Xaivian Lee's defense will be critical tonight against the Aggies (Photo by Chris Spears)   Nobody in the Southeastern Conference plays with a bigger chip on their shoulder than the Texas A&M Aggies (17-5, 7-2 SEC). First-year coach Bucky McMillan has sold the Aggies on an us against the world mentality and it’s working quite well. The Aggies are the most vertically challenged team in the SEC and from a pure talent perspective, they probably rank among the bottom feeders.   Y

Ruben Chinyelu has turned into a defensive force as well as an offensive force beyond the rim. By Carlton Reese GatorBait Media Gator fans hoping for history to repeat itself should all be paying close attention to the upcoming stretch run which could be a harbinger of Florida’s fate.   During last season’s championship run, Florida faced several critical stretches in which it passed with flying colors, the most notable series of games taking place at about this same time of

We’ve moved into a time when eligibility for collegiate athletics is more fluid than the St. Johns River.

By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com , Host of The Lowdown with Loren Meadows Laila Reynolds (UAA photo) The Gator Women’s Basketball team has been grinding towards success the entire season. Despite one of the youngest rosters in the SEC the Gators have given some of the top teams in the country everything they wanted. Never deterred the Gators have picked themselves up off the mat in tough losses and conducted themselves with class and humility after wins. Despite some setb

Sumrall said he’s already feeling good about the chemistry between offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and the quarterbacks, a group that includes Aaron Philo and Trammell Jones. He was quick to add there’s no inside track for the starting job

University of Florida football coach Jon Sumrall (Photo by Chris Spears) It all seemed so manageable back when Jon Sumrall was starting out, the freshly appointed head coach at Troy. Two years and two championships later, he whisked off to Tulane. Bigger job, bigger conference, more people to manage.   Two years and two appearances in the American Conference championship game at Tulane, one of which resulted in a championship and playing Ole Miss in the first round of the Col

TIM WALTON Back for 20th (UAA)

Charles Bediako (14) can only watch as Alex Condon dunks (Photo courtesy of UAA Communications) “G-League dropout! G-League dropout!”   The Rowdy Reptiles chanted that every time Charles Bediako touched the basketball Sunday at the O-Dome. The 7-footer, who spent the previous two years toiling in the G-League on an NBA 2-way contract, is going to hear something similar every time he steps on the court until some judge rules he has no eligibility. Fat chance that will happen a

Considering UF’s athletic budget is just over $200 million, perhaps siphoning some of that money into a collective may have been more expeditious in attracting better football recruits. Does anyone think for a second Indiana would have been better off limiting its NIL budget in order to upgrade facilities to the extent Florida has?

Rueben Chinyelu was Naismith National Player of the Week The rest of the SEC may rue the day Auburn came to Gainesville to knock off the Florida Gators. In that 76-67 loss, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu combined for 11 points, 16 rebounds, one assist and five blocked shots, hardly what was needed or expected.   In the two games since – a 95-48 destruction of South Carolina in Columbia and a 100-77 humiliation of Alabama in Gainesville – Condon and Chinyelu have been on a se

It’s more than just good optics. Good energy abounded everywhere in the O’Connell Cener -- the vibe already boosted by the return to work of Dick Vitale, who got to make the celebratory on call of 7-foot-8 Olivier Rioux  rebounding and sticking back the 99th and 100th points.

Alex Condon dunks in two of his 25 points against Bama (Photo courtesy of UAA Communications) The play that defined Florida’s 100-77 blowout win over 23 rd -ranked Alabama (14-7, 4-4 SEC) came in the final 23 seconds of the first half. It was still a competitive game at the time – 19 th -ranked Florida (16-6, 7-2 SEC) held a 44-36 lead – when Labaron Philon Jr., the SEC’s leading scorer, got the ball on the left wing beyond the 3-point line. Due to a defensive switch, Philon