Another thunder dunk from Isaiah Brown (Photo by Chris Spears) “The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man without trials.” – Confucius   There is nothing beautiful about an uncut, unpolished diamond, yet in the hands of a master what looks like an ugly rock can be transformed into a thing of beauty worth thousands of dollars. Back on December 10 when the Gators were 5-4, having just lost to UConn 77-73 at Madison Square Garden, Florida was that uncut, unpolished stone that had no luster and in the eyes of the so-called experts of college basketball, very little value.   Florida’s loss to UConn was its third against a highly ranked opponent. All three of those games were winnable, but at crunch time it seemed the Gators found creative ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. December 10 found Florida at a crossroads. Would the Gators shatter like an unpolished diamond in the hands of a nervous, unskilled lapidary, or would Todd Golden carefully cut and polish away, carefully studying each cut under a 10X microscope for blemishes and inclusions?   Twenty games later, we know the answer to those questions. Each game since the UConn loss has been like the process that includes cleaving, bruting and polishing. At 23-6 overall and 14-2 in SEC play, Golden doesn’t have a finished product on his hands, but the potential is there for the Gators to be that brilliant, flawless diamond. Think of each of the possible 11 games that could take Florida to a second straight national championship as another cut in a once-ugly stone that is transforming before our eyes into something truly beautiful.   The early season adversities have shaped the Gators into that team no one will want to play in a couple of weeks when the NCAA announces its field of 68 teams that will compete for the national championship. They have caught the eye of bracket gurus such as Joe Lunardi, who have moved the Gators up to their No. 2 line. Lunardi sees a path to a No. 1 seed for the Gators who have won nine games in a row and 18 of their last 20.   If you were to ask John Calipari, the Hall of Fame Arkansas coach whose team suffered the biggest beatdown of an 854-win career at the hands of the Gators Saturday night at the O-Dome, it goes beyond the size and strength of the nation’s best front line. Cal says the Gators are connected.   Todd Golden won’t disagree with that assessment. Those early season losses that would have caused lesser teams to crumble and fall apart have forged a stand in our way at your own peril mentality.   “The credit that this team deserves more than anything is staying together, believing in each other when guys weren't playing at their best, not pointing fingers,” Golden said Saturday night. “Our staff did a great job of keeping our guys aligned and on the same page. Even when we were 5-4, we thought we had a chance to have a special season if we just improved incrementally over the rest of the year and we've done that. I think we're playing as good as anybody in America right now."   The incremental improvements are best seen in the four perimeter guys – Boogie Fland, Xaivian Lee, Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown – who have weathered the storms early on to become one of the best units in the country. Seen as a liability when the Gators were losing, these four guys have bonded and become a team strength.   Because of the ball handling skills of Fland and Lee, the Gators can’t be pressed. They may be the fastest pair of guards in the country when it comes to transitioning from defense to offense. Early on when they couldn’t make shots, they were turning the ball over in critical situations (see the losses to Duke and UConn), but that has changed. Turnovers are a rarity for them and now they’re making shots. Golden’s contention that sooner or later these guys would start making the shots in games that he sees them make in practice is starting to show.   There is nothing wrong with their defense as Arkansas sharpshooters Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas found out Saturday. Acuff needed 19 shots from the field and six free throws to score his 17 points. Thomas, who scored 10, lives on the 3-point line. He only had two attempts. Missed them both.   While Fland and Lee continue to evolve into one of the nation’s best backcourt pairings, Klavzar and Brown off the bench have ensured that there is no letdown at either end of the court when they come off the bench. Klavzar is best known for his 3-point shooting – 40.9 percent for the season, 23 of his last 47 – but as he showed in hounding both Acuff and Thomas, there isn’t much in the way of a defensive letdown when he comes off the bench.   Brown can’t be left alone beyond the arc (38.5 percent for the season), but it is his thunder dunks that put the fear of God in opponents. He had a coast-to-coast jam against Arkansas that had the effect of a stiletto to the heart of the Razorbacks. In the first half, the Gators were +21 points when Brown was in the game. They were +19 for the game. What those numbers tell you is that the Gators expanded their lead when Brown was in the game so there was absolutely no dropoff.     Give Golden credit for sticking with Fland and Lee even when they were struggling and with bringing Klavzar and Golden along to the point that this is a solid and still very underrated unit. They are no longer a liability but have become a strength of the team.   The stone that the Gators were back on December 10 has been sawed, cleaved, cut and polished. What the Gators are now is a tribute to hard work and Golden’s patience in allowing his guys to develop while learning to play with and off each other.   What the Gators could become are national champions. If that happens they will sparkle like that flawless diamond that was polished by friction and adversity. WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC 16. South Carolina (12-17, 3-13 SEC): A third losing season in the last four years is guaranteed so there is speculation Lamont Paris will be fired. If canned prior to April 1, it will cost $10 million. On or after April 1, the cost will be $7.5 million. He shouldn’t be investing in a major home renovation.   15. LSU (15-14, 3-13 SEC): Win one of this week’s games (at Auburn, Texas A&M) and the Tigers can’t do worse than .500 for the season. That won’t get the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament, which is rumored to be what Matt McMahon needs to be gainfully employed next year. He has an $8 million buyout.   14. Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC): It will take two wins this week (at Florida, Georgia) and two in the SEC Tournament to ensure at least a .500 season. Chris Jans has a contract that runs through 2030 and a $7 million buyout. He’s probably safe for at least one more year, but nobody in Starkville would mind if he seeks employment elsewhere.   13. Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC): Chris Beard isn’t going anywhere. At least that’s what he’s saying. Ole Miss isn’t going to fire him. He makes $6 million a year and he’s under contract until 2031.   12. Auburn (15-14, 6-10 SEC): Auburn needs two wins this week (LSU, at Alabama) and two in the SEC Tournament to have a legitimate shot at the NCAA Tournament. Nobody is happy, but Steven Pearl isn’t going anywhere.   11. Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11 SEC): Should the Sooners win one of their two games this week, they’re guaranteed no worse than break even. Beat Missouri and (at) Texas, plus get a win in the SEC Tournament and they probably get an NIT bid. If Joe Castiglione were still the athletic director, Porter Moser would probably get one more year. New AD Roger Denny has no allegiances, so Moser could be a goner if the Sooners don’t secure a winning record.   10. Texas A&M (19-10, 9-7 SEC): The Aggies will make the NCAA Tournament even though they’ve lost six of their last eight games. To avoid a play-in game, they need to get to 20 regular season wins and then win one at the SEC Tournament.       9. Georgia (20-9, 8-8 SEC): Mike White has produced a third straight 20-win season, which has only been done two other times in school history. Mike is well on his way toward having a statue erected outside Stegman Coliseum. The Bulldogs are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. This week’s game are No. 17 Alabama and a roadie to Mississippi State.   8. Texas (18-11, 9-7 SEC): The Longhorns are assured of a break even season in SEC play, which is a good thing since they’re very capable of losing both games this week (at Arkansas and Oklahoma at home). A .500 record in SEC play will get them into the NCAA Tournament but probably something like a No. 10 or No. 11 seed.   7. Missouri (20-9, 10-6 SEC): The Tigers have won six of their last eight games. They’re ensured of a winning record in the SEC and they will make the NCAA Tournament. Get to 23 wins and they probably make it to the No. 8 line.   6. Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7 SEC): Since starting out 16-0, the Commodores are 6-7 with four of the losses by a combined 10 points. Duke Miles is healthy again which helps, but the lack of size has been killing Vandy.   5. Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC): The Vols have a nasty habit of blowing big leads and then losing a white knuckle. It happened against Alabama. An equal concern is the health of freshman Nate Ament who hurt his knee in the loss to Bama. The Vols can beat South Carolina without him, but Vandy? They need two wins to get the double-bye at the SEC Tournament.   4. Kentucky (19-10, 9-7 SEC): Hope springs eternal in Lexington after winning two straight. Hope might nosedive this week since the Wildcats have to go to Aggieland and then finish the season at Rupp against the Gators. They’re in the NCAA Tournament, but they need to get to 22 wins if they want anything better than the No. 6 line.   3. Arkansas (21-8, 11-5 SEC): Injuries have taken their toll on the Razorbacks, who will be trying to rebound from a monumental blowout loss at Florida. They are home against Texas and on the road at Missouri this week. They need to win at least one to ensure the double-bye at the SEC Tournament.   2. Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC): Alabama is on an 8-game tear that has the Tide flirting with a No. 4 NCAA seed. They could win a share of the SEC title if the Gators do the unthinkable and go 0-2 this week.   1. FLORIDA (23-6, 14-2 SEC): The Gators can clinch the outright SEC championship if they beat Mississippi State Tuesday night.     IF THE SEC TOURNAMENT WERE HELD TODAY Wednesday, March 11 1. No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 16 South Carolina 2. No. 12 Mississippi State vs. No. 13 Oklahoma3. No. 10 Georgia vs. No. 15 Ole Miss 4. No. 11 Auburn vs. No. 14 LSU   Thursday, March 12 5. No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. Game 1 winner 6. No. 5 Kentucky vs. Game 2 winner 7. No. 7 Texas vs. Game 3 winner 8. No. 6 Tennessee vs. Game 4 winner   Friday, March 13 (Quarterfinals) 9. No. 1 FLORIDA vs. Game 5 winner 10. No. 4 Missouri vs. Game 6 winner 11. No. 2 Alabama vs. Game 7 winner 12. No. 3 Arkansas vs. Game 8 winner   Saturday, March 14 (Semifinals) 13. Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner 14. Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner   Sunday, March 15 (Championship game)

Tommy Haugh cuts down the SEC championship net (Photo by Bobby D'Alessio) The Florida Gators have successfully created a dilemma of major proportions for the people on the selection committee who will determine the top four seeds for the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. Do they go strictly by record? It seems almost inevitable that Duke, Michigan, Arizona and UConn will finish with fewer losses than the Gators, who currently stand 23-6, and head-to-head, Duke, Arizona and UConn all own wins over Florida, albeit by a combined 11 points, all nearly three months ago.   But, are any of those teams playing better than Florida right now? Which one of those teams would be favored to take down the Gators after watching how the 7 th -ranked Gators nuked 20 th -ranked Arkansas 111-77 at the O-Dome Saturday night.   Asked that question post game, Arkansas coach John Calipari, who’s been at it long enough to win a national championship while the head coach at Kentucky and accumulate 854 wins in four stops on a Hall of Fame career, responded, “They're playing well. They are, and the biggest thing is they're kind of connected, which makes it even tougher. They're big. They're connected and they play physical. They're not afraid to throw you around. That's how they play.”   The Gators did throw the Razorbacks around like rag dolls. It got so bad in the second half that all Calipari could think about was “I wish it would have gone faster.” Instead, it must have seen an eternity as he had to agonize seconds feeling like minutes as they ticked off the clock and minutes seeming like hours.   While delivering a punishing blow to any hopes the Razorbacks (21-8, 11-5 SEC) had of winning the Southeastern Conference, the Gators – 14-2 in SEC play – clinched their eighth league championship in school history, the first for Todd Golden, who already has the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament scalps of last season hanging from his belt. Florida can claim the title outright Tuesday night when the Gators play Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) in their final home game of the year.   “We want to win on Tuesday night on our home floor to get the lone championship and as I just told the team, we're playing for a lot still,” Golden said. “We got a lot to still accomplish. This can't be the best thing that happened to us this year. Not only are we playing to be lone champs on Tuesday, but I told the guys, we're playing to become the best seed possible.   “Because of the way we played in the month of February (8-0), we've opened up a lot of opportunities for ourselves down the stretch and if we take care of business and play really well, there's not a seed out there that is unattainable for us. Obviously, there's other teams competing for it, but we have a lot that's under our control down the stretch here.”    Yes, there is a lot under control of the Gators, who have potentially 11 more games – the final two regular season (Mississippi State and at Kentucky), three at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, and six in the NCAA Tournament where the Gators will be trying to become the second Florida team to win back-to-back national championships. A 16-2 or even 15-3 regular season record in SEC play combined with a 3-game run through the league at the SEC Tournament would make a compelling case for Florida to nudge one of those teams with fewer losses off one of the four No. 1 seeds.   Considering where the Gators were back on December 9, that Florida is even being thought of as a possible No. 1 and a serious national championship contender is a remarkable accomplishment. Lest we forget, the Gators were 5-4 after losing a white knuckler to UConn at Madison Square Garden on December 9.   We can’t also forget that less than a month later, Florida was 9-5 overall having lost the first SEC game of the season on the road at Missouri. Since then, the Gators are 14-1 and right now, there isn’t a team in the country playing better than Florida, currently on a 9-game streak in which the wins are by a combined 208 points. Only Kentucky, a 92-83 loser in a game that wasn’t as close as the score might seem to indicate, has come closer than 13 points during this exercise in which Florida has turned the Southeastern Conference into its own personal playground.   One of those nine wins, it must be noted, was by 23 points over Alabama, the only team standing that has a mathematical shot at tying the Gators for the SEC championship. Bama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) hasn’t lost since the Gators put a 100-77 stomping on the Crimson Tide but any SEC championship illusions will be ground up in the garbage disposal if the Gators win one of their last two.   In many ways, Florida’s obliteration of Arkansas was what Yogi Berra would have called “déjà vu all over again” because it seemed so much like an instant replay the Alabama game. An Urban Klavjar three with 12:49 left in the first half gave the Gators the lead for good at 18-16 and that was like chum on the water for sharks the way it created a feeding frenzy that sent the O-Dome crowd of 11,076 into an apoplectic state that nearly blew the lid off the 46-year-old arena. Arkansas never got closer than seven again.   As the Gators raced out to a 53-34 lead at the half, it wasn’t just the usual suspects doing the damage. Klavzar (8) and Isaiah Brown (10) accounted for 18 of the 53 points in a half that Golden’s entire 8-man rotation took turns inflicting pain and suffering into the Razorbacks. It was bad for Arkansas but it got even worse after the intermission. While the Gators were dunking and bombing their way to a lead that kept on expanding, they were on defensive lockdown against an Arkansas team that came into the game killing it offensively.   In terms of defensive efficiency, Florida is the fourth best team in the country per the kenpom.com analytics, which prompted Calipari to point out, “And we're one of the top three offensive teams in the country, so what you saw today was a really good defensive team taking care of a really good offensive team.”   In the paint, the Gators were at their intimidating best, blocking five shots while altering at least 20 more. On the perimeter, where Arkansas pinned its hopes that freshman bombers Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas could heat up and make enough threes to keep the Razorbacks in the game, the Gators were smothering. It was rare that either Acuff or Thomas found enough of a crease in the Florida defense that they could launch a three. The two (Acuff 1-3, Thomas 0-2) combined to go 1-5. Acuff is a 42.9 percent 3-point shooter, Thomas 40.3. Minus their ability to hit threes, the Arkansas offense stalled. As a team, the Razorbacks were just 4-13 on their threes, not what anyone expected from a team that makes 37.9 percent of its threes to lead the SEC.   Taking Acuff and Thomas out of the Arkansas offensive equation was all part of the Florida defensive game plan.   “ That was a big part of our scout,” Golden said. “I think Jonathan Safir, who had the scout tonight, did a great job by identifying the ways that they could beat us and ways that if we could guard them, that it would be hard for them, and that was a big part of it.  Not letting Acuff … has obviously been phenomenal, he's a great player, but we did a really good job on limiting his opportunities from three.   “And then X (Xaivian Lee), along with Urb (Klavzar) and Boog (Boogie Fland) did a great job on Thomas. You know, he's been a great scorer. He’s been coming on lately providing some 3-point shooting for them, and limiting those guys to one make between them was a big reason why we won the way we did."   With their bombers unable to do much more than taxi down the runway – Acuff took 19 shots from the field and six from the foul line for his 17 points; Thomas needed 13 shots (0-2 from three) to score 10 – Without Acuff and Thomas making shots, Arkansas lacked the firepower to stay with the Gators, who saw seven of the 8-man rotation score in double figures. Tommy Haugh led the Gators with 22 points, while Alex Condon had 17, Fland and Klavjar 14 each, Lee 13, Chinyelu 12 and Isaiah Brown 11.   Florida dominated the rebounding 51-31 led by Chinyelu who grabbed 16. The Gators  outscored the Hogs in the paint 56-44, and got 33 points off the bench. It was overwhelming for an Arkansas team that was thought to be Final Four capable prior to its close encounter with the Gators at the O-Dome.   The Hogs left the O-Dome needing to regroup, maybe not a toss the script and start all over again regroup, but one in which roles are redefined and a team re-energized. The Gators, on the other hand, left the O-Dome with a night to celebrate, a Sunday to recuperate and a Monday to ready for the next rung on the ladder that could take the Gators to a second straight national title.   “ As I continue in my career, you just realize that every year is different and every team is different,” Golden said. “And we were incredibly fortunate to return some really impactful players off a national championship team, but it took us a little bit to get comfortable and to find our way. And the credit that this team deserves more than anything is staying together, believing in each other when guys weren't playing at their best, not pointing fingers.   “Our staff did a great job of keeping our guys aligned and on the same page. Even when we were 5-4, we thought we had a chance to have a special season if we just improved incrementally over the rest of the year and we've done that. I think we're playing as good as anybody in America right now."   ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC No. 17 Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) 71, No. 22 Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC) 69:  Labaro Philon Jr.’s jump shot with 22.8 seconds remaining lifted Alabama past Tennessee in Knoxville. Tennessee’s stud freshman Nate Ament left the game with a knee injury with 7:42 remaining in the first half. The Vols blew a double digit lead in the game’s final minutes. Latrell Wrightsell scored 25 points to lead the scoring for Alabama, which has won eight straight games since losing to Florida. Tennessee’s leading scorer was Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who scored 26.    Kentucky (19-10, 10-6 SEC) 91, No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7 SEC) 79:  Collin Chandler hit 6-8 from the 3-point line while scoring 23 points to lead Kentucky to a blowout win over Vanderbilt. At one point in the game, Vandy was 4-24 from the 3-point line. Besides Chandler, Otega Oweh scored 23 and Denzel Aberdeen 15 for UK. Tyler Tanner led Vanderbilt with 19.    Missouri (20-9, 10-6 SEC) 88, Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) 64:  Five Missouri players scored in double figures led by Mark Mitchell’s 17 as the Tigers solidified their chances to make the NCAA Tournament. Missouri hit 51 percent from the field overall and 40 percent from the 3-point line. Josh Hubbard scored 16 for Mississippi State.    Texas (18-11, 9-7 SEC) 76, Texas A&M (19-10, 9-7 SEC) 70:  Ahead by three with 5:18 remaining in the game, Texas got a 3-pointer from Cameron Heide and kept its distance from the Aggies, who have lost six of their last eight games. Tramon Mark scored 23 points to lead Texas while Rashaun Agee had 22 for A&M.   Georgia (20-9, 8-8 SEC) 87, South Carolina (12-17, 3-13 SEC) 68:  Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 18 points as five Bulldogs scored in double figures, evening the SEC record at 8-8. Meechie Johnson scored 20 for South Carolina, which hit just 6-24 from the 3-point line.    Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11 SEC) 83, LSU (15-14, 3-13 SEC) 67:  Nijel Pack hit five 3-points and scored 21 points as Oklahoma moved a game ahead of .500 with a blowout win over LSU. Xzayvier Brown added 20 for the Sooners. LSU, which made only 6-23 from the 3-point line, was led by Max Mackinnon, who scored 17.   Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC) 85, Auburn (15-14, 6-10 SEC) 79:  Auburn’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament probably hinge on winning both games next week and then one or two at the SEC Tournament after falling to Ole Miss. The Rebels got 26 points each from AJ Storr and Patton Pinkins. The game was won at the foul line where the Rebels hit 13-17 while Auburn was 19-27. Auburn’s scoring leader was Tahaad Petiford, who scored 24.   Tuesday’s SEC games Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (23-6, 13-2 SEC) No. 17 Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) at Georgia (20-9, 8-8 SEC) No. 22 Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC) at South Carolina (12-17, 3-13 SEC) No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7 SEC) at Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC) Missouri (20-9, 10-6 SEC) at Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11 SEC)  Kentucky (19-10, 10-6 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-10, 9-7 SEC) LSU (15-14, 3-13 SEC) at Auburn (15-14, 6-10 SEC)   Wednesday’s SEC game Texas (18-11, 9-7 SEC) at No. 20 Arkansas (21-8, 11-5 SEC)   Top 25 plus SEC in kenpom.com rankings: 1. Duke 27-2; 2. Michigan 27-2; 3. Arizona 27-2; 4. FLORIDA 23-6; 5. Illinois 22-7; 6. Houston 24-5; 7. Purdue 22-6; 8. Iowa State 24-5; 9. UConn 27-3; 10. Michigan State 23-5; 11. Nebraska 25-4; 12. Gonzaga 28-3; 13. Texas Tech 22-7; 14. Alabama 22-7; 15. Vanderbilt 22-7; 16. Kansas 21-8; 17. Virginia 25-4; 18. Tennessee 20-9; 19. Louisville 20-9; 20. Arkansas 21-8; 22. Saint Mary ‘s 27-4; 23. BYU 20-9; 24. Iowa 20-9; Kentucky 19-10 (SEC: 29. Texas 18-11; 33. Georgia 20-9; 37. Texas A&M 19-10; 39. Auburn 15-14; 47. Missouri 20-9; 50. Oklahoma 15-14; 58. LSU 15-14; 79. Ole Miss 12-17; 95. South Carolina 12-17; 96. Mississippi State 13-16;   Top 25 plus SEC in barttorvik.com rankings: 1. Michigan 27-2; 2. Duke 27-2; 3. FLORIDA 23-6; 4. Arizona 27-2; 5. Houston 24-5; 6. Illinois 22-7; 7. Purdue 22-6; 8. UConn 27-3; 9. Iowa State 24-5; 10. Texas Tech 22-7; 11. Michigan State 23-5; 12. Nebraska 25-4; 13. Kansas 21-8; 14. Tennessee 20-9; 15. Gonzaga 28-3; 16. Vanderbilt 22-7; 17. Alabama 22-7; 18. Virginia 25-4; 19. Louisville 20-9; 20. St. John’s 23-6; 21. Arkansas 21-8; 22. Saint Mary’s 27-4; 23. Wisconsin 20-9; 24. Iowa 20-9; 25. North Carolina 23-6 (SEC: 32. Kentucky 19-10; 34. Texas A&M 19-10; 38. Georgia 20-9; 39. Texas 18-11; 44. Missouri 20-9; 45. Auburn 15-14; 50. Oklahoma 15-14; 73. LSU 15-14; 80. Ole Miss 12-17; 99. Mississippi State 13-16; 102. South Carolina 12-17

Florida returned to Denton, Texas for a quad meet at Texas Women’s University with Fisk University and Arizona State. On the last trip to TWU Florida scored a very high 198.175 in 2023. Led by Trinity Thomas on the Floor and Sloan Blakely on the Vault, both scoring a 9.975.

Boogie Fland (0) has become one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation (Photo by Chris Spears) The last team that came to the O-Dome hoping to turn a game with the Florida Gators into a track meet was Alabama back on February 1. Bama did what Bama does that game, which is to bomb away from 3-point range and try to beat the Gators down the court for layups. Nice strategy except it didn’t work because Florida destroyed the Crimson Tide in the paint, 72-26, and sent them packing to the tune of 100-77, something like 15-16 points below their scoring average.     Arkansas, whom the 7 th -ranked Gators (22-6, 13-2 SEC) play tonight at the O-Dome (8:30 p.m., ESPN), has a similar philosophy and it works for 90.6 points per game. John Calipari has three  bombers – Darius Acuff Jr. (22.2 points, 6.1 assists per game), Meleek Thomas (15.2 points) and Billy Richmond III (10.9 points) – who specialize in getting out on the break and lighting it up, making the Razorbacks (21-7, 11-4 SEC) one of the more difficult teams in the country to defend. Opponents score nearly 80 a game on Arkansas but are usually left gasping for air trying to keep up with the pace.   What most opponents don’t anticipate is a Florida team that can adapt to any pace, light up the scoreboard and play smothering defense. The Gators score plenty (86.2 per game) but it’s what they do defensively that sets them apart. Both the kenpom.com and barttorvik.com analytics rate Florida the No. 4 defensive team in the country. During the recent surge that has seen Florida win eight straight games to take command of the Southeastern Conference, the Gators have allowed opponents to hit just 54-185 from the 3-point line, a rather dismal 29.1 percent.   If the Gators hold Arkansas to 29.1 percent – the Razorbacks typically hit 37.5 percent of their threes – it probably means there will be a championship celebration at the O-Dome. Beat Arkansas and the Gators clinch their first SEC championship since 2014 no matter what happens in the last two games. But, as long as the Gators get to 15 SEC wins, they’ll be league champs.   The Gators have the ability to overpower opponents in the paint no matter which end of the floor they’re on. Florida has what is widely recognized as the best 4-man front court rotation in the nation in starters Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Tommy Haugh with Micah Handlogten coming off the bench. They combine to score 46.6 points and grab 31.1 rebounds per game while providing menacing protection around the rim.   Those four contributed eight of Florida’s 11 blocked shots back on Wednesday when the Gators scored a road win over Texas. Florida is the nation’s leader in rebounding, offensive rebounding and rebounding margin (+14 per game).   It is the perimeter rotation of starting guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee along with Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown that has stepped it up in the last eight games. Florida’s perimeter guys are no longer considered a potential liability due to inconsistency, but now they’re another strength of this team. Defensively, they have played well all season, but particularly during the current winning streak. Offensively, they’re starting to make shots from the perimeter. Lee is 11-26 in his last five games. Fland is 5-9 in his last two. Klavzar is on a 21-42 run during the winning streak while Brown is hitting a season-long 35.1 percent.   The improvement of the guard play is why both CBS and Joe Lunardi have moved the Gators up to the No. 2 line in the brackets projecting the NCAA Tournament field. Not bad for a team that started the season 5-4. Seth Greenberg of ESPN’s College Game Day, which is at the O-Dome today, believes the Gators are capable of moving up to the No. 1 line.   “I think if they win the SEC that means they’re probably winning out, they’re probably a No. 1 seed,” Greenberg said Friday. “Don’t want to put any pressure on the head coach, right? Coaching agility and dealing with starting 5-4 and getting to where they are today, that is the essence of coaching. It really is. Because when you're 5-4, it can be suffocating. He must, I don't know, he has something in him that enables him to just deal with it and pour it to his team. And that's hard to do when you're losing, especially when the expectation is so crazy.”   The expectation tonight will be a Florida win and an SEC championship.   Game notes: Since winning their first SEC championship in 1989, the Gators have won more league titles (7) than any team other than Kentucky (13). Since 2000, the Gators have won more national championships (3) than any team in the SEC. That’s as many championships as Duke and North Carolina have won … In winning the last two games on the road, Florida held Ole Miss and Texas to a combined 7-29 from the 3-point line … All five Florida starters are scoring double figures (Haugh 16.9, Condon 14.3, Fland 11.5, Lee 11.4, Chinyelu 11.3. Klavzar averages 10 off the bench. For the season he’s hitting 40.1 percent from three … Chinyelu is a semifinalist for national defensive player of the year.   Anticipated starting lineups No. 7 FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC):  Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Boogie Fland 6-3, 185, SO); Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185, SR)   No. 20 Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC): Trevon Brazile (6-10, 230, SR); Nick Pringle (6-10, 230, SR); Billy Richmond III (6-6, 205, SO); Meleek Thomas (6-5, 185, FR); Darius Acuff Jr. (6-3, 190, FR)   Saturday’s games No. 20 Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC) No. 17 Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 22 Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC) No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC) at Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC) Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC) Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC) South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC) at Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC) Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC) at Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC) Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC) at LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC)    IF THE SEC TOURNAMENT WERE HELD TODAY Seedings 1-16: 1. FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC); 2. Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC); 3. Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC); 4. Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC); 5. Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC); 6. Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC); 7. Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC); 8. Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC); 9. Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC); 10. Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC); 11. Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC); 12. Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC); 13. Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC); 14. LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC); 15. Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC); 16. South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC)   First round matchups (March 11) 1. No. 9 Texas vs. No. 16 South Carolina; 2. No. 12 Mississippi State vs. No. 13 Oklahoma; 3. No. 10 Georgia vs. No. 15 Ole Miss; 4. No. 11 Auburn vs. No. 14 LSU   Second round matchups (March 12) 5. No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Game 1 winner; 6. No. 5 Missouri vs. Game 2 winner; 7. No. 7 Kentucky vs. Game 3. Winner; 8. No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. Game 4 winner   Quarterfinals (March 13) 9. No. 1 Florida vs. Game 5 winner; 10. No. 4 Tennessee vs. Game 6 winner; 11. No. 2 Alabama vs. Game 7 winner; 12. No. 3 Arkansas vs. Game 8 winner   Semifinals (March 14) 13. Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10; 14. Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12   Championship Game (March 15)   SEC in ESPN (Joe Lunardi) bracketology East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Kansas; 4. Alabama (SEC: 10. Texas A&M)   South: 1. UConn; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Houston; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 10. Texas)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Nebraska; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 9. Georgia; 10. Missouri; 11. Auburn)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 7. Kentucky)   SEC in CBS bracketology East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Michigan State; 4. Alabama (SEC: 10. Georgia)   South: 1. UConn; 2. Purdue; 3. Houston; 4. Gonzaga (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 10. Texas)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Kansas; 4. Nebraska (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 9. Missouri; 10. Texas)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Virginia; 4. Vanderbilt (SEC: 10. Auburn)

Alex Condon dunks on Alabama (UAA Photo) Give Chris Beard and Sean Miller credit. Faced with a Florida (22-6, 13-2 SEC) basketball team whose momentum is snowballing, the Ole Miss (Beard) and Texas (Miller) coaches have reverted to the Al McGuire cut the head off the snake defensive philosophy. Determined to prevent Rueben Chinyelu from dominating them on the inside, they have successfully neutralized Florida’s big guy, who came into the Ole Miss game as the nation’s leading rebounder with 16 double-doubles.   You could add Chinyelu’s totals for both games and you wouldn’t have a double-double – three points and six rebounds against Ole Miss and five and four against Texas. The strategy was definitely effective, but should be filed under the category it seemed like a really good idea at the moment.   There was just one teensy little problem. In gambling to take out Chinyelu they left the perimeter wide open and it created opportunities for Alex Condon to take over the game in the paint. In the last two games, the Gators are 19-40 from the 3-point line while Condon has gone off for 47 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, five blocked shots and a steal.   Since early season, defenses have sagged to clog up the middle while daring Florida to make shots on the perimeter. In Florida’s six losses, the Gators are a combined 40-153 from the 3-point line. That’s 26.1 percent. In the losses to Arizona, Duke and UConn the Gators shot 19-80 on threes while creating the impression that Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland couldn’t find the ocean if they were on a boat 100 miles off the continental shelf.   For the season, Lee is shooting just 27.8 percent on his threes, but in the last five games he is 11-26 (42.3 percent). Against Ole Miss and Texas he was 3-6. Fland is 21.2 percent for the year, but he has nailed 5-9 in the wins over Ole Miss and Texas.   Picking up the slack for Lee and Fland have been Tommy Haugh, who had a three in 22 straight games prior to Texas when the streak ended in large part because of foul troubles that disrupted his productivity, and Urban Klavzar, who has become Florida’s mad bomber. Klavzar is making 40.1 percent of his threes for the season, but more impressive an even 50 percent (21-42) in Florida’s eight wins since the loss to Auburn. Additionally, when left open, Isaiah Brown (35.1 percent) has shown he can nail a three.   As for Condon, the low point of the season was Auburn when he scored one more point than a dead man. In the eight games since, his stat line reads 122 points (15.25), 57 rebounds (7.1), 34 assists (4.25), five steals and 13 blocked shots. He has even nailed a three in each of the last two wins, but his lethal weapon has been a little push shot from eight feet on in. Since the Auburn game, Condon is 49-76 overall from the field (64.4 percent).   More than adequately, these guys have proven that Florida is far more than a one-man gang. There is such a fine line between winning and losing but as Lee and Fland re-discover their outside shots and Condon goes beast mode, the Gators are taking on the look of the nation’s most complete team. There are still three Southeastern Conference games remaining – Arkansas and Mississippi State at home, Kentucky at Rupp – but the 7 th -ranked Gators need only to win Saturday and they will clinch the SEC regular season championship.   It’s probably a little too early to start calling the Gators a great team, but shots are falling and the inside game is still dominant even when Chinyelu is neutralized. This team seems ready to take that next step that will take them from very, very good to great. SEC in ESPN (Joe Lunardi) bracketology East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Kansas; 4. Alabama (SEC: 10. Texas A&M)   South: 1. UConn; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Houston; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 10. Texas)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Nebraska; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 9. Georgia; 10. Missouri; 11. Auburn)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 7. Kentucky)   SEC in CBS bracketology East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Michigan State; 4. Alabama (SEC: 10. Georgia)   South: 1. UConn; 2. Purdue; 3. Houston; 4. Gonzaga (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 10. Texas)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Kansas; 4. Nebraska (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 9. Missouri; 10. Texas)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Virginia; 4. Vanderbilt (SEC: 10. Auburn) Top 25 plus SEC in NCAA NET rankings: 1. Duke; 2. Michigan; 3. Arizona; 4. Illinois; 5. Gonzaga; 6. FLORIDA; 7. Purdue; 8. Iowa State; 9. UConn; 10. Houston; 11. Nebraska; 12. Michigan State; 13. Virginia; 14. Kansas; 15. Texas Tech; 16. Louisville; 17. Vanderbilt; 18. Arkansas; 19. Alabama; 20. Tennessee; 21. BYU; 22. Saint Mary’s; 23. St. John’s; 24. Saint Louis; 25. Utah State (SEC: 29. Kentucky; 33. Georgia; 35. Auburn; 40. Texas; 42. Texas A&M; 58. Missouri; 65. LSU; 67. Oklahoma; 93. Ole Miss; 96. Mississippi State; 108. South Carolina   WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC 16. South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC): Lamont Paris is under contract through 2030 so there is a reasonable possibility that the powers that be at South Carolina will give him another year. That might not settle well with the check-writing portion of the faithful.   15. Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC): Some very informed people think Chris Beard is seriously considering moving on but he’s making $5 million a year. Who’s going to pay him that much especially after such a rotten season?   14. Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC): Chris Jans is another coach whose name is popping up as entertaining the idea of a lateral move. The schedule says three more losses so he might be thinking he’s hit the ceiling at MSU.   13. LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC): A case can be made to fire Matt McMahon, but with one win in the last three he ensures no worse than a .500 season, which might be considered remarkable when taking into account all the injuries.   12. Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC): The Sooners are every bit as capable of going 0-3 down the final stretch as they are going 3-0. Nobody knows which team will show up. The question is will the AD give Porter Moser another year or is he a goner?   11. Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC): Steven Pearl needs to win two of the last three and then one or maybe two at the SEC Tournament to get the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament. The next two are Ole Miss and LSU, both at home.   10. Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC): The guess is that Mizzou makes the NCAA Tournament if it gets to 20 wins overall and 10 in SEC play.   9.  Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC): The Longhorns really need two more wins in the regular season and at least one at the SEC Tournament to feel comfortable about their NCAA Tournament chances.   8. Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC): Two of the last three (South Carolina, at Mississippi State) are quite winnable. Georgia is almost certain to get in if it gets to 20 wins, but a break even SEC record (9-9) would make the tournament selection committee feel a lot better.   7. Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC): Mark Pope has a $22 million roster that hasn’t played like it’s paid. The Wildcats are a lock for the tournament because they will assure the NCAA of at least one sellout. Fans aren’t happy with The Pope of the Bluegrass, but he’s going to get one more year.   6. Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC): The lack of size and overall talent is catching up with the Aggies. That full court press isn’t nearly as effective now as it was earlier in the year but it’s good enough that the Aggies are an NCAA lock. 5. Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC): Duke Miles is back from an injury and with him in the lineup, the Commodores are a much different team. If the Commodores figure out a way  beat Kentucky and Tennessee on the road in their last three games, they might make the No. 4 line when the NCAA selects.   4. Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC): The Vols have a chance to derail Alabama Saturday night in Knoxville. If Rick Barnes can muster up three wins to close out the season Tennessee could get the double bye for the SEC Tournament.   3. Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC): Alabama can’t play a lick of defense, but the Tide is outscoring people. Saturday’s game at Tennessee is critical for both SEC Tournament and NCAA seeding.   2. Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC): If the Razorbacks go 3-0 the rest of the way they’ll win the SEC title. Win two out of three and they could be a No. 4 in the NCAA Tournament.   1.FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC): The big bad Gators are scorching hot these days. Remember all that talk about guard issues? Forget that. The nation’s best front court now has guards making shots. The rest of the country should be very, very afraid.   Saturday’s SEC games No. 20 Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC) No. 17 Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 22 Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC) No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC) at Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC) Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC) Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC) South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC) at Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC) Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC) at Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC) Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC) at LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC)

Haugh had a gimpy leg but toughed it out -- like the SEC POY he should be. (UAA photo) Tommy Haugh, who is either No. 1 or No. 1A in the race for Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, had a game to forget Wednesday night when 7 th -ranked Florida traveled to Austin to face a Texas team scrambling to solidify its NCAA  résumé. Five points, his first game without a three since early in the non-conference schedule, no rebounds and a tweaked ankle although he did have a couple of nice blocked shots.    Okay, one guy off, no problem. Well, sort of. Rueben Chinyelu, the nation’s leading rebounder, was in some kind of funk. It wasn’t so much what Texas was doing to stop him as much as it seemed he struggled to get his act together. Like Haugh, he had a game worth forgetting, five points, four rebounds and four fouls. He did have a couple of blocked shots and a couple of steals.     Normally, when two high profile players like have their worst games of the year on the same night on the road against a Quad 1 opponent, you can chalk it up as a loss. Well, the Gators aren’t exactly your normal team.      Normal teams crash and burn. For the Gators (22-6, 13-2 SEC), who are proving to be anything but normal, it’s just another day at the office as Texas found out when the Longhorns finished on the short end of an 84-71 score.   For a half and the first 13-and-a-half minutes of the second half, the Gators played like the odds of winning on the road had caught up with them. It was white knuckles all the way. Texas led 39-36 at the break and it was 64-61 when Jordan Pope blew by everyone for a layup with 7:27 to go.   That’s when the Gators decided enough is enough. Almost as if they simply flipped a beast mode switch to go on a pillaging and plundering rampage, the Gators outscored Texas 23-7 the rest of the way. It was brutal. The Gators clicked on both ends of the court and Texas had no way to match the Gators intensity and efficiency.    It took 1:06 off the clock for the Gators to go from three down to four up, taking the lead for good on a pair of Boogie Fland free throws and an Alex Condon fast break layup on an assist by Isaiah Brown. With a 68-64 lead, the Gator created breathing room on a 7-1 mini-run highlighted by a 3-pointer from Fland with 4:16 to go that expanded the lead to 10, 75-65.   From that point onward the Gators kept stomping out any signs of life from the Longhorns. For a team that seemed to have the Gators on the ropes with 7:27 left in the game, the Longhorns looked like more road kill for a Florida team that has won seven straight SEC games away from Gainesville, the last five by at least 13 points.   Impressive to say the very least.   “I thought we did a good job down the stretch of extending the lead and not giving them any hope or any belief in the last two minutes that they'd come back,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “This is a huge win for us going down the stretch in conference play."    The win kept the Gators two full games ahead of Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC) and Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC) in the race for the Southeastern Conference regular season championship. With three games to go before the SEC Tournament in Nashville, any combination of one Florida win and one loss each by Arkansas and Alabama will give the Gators their first conference championship since 2014.   Not bad for a team that got such little production out of Haugh and Chinyelu. While they struggled to get anything going, the rest of Golden’s 8-man rotation simply picked up the slack starting with Condon and Fland.   Condon posted his third straight game with 20 or more points. His stat line read 23 points on 10-12 shooting from the field, a second straight game with a 3-pointer, four rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots.   Fland, that same guy who couldn’t find the 3-point ocean from the end of the pier for most of the season, went 2-3 on his threes. He’s hit 5-9 on threes in his last two games. Fland made 7-10 shots from the field, 6-6 from the foul line, grabbed five rebounds and came up with a couple of steals.   Xaivian Lee, who like Fland could have qualified for a union card the way he was laying bricks from the 3-point line prior to the Auburn game, also went 2-3 from three. In his last five games he’s 11-26 (42.3 percent) from the 3-point line. Lee finished with 12 points, three rebounds, six assists and a steal.    Off the bench, Brown had nine points, eight rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. He was 4-6 from the field and 1-2 from three. Urban Klavzar scored eight, hitting 2-5 of his threes. Since the Auburn loss he’s 21-42 on 3-pointers.   "When our guards are banging shots like that, we're going to be really tough to beat, and it allowed us to run away from them down the stretch,” Golden said.   With Haugh and Chinyelu magnets for foul calls from the zebra crew of Courtney Green, K.B. Burnett and Brian Dorsey, Micah Handlogten logged 16 minutes off the bench. The stat line – 0 points, two rebounds, one assist, two blocked shots and two steals – doesn’t accurately measure his effect. Texas 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis scored eight points and dominated the paint in the first half. In the second, much of it with Handlogten guarding him, he scored only four.   "I thought there was a little bit of a moment where we were starting to get some steals, some runouts, and kind of hurt their spirit a little bit,” Golden said. “I think our depth really showed up. I thought our bench did a great job. I thought Micah Handlogten had one of his best defensive games of the year. I thought we wore them down, made it a little more difficult for them to execute, and we took advantage of it. We were making a lot of shots on the stretch, also."   The defense did wear down the Longhorns. In taking the 39-36 halftime lead, Texas hit an even 50 percent from the field (15-30 overall, 4-8 on threes). In the second half, the Longhorns were 10-28 overall and 1-5 on threes. The Gators ran them off the 3-point line and forced them to take tough twos instead.   In the second half, the Gators blocked eight Texas shots while forcing eight turnovers. In the matter of a half, the Gators went from well below average into beast mode defense, choking off the same shots the Longhorns were making in the first 20 minutes of the game.   “They outplayed us in the first half,” Golden said. “We obviously challenged our guys pretty strongly at halftime about guarding your yard and doing a better job on the defensive end and obviously that flipped us. We guarded really, really well in the second half, held them to 35 (percent) from the field, only let them make one three."     When the Gators defend like they did in the second half they are as tough to beat as any team in the country. When the Gators defend and the guards are making shots like they have done these last two games, Florida is almost unbeatable.   Now, imagine what it will be like when Haugh and Chinyelu are playing at peak levels.   ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC No. 17 Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC) 100, Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC) 75:  Alabama raced out to a 63-33 halftime lead in winning its seventh straight game. The Crimson Tide went 22-50 from the 3-point line with freshman Amari Allen going 6-7 as part of his 23-point night. Achor Achor scored 18 for Mississippi State.      No. 20 Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC) 99, Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC) 84:  The Razorbacks fell behind 11-2 out of the gate, but roared back on a 27-7 run and never looked back. Arkansas, which remains two games behind SEC leader Florida, still has a mathematical shot at the regular season league championship. Billy Richmond scored 23 and Darius Acuff Jr. 22 for Arkansas while Zach Clemence scored 29 off the bench for the Aggies.    No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC) 88, Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC) 80:  Vanderbilt jumped out to a 31-14 first half lead then held off a furious second half Georgia rally that saw the Bulldogs close to within three. Six Vandy players scored in double figures led by Devin McGlockton who had 10 rebounds to go with his 17 points. Jeremiah Wilkinson went off for 28 points including 5-9 from the 3-point line to pace Georgia.   LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC) 106, Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC)  99, 2OT:  Max Mackinnon scored a season-high 33 points and LSU went 11-21 from the 3-point line as LSU broke a 5-game losing streak at Oxford. Ilias Kamardine scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Ole Miss, which has lost 10 straight games. With one win in the last three, LSU can be assured of no worse than a break even season.   Saturday’s SEC games No. 20 Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC) No. 17 Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 22 Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC) No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC) at Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC) Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC) Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC) South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC) at Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC) Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC) at Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC) Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC) at LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC)    National top 25 plus SEC in kenpom.com analytics: 1. Duke 25-2; 2. Michigan 26-2; 3. Arizona 26-2; 4. Illinois 22-6; 5. FLORIDA 22-6; 6. Houston 23-5; 7. Purdue 22-5; 8. Iowa State 24-4; 9. UConn 26-3; 10. Gonzaga 28-2; 11. Michigan State 22-5; 12. Nebraska 24-4; 13. Vanderbilt 22-6; 14. Virginia 25-3; 15. Kansas 21-7; 16. Texas Tech 21-7; 17. Arkansas 21-7; 18. Louisville 20-8; 19. Alabama 21-7; 20. Tennessee 20-8; 21. BYU 20-8; 22. St. John’s 22-6; 23. Iowa 20-8; 24. Saint Mary’s 26-4; 25. Utah State (SEC: 30. Kentucky 18-10; 31. Texas 17-10; 35. Georgia 19-9; 36. Texas A&M 19-9; 37. Auburn 15-13; 51. Missouri 19-9; 52. LSU 15-13; 56. Oklahoma 14-14; 84. Ole Miss; 11-17; 88. Mississippi State 13-15; 93. South Carolina 12-16   National top 25 plus SEC in barttorvik.com analytics: Michigan 26-2; 2. Duke 26-2; 3. Arizona 26-2; 4. FLORIDA 22-6; 5. Illinois 22-6; 6. Houston 23-5; 7. Purdue 22-5; 8. UConn 26-3; 9. Iowa State 24-4; 10. Texas Tech 21-7; 11. Kansas 21-7; 12. Vanderbilt 22-6; 13. Virginia 25-3; 14. Gonzaga 28-2; 15. Nebraska 24-4; 16. Michigan State 22-5; 17. Tennessee 20-8; 18. Louisville 20-8; 19. Alabama 21-7; 20. Arkansas 21-7; 21. St. John’s 22-6; 22. Iowa 20-8; 23. North Carolina 22-6; 24. Saint Mary’s 26-4; 25. North Carolina State 19-9 (SEC: 34. Texas A&M 19-9; 40. Kentucky 18-10; 41. Auburn 15-13; 42. Texas 17-11; 44. Georgia 19-9; 47. Missouri 19-9; 54. Oklahoma 14-14; 63. LSU 15-13; 87. Ole Miss 11-17; 88. Mississippi State 13-15; 99. South Carolina 12-16

Gators Throw Their Own Texas-Style Block Party With Condon Presiding

Todd Golden has Florida on the brink of an SEC title (Photo by Chris Spears) Just call them road warriors.   Todd Golden has a team that doesn’t seem fazed by the kind of hostile environments found in venues around the Southeastern Conference. It’s almost as if 7 th -ranked Florida (21-6, 12-2) has this thing about going on the road to burst the bubble of fans intent on potentially storming the court to celebrate a win over last year’s national champ.   The numbers bear it out. Since a loss to Missouri in Columbia the first SEC game of the year, the Gators have won six straight, the last four by a whopping 105 points. The six straight road wins is the second longest streak in Florida basketball history. Beating four straight opponents on the road by at least 19 points is something that hasn’t happened among top 25 teams in years. Any win on the road is a good win, particularly when the end of the regular season is in sight, but crushing an opponent in his home arena is something to be savored.   That stick a dagger in the heart of opposing fans mentality gets tested tonight when the Gators take on Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) in Austin. There is the added incentive of moving one step closer toward a regular season Southeastern Conference championship. Following Tennessee’s loss on the road at Missouri Tuesday night, only Arkansas and Alabama are within two games of the Gators with four to go.   The magic number for Florida is three. Any combination of two Florida wins and one loss each by Arkansas and Alabama and the Gators clinch their first SEC title since 2014. In the SEC the league champ is determined by the regular season not the tournament. The SEC Tournament champ gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament but the best record in the regular season dictates the league championship.   The Gators should also find incentive in the most recent brackets by both Joe Lunardi and CBS, both of whom have UF on their No. 3 line. Also, when the NCAA came out with its early bracket look last Saturday, Florida was No. 9 of their 16 seeded teams, which would mean the Gators are the top team on the No. 3 line. If the Gators continue their winning ways – they have won seven straight games, 12 of their last 13 games and 16 of 18 since a rocky 5-4 start – getting up to the two line is within reach. No. 1 would take a combination of Florida wins and losses by teams ranked above UF right now. The Gators have already gotten help this week when Houston was clocked on its home floor by Kansas.   Golden is keenly aware of what’s going on in the brackets.   “I think we're probably two right now if I was doing the bracket, but I'm not,” Golden said Tuesday before the Gators left for Austin. “I think it's all really close. So I think these next couple weeks are going to really determine who slides up and who drops down. I don't think there's too much of a difference necessarily between being a two and a three. I think once you start going from a three to a four or two to a one, that's when the difference really shows up.   “We obviously want to be the highest we can be. Can we still get to one seat at that? We'll see. I mean, if we run the table, you never know. I think that would be an incredible situation to think about. But again, our goal is …  what we need to do, taking care of business day by day to win the league, and then work to play to the highest seat possible for March … We'll see how these things go. Hopefully we can continue to put pressure on them to make it as high as possible.”   Anticipated starting lineups No. 7 FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC): Alex Condon (6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185, SR)   Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC): Camden Heide (6-7, 215, SR); Matas Volietaitis (7-0, 255, SO); Dailyn Swain (6-8, 225, JR); Tramon Mark (6-5, 210, SR); Jordan Pope (6-1, 180, SR)   Tuesday’s scores Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) 73, No. 22 Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC) 69: Despite being outrebounded by 12 (42-30) and shooting only 4-17 from the 3-point line, Mizzou pulled off a stunner in Columbia, upsetting Tennessee and all but ending any mathematical chance the Vols had to tie for the SEC title. T.O. Barrett (28) and Mark Mitchell (23) led Missouri, which got 4-4 from the foul line in the final 18 seconds to seal the win. The Vols were led by Ja’Kobi Gillespie with 18.   Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC) 72, South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC) 63: Kentucky closed on a 13-5 run to avoid its third straight loss. Denzel Aberdeen scored 19 for the Wildcats. Otega Oweh (8) saw his streak of 31 straight double figures scoring games come to an end. South Carolina, which hit four 3-pointers early in the first half, couldn’t buy a basket when it needed points late. Meechie Johnson scored 18 for the Gamecocks who made only 8-29 from the 3-point line.   Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC) 91, Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC) 79: Auburn’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament took a serious hit in Norman because the Tigers couldn’t defend Oklahoma’s 3-point shooters. Oklahoma made 13-19 of its threes with Nijel Pack hitting 6-8 as part of a 22-point night. Keyshawn Hall and Kevin Overton each scored 26 for Auburn.   Wednesday’s games No. 12 FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC) at Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) at No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC) at No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) at No. 25 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC)   Saturday’s games No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC) No. 25 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) at Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC) No. 17 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at No. 22 Tennessee (20-9, 10-5 SEC) Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC) Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC) at Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC) at Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC) Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC) at LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC)   SEC in ESPN (Joe Lunardi) bracketology East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Kansas; 4. Alabama (SEC: 9. Georgia; 11. Missouri)   South: 1. UConn; 2. Houston; 3. Nebraska; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 8. Kentucky; 10. Texas)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 9. Texas A&M)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 10. Auburn)   SEC in CBS bracketology East: 1. Duke; 2. Houston; 3. Nebraska; 4. Alabama (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 9. Auburn; 11. Missouri)   South: 1. UConn; 2. Purdue; 3. Kansas; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 8. Georgia; 10. Texas A&M)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Arkansas)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 7. Kentucky; 10. Texas)   BEDIAKO LOSES IN COURT … AGAIN Tuscaloosa circuit judge Daniel Pruet denied Charles Bediako’s request for injunctive relief, which would allow him to play the rest of the season while the Alabama Supreme Court hears his case. Pruet is the same judge that ruled in favor of the NCAA, taking off the temporary restraining order that allowed Bediako to play in five games. The appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court won’t be heard until after the season ends.   SEC FINES THE POPE OF ST. RUPP’S ARENA Kentucky coach Mark Pope was fined $25,000 by the Southeastern Conference for his remarks about the officiating in the Wildcats’ loss to Auburn. Pope was incensed by an offensive foul call on Collin Chandler when the Wildcats were trying to inbounds the ball with seconds remaining in the game. The ball turned over to Auburn which got a tip-in with a little more than one second remaining that gave the Tigers a 75-74 win.   Leaving the press conference afterward, Pope was caught on a hot mic shouting at UK athletic director Mitch Barnhardt, “Mitch, if those MFers try to fine me, they can’t. I didn’t say a word about how they cheated us.” Well, the SEC did fine him quite a bit of money.   Two things to take into consideration here. 1. The call on Chandler had all the feel of retribution against Pope, who had been in the ear of the officiating crew of Todd Austin, Courtney Green and Lucas Santos many times during a very physical game. This was the only pushing off call the entire game but especially there at the end but it is also a call that could have gone the other way. 2. It shouldn’t have come down to one call by one of the zebras to influence the outcome of the game anyway. Kentucky had chances to expand the lead to four points but blew layups and stickback bunnies that could have made what Auburn did at the end of the game irrelevant.