Thoughts of the Day: March 1, 2021

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

ARIK GILBERT: THEATER OF THE BIZARRE You can’t cry over what you’ve never had, so there is no sense in losing sleep over the decommitment of tight end Arik Gilbert, who announced via Twitter Sunday that he won’t be coming to the University of Florida in May but instead will place his name back in the NCAA transfer portal. There is no question Gilbert is perhaps one of the most talented tight ends to ever come out of high school, but there is also the possibility he could have proven to be a bigger headache than he was worth if he had stepped foot in the UF locker room.

Now, before anyone says I’m spinning or this is sour grapes, do take a moment to consider a couple of things that should make you go hmmm if they haven’t already:

1. Gilbert walked out on his LSU teammates with two games to go in the 2020 season. Gilbert told Coach O his “body was hurting” and there were things he needed to take care of. The hurting body I’m not buying. Things to take care of? I can see that. Over the next month Gilbert proceeded to string Coach O along like he was some gullible 10th-grade girl before announcing he was putting his name in the transfer portal.

2. Since he decided to transfer back on January 2, then why did he wait until it was too late to enroll at a transfer destination? And during that time, was he enrolled at LSU? Or anywhere? Was there an academic reason for the delay from the time he quit on his teammates before the Florida game Thanksgiving weekend until announcing he was going in the transfer portal on January 2? LSU is bound by student confidentiality rules and can’t say anything but the way Gilbert played Coach O before making his first transfer announcement does make one wonder.

3. It took nearly a month for Gilbert to commit to Florida, way too late to enroll at UF, and apparently that caught Dan Mullen and a whole lot of folks at UF by surprise. It was strange enough that Jason Higdon said the chances Gilbert would actually enroll in Florida in May was 50 percent. Jason is a prophet.

4. Sunday, Gilbert tweeted, “I will not be announcing my final decision until I am enrolled into school and on campus.” That lends itself to all sorts of speculation. Maybe all this is completely on the up and up and maybe this is a fine kid who’s been exploited all his life who is being pressured from all angles so he’s decommitted UF and will go into seclusion until he can think with a clear head and make a decision. Maybe, but I doubt it.

From a talent perspective, Gilbert might have given the Gators Kyle Pitts, Part Deux. As much as I welcomed his talent I’ve been troubled by the way he left LSU with two games remaining in the regular season. This latest episode makes me believe there is way too much drama and experience tells me when there is this much drama the kid may be far more trouble than he’s worth. I’m wondering if UF is better off letting someone else deal with the issues.

FLORIDA’S HOOPS SEASON WASN’T RUPP-TURED IN LEXINGTON On paper this is the worst Kentucky basketball team in decades, but the same paper should also tell you there is no shortage of talent in Lexington. History also reminds us that any win in Lexington is a good win. Florida’s 71-67 win over the Wildcats Saturday was good not only because it was on the road in a place that has been a graveyard too many times in the past, but because it may have assured the Gators that they will be in the NCAA Tournament field no matter what happens at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

With two games to go in the regular season, the Gators (13-6, 9-5 SEC) need only a split of games with Missouri (Wednesday at the O-Dome) and Tennessee (in Knoxville Sunday) to be assured of a first round bye in Nashville. A few days ago even a split seemed a difficult proposition but that was before the Gators overcame Kentucky and a whistle-happy zebra crew to move into sole possession of third place in the current SEC standings. The Gators seemed headed for a blowout loss when they trailed 26-16 with 10:52 to go in the first half but UF turned things around in the final 30 minutes

There were three keys to getting the win in Lexington: (1) From the moment Mike White got teed up for questioning a truly phantom shooting foul call on Omar Payne, the Gators took charge at both ends of the floor and outscored Kentucky 65-51 the rest of the way; (2) once White switched to a zone, Kentucky’s perimeter game disappeared, especially in the second half when UK hit only 1-11 from the 3-point line; and (3) Kentucky couldn’t handle Tre Mann off the bounce or Colin Castleton on the inside and Tyree Appleby’s quickness gave them fits.

As of Sunday night, the Gators had moved up to No. 26 in the NCAA Net Rankings and to the six line in Jerry Palm’s brackets at CBS.

Elsewhere in the SEC with one week to go … Alabama (19-6, 14-2 SEC): Alabama has clinched the regular season title. With a couple of wins, the Crimson Tide could all but lock up a two or three seed even before the SEC Tournament. NCAA Net Ranking is 9. Jerry Palm (CBS) has Alabama a 2-seed. This week’s games: Auburn; at Georgia

Arkansas (19-5, 11-4 SEC): The Razorbacks are one of the hotter teams in the nation. With a couple of wins this week they could ensure a top four seed regardless what happens in the SEC Tournament. NCAA Net ranking is 19. Jerry Palm has Arkansas on the 3 line. This week’s games: at South Carolina; Texas A&M

Auburn (12-13, 6-10 SEC): The Tigers shocked Tennessee without Sharife Cooper, who probably won’t play this week. Due to self-imposed sanctions to try to lessen what is expected to be a serious blow from the NCAA, Auburn will not participate in the SEC Tournament so there is no postseason hope. NCAA Net Ranking is 71. This week’s games: at Alabama; Mississippi State

Georgia (14-10, 7-9 SEC): Losing to South Carolina in blowout fashion didn’t help NIT aspirations. NCAA Net Ranking is 92. This week’s game: Alabama

Kentucky (8-14, 7-8 SEC): Even before the loss to Florida, Kentucky knew it would have to win the SEC Tournament to make it to the NCAA. That hasn’t changed although the belief the Wildcats can actually pull it off has. NCAA Net Ranking is 65. This week’s games: at Ole Miss; South Carolina

LSU (14-8, 9-6 SEC): The Tigers have lost two in a row and their NCAA stock is dropping like a rock. If they go 2-0 this week they will get a first round bye in the SEC Tournament. NCAA Net Ranking is 30. Jerry Palm has dropped LSU to the 10 line. This week’s games: Vanderbilt; at Missouri

Mississippi State (13-12, 7-9 SEC): The Bulldogs aren’t going anywhere unless they win the SEC Tournament but they’re a dangerous team for whoever they meet in Nashville. NCAA Net Ranking is 79. This week’s games: at Texas A&M; at Auburn

Missouri (14-7, 7-7 SEC): The Tigers have lost four of their last five games and had a postponement. They were considered a top four team two weeks ago. Now they may be lucky to be on the eight line. NCAA Net Ranking is 47. Jerry Palm places Mizzou on the 6 line. This week’s games: at Florida; LSU

Ole Miss (13-10, 8-8 SEC): The Rebels are a pesky team that nobody wants to play, especially in Nashville. They have to win both games this week and make some noise in Nashville to make the NCAA Tournament. NCAA Net ranking is 60. This week’s games: Kentucky; Vanderbilt

South Carolina (6-12, 4-10 SEC): The Gamecocks aren’t going anywhere and unless they play Georgia (blew them out twice) in Nashville they’ll go home in a hurry. NCAA Net Ranking is 112. This week’s games: Arkansas; at Kentucky

Tennessee (16-7, 9-7 SEC): Remember when people were saying the Vols had Final Four written all over them? They will be lucky to make the top four in the SEC to ensure a first round bye in Nashville. Tennessee is 4-4 in its last eight games. NCAA Net Ranking is 22. Tennessee has been dropped to the 7 line by Jerry Palm. This week’s game: vs. Florida

Texas A&M (8-7, 2-6 SEC): The Aggies didn’t play a single game in February. Does anyone really believe they’ll play this week, much less the SEC Tournament? NCAA Net Ranking is 141. This week’s games: Mississippi State; at Arkansas

Vanderbilt (7-13, 3-11 SEC): The Commodores beat Ole Miss without Scotty Pippen Jr. and Dylan Disu, who is done for the year. Winning a game in Nashville would be an accomplishment. This week’s games: at LSU; at Ole Miss

JACOB YOUNG CONTINUES ON A TEAR In the 26 games that date all the way back to 2019 season finale against Dallas Baptist, Jacob Young is hitting a cool .417 (43-103) with 11 doubles and 18 RBI. That 26-game hitting streak ties Gator great Brad Wilkerson for the second longest streak in UF history. Over the weekend, Young wore out Samford pitching, going 7-12 including Sunday’s 4-5 effort which included a walk-off single that gave the Gators (6-2) a 10-9 win and a sweep of the series.

In going 3-0 against Samford, the Gators got standout pitching from starters Tommy Mace (6 innings, 3 hits, 11 strikeouts Friday night) and Jack Leftwich (5-2/3 innings, 2 hits, 6 strikeouts Saturday), 7 RBI from Nathan Hickey (triple, grand slam), 6 RBI from Jud Fabian (4th homer of the season Sunday), 5 hits and 4 RBI from freshman Jordan Carrion, and 5 hits and 3 RBI from Kris Armstrong. Jordan Butler had a hit in all three games to extend his hitting streak to eight games.

The Gators play host to Florida Atlantic Wednesday and FAMU comes to town for a weekend series starting Friday.

OTHER UF SPRING SPORTS

Gymnastics: Behind a pair of perfect 10s from Trinity Thomas, the No. 1 Gators put up the highest score (198.275) in the country this year and clinched a share of their third straight SEC championship with a decisive win over 18th-ranked Auburn. The Gators can claim the title outright this week when they travel to face 8th-ranked Alabama.

Softball: The 5th-ranked Gators improved to 12-0 over the weekend with two wins over Louisville and one over McNeese State. The Gators beat Louisville 5-1 on a complete game 2-hitter by Elizabeth Hightower and then took a 2-0 win over the Cardinals as Katie Chronister (5-0) picked up the win by giving up three hits over six innings. Hightower pitched the seventh for her first save of the season. Hannah Adams homered in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday to give the Gators a 1-0 win over McNeese State. Natalie Lugo pitched 5-1/3 innings before giving way to Hightower (5-0), who picked up the win with 2-2/3 innings of hitless relief. The Gators will play host to New Mexico State on Wednesday.

Swimming: The 5th-ranked Gators kept the streak alive, winning their 9th consecutive Southeastern Conference championship and the 42nd SEC swimming championship in school history.

Men’s Tennis: The 11th-ranked Gators (8-1, 4-0 SEC) took down 10th-ranked Texas A&M (7-2, 3-1 SEC) 5-2 in College Station Sunday to move to 4-0 in SEC play. On Friday, the Gators scored a 4-0 win over LSU (8-3, 1-2 SEC) in Baton Rouge. The Gators will host Georgia and Tennessee next weekend.

Women’s Tennis: The Gators (5-4, 3-1 SEC) scored a pair of top 25 wins over the weekend, taking out No. 19 LSU (7-1, 2-1 SEC) 4-2 on Friday and No. 22 Texas A&M (9-3, 1-1 SEC) 4-2 on Sunday. The Gators hit the road next weekend to face Georgia and Tennessee.

Track and Field: The 7th-ranked Florida women finished 2nd at the SEC Championships while the 8th-ranked Florida men finished 5th.

Women’s basketball: In their regular season finale, the Gators (10-12, 3-11 SEC) lost to 17th-ranked Georgia (18-5, 10-5 SEC) at the O-Dome.

Soccer: The Gators (3-7-2) and South Florida battled to a 0-0 tie.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: For reasons unknown, I woke early Sunday morning thinking about how much fun it was to grow up in an era when I could watch wrestling on TV with Gordon Solie’s astute blow-by-blow accounts. I continue to marvel at how Gordon could so effortlessly describe sleeper holds, spinning toe-holds, figure four leglocks and keep a straight face while interviewing Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair or Wahoo McDaniel. It’s been years since I could stomach more than five minutes of what passes as pro wrestling under the WWE mantle. Part of it has to do with the story lines and too many wrestlers jacked up on steroids, but I think most of it has to do with hearing Gordon Solie on the mike.