Gators can't afford another disaster like the one at Tennessee

Sam Alexis faces up along the baseline against Tennessee (UAA Photo)

Paybacks can be hell, particularly when it comes to basketball in the Southeastern Conference. A few weeks past Florida’s humiliating 73-43 domination of then No. 1 Tennessee at the O-Dome, the Vols returned the favor in Knoxville. The similarities are eerie.

In Gainesville, the Gators held the Vols to 12-56 shooting overall and 4-29 from the 3-point line. The Gators didn’t exactly burn it up on the offensive end, but they commanded the backboards and the interior.

In Knoxville, the Gators went 13-53 from the field, 4-27 from the 3-point line. Florida played a solid defensive game, but the Gators inability to rebound and get second chance points spelled defeat.

“We were just atrocious offensively,” Florida coach Todd Golden said in what would qualify as the understatement of the year.

The Gators have the ability to score points in bunches when everything goes well. Few teams have the firepower of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, but when all three are off as they were Saturday, the scoring has to come from the big guys. Through the first 20 games, there were only a couple when the perimeter guys were so off but most teams have a game like this over the course of a season.

While the casual fan probably wonders what the heck happened to the Gators, this is the kind of thing that happens on the road against a quality SEC opponent. The Gators are an outstanding team that has Final Four potential but they can't afford any more games like this. They have to be able to hold serve at home and steal games on the road. The Gators (18-3, 5-3 SEC) have 10 games remaining in the regular season, five at home, five on the road. If UF can win six or seven more games in the regular season, they stand a good chance to earn a top top four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Gators need Micah Handlogten

Other than the fact the Gators couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean from the end of the pier at high tide Saturday, one thing patently obvious was the need for Micah Handlogten to make a decision to forego the redshirt and play. Handlogten isn’t a great offensive player but he doesn’t need to be. He’s a ferocious offensive rebounder and can either score on stickbacks or give the Gators extra possessions.

Alex Condon has had a good, not great season. He’s good on the backboards, good defensively, but he’s inconsistent offensively. Rueben Chinyelu is a strong rebounder but he’s foul prone and a work in progress offensively. Thomas Haugh is pure hustle who can impact the game without scoring, but he’s not a consistent offensive threat. Sam Alexis can score, but he’s not consistent at the defensive end.

Put Handlogten in the big man rotation and the Gators can be formidable both defensively and rebounding. With him able to give the Gators 10-12 minutes a game, UF has serious Final Four potential. The Gators can get to the Final Four without Handlogten, but adding the 7-1 junior would be a real difference.

SEC BASKETBALL

Tuesday’s games

No. 24 Vanderbilt (16-5, 4-4 SEC) at No. 5 FLORIDA (18-3, 5-3 SEC)

Oklahoma (16-5, 3-5 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (20-1, 8-0 SEC)

No. 12 Kentucky (15-6, 4-4 SEC) at No. 23 Ole Miss (16-6, 5-4 SEC)

Wednesday’s games

No. 20 Missouri (17-4, 6-2 SEC) at No. 8 Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC)

Arkansas (13-8, 2-6 SEC) at Texas (15-7, 4-5 SEC)

LSU (12-9, 1-7 SEC) at Georgia (15-7, 3-6 SEC)

Saturday’s games

No. 5 FLORIDA (18-3, 5-3 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (20-1, 8-0 SEC)

No. 4 Alabama (19-3, 8-1 SEC) at Arkansas (13-8, 2-6 SEC)

No. 8 Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-5, 3-5 SEC)

South Carolina (10-12, 0-9 SEC) at No. 12 Kentucky (15-6, 4-4 SEC)

No. 13 Texas A&M (17-5, 6-3 SEC) at No. 20 Missouri (17-4, 6-2 SEC)

No. 14 Mississippi State (16-6, 4-5 SEC) at Georgia (15-7, 3-6 SEC)

No. 23 Ole Miss (16-6, 5-4 SEC) at LSU (12-9, 1-7 SEC)

Texas (15-7, 4-5 SEC) at No. 24 Vanderbilt (16-5, 4-4 SEC)

No. 4 Alabama (19-3, 7-1 SEC): With No. 3 Iowa State going down to unranked Kansas State, the Crimson Tide is likely to move up one spot in the Associated Press rankings.  

Arkansas (13-8, 2-6 SEC): The Hogs were 13th in the SEC in 3-point shooting prior to their win over Kentucky at Rupp. They hit 13-25 from beyond the arc to fuel the upset for John Calipari, who got the last laugh on Kentucky fans who booed him pre-game. The five players who left Kentucky to follow Cal to Arkansas scored 66 points, pulled down 27 rebounds and handed out 11 assists.

No. 1 Auburn (20-1, 9-0 SEC): In leading Auburn to a road win over No. 23 Ole Miss, Johni Broome had 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. All five starters for Auburn scored in double figures … Auburn is 12-1 in Quad 1 games.  

Georgia (15-7, 3-6 SEC): The Bulldogs have lost five of their last six SEC games. Six of their last nine games are against ranked teams. It might take five SEC wins for Georgia to make it into the NCAA Tournament.

No. 12 Kentucky (15-6, 4-4 SEC): The Wildcats allow 76.5 points per game, which is 297th nationally and 15thin the SEC. The Wildcats played the Arkansas game without point guard Lamont Butler, who is averaging 13.2 points and 4.8 assists per game.

LSU (12-9, 1-7 SEC): The Tigers have struggled against SEC competition, their only win in Baton Rouge over Arkansas. Unless they win the SEC Tournament (doubtful), their best bet is to get to 17 or 18 wins to get to the NIT.

No. 14 Mississippi State (16-6, 4-5 SEC): The Bulldogs have lost two straight and five of their last seven. They get the midweek bye before traveling to Georgia next Saturday. Former Gator Riley Kugel is averaging 9.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

No. 20 Missouri (17-4, 6-2 SEC): The Tigers took down two ranked SEC teams last week (Ole Miss and Mississippi State). They won’t crack the top ten this week but they should be ranked somewhere between 11-15. Caleb Grill is hitting 49 percent of his 3-pointers.

Oklahoma (16-5, 3-5 SEC): Since starting out the SEC schedule 0-4, the Sooners have won three of four. In blowing out Vanderbilt, Jeremiah Fears had 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

No. 23 Ole Miss (16-6, 5-4 SEC): The Rebels started the SEC schedule 4-0 but they’re 1-4 ever since. Ole Miss allowed Auburn to hit 14-28 3-pointers and lost the rebounding battle by 11.  

South Carolina (10-12, 0-9 SEC): In the Gamecocks two losses last week, Collin Murray-Boyles had a combined 40 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and four blocked shots.

No. 8 Tennessee (18-4, 4-4 SEC): In their win over Florida, the Vols held the Gators to 13-53 shooting from the field overall, 4-27 from the 3-point line. The Vols outscored the Gators 40-23 in the second half.

Texas (15-7, 4-5 SEC): After an 0-3 start in SEC play, the Longhorns are 4-2. Freshman Tre Johnson is averaging 19 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

No. 13 Texas A&M (17-5, 6-3 SEC): The Aggies are idle until next Saturday when they travel to Missouri. Wade Taylor leads the Aggies at 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

No. 24 Vanderbilt (16-5, 4-4 SEC): One game after a court-storming win over Kentucky, the Commodores laid an egg at Oklahoma, losing by 30 (99-67). Jason Edwards, a transfer from North Texas, is averaging 17.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

UF GYMNASTICS: GATORS WIN TRI-MEET WITH UTAH, WEST VIRGINIA

The Gators were a few small mishaps from a second 198+ score Sunday afternoon in Morgantown, but despite the hiccups, the 2nd-ranked Gators still came away with a 197.575 score, good for a win over No. 4 Utah (197.425) and host West Virginia (195.475).

The Gators scored a 49.525 on bars, 49.400 on vault, 49.350 on beam and 49.300 on floor. Florida’s vault score was .125 below their season high. The 49.350 on beam was .325 below the season high. At 49.300 the Gators were .200 below the season high on floor. Even the bars score was .150 below the season high.

Leeanne Wong won the all-around title with a 39.675. She scored 9.925s on vault, bars and floor, 9.90 on balance beam. She tied with Anya Pilgrim for the bars title. Selena Harris-Miranda tied for the vault title at 9.95. Sloane Blakely won the beam title with a 9.95.

CHICAGO BEARS WANT TO HIRE CHATMAN; TIM SKIPPER INTERVIEWS WITH UF

The Chicago Bears want to hire Florida defensive line coach Gerald Chatman, whose one year with the Gators resulted in dramatic improvements in both sacks and tackles for loss. The Gators went from 22 to 39 sacks, which was tied for 13th nationally. The Gators had 58 tackles for loss in 2023, but they improved to 86 in 2024 which were good for 355 yards in losses.

Tim Skipper who was on the Florida staff for three years during the Jim McElwain era, was on campus Friday interviewing for a position on Billy Napier’s staff. Skipper, who was the interim head coach at Fresno State, taking the Bulldogs to a 6-7 record and a bowl game, coached running backs the first two years at UF, then was the linebackers coach in 2017.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The deadline to hear objections to the NCAA’s $2.8 billion antitrust settlement has come and gone. Now it’s time to wait for Judge Claudia Wilken. She will decide on April 7 if the deal is “fair, reasonable and adequate.”

Wilken will decide to approve the deal in its entirety, approve some of it while demanding revisions or reject the deal altogether, which would result in multiple lawsuits.

In polite terms this deal is complicated. It gives athletes a stake in college sports revenues but how the money will be distributed whether among athletes or the Division I schools remains to be seen. On paper it sounds good that the schools in the non-power conferences will get much needed revenue, but will it save the smaller schools from going belly up? Also, will gymnasts and softball players, for example, get the same financial share as football players?

 In not so polite terms this deal is potentially disastrous and could lead to Title IX challenges as well as labor lawsuits, since the deal essentially eliminates the ability for athletes to unionize and collectively bargain.

The best thing that could happen would be for Wilken to reject the deal and for the college presidents and athletic directors to announce they are seceding from the NCAA with the intent of forming their own new organization complete with new rules and a commissioner.