Gators Have to Avoid Big Game Hangover vs. LSU Tonight

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:

Now comes the tough part for the Florida Gators (16-7, 6-4 SEC). The Gators showed with their 81-65 win over Auburn Saturday that they’re perfectly capable of dominating a ranked opponent bell-to-bell while holding on to a big lead. LSU (12-11, 4-6 SEC) comes to the O-Dome tonight (8 p.m., SEC Network) and the natural tendency is a less intense effort, sort of a big game hangover.  

Avoiding an emotional and physical letdown is a daunting task for Florida coach Todd Golden. The Gators are working on a short turnaround. Wednesday would have offered an extra day to get past the Auburn win and turn full focus to LSU, but the people in Birmingham who make up the schedules penciled in this one for a Tuesday.

“We had Saturday night to enjoy, got together yesterday, watched some film and worked out and today is going to be a really important practice,” Golden said Monday afternoon.

Although the win over Auburn was Florida’s most complete game of the season at both ends of the floor, mistakes were made that had to be corrected in practice while at the same time going through a scouting report and working on a game plan to deal with an LSU team that doesn’t lack for talent. The Tigers may have lost four of their last five games, but they have a very capable lineup.

“They have multiple guys who can score,” Golden said. “Jalen Cook is really good offensively. Will Baker, really good offensively. Point guard and center. Those are the two important parts on the floor, so they don’t have to be crazy complicated with what they run to effective, so that concerns me. And, obviously, coming off an emotional win Saturday and making sure we have a really good effort.

“LSU is good. They beat A&M by 15 on A&M’s home floor. That shows a little bit of what their ceiling is. This league is so good, they can come in here and just pop you. So just making sure our mentality is where it needs to be and respecting everyone and fearing no one is where we need to be going into tomorrow night.”

Anticipated starters

FLORIDA (16-7, 6-4 SEC): 6-10 Tyrese Samuel (13.0 points, 8.1 rebounds); 7-1 Micah Handlogten (6.9 points, 7.7 rebounds); 6-4 Will Richard (11.2 points, 3.9 rebounds); 6-2 Walter Clayton Jr. (16.0 points, 3.7 rebounds); 6-4 Zyon Pullin (15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds. 4.9 assists)

LSU (12-11, 4-6 SEC): 6-10 Jalen Reed (8.0 points, 4.6 rebounds); 7-0 Will Baker (12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds); 6-6 Jordan Wright (15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds; 6-3 Mike Williams III (7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds); 6-2 Trae Hannibal (5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds)

Bracketology: Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has the Gators a No. 8 seed facing No. 9 Saint Mary’s (Golden’s alma mater) in a first round South Regional game in Memphis. The Gators are one of nine SEC teams that Palm projects into the tournament. The others are: Tennessee, No. 2 East; South Carolina, No. 3 Midwest; Alabama, No. 3 South; Auburn, No. 5 South; Kentucky, No. 7 Midwest; Texas A&M, No. 10 South; Ole Miss, No. 10 East; and Mississippi State, No. 11 East.

SEC Basketball

Tuesday’s games: LSU (12-11, 4-6 SEC) at FLORIDA (16-7, 6-4 SEC); Texas A&M (15-8, 6-4 SEC) at Vanderbilt (6-17, 1-9 SEC); Ole Miss (18-5, 5-5 SEC) at No. 17 Kentucky (16-7, 6-4 SEC)

Wednesday’s games: No. 6 Tennessee (17-6, 7-3 SEC) at Arkansas (12-11, 3-7 SEC); No. 15 South Carolina (21-3, 9-2 SEC) at No. 12 Auburn (19-5, 8-3 SEC)

Associated Press top 25: 1. UConn 22-2; 2. Purdue 22-2; 3. Houston 21-3; 4. Marquette 18-5; 5. Arizona 19-5; 6. Kansas 19-5; 7. North Carolina 19-5; 8. Tennessee 17-6; 9. Duke 18-5; 10. Iowa State 18-5; 11. South Carolina 21-3; 12. Baylor 17-6; 13. Auburn 19-5; 14. Illinois 17-6; 15. Alabama 17-7; 16. Dayton 19-4; 17. Creighton 17-7; 18. Saint Mary’s 20-6; 19. BYU 17-6; 20. Wisconsin 16-8; 21. Virginia 19-5; 22. Kentucky 16-7; 23. Indiana State 22-3; 24. Florida Atlantic 19-5; 25. Oklahoma 18-6

Coaches top 25: 1. UConn 22-2; 2. Purdue 22-2; 3. Houston 21-3; 4. Marquette 18-5; 5. North Carolina 19-5; 6. Arizona 19-5; 7. Kansas 19-5; 8. Duke 18-5; 9. Tennessee 17-6; 10. Iowa State 18-5; 11. South Carolina 21-3; 12. Auburn 19-5; 13. Baylor 17-6; 14. Illinois 17-6; 15. Alabama 17-7; 16. Creighton 17-7; 17. BYU 17-6; 18. Dayton 19-4; 19. Saint Mary’s 20-6; 21. (Tie) Wisconsin 16-8 and Oklahoma 18-6; 23. Virginia 19-5; 24. Indiana State 22-3; 25. Colorado State 19-5

UF BASEBALL: Kevin O’Sullivan gets contract extension through 2033

Kevin O’Sullivan was rewarded Monday with a contract extension through 2033 that will pay him on average $1.84 million per year, up from $1,220,598. O’Sullivan is the winningest baseball coach in Florida history with a 681-319 record that includes the 2017 national championship, eight trips to the College World Series, six Southeastern Conference championships and two SEC Tournament titles. The Gators, who open their season Friday night against St. John’s, begin the 2024 season ranked No. 2 nationally.  

“It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the head baseball coach at the University of Florida, and I am excited to continue the challenge of bringing a National Championship back to Gainesville throughout the foreseeable future,” O’Sullivan said in a statement.

With the raise that comes with the extension, O’Sullivan becomes the second highest paid baseball coach in the SEC behind Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin ($2.44 million). In addition to Corbin and O’Sullivan, seven SEC coaches are paid in excess of $1 million per season: Mike Bianco, Ole Miss $1.625 million; Jim Schlossnagle, Texas A&M $1.58 million; Tony Vitello, Tennessee $1.5 million; Dave Van Horn, Arkansas $1.35 million; Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State $1.27 million; Jay Johnson, LSU $1.25 million; and Butch Thompson, Auburn $1.25 million.

UF SWIMMING: UF women No. 3, UF men No. 4

CSCAA men’s top 25: 1. Arizona State; 2. California; 3. North Carolina State; 4. FLORIDA; 5. Indiana; 6. Stanford; 7. Georgia; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Texas; 10. Auburn; 11. Notre Dame; 11. (Tie) Tennessee and Notre Dame; 13. Ohio State; 14. Louisville; 15. Virginia Tech; 16. Florida State; 17. Southern California; 18. Michigan; 19. Alabama; 20. Virginia; 21. Wisconsin; 22. Harvard; 23. Arizona; 24. Georgia Tech; 25. Princeton

CSCAA women’s top 25: 1. Virginia; 2. Texas; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Southern California; 5. Stanford; 6. Indiana; 7. California; 8. Ohio State; 9. Louisville; 10. North Carolina State; 11. Texas A&M; 12. Tennessee; 13. Georgia; 14. Wisconsin; 15. Auburn; 17. Alabama; 18. North Carolina; 19. Duke; 20. Virginia Tech; 21. Arizona State; 22. Princeton; 23. Minnesota; 24. South Carolina; 25. LSU

UF TRACK AND FIELD: Women No. 3, Men No. 5

USTFCCCA men’s top 25: 1. Texas Tech; 2. Northern Arizona; 3. Texas; 4. Arkansas; 5. FLORIDA; 6. Washington; 7. Southern California; 8. Florida State; 9. Nebraska; 10. Wisconsin; 11. Alabama; 12. Kentucky; 13. Texas A&M; 14. Georgia; 15. Stanford; 16. Harvard; 17. Oklahoma State; 18. Arizona State; 19. Louisville; 20. North Carolina; 21. Iowa; 22. Virginia; 23. Illinois; 24. Houston; 25. South Carolina

USTFCCCA women’s top 25: 1.  Arkansas; 2. Oregon; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Oklahoma State; 5. Texas Tech; 6. Texas; 7. BYU; 8. Washington; 9. Southern California; 10. Texas A&M; 11. Georgia; 12. LSU; 13. Ole Miss; 14. Illinois; 15. South Carolina; 16. Tennessee; 17. Stanford; 18. Alabama; 19. Notre Dame; 20. Harvard; 21. Clemson; 22. Northern Arizona; 23. Oklahoma; 24. Baylor; 25. Colorado State

UF SOFTBALL: Olivia Miller SEC Freshman of the Week

Lefty Olivia Miller, who became the first freshman in Florida history to pitch a perfect game, was named SEC Freshman of the Week. Miller faced and retired all 15 batters she faced in a 16-0 run-rule win over Bethune-Cookman Sunday, five by strikeout, five by groundout and five by fly out.

The Gators travel to face Jacksonville University this weekend, then the two teams face off again Wednesday evening in Florida’s home opener (6 p.m., SEC Network+).

The Gators have a team ERA of 0.21, which ranks second in the SEC and fifth nationally.

SoftballAmerica top 25: 1. Oklahoma 4-0; 2. Texas 5-0; 3. Tennessee 3-0; 4. Georgia 5-0; 5. Duke 3-1; 6. Clemson 4-1; 7. Florida State 4-1; 8. Washington 3-1; 9. Stanford 3-2; 10. Oklahoma State 5-0; 11. LSU 5-0; 12. Arkansas 4-1; 13. Missouri 5-0; 14. Utah 4-1; 16. Baylor 0-2; 17. Virginia Tech 4-0-1; 18. Kentucky 4-1; 19. Texas A&M 4-0; 20. Oregon 3-2; 21. South Carolina 5-0; 22. FLORIDA 4-1; 23. Louisiana 4-1; 24. Indiana 4-1; 25. Auburn 1-1-1

D1Softball top 25: 1. Oklahoma 4-0; 2. Texas 5-0; 3. Tennessee 3-0; 4. Oklahoma State 5-0; 5. Georgia 5-0; 6. Washington 3-1; 7. Duke 3-1; 8. Florida State 4-1; 9. LSU 5-0; 10. Clemson 4-1; 11. Missouri 5-0; 12. Alabama 5-0; 13. Stanford 3-2; 14. Kentucky 4-1; 15. Utah 4-1; 16. Virginia Tech 4-0-1; 17. Baylor 0-2; 18. Arkansas 4-1; 19. Oregon 4-2; 20. South Carolina 5-0; 21. Indiana 4-1; 22. UCLA 2-3; 23. FLORIDA 4-1; 24. Northwestern 4-1; 25. Texas A&M 4-0

UF GYMNASTICS: Wong National Gymnast of the Week

Leeanne Wong, who scored the seventh perfect 10 of her collegiate career on bars in Florida’s win over Arkansas last Friday night, was named Gymnast of the Week by Inside Gymnastics. Wong had a season best 39.725 for the 11th all-around win of her career.

Road to Nationals top 25: 1. Oklahoma; 2. California; 3. LSU; 4. Utah; 5. Kentucky; 6. FLORIDA; 7. Denver; 8. UCLA; 9. Alabama; 10. Michigan State; 11. Michigan; 12. Auburn; 13. Ohio State; 14. Missouri; 15. Minnesota; 16. Arkansas; 17. Arizona; 18. Georgia; 19. Oregon State; 20. Arizona State; 21. Ball State; 22. Clemson; 23. Penn State; 24. Iowa State; 25. Maryland

UF LACROSSE: Gators No. 12

ILCA top 25: 1. Northwestern 1-0; 2. Boston College 1-0; 3. James Madison 1-0; 4. Denver 1-0; 5. Syracuse 0-1; 6. North Carolina 0-1; 7. Loyola 1-0; 8. Notre Dame 2-0; 9. Maryland 1-0; 10. Michigan 1-0; 11. Stony Brook 0-0; 12. FLORIDA 0-1; 13. Johns Hopkins 2-0; 14. Pennsylvania 0-0; 15. Southern California 2-0; 16. Virginia 2-0; 17. Penn State 0-0; 18. Army 0-1; 19. Navy 1-0; 20. Richmond 1-0; 21. Clemson 1-0; 22. UMass 0-1; 23. Albany 0-1; 24. UConn 0-0; 25. Duke 1-1

COACHING MOVES AND GROOVES IN THE SEC

Offensive line coach Scott Huff’s stay in Tuscaloosa didn’t last long. Like Ryan Grubb before him who left Alabama to become the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, Huff will be the new O-line coach of the Seahawks. Meanwhile, there are reports that tight ends coach Nick Sheridan and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard will be named co-offensive coordinators at Alabama.

Bush Hamdan, who coached wide receivers for Will Muschamp at Florida in 2012, is expected to be named offensive coordinator at Kentucky. Hamdan is currently the offensive coordinator at Boise State.  

LSU director of football operations Harris Bivin has accepted a position as an offensive analyst at Notre Dame where he will be working with former LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbock.  

The Jacksonville Jaguars are ironing out the details on a contract to hire University of Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: College football coaches will universally say they don’t pay attention to recruiting rankings, but a look at the schools that won national championships starting with Florida in 2006 tend to be the ones that stockpiled 4- and 5-star athletes. Recruit rankings aren’t always the most accurate measure, however. All you have to do is look at Sunday’s Super Bowl where the two most important starters were 3-star recruits at schools that haven’t sniffed championships since Moby Dick was a minnow.

Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, who is being compared to the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, was a 3-star recruit out of Whitehouse, Texas where he was ranked as the 33rd best quarterback in the country. Mahomes signed with Texas Tech. He was recruited but not offered by LSU, Texas A&M and Arkansas from the SEC. He’s won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs.

San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy, is perhaps best known for being Mr. Irrelevant, the last player taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. A 3-star recruit out of Gilbert, Arizona, Purdy did have SEC offers from Alabama and Texas A&M in 2018 when he was ranked the 64th best high school QB in the country. He signed with Iowa State.

It takes accumulating outstanding players to bring home championships in college football, but the rankings aren’t always the ultimate indicator of future greatness.