UF basketball: Gators snatched defeat from jaws of victory

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

Photo credit Floridagators.com

The conclusion Todd Golden will reach when he watches the video of Florida’s 82-71 Wednesday night loss to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem is that the Gators let a perfectly winnable game slip through their fingers. Ten second half turnovers that Wake Forest turned into 15 points had plenty to do with it, but so did the combination of poor shooting at one end of the court and an inability to get stops at the other.

Wake Forest shot 61.5 percent from the field in the second half on 16-26 shooting. The Gators, meanwhile, hit 11-27. The Demon Deacons converted 10 Florida turnovers into 15 points while Florida forced only six Wake Forest turnovers, converting them to five points. Wake Forest hit 16-20 of its second half free throws. Florida got to the line only 12 times and made 10.

Add the numbers together and it’s obvious why the Gators dropped to 4-3 on the season. What makes crunching the numbers more painful is the Gators twice led by nine points in the second half but neither time could they extend the lead.

“After we got up by nine in the second half we had multiple opportunities to extend that thing into double figures,” Golden said. “I think one turnover, one good shot that we missed just allowed them to have a little hope and a little belief, as opposed to being able to close them out. A good team, with a veteran backcourt and a really good coach. Those guys aren’t going to go away unless you make them, and we just weren’t ever able to really get that thing over that hump. To their credit, they made some big shots and allowed themselves to climb back in that thing.”

Riley Kugel had a brilliant second half, but didn’t get a lot of help from teammates. Kugel hit 5-6 from the field in the second half including 2-2 from the 3-point line. He finished the game with 24 points on 9-14 shooting overall and 4-6 from the 3-point line. As much contact as he absorbed taking the ball to the rack, it was rather interesting that Kugel only had three free throw attempts (made two) the entire game.

Take away Kugel’s efforts in the second half and the Gators shot 6-21 overall (28.6 percent) and 1-9 from the 3-point line (11.1 percent). You don’t win a lot of games with second half shooting like that, particularly when the opponent hits 16-26 from the field overall, 2-4 from the 3-point line and 16-20 on second half free throws.

Contrast that to the first half when the Gators held Wake Forest to 12-31 shooting (38.7 percent).

“I thought we did a great job in the first half,” Golden said. “Limited them to 40 percent from the field, 32 points. In the second half, they made a lot of twos, a lot of tough twos, and obviously they shot 20 free throws in the second half. We did a good job of defending the 3-point line – 6-for16, I’ll take that – got to limit them to a lower percentage from two. And, obviously, they shot 29 free throws, so that’s going to be an efficient way to score. We obviously have to do a better job of defending without fouling.”

Tyrese Samuel, Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin each scored 12 points to back up Kugel. While Samuel was able to hit 5-9 from the field while also contributing an assist, a blocked shot and two steals, Clayton and Pullin struggled to put the ball in the basket. Pullin was 3-13 overall and 0-3 from the 3-point line. Clayton was 3-11 from the field, 1-5 from the 3-point line. Pullin had five rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Clayton had three rebounds, two assists and three steals.

The Gators played once again without 7-1 starting center Micah Handlogten, still trying to recover from an ankle sprained in last week’s win over Pittsburgh. Handlogten could be back next Tuesday when the Gators play host to Merrimack at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Also expected to return soon is 6-10 Aleks Szyczymk, who has been recovering from a broken foot. The Gators have yet to play a game this season with the full contingent of scholarship players available.

SEC basketball

Wednesday’s scores: Wake Forest (4-3) 82, FLORIDA (4-3) 71; Arkansas (5-3) 80, No. 7 Duke (5-2) 75; No. 17 North Carolina (6-1) 100, No. 10 Tennessee (4-3) 92; Virginia (6-1) 59, No. 14 Texas A&M (6-2) 47; Auburn (5-1) 74, Virginia Tech (5-3) 57; Boston College (5-2) 80, Vanderbilt (3-4) 62; Georgia (4-3) 68, Florida State (4-2) 66

Friday’s games: Mercer (2-4) at Georgia (4-3); George Washington (6-1) at South Carolina (6-0); Southeastern Louisiana (2-5) at LSU (4-3)

Saturday’s games: Memphis (5-1) at Ole Miss (6-0); UNC-Wilmington (5-1) at No. 12 Kentucky (6-1); Alabama A&M (1-5) at Vanderbilt (3-4)

DT Cam Jackson will be returning for 2024

Nose tackle Cam Jackson announced that he will return for his senior season at Florida. The 6-6, 360-pounder played in 11 games in 2023 and was in on 32 tackles. If the Gators are able to retain interior D-linemen Caleb Banks (6-6, 320, RFR), Chris McClellan (6-3, 320, SO), Jamari Lyons (6-4, 305, FR), and Desmond Watson (6-5, 435, JR) they will have the makings of a big, experienced unit.

The transfer portal just starting to heat up for UF

With the latest announcements that included wide receiver Caleb Douglas and QB Max Brown, six Gators have announced they will be transferring out when the portal opens for business Sunday. There will be others. When Sunday arrives expect the number to be somewhere between 12 and 15.

Transferring out: OT Jordan Herman (6-8, 375, RSO); WR Caleb Douglas (6-3, 200, SO); QB Max Brown (6-2, 220, RFR); DL Will Norman (6-4, 300, RFR); S Kamari Wilson* (6-0, 205, SO); TE Jonathan Odom (6-5, 250, RJR)

* Disputed by his father

The SEC in the portal (as of 11 p.m., Nov. 29)

Arkansas (4-8): LB Chris Paul (6-1, 233, SO); LB Jordan Crook (6-0, 222, SO); WR Sam Mbake (6-3, 205, SO); OG Keyshawn Blackstrock (6-5, 310, JR) from Michigan State; QB KJ Jefferson (6-5, 245, SR).

Auburn (6-6): DL Enyce Sledge (6-2, 311, FR); DL Stephon Johnson (6-3, 337, FR)

No. 1 Georgia (12-0): LB Darris Smith (6-5, 240, SO)

Kentucky (7-5): DL Jamarius Dinkins (6-5, 280, SO); WR Dekel Crowdus (5-10, 171, SO); CB Jalen Geiger (6-1, 199, SR); OL Grant Bingham (6-5, 321, FR); TE Izayah Cummings (6-3, 232, SR)

No. 13 LSU (9-3): RB Corren Norman (5-9, 205, SR); RB Armoni Goodwin (5-8, 200, JR)

Mississippi State (5-7): QB Will Rogers (6-2, 215, SR); RB Simeon Price (6-0, 215, SO); WR Nakai Poole (6-3, 210, FR); WR Jacobi Bellazar (5-11, 165, JR)

No. 9 Missouri (10-2): TE Max Whisner (6-4, 242, RFR)

No. 11 Ole Miss (10-2): TE Javontay Conner (6-1, 234, SO)

South Carolina (5-7): EDGE Donocan Westmoreland (6-1, 234, SO)

Tennessee (8-4):

Texas A&M (7-5): QB Max Johnson (6-6, 230, GR); WR Raymond Cottrell (6-3, 210, FR);

Vanderbilt (2-10): QB AJ Swann (6-3, 228, SO); QB Ken Seals (6-3, 220, GR); OL Kevo Wesley (6-4, 317, SR); DE Zaylin Wood (6-2, 273, JR) from Middle Tennessee State; RB Patrick Smith (5-9, 189, JR); DL Nate Clifton (6-5, 280, SR)

SEC assistant coach carousel

Arkansas: OC Bobby Petrino (hired from Texas A&M)

FLORIDA: DB Corey Raymond (packing); DL Sean Spencer (packing)

Georgia: DB Fran Brown to Syracuse as HBC

Kentucky: WR Scott Woodward (packing)

Mississippi State: DL David Turner (retained); OL Will Friend (packing); WR Chad Bumphis (retained); OL John Cooper (hired from North Texas); OC Kevin Barbay (packing)

Texas A&M: OL Steve Addazio (packing); WR Dameyune Craig (packing); OC Bobby Petrino (left for Arkansas); DC DJ Durkin (packing)

Vanderbilt: OC Joey Lynch (packing); DC Nick Howell (packing)

Football is actually played somewhere other than the SEC

Oregon State has promoted defensive coordinator Trent Bray to replace the departed Jonathan Smith as head coach.

Indiana is targeting James Madison HBC Curt Cignetti as its choice to succeed the fired Tom Allen. JMU is 11-1 this season and 52-9 under the direction of Cignetti. Counting his two other head coaching stops, Cignetti is 119-35 in his career.

Delaware is making the move from D1AA to Conference USA in 2025. Delaware is currently 9-3 and in the second round of the D1AA playoffs. The Blue Hens won five national championships in Division II and won the 2003 D1AA title. With the addition of Delaware, Conference USA will have 10 teams.

San Diego State has hired Colorado offensive coordinator and former Kent State HBC as its replacement for former head coach Brady Hoke.

Hue Jackson, whose resume includes HBC jobs with the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders, has been fired after two seasons at Grambling.

Notre Dame is expected to dip into the ACC for another quarterback. Last season it was Sam Hartman from Wake Forest. This year it will be Riley Leonard from Duke.

Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, who has thrown for 10,005 yards and 88 touchdown passes (only 14 interceptions) is in the transfer portal. McCall has also run for 1,113 yards and 18 TDs. He will be a very hot commodity.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: "Make no mistake that a good quarterback in the portal costs, you know, a million to $1.5 million to $2 million right now, just so we're all on the same page.” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said that Wednesday. He got used to paying big bucks for quarterbacks when he was coaching the NFL Carolina Panthers. Nothing has changed since he returned to the college ranks.

Now brace yourself for this. Rhule also said, “There are some teams that have $6 [million] or $7 million players playing for them."

Matt Rhule is a stand-up guy, not one prone to hyperbole or embellishment. When he starts talking about the high cost of doing business, you can basically take it to the bank as fact. No wonder the standing joke about NIL is that it stands for “Now It’s Legal.” Funny, but back in the day when the money was paid under the table and people were concerned about getting caught, a lot less money changed hands.

I don’t mind players getting paid to play college football. This is a brutal sport that causes devastating, long term injuries. Pointing out why the injuries are more severe these days than ever before, Steve Spurrier once said, “Players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before. The field is the same size.” In other words, there are few places on the field to avoid the collisions.

What I would like to see is for players to have access to long term health care benefits beyond their collegiate playing days. Their eligibility expires, but the injuries linger.

I do believe that we’re not that far from an era when players are employed by each school and we have salary caps, but I am not naïve enough to believe that it will end the overspending of NIL money to land the most highly regarded recruits. A salary cap may limit what schools can pay their athletes, but the Supreme Court has already ruled in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA and/or schools can’t prevent a player from signing a contract with someone naïve enough to write a big check.

So, enjoy college football in its current state while you can. Don’t think for even a nanosecond that things will settle down and we’ll have years, perhaps even decades, of stability in which little changes. The next step will be divisions that are based entirely on money. How long before football jerseys look like European soccer jerseys with all the advertisements?

Imagine the Chico’s Bailbonds Georgia Bulldogs. It could happen. Sooner and not later.