball season. They were coached by Norm Sloan, who was in his ninth consecutive (and final) season at the school.

The Gators were ranked in the AP preseason poll for only the second time in program history despite the loss of both starting guards from the previous season, Vernon Maxwell and Ronnie Montgomery. They were expected to be led by steady senior guard Clifford Lett and star center Dwayne Schintzius, but while Lett stepped into his new starting role with aplomb, Schintzius was suspended four games for getting involved in an altercation outside a Gainesville nightclub in which he allegedly wielded a tennis racket.[2]

Schintzius' temporary absence contributed to a disappointing start to the season, and the Gators' record stood at 5-7 after losing their first conference game in early January. However, the team improved markedly from that low point, with the turnaround beginning during a key conference road game at Vanderbilt. Florida committed a turnover with one second remaining while trailing 72-70, seemingly sealing a loss. However, before play resumed, several tennis balls were tossed onto the court from the stands, apparently in taunting reference to Schinztius's earlier altercation. The officials called a technical foul on the home team, and Schintzius hit the resulting two free throws to send the game into overtime. He then scored Florida's first seven points in the extra period to lead the Gators to an 81-78 win.[2][3] The improbable win was the second victory in what grew into an 11-game conference streak that ran from mid-January until early March.

The Gators ended the season one game ahead of Vanderbilt and Alabama in the conference standings to earn the program's first ever regular season SEC basketball championship. They were the runners-up to Alabama in the SEC tournament and received their third consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a #7 seed. However, a poor shooting performance led to an upset loss to Colorado State in the first round, ending the Gators' season.[4]

Florida was again ranked in the AP preseason poll leading up to the following season, but days before the first game in November 1989, Sloan was forced to resign due to an NCAA investigation into the program. Dwayne Schintzius quit the team over conflicts with interim coach Don DeVoe, and the program's streak of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances ended in 1989-90 with their first losing record in six years.

Roster

[edit]
1988–89 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
C Dwayne Schintzius 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Jr Brandon Brandon, Florida
G Clifford Lett 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Sr Pensacola Pensacola, Florida
G Renaldo Garcia 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Jr Tampa Catholic Tampa, Florida
F Livingston Chatman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
So Kathleen Lakeland, Florida
F Dwayne Davis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
So
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Monte Towe (NC State)


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[4][5]

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Nov 25, 1988*
 ESPN[6]
No. 15 vs. California
Great Alaska Shootout
L 58–73  0–1
Sullivan Arena 
Anchorage, Alaska
Nov 26, 1988
 ESPN[6]
No. 15 at Alaska-Anchorage
Great Alaska Shootout
W 83–72  1–1
Sullivan Arena 
Anchorage, Alaska
Nov 27, 1988*
No. 15 vs. Utah
Great Alaska Shootout
W 77–68  2–1
Sullivan Arena 
Anchorage, Alaska
Nov 30, 1988*
No. 19 Siena W 71–67  3–1
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Dec 3, 1988*
No. 19 at No. 14 Florida State
Rivalry
L 86–114  3–2
Donald L. Tucker Center 
Tallahassee, Florida
Dec 6, 1988*
 ESPN[6]
at No. 7 Illinois L 67–97  3–3
Assembly Hall (15,020)
Champaign, Illinois
Dec 10, 1988
 ESPN
LSU L 101–111  3–4
(0–1)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Dec 19, 1988*
Miami (FL) W 101–81  4–4
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Dec 22, 1988*
 USA[6]
Pittsburgh L 87–90  4–5
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Dec 27, 1988*
vs. No. 15 Ohio State L 68–93  4–6
 
 
Dec 28, 1988*
vs. Fordham W 59–52  5–6
 
 
Jan 5, 1989*
 ESPN[6]
at Ole Miss L 71–80  5–7
(0–2)
Tad Smith Coliseum 
Oxford, Mississippi
Jan 7, 1989
at No. 20 Georgia W 80–66  6–7
(1–2)
Stegeman Coliseum 
Athens, Georgia
Jan 9, 1989*
at South Florida W 87–82  7–7
Sun Dome 
Tampa, Florida
Jan 12, 1989
 ESPN[6]
Kentucky L 56–69  7–8
(1–3)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Jan 14, 1989
at Auburn W 75–71  8–8
(2–3)
Beard–Eaves–Memorial 
Auburn, Alabama
Jan 18, 1989
at No. 18 Tennessee L 76–83  8–9
(2–4)
Thompson-Boling Arena 
Knoxville, Tennessee
Jan 21, 1989
Mississippi State W 81–57  9–9
(3–4)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Jan 25, 1989
at Vanderbilt W 81–78 OT 10–9
(4–4)
Memorial Gymnasium 
Nashville, Tennessee
Feb 1, 1989
8:00 p.m., JPT[6]
Alabama W 85–76  11–9
(5–4)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Feb 4, 1989*
 CBS[6]
vs. No. 20 Stanford L 69–84  11–10
 
Orlando, Florida
Feb 5, 1989
Ole Miss W 78–67  12–10
(6–4)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Feb 8, 1989
8:00 p.m., JPT
Georgia W 65–60  13–10
(7–4)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Feb 11, 1989
 NBC[6]
at Kentucky W 59–53  14–10
(8–4)
Rupp Arena 
Lexington, Kentucky
Feb 15, 1989
Auburn W 90–79  15–10
(9–4)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Feb 18, 1989
Tennessee W 99–81  16–10
(10–4)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Feb 22, 1989
at Mississippi State W 78–69  17–10
(11–4)
Humphrey Coliseum 
Starkville, Mississippi
Feb 25, 1989
 JPT[6]
Vanderbilt W 83–80  18–10
(12–4)
O'Connell Center 
Gainesville, Florida
Mar 1, 1989
 JPT[6]
at LSU W 104–95  19–10
(13–4)
Maravich Assembly Center 
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mar 4, 1989
at Alabama L 63–83  19–11
(13–5)
Coleman Coliseum 
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
SEC tournament
Mar 10, 1989*
 JPT
vs. Georgia
SEC Tournament Quarterfinal
W 62–61  20–11
Thompson-Boling Arena 
Knoxville, Tennessee
Mar 11, 1989*
 JPT
at Tennessee
SEC Tournament Semifinal
W 76–71  21–11
Thompson-Boling Arena 
Knoxville, Tennessee
Mar 12, 1989*
 ABC
vs. Alabama
SEC tournament Championship
L 60–72  21–12
Thompson-Boling Arena 
Knoxville, Tennessee
NCAA tournament
Mar 17, 1989*
(7 MW) vs. (10 MW) Colorado State
First Round
L 46–68  21–13
Reunion Arena 
Dallas, Texas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1988-89 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ a b Harry, Chris. "'They Were the First:' Current SEC Champion Gators Welcome Back 1988-89 SEC Champs for LSU Game". floridagators.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  3. ^ Browne, Jeff (January 26, 1989). "VANDERBILT FANS CAUSE BIG RACKET TECHNICAL ON CROWD LIFTS UF TO OT WIN". Orlando Sun Sentinel. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "2021-22 Florida Gator Mens Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University of Florida Athletic Association. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  5. ^ "1988-89 Florida Gators Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "SEC's Television Basketball Schedule". Harlan Daily Enterprise. Associated Press. August 12, 1988. p. 6. Retrieved September 27, 2023 – via Google Books.