The Midnight Ride of Greg Sankey. And What SEC Expansion Could Do To Our Football Psyche.

The Florida Gators hit the field once more on Tuesday, marking their third spring practice session and their first since the break for spring break. During an 18-minute window, the media got a glimpse of the team as they engaged in individual drills.

"It's not how we drew it up." -- Kevin O'Sullivan “Brandon's bicep had been bothering him a little bit. It's nothing serious but certainly not going to run him back out there this early in the season. He's too valuable. And then McNeillie hadn't thrown all weekend and this is what we saw from him in the fall. He didn't give up a run in the whole fall. He just got off to a tough start, but when Brandon said his bicep was hurting a little bit, I immediately went – my thought process – this is an incredible situation, because if he can get through this, it might change his whole year moving forward.” Now there were a couple of anxious moments. There had to be at least a little bit of drama. “Leadoff hitter gets on and he's been a pain the whole weekend,” O’Sullivan said. “Then he goes to 3-2 with LaViolette and he's got to make a pitch. You know he walks him, he's first or second, one out and we have some problems. Then he lands a slider to Montgomery, maybe a little better feed, maybe we turn a double play there. And then now you've got Burton, senior, who hit, I don't know 12 or 15 home runs last year at Michigan. He did it. He got through it. It was awesome." The save situation was made possible by Tyler Shelnut, who hit a 2-out, 0-2 pitch out of the yard in left field with Luke Heyman on board to break a 2-2 deadlock. Shelnut, who also had a walk and a fourth inning double, got the start at third base Sunday, part of a lineup shuffle by O’Sullivan that saw freshman Hayden Yost get the start in left field. Jac Caglianone gave the Gators five innings for his third consecutive quality start. Caglianone gave up an unearned run in the top of the first on a two-out throwing error and a home run to Montgomery in the fifth. He allowed only four hits, walked five and struck out seven. He also had a 2-4 day at the plate, raising his batting average to .415. The Gators came back to tie the game in the second on a Cade Kurland single up the middle that scored Shelnut. In the bottom of the fifth, the Gators knotted the score at 2-2 on Heyman’s sixth homer of the season to left field. It was a constant battle on the mound for Caglianone, who had to pitch his way out of jams in each of the first three innings. He wasn’t as sharp as he was a week ago when he threw six no-hit innings against Saint Mary’s, but he made the pitches when they counted the most. “He battled,” O’Sullivan said. “His fastball got better as the game went on and he reached back and got 95, 96, 97 when he needed to. His slider was really good today. Change wasn't quite as sharp as it has been in the last few starts but I mean, obviously you could see the development on where he's at and we get performances like that from him every Sunday, it puts us in a good situation." After a four pitch walk with one out in the sixth, Slater came on to get the final two outs. Neely took over in the seventh and got the Gators through to the ninth where McNellie came on to close things out. Florida (12-7, 2-1 SEC) will be home against Jacksonville Wednesday before traveling to 2nd-ranked LSU over the weekend. UF SOFTBALL: Gators finish off 3-0 weekend with a run-rule The 10th-ranked Gators (25-4) finished off a perfect weekend with a 10-0 run-rule win over Indiana at Katie Seashole Presley Stadium. Leading 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Ava Brown helped her own cause with a bases-loaded double down the third base line to give the Gators the cushion they needed for their 16th run-rule win of the season. When she wasn’t doing damage at the plate (2-3, raising her batting average to .339), Brown threw a 3-hitter to raise her record to 11-1 while dropping her ERA to 1.28). Brown got plenty of support from Reagan Walsh, who drove in three runs with a double and her ninth homer of the season. Jocelyn Erickson drove in a pair of runs while Korbe Otis had a run-scoring single. Erickson came into the weekend tied for fourth nationally in RBIs (36) and tied for sixth in runners thrown out (8). Following their game three loss to Alabama on Monday night, the Gators won four in a row, three by run-rule. The Gators lead the nation in scoring (8.92 runs per game), fourth in batting average (.377), third in ERA (1.11) and No. 1 in fielding (.987). The Gators will be at Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday, home this weekend (Friday through Saturday) for their second SEC series of the season against Kentucky. UF MEN’S TENNIS: Gators lose two weekend road matches The Gators (8-8, 2-4 SEC) were in the road all weekend, dropping SEC matches at Auburn (4-1) on Friday and at Alabama (5-2) on Sunday. The Gators will be home next weekend with Ole Miss on Friday and Mississippi State on Sunday. UF WOMEN’S TENNIS: Gators win two weekend matches The Gators improved to 8-7 overall, 4-2 in the Southeastern Conference over the weekend by taking down Auburn, 4-1, on Friday, and Alabama, 4-0, on Sunday. The Gators will be on the road next week at Arkansas on Friday and at Missouri on Sunday. UF LACROSSE: Gators have won seven straight The 13th-ranked Gators (7-2) closed out a very productive week with a 20-7 win over Mercer Saturday afternoon. Earlier in the week the Gators stopped Princeton, 16-13. Leading the way Saturday was Danielle Pavinelli with four goals and two assists. Josie Hahn had three goals while Maggie Hall, Emily Heller, Gianna Monaco and Ava Tighe all and two goals. The goalkeeping duo of Georgia Hoey and Elsye Finnelle combined for 12 saves while holding an opponent to fewer than 10 goals for the fifth time in the last seven games. The Gators will be home the next three matches, facing Furman Tuesday, Old Dominion next Saturday and Liberty on March 27. UF MEN’S GOLF: Gators win Schenkel Invitational by 4 strokes The Gators claimed their fifth tournament win of the year at the Chris Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia, shooting a final round 5-under to take a 4-shot win over second place Notre Dame. Florida’s three-round total of 27-under par (837) is the ninth lowest three round total in school history. It was the fifth time the Gators have won the Schenkel Invitational. Parker Bell led the Gators with a runner-up finish at 10-under par. Jack Turner, Quenten DeBove and Matthew Kress finished in a tie for 14th. Team finish: 1. FLORIDA 837; 2. Notre Dame 841; 3. Middle Tennessee State 843; 4. Georgia Southern 847; 5. South Carolina 849; 6. (Tie) Wisconsin and Mississippi State 850; 8. West Virginia 851; 9. Florida Gulf Coast 856; 10. Kentucky 859; 11. UAB 870; 12. North Carolina State 873; 13. Campbell 880; 14. Army West Point 908 ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: A new College Football Playoff deal has basically been agreed to. Details are a bit sketchy at this point but the new deal probably won’t stray too far from the reports a month ago that ESPN would be paying $1.3 billion per year for the broadcast rights. The playoff will have no fewer than 12 teams and seems likely headed for the 14-team model that has been proposed in recent weeks. That format is also being discussed but the one that will get the most attention and probably votes will have five conference champions – SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC – and nine at-large teams. Now, $1.3 billion is a lot of money, triple what is being paid under the current format of the College Football Playoff, but is it possible that a better deal could have been struck? Is the ESPN deal the best deal or is it the one that simply gets money in the hands of the schools the fastest? It’s weird the urgency that is being placed on getting this new deal in place for the playoff when there are still so many elements of the expansion to 12 teams that begins in the fall of this year that haven’t been decided. It’s also weird that ESPN will get the broadcast rites. Did the other networks have a chance to compete for broadcast rites? The ESPN deal may or may not be as good as it gets but one thing about it, it does put money in more hands quickly. Hence the decision to jump on the ESPN deal. This is what the combination of the portal, NIL, the NCAA’s lack of guidance and questions about how long before players are salaried employees have done to the game. It’s all a rush job. Get paid now, solve any problems that arise after the fact instead of taking time and doing the things that make sure in advance there are few, if any, problems that need solving.

“It was a great send off for our senior class, period -- our intention of the week was appreciation. -- Jenny Rowland The Gators won their quad meet Friday 197.90 over #18 NC State. 196.825. Iowa State. 195.825 and Long Island University- 191.050. A crowd of 8,133 attended the final home meet and said goodbye to seniors Chloi Clark, Ellie Lazzari, Michala Magee, Victoria Nguyen and Payton Richards. However, Richards is the lone super senior and the others can return for one more year. After resting last week, Sloane Blakely turned in just her second career All-Around title with a 39.625. This week was Leanne Wong’s turn to rest as coach Rowland gave her two star athletes some time before postseason begins next week with the SEC tournament in New Orleans. Six gymnasts compete with the top five scores counting. Rotation goes Vault, Uneven Bars, Beam and Floor Excersise. Florida put up its fourth highest score of the season , improving its national qualifying score for postseason. This also brings coach Rowland to 200 wins in her nine seasons at Florida. Coach Rowland said: “It was a great send off for our senior class, period -- our intention of the week was appreciation. This was an evening we could celebrate some incredible seniors for everything they've done to pave their own path and to excel in and out of the gym. Extremely grateful for all our seniors who we were able to celebrate and honor this evening” On to the Recap: Vault: (Last week: 49.525, Average: 49.460, 3rd Nationally) Skylar Draser: Yurchenko 1 ½ Stuck landing. 10? -9.95 Ellie Lazzari: Yurchenko 1 ½ Fell down but she’s o.k.- 9.10 (The dropped score) Victoria Nguyen: Yurchenko 1 ½ Hop forward on landing- 9.825 Sloane Blakely: Yurchenko 1 ½ Big Vault! Large hop on landing- 9.875 Anya Pilgrim: Yurchenko 1 ½ Slight hop- 9.90 Danie Ferris: Yurchenko 1 ½ Stuck landing- 9.925 Score: 49.475 Florida leads by .300 after one rotation. Uneven Bars: (Last week: 49.40, Average: 49.40, 11th Nationally) Sloane Blakely: Solid handstands, Backflip landing, stuck- 9.90 Victoria Nguyen: Legs together throughout, slight hop on landing-9.90 Ellie Lazzari: Springboard mount to high bar. Almost fell off low bar but finished routine with a stuck landing- 9.10 (The dropped score) Gabby Disidore: Nice routine, chest down landing- 9.825 Anya Pilgrim: Beautiful movement from high to low bars. Twist dismount, stuck- 9.825 Leanne Wong: Her only routine looks perfect. The crowd chants “10, 10, 10!”- 9.975 Crowd gives the judges a needed “BOO!” Score: 49.425 Florida leads by .325 after two rotations. Beam: (Last week: 49.575, Average: 49.530, 3rd Nationally) Skylar Draser: Double back flip, step on dismount- 9.825 Sloane Blakely: front flip to back handspring, side dismount stuck- 9.925 Anya Pilgrim: springboard mount from side, backflip, falls. Six of seven of her  beam routines this season were 9.9 or higher. She finishes strong- 9.20 (The dropped score) Ellie Lazzari: triple series of backflips, slight hop on landing- 9.9 Victoria Nguyen: had to redo a series of flips. Back handspring dismount, hop- 9.825 Alyssa Arana: double back flip to front aerial. First beam routine of this year. Sticks side dismount- 9.925 Score: 49.40 Florida leads by .725 after the 3rd rotation. Floor Exercise: (Last week: 49.225, Average: 49.510, 12th Nationally) Victoria Nguyen: 1st pass, the tumbling routines from corner to corner. Front Double twist to sissone leap. Second pass: 1 1/2 front flip layout- 9.925 Ellie Lazzari: first pass: front double full twist. Second pass: 1 1/2 front layout- 9.925 Good to see Ellie finish strong tonight. Danny Ferris: first pass: front full twist flip. Second pass: 1 1/2 twists, front layout- 9.850 (The dropped score) Morgan Hurd: first pass: double layout back flip. Second pass: front layout full twist- 9.925 Anya Pilgrim: first pass: 1 ½ step flip to double tuck. Second pass: double Pike- 9.90 Sloane Blakely: first pass: front flip to double tuck. Second pass: 1 1/2 front flip to punch landing- 9.925 Score: 49.60 Florida wins by 1.075 The postseason plan is working as this special freshman class is putting up huge numbers late in the season and the veterans get a needed break. Next stop is New Orleans and Florida will be in the night session 8:00 PM EST Saturday the March 23. Trinity Thomas said this team could go all the way in her TV commentating debut. The regular season champs can add the tournament title and who knows, maybe win that elusive National Championship.

Perhaps a few eyebrows raised when Kevin O’Sullivan sent closer Brandon Neely to the mound to start the seventh inning against 4th-ranked and unbeaten Texas A&M. Wasn’t it way too early send in the All-American closer with three innings to go and 8th-ranked Florida clinging to a 7-6 lead? To O’Sullivan, the move made perfect sense. “I’m tired of losing, honestly,” O’Sullivan said after the 8th-ranked Gators (11-6, 1-0 SEC) took an 8-6 win on the opening night of Southeastern Conference play for both teams. Neely shut the Aggies (16-1, 0-1 SEC) down on one hit while striking out three for his first save of the season. With games on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.), the Gators only need a split to take the series and with Jac Caglianone scheduled to go on Sunday, there’s every reason to feel confident that Florida will win at least one more. “We’ve got arguably our best arm (Neely), we have not been able to use him as much as we’ve needed to,” O’Sullivan said. “There’s nothing worse than losing a game in a tight game and you’re sitting over there, you make one mistake. What’s the difference for the seventh, eighth and ninth vs. the eighth and ninth if Neely gives you the best opportunity to win knowing that you have Caglianone sitting there on Sunday?” Caglianone, who made his presence felt in a big way with his sixth and seventh home runs of the season, has pitched a combined 12 shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 20 in his previous two outings. Freshman Liam Peterson will be the starter today. The closer the next two games is likely to be Ryan Slater, who normally sets up for Neely. Who sets up for Slater is anyone’s guess. O’Sullivan wasn’t really sure himself Friday night, but that was a gamble he was willing to take to give the Gators a confidence boost they sorely needed, especially after the way UF lost to Florida State back on Tuesday. Neely came on in relief of starter Cade Fisher, who threw five brilliant innings and one he would like to have back against the Aggies. With the exception of a rough second inning, Fisher was the effective, dominant lefty that O’Sullivan envisioned when the season started. He had a bad second. There’s no way to get around that. The Aggies scored five runs, three on a 2-out homer to center field by Gavin Grahovac that put A&M in front 5-2. Fisher left a pitch out over the plate in the fourth that Jackson Apell sent flying over the fence in left center to tie the game at 6-6. Otherwise, Fisher was very effective. His six innings of work showed six hits and six runs allowed but he struck out 10 and walked only one. Other than the second, Fisher gave up one run and three hits. “I mean he could've easily gotten a little rattled there after the second,” O’Sullivan said. “Next four innings gave up one run, that being the home run to Apell. I thought he pitched great other than that second inning, so if we can continue to talk about these things about the beginning and the rebound runs and that type of thing, then we will be that much better. But with that being said, he put the second inning behind him, put up a zero in third, fourth, gave up the solo home run to Appel and then got us through six innings and I thought he got stronger as the game went on. And then Brandon came in and did exactly what he would hope he would do ..." Neely allowed only one hit and hit a batter, but he pitched his way out of an eighth inning jam and set the Aggies down 1-2-3 in the ninth to preserve the win. While the Aggies struggled to get any offensive traction other than the second, the Gators were launching five home runs, two in the third off lefty Ryan Prager, who came into the game 4-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA. Caglianone ended Prager’s 23-2/3 innings scoreless streak in the first when he took a 2-2 pitch out of the yard in dead center field, just beyond the reach of Jace LaViolette. Later in the inning, Colby Shelton singled to right field and scored on a double to left center by Ty Evans. The Aggies led 5-2 when Caglianone hammered the first pitch he saw from Prager while leading off the bottom of the third. This was a titanic blast and all LaViolette could do is turn to watch the sub-orbital shot come down from the stratosphere, well past the 20-foot high green monster in center field just beyond the outfield fence. Four batters later, Tyler Shelnut launched his seventh homer of the season, a 3-run shot that scored Luke Heyman and Colby Shelton ahead of him.  That regained the lead temporarily at 6-5. Insurance came in the sixth on Cade Kurland’s third homer of the season and in the seventh on Shelton’s 10th, an opposite field line drive that bounced off the roof of the Aggies’ left field bullpen. UF GYMNASTICS: Gators give seniors a going away to remember It was Senior Night at the O-Dome where another sellout crowd saw the Gators (17-1, 6-1 SEC) win a quad meet over North Carolina State, Iowa State and Long Island University. The Gators posted a 197.90, easily distancing them from NC State (196.825), Iowa State (195,825) and Long Island (192.025), Leanne Wong won the only event she competed in, a 9.975 on the bars that one of the two judges saw as a 10. Freshman Skylar Draser won the vault with a 9.95 and Alyssa Arana and Sloane Blakely were in a three-way logjam for the balance beam title with a 9.925. Blakely won the all-around title with a 39.625. It was the 200th win of Jenny Rowland’s coaching career. Next up for the Gators is the Southeastern Conference Championships in New Orleans next Saturday night. UF SOFTBALL: Kowalewski’s HR, 5 RBI pace run-rule win Freshman Ariel Kowalewski drove in five runs with a ground out, a double and a home run Friday night to lead the 10th-ranked Gators (23-4) to a 10-2 run-rule win over Mercer. Kowalewski’s grounder to shortstop in the second drove in Katie Kistler to tie the score at 2-2. She hit a 2-run homer in the fifth and hit a 2-run double in the sixth when the Gators closed out the Bears with a 5-run outburst. Keagan Rothrock (10-3, 0.95 ERA) went the distance for the Gators, allowing only two hits and striking out 11 while walking five. The Gators will host Indiana for single games today (2:30 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.). UF MEN’S GOLF: Gators fire opening round -11 at Schenkel Invitational Florida’s third lowest round of the season (-11, 277) tied Middle Tennessee State for the team lead at the annual Chris Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia. Parker Bell had two eagles en route to a 5-under par 67 that tied him for third. Matthew Kress was tied for sixth with a 69. Team leaderboard, top 10: 1. (Tie) FLORIDA and Middle Tennessee State 277; 3. Kentucky 281; 4. (Tie) Notre Dame and Florida Gulf Coast 283; 6. (Tie) Mississippi State and Georgia Southern 286; 8. Wisconsin 288; 9. South Carolina 289; 10. Campbell 290. UF TENNIS: Gator women get second straight win over ranked opponent The Gators (7-7, 3-2 SEC) took a 4-1 win over 13th-ranked Auburn Friday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex. On the road at Auburn, the Florida men (8-7, 2-3 SEC) weren’t nearly as fortunate, dropping a 4-1 decision to Auburn. The Florida women host Alabama Sunday while the UF men are in Tuscaloosa to face Alabama.

Todd Golden was being diplomatic after Florida’s 102-88 blowout win over No. 19 and third-seeded Alabama Friday night in the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville. What came out of his mouth Friday night and what he knows in his heart of hearts are two different things. “Alabama is a great team but we beat them pretty comfortably tonight” is how Golden described the flogging the Gators gave Alabama that earned a Saturday afternoon semifinal matchup with Texas A&M. That is what Golden said. It was coach-speak. Discretion, they say, is the better part of valor so no sense alienating Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Golden knows if the Gators played Alabama 10 times on neutral courts or basically anywhere not named Coleman Coliseum that Florida would wear Alabama out, probably winning 80 percent of the time. The Gators are that much better than Alabama. Maybe they weren’t when they played the first time at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, but this Florida team is just now starting to figure things out and apply them on the court with devastating efficiency. Alabama, on the other hand, plays like a team whose party pooped weeks ago. The Gators should be 3-0 against Alabama. Florida lost a white knuckles 98-93 overtime game to Alabama in Tuscaloosa back on February 13, a game they had no business whatsoever losing. A couple weeks ago there was a rematch in Gainesville, won by the Gators 105-87. Then there was last night in Nashville, a game to decide if what happened in Gainesville was a fluke. It was not. Play Alabama and Florida 10 times away from the friendly confines of Coleman Coliseum and Florida wins every single time as long as the Gators aren’t complacent and feeling full of themselves. Play 10 times in Tuscaloosa and Florida wins half the time but away from Coleman and its friendly rims the Gators blow Alabama’s doors off just like they did in Gainesville, just like they did in Nashville Friday night. Alabama’s offensive philosophy is the basketball equivalent of the old Earl Weaver adage that baseball games are won by good pitching and 3-run homers. In Nate Oats basketball, games are won by making 3-point shots and layups. Run the Tide off the 3-point line, forcing them to take midrange shots instead and Alabama is in trouble. For nearly 15 minutes Friday night, Alabama stuck with the Gators. Alabama led 31-27 when Florida decided enough of this nonsense and went scorched earth on the defensive end of the court the rest of the first half. With threes taken away by Florida’s aggressive defensive posture, Alabama wilted under the pressure. Florida went on a 17-0 run, finishing the half by outscoring Alabama 21-2 for a 48-33 lead. Once into the second half, as long as the Gators didn’t yield to the temptation of turning the game into a 3-point shooting contest, this was Florida’s game to lose. “A combination of these guys executing our defensive game plan and limiting their three-point attempts and makes, then just offensively the way we played for each other, sharing the ball, getting downhill” is how Golden described how the Gators put Alabama away. “I think we went on a 17-0 run to end the first half, something along those lines.” The defensive intensity in those final minutes of the first half had the effect of taking Alabama out of the game both physically and psychologically. The Gators built the lead to as many as 24 points with 10:35 left in the game and then spent the final minutes knocking down free throws. Unlike Thursday night when the Gators were abysmal, hitting just 23-41 from the line, Friday the Gators made 31-36. As the game wore down, Alabama switched to a trade free throws for opportunities to launch threes mode. Had the Gators shot from the foul line the way they did Thursday night, the strategy may have had a chance to work but the only thing it accomplished was to keep Florida comfortably ahead. The night before against Georgia, the Gators missed enough free throws that it allowed the Bulldogs to keep it close. When the Gators didn’t miss Friday, Alabama’s philosophy proved futile. “I feel like last night [against Georgia] we were getting back to it, but we weren't all the way there,” Golden said. “A little shaky first half, better in the second half. Once we started asserting our will on the glass in the second half, that felt like the team we'd had for the first 30 games of the regular season. “Tonight, after the first two minutes, I felt like we were the team who we've been for the last 30 games. Really the last month and a half of conference play where we really stepped it up. Just a physical team that plays hard, with no fear of failure. I think our guys did a really good job of that tonight. Even When we got the big lead in the second half, we never relaxed. We kept pushing it, kept staying aggressive, kept getting to the foul line, never really allowed them to make it a game." In two games at the SEC Tournament, the Gators have shown they can adapt on the fly. Florida fell behind by nine points against Georgia and 8-0 right out of the gate against Alabama. In both games, the Gators had to show resilience and flexibility to adapt to their circumstances. In the final 5:40 of the first half, the Gators got the job done on the defensive end with freshman bigs Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh on the court. The Gators didn’t miss a beat. “I think one of the biggest strengths of our team is the fact that we have a great starting front court with Tyrese [Samuel] and Micah [Handlogten]. And then when we bring in Tommy and Condo, there's really no drop-off. We're able to continue our stuff. They put great pressure on both backboards, especially on the offensive glass. They play so hard, it's infectious. I think they raise the bar for the older guys at times in terms of setting the tone with how hard they play. They have been doing this for us all year. It's a big reason why we've been so successful." Game notes: Clayton led the Gators in scoring once again, this time with 23 points. Clayton hit all 11 of his free throws. Pullin had 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Pullin was 10-11 from the foul line. Samuel scored 18 points to go with four rebounds, an assist, two blocked shots and a steal. Also in double figures were Condon with 12 and Will Richard with 10. Florida shot 50.8 percent from the field, but only 7-20 from the 3-point line. Alabama made only 6-25 on its 3-point attempts and 16-23 from the foul line. Joe Lundardi of ESPN moved the Gators up to the six line in his latest brackets with UF facing the winner or Seton Hall and New Mexico’s play-in game in Memphis. Lunardi has eight SEC teams in the tournament: 2. Tennessee (Midwest); 3. Kentucky (East); 4. Auburn (East); 4. Alabama (West); 5. South Carolina (Midwest); 6. Florida (South); 9. Mississippi State (East) and 10. Texas A&M (East). SEC Tournament Friday’s quarter-finals Game 7: Mississippi State (21-12) 73, No. 5 Tennessee (24-8) 56 Game 8: No. 12 Auburn (25-7) 86, No. 15 South Carolina (25-7) 55 Game 9: Texas A&M (20-13) 97, No. 9 Kentucky (23-9) 87 Game 10: FLORIDA (23-10) 102, No. 19 Alabama (21-11) 88 Today’s semifinals Game 11: Mississippi State (21-12) vs. No. 12 Auburn (25-7), 1 p.m. Game 12: FLORIDA (23-10) vs. Texas A&M (20-13), 3:30 p.m. SEC in NCAA Net Rankings: 5. Auburn; 6. Tennessee; 9. Alabama; 19. Kentucky; 28. FLORIDA; 32. Mississippi State; 42. Texas A&M; 52. South Carolina; 93. Ole Miss; 95. LSU; 115. Arkansas; 159. Missouri; 202. Vanderbilt SEC in KenPom analytics: 4. Auburn; 6. Tennessee; 13. Alabama; 19. Kentucky; 28. FLORIDA; 30. Mississippi State; 42. Texas A&M; 49. South Carolina; 86. Ole Miss; 89. Georgia; 91. LSU; 106. Arkansas; 150. Missouri; 186. Vanderbilt

Will Receive Distinguished American Award Here’s another first for Florida, courtesy of legendary head coach and Heisman-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier. The HBC will be first Gator honored with this year’s Walter Camp Foundation Distinguished American Award during the foundation’s 57th National Awards Dinner, set to take place Saturday, New Haven, Conn. “It’s an honor to receive the Walter Camp Distinguished American Award, given annually to an honest person who understands teamwork and moves through life with integrity,” Spurrier said via X. “That’s something I’ve always strived to be and proud that all the teams I coached took on those characters.” The award is presented each year to an individual who has utilized his or her talents to attain great success in business, private life, or public service and who may have accomplished that which no other has done. Spurrier earned Walter Camp All-American honors in 1966 for his 2,012-yard 16 touchdown season where he led the Gators to a 9-2 record. Spurrier was also awarded the Heisman Trophy. Spurrier continued his career in the NFL where he played 10 seasons for the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Bandits, then coached Duke to an ACC title before coming to Florida. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017, making him just one of four members to be inducted as both a player and coach.  In 2016, the University of Florida renamed its home field, “Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.” Spurrier will be honored Saturday alongside other Major Award winners and members of the 2023 Walter Camp All-America Team, Player of Year Jayden Daniels (LSU) and Coach of Year Kalen DeBoer (Washington; now at Alabama). He led the University of Florida as the Gators’ head coach from 1990 to 2002. Under his leadership, the Gators proceeded to win 122 games in 12 seasons, earned 12 bowl berths, and won six Southeastern Conference titles.  Spurrier led Florida to the 1996 National Championship, a 52-20 victory over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017, making him just one of four members to be inducted as both a player and coach.  In 2016, the University of Florida renamed its home field, “Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.” Spurrier will be honored Saturday alongside other Major Award winners and members of the 2023 Walter Camp All-America Team, Player of Year Jayden Daniels (LSU) and Coach of Year Kalen DeBoer (Washington; now at Alabama).

It was ugly but the Gators got a beautiful win over UGa. The good news about ugly wins is they look every bit as good in the won/loss column as the ones that are so beautiful the fan base raves about them. So, the good news for the Florida Gators is their dog’s butt ugly 85-80 win over Georgia in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament has a certain beauty to it. After all, it was Florida’s 11th straight win over the Bulldogs dating back to 2019, the third this season. Never mind that the Gators may have played their worst half of basketball all season when Georgia outrebounded them 23-20. Never mind that the Gators missed 18 free throws, 14 of them by Tyrese Samuel. Never mind that the Gators committed 26 fouls and that Zyon Pullin fouled out. None of that matters. The Gators (22-10) won and that Thursday night win looks every bit as beautiful in the books as those wins over Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama during the regular season. What is important at this point of the year is securing a win no matter how you have to do it, then advancing to whoever and whatever is next. In this case, it’s a quarter-final game in the SEC Tournament against third-seeded Alabama (21-10). The Gators split two games with the Crimson Tide this year, losing in Tuscaloosa in overtime while winning one of those aesthetically beautiful ball games in the rematch at the O-Dome. In the loss to Bama in Tuscaloosa, the Gators proved they belonged on the same floor with the Crimson Tide. In Gainesville, they proved capable of creating nuclear winter against Nate Oats and his band of long range bombers. The way the Gators destroyed Alabama in Gainesville (by 18 points) reminds us that the Gators should be 2-0 against the Crimson Tide. Tonight (9:30 p.m., SEC Network) the Gators will have a chance to prove once and for all they’re the better team. For a good portion of the first half, playing Alabama a third time this year seemed a rather far fetched notion. Florida started strong and built a 9-point lead when Will Richard streaked down the court with a pass from Zyon Pullin for a layup to make it 21-12, but things began to unravel because Georgia went zone. Florida’s offense went stale and all four big guys seemed glued to the floor whenever the ball caromed off the rim. Not exactly a recipe for a nice outcome when the clock flatlines at game’s end. It really shouldn’t have been close, but bad stuff tends to happen in multiples when you (a) don’t rebound, (b) defend like a matador, (c) shoot free throws as if you studied at the Shaquille O’Neal School of Fine Foul Shooting and (d) miss way too many wide open shots. When that’s happening in a one-and-done tournament, it’s probably good to have someone call the airport at halftime and make sure the jet is warmed up on the tarmac for a late night trip home. The second half was far more representative of the way the Gators played all season and it started with a commitment to regain their rebounding mojo. Once the clock started ticking downward in the second half, the Gators were in beast mode on the glass and it proved the difference in the ball game. Florida didn’t shoot the ball that much better from the field (13-31 in the first half; 15-33 in the second), but the Gators extended possessions with 12 second half offensive rebounds. Every extended possession came in handy since Georgia actually shot better (16-34) in the second half than it did in the first (13-32). Florida’s final 52-36 rebounding advantage was just further confirmation that Todd Golden’s plan to add four big guys ranging in size from 6-9 to 7-1, two from the portal and two in the freshman class, was a stroke of genius. “The biggest difference was we got on the glass,” Golden said. “That was the biggest key. We had 16 total, so 12 offensive rebounds in the second half; was the difference of the game, really.” Even with the dominance on the backboards, however, the Gators struggled to shake the Bulldogs, who led by as many as nine in the first half, by seven in the second. The closeness of the game had plenty to do with Florida’s inconsistency at the foul line. The Gators were fortunate to walk away with a win on a night when they were 23-41 on free throws. Make the free throws and it’s a blowout. Miss them with any measure of frequency and the outcome is dicey. Rather than a lead at the half, the Gators trailed by three. It was remarkable that the score was that close considering Georgia hit 5-12 of its 3-point shots and Samuel was heaving up SCUDs at the rim from the foul line. Samuel was personally 1-8 and Florida as a whole was 4-13. On most nights, you lose those games, but this wasn’t most nights. Golden stated after the game that he thought the Gators hadn’t played all that badly, so he went into the locker room with a positive message. “Let’s take a deep breath, let’s calm down,” he told the Gators. It must have worked because there was far more energy when the Gators took the floor after the half. It showed especially in the paint where Florida began to assert its size advantage. Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the final 20 minutes, said Golden made it abundantly clear the game would be won or lost on the backboards. “Coach made it very clear we was losing on the rebounding front,” Clayton said. “Obviously we was fouling a lot. Defend without fouling was the big thing, getting back on the boards.” The Gators didn’t do such a great job defending without fouling (12 first half fouls, 14 in the second) but they were lights out on the backboards, especially Samuel, who more than made up for his lackluster first half by rebounding and drawing fouls. In the first half, Samuel had three points and five rebounds. In the second half, he took over in the paint. Samuel scored 14 second half points and grabbed 10 rebounds, finishing the game with a 17/15 double-double. He continued to struggle at the foul line, but he gave the Gators a chance by at least hitting more than 50 percent (8-15). Teammates picked up the second half slack by going 11-13. Florida kept threatening to bust the game wide open, but Georgia kept hanging around, capitalizing whenever the Gators made a mistake to keep the game in heart attack mode. It seemed a major coronary event was on the verge of happening when All-SEC point guard Zyon Pullin was called for a rather dubious offensive foul with 2:10 left to play and the Gators ahead by one silly point, 74-73. It was the first foul out of the season for Pullin, who has been a rock at crunch time all season long. If a panic attack was imminent, however, no one sent the memo to Clayton, who got a steal, drove the rim, made the layup while taking a body blow by Georgia’s Silas Demary. At the line, Clayton finished off the 3-point play to make it 78-74 with 1:34 left. That free throw proved critical because it made it a 2-possession game. Down the final stretch Georgia was able to close within three points on three separate occasions, but Florida kept the ever so slight two possession distance because Riley Kugel was absolutely nails at the foul line. His 6-6 at the line in the final 15 seconds was the lipstick that made this pig of a game downright beautiful from the Florida point of view. “They were huge obviously,” Golden said of Kugel’s foul shots. “Goes without saying he did a good job against pressure making himself available, being strong with the ball, getting fouled. Sometimes you take it for granted when guys make free throws late, but those are huge. Every single one of them kept the game from being a one-possession game late, and the type of step-up effort that you need down the stretch to close out a game like tonight.” A close call finish should have been expected since the Gators went overtime with Georgia in Gainesville and beat the Bulldogs by six in Athens. Georgia was good enough on all three occasions to hang with the Gators and make it pulsatingly interesting at the end, just not good enough to get the win. In coming out ahead in yet another close call win, the Gators showed they aren’t afraid of crunch time. Now comes the hard part for the Gators, playing Alabama without as much as a day’s rest in between games. Win it and the Gators probably move off the No. 7 line in both Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm’s brackets. Had the Gators lost it would have meant consecutive Quad 2 losses (Vanderbilt was the other) which could have dropped UF down to an eight or nine seed for the NCAA Tournament. Make no mistake about it, this was about as ugly a win as the Gators have had all year but they won, advanced and kept their heads above water in the brackets. So, however ugly it was to the naked eye, it still looks beautiful as a W in the won/loss column. Game notes: Five Gators scored in double figures. In addition to Clayton’s 22 (4 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 3 steals) and Samuel’s 17, Will Richard had 17 to go with seven rebounds, Pullin had 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists and Alex Condon had 10 points and three rebounds. Kugel had eight points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot. Florida’s 11-game winning streak over Georgia matches the longest streak the Gators have had over the Bulldogs in school history. In his early morning bracketology, Joe Lunardi had the Gators still on the seven line but facing No. 10 Drake in Salt Lake City in a West Regional game … With wins by Mississippi State (over LSU) and Texas A&M (over Ole Miss), Lunardi projects eight SEC teams in his NCAA field of 68: No. 2 Tennessee (South); No. 3 Kentucky (Midwest); No. 4 Auburn (East); No. 4 Alabama (South); No. 5 South Carolina (Midwest); No. 7 FLORIDA (West); No. 10 Mississippi State (East); and No. 11 Texas A&M (First four/South). Thursday’s games Game three: Mississippi State (20-12) 70, LSU (17-15) 60Game four: No. 15 South Carolina (26-6) 80, Arkansas (16-17) 66Game five: Texas A&M (19-13) 80, Ole Miss (20-12) 71Game six: FLORIDA (22-10) 85, Georgia (17-16) 80 Friday’s games Game seven: Mississippi State (20-12) vs. No. 5 Tennessee (24-7) Game eight: No. 15 South Carolina (26-6) vs. No. 12 Auburn (24-7) Game nine: Texas A&M (19-13) vs. No. 9 Kentucky (23-8) Game ten: FLORIDA (22-10) vs. No. 19 Alabama (21-10) COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY, BASKETBALL EDITION Extinct species list Chris Holtman, Ohio State: Dusty May of Florida Atlantic and Lamont Paris are the two names making the rounds, but Bruce Pearl’s name has been injected into the conversation. He wouldn’t leave Auburn, would he? Tony Stubblefield, DePaul: Shocker. It’s Chris Holtman as the replacement. Does this mean Bobby Hurley is staying at Arizona State? Lorenzo Romar, Pepperdine: This should be a good job but will they spend the money to make it so? Leonard Perry, Pacific: The Tigers haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2013. No matter who the new coach is, even sniffing the big dance will be a miracle. Mike Davis, Detroit Mercy: Bad facilities, bad pay and worst of all the replacement has to live in Detroit. Kenny Payne, Louisville: Dusty May is the flavor of the week, but two new names to consider are Jerome Tang from K-State and Indiana State’s Josh Schertz. Mike Hopkins, Washington: A couple of names you might hear are Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle and Boise State’s Leon Rice. Bryan Mullins, Southern Illinois: It wasn’t all that long ago that this was a good job. Dana Ford, Missouri State: The alums want Ben McCollum, who has won four DII national championships at Northwest Missouri State. Don Morrison, Long Beach State: There was a time when the 49ers actually had a good program. It’s going to be a long hard road to get back because there’s no money to speak of. Travis Ford, Saint Louis: Starts big ends bad wherever he goes, but he will resurface somewhere. Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt: Keep an eye on former Xavier/Louisville coach Chris Mack. Mike Boynton, Oklahoma State: This is actually a good job. A lot of good coaches will apply, but put your money on Doug Gottlieb, the former Okie State point guard and protégé of Eddie Sutton. On life support Juwan Howard, Michigan: The players want him to stay, but it’s time for him to go. The guy the alums want is Alabama’s Nate Oats, who was a Detroit prep coaching legend not all that long ago. His buyout is $20 million but money is not an object here. Jerod Haase, Stanford: Hanging by a thread. Stanford will be joining the ACC next year which is a lot less forgiving than the Pac-12 has been. Goner barring divine intervention. Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State: He has survived. Somehow. Endangered species list Andy Enfield, Southern California: He needs to go while the going is good. Always best to stay one step ahead of the jailer, especially when you just got your doors blown off by Arizona in the last Pac-12 tournament ever. Kyle Neptune, Villanova: Nova lost to Marquette so the heat is back on.

There is reason for the Florida Gators to be wary of Georgia (17-15), who they face tonight (9:30 p.m.) in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Gators (21-10) know that if they lose, they’ll still be playing next week in the NCAA Tournament. For Georgia, a loss will end the season unless the NIT throws the Bulldogs a lifeline. The Bulldogs have incentive to spring an upset. The Gators are 2-0 against Georgia this season but one win was in overtime in Gainesville when the Gators blew a 21-point lead in the second half. In the rematch in Athens, the Gators won by six. The closeness of the last two games should tell the Gators that Georgia is not going to be intimidated. If anything, the Bulldogs probably believe they’re every bit as good as UF. The problem for the Gators is the difficulty of beating the same team three times in one season. There is a real measure of familiarity that both teams will have to deal with. Todd Golden needs to be preaching that the Gators can’t afford to come into this game feeling even the slightest bit overconfident. Just because the Gators have beaten Georgia twice this year and 10 straight times dating back to a 61-55 O-Dome loss to the Bulldogs on March 2, 2019, doesn’t mean the Gators can step onto the court with anything less than a sense of urgency. Just a week ago in Nashville when the Gators dropped a 79-78 decision to SEC bottom feeder Vanderbilt, there was a lesson in overconfidence and complacency on full display. That made for a rather unpleasant flight back to Gainesville according to All-SEC point guard Zyon Pullin. “I mean, we were definitely sick,” Pullin said. “But I think it's one you’ve got to keep learning from. It brings you back to reality. It shows you that you could beat Alabama and one of the top teams and then you can lose to one of the bottom teams. I think that we’ve really got to lock in and understand that we’ve got to show up every single game and do the little things, the little things matter.” When the Gators are good, they’re really, really good and capable of playing with anyone in the country. Of Florida’s 10 losses, only three (Wake Forest, Tennessee and Ole Miss) were by more than six points. The other seven were lost by a combined 19 points. Five of Florida’s wins were by six or fewer so the Gators know what it’s like to grind out close call wins. In the one-and-done world of March Tournament basketball at the conference tournament level, the Gators could be in for four games on four consecutive days if they win and advance starting with tonight’s Georgia game. Golden isn’t concerned that the Gators might run out of gas. “I think we have really competitive dudes in our program,” Golden said. “I think they’re going to be really excited for the opportunity to compete. So we’re going to ride it out. We’re going to do everything we can to win Thursday night. If we’re fortunate to win Thursday, we’ll do everything we can to win Friday night. If we’re fortunate enough to win Friday … I’m not worried about fatigue, is the best way to answer that. If we run out of steam, we run out of steam. But this group has been good that way all year.” Anticipated starting lineups FLORIDA (21-10): 6-10 Tyrese Samuel (13.2 points, 7.5 rebounds); 7-1 Micah Handlogten (5.9 points, 7.3 rebounds; 6-4 Will Richard (11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds); 6-2 Walter Clayton Jr. (17.0 points, 3.6 rebounds); 6-4 Zyon Pullin (15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists) GEORGIA (17-15): 6-9 Dylan James (3.9 points, 2.4 rebounds); 7-0 Russell Tchewa (7.9 points, 6.8 rebounds); 6-5 Silas Demary (9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds); 6-5 Blue Cain (7.0 points, 2.2 rebounds);  6-4 Noah Thomasson (12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds) SEC Tournament Wednesday’s games Game one: No. 12 Arkansas (16-16) 90, No. 13 Vanderbilt (9-23) 85, OTGame two: No. 11 Georgia (17-15) 64, No. 12 Missouri (8-24) 59 Today’s games Game three: No. 9 Mississippi State (19-12) vs. No. 8 LSU (17-14)Game four: No. 12 Arkansas (16-16) vs. No. 5 South Carolina (25-6)Game five: No. 10 Ole Miss (20-11) vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (18-13)Game six: No. 11 Georgia (17-15) vs. No. 6 FLORIDA (21-10) Friday’s gamesGame 7: Winner game 3 vs. No. 1 Tennessee (24-7)Game 8: Winner game 4 vs. No. 4 Auburn (24-7)Game 9: Winner game 5 vs. No. 2 Kentucky (23-8)Game 10: Winner game 6 vs. No. 3 Alabama (21-10) UF SOFTBALL: Gators run-rule Stetson, 11-2 Forgive Tim Walton if he seems a little bit giddy these days, but the experience his roster that includes 11 newbies gains every single game is going to pay dividends long term. Playing at home Wednesday night for the first time since February 25, the Gators improved to 22-4 with an 11-2 run-rule win over Stetson. Holdover veterans Skylar Wallace (3-3), Reagan Walsh (2 homers) and Katie Kistler (double, homer, 5 RBI) did their part, but transfers and freshmen did their part as well. Louisville transfer Korbe Otis had a double and two walks; Oklahoma transfer catcher Jocelyn Erickson had an RBI single and a pickoff; freshman pitcher Ava Brown got her 10th win giving up three hits in four innings, freshman pitcher Keagan Rothrock pitched a shutout fifth, and freshman Cassidy McClellan had a base hit and scored twice. “Today was the oldest starting lineup that I went with all season,” Walton said. “So this is with the two freshmen in the lineup as opposed to five on Monday [against Alabama].” The freshmen are under plenty of scrutiny. This recruiting class is considered by many softball experts to be a generational collection of talent led by Brown and Rothrock, both former Gatorade National Players of the Year. Throw in the transfers --  “You’ve got two potential All-Americans in Korbe Otis and Jocelyn Erickson,” Walton said – and it’s the most talent Walton has had on hand in awhile. In many ways it reminds him of 2008 when his freshman class included future All-Americans Aja Paculba, Kelsey Bruder, Megan Bush and Stephanie Brombacher. “There's 11 new kids on this roster, but I think they're very similar to be honest with you,” Walton said. “I don't think there's a big difference between the business approach of the 2008 squad that came in and this squad.” The 2008 recruits were part of Florida teams that won 238 games, made it to the Women’s College World Series four times and finished runner-up twice. The kids and the transfers came to Florida to win national championships. That is the high profile that this program has achieved in the Walton Era at Florida, where he is 948-227. Championships are the lure that brings great players to UF, but the focus now is simply getting better and improving every time out. “We have an opportunity to get to the College World Series and compete for a championship,” Walton said. “But I don't think that we're worried about the national championship right now. I think the goal right now is become a really good elite team and get to the College World Series and I think that's the that's the main goal, main message. That's what's coming out of our mouths all the time as we just got to keep getting better.” In Wednesday’s win, Florida’s 18th by run-rule which leads the Southeastern Conference, the Gators pounded out 11 hits while scoring at least once in every inning. The Gators, who rank second nationally in fielding and have committed only eight errors all season, were once again flawless with their gloves. With her 3-3 night, Wallace raised her team-leading batting average to .479. Erickson’s RBI single raised her SEC-leading total to 36. The two homers by Walsh were her seventh and eighth of the season. She had eight in 60 games a year ago. Kistler’s homer was her second of the year. She had two in her career prior to this season. Florida has five hitters hitting .400 or better – Wallace (.479), Erickson. (.466), Kendra Falby (.444), Otis (.429) and Kistler (.400). The Gators will be home Friday to face Mercer. Indiana of the Big Ten will be in for single games on Saturday and Sunday. UF LACROSSE: Gators stop Princeton for 6th straight win The 13th-ranked Gators never trailed, leading at one time by seven goals before settling for a 16-13 win over No. 21 Princeton Wednesday afternoon at Donald Dizney Stadium. Ashley. Gonzalez with four goals and an assist led the Gators while Danielle Pavinelli had two goals and three assists. Madison Waters and Gianna Monaco each had three goals. It was the sixth straight win for the Gators (6-2) whose next game is at noon Saturday against Mercer. COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY, BASKETBALL EDITION Extinct species list Chris Holtman, Ohio State: Dusty May of Florida Atlantic and Lamont Paris are the two names making the rounds, but Bruce Pearl’s name has been injected into the conversation. He wouldn’t leave Auburn, would he? Tony Stubblefield, DePaul: Some folks think Bobby Hurley is a lock. Lorenzo Romar, Pepperdine: The beach at Malibu is across the street. Someone who can recruit could do rather well here. Leonard Perry, Pacific: Bad facilities, bad location, bad pay. Bad, bad, bad, but someone will take the job. Mike Davis, Detroit Mercy: Whoever gets the job has to convince Detroit kids to stay in the city. That’s a rather depressing recruiting pitch. Kenny Payne, Louisville: Mick Cronin of UCLA would be the perfect choice except for that $20 million buyout. The Louisville people are said to be hustling to hire Dusty May before Ohio State can get him. Mike Hopkins, Washington: This is a football school. When they decide to invest in basketball, they might be able to get a coach who can win. Bryan Mullins, Southern Illinois: It wasn’t all that long ago that this was a good job. Dana Ford, Missouri State: Someone should be able to win here but nobody has since Cuonzo Martin left for Tennessee years ago. Long Beach State: It’s been 50 years since he left for UNLV but they’re still looking for their next Jerry Tarkanian. On life support Juwan Howard, Michigan: The Wolverines finished the season 8-24. A mulligan would be a shock, particularly since the buyout is only $2 million. Jerod Haase, Stanford: The guy they want is Florida’s Todd Golden. If they’re lucky, they’ll get Kyle Smith, who needs to make a move since Wazzoo will be in sports purgatory next year with the demise of the Pac-12. Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State: A 13-19 finish this year. If he survives it’s because they don’t want to spend the money to fire him and to hire someone else. Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt: Will he still be employed when the clock strikes midnight tonight? Mike Boynton, Oklahoma State: A 12-20 finish at a school whose arena is named for Hank Iba doesn’t cut it in Stillwater. Endangered species list Andy Enfield, Southern California: Barring something unforeseen, he’ll get one more year. Kyle Neptune, Villanova: He dodged a bullet when he avoided losing to Big East bottom feeder DePaul Wednesday night. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Nick Saban was in Washington, DC Wednesday to speak to a Congressional hearing about NIL and what he perceives is a runaway system that lacks direction and rules to guide it. NIL has everything to do with why the greatest college football coach of all time has hung up his whistle. Nick had a lot to say at the hearing that was organized by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, but one thing stands out: “You’re going to create a caste system where the rich will get richer and the poor get poorer, and eventually the fans will look at it like, ‘I really don’t want to watch the game.’” Saban is all for players having the right to make money, but the way the NCAA allowed NIL to go off the rails has created a system that is going to be very difficult to reel in. The schools that have the most money are going to buy the most talent. Schools that can’t afford to buy talent but who develop players are already seeing their most talented kids leave for schools that have money to spend. The NCAA’s solution is a proposal by president Charlie Baker, whose brain functions only to part his ears. If implemented, it will bankrupt a lot of athletic programs while turning the ones with the most money into elites. That’s not the right idea, but so far, no one has come up with something that sounds remotely intelligent. Somewhere out there is someone who has all this figured out but will that person be discovered before it’s too late? In the immortal words of the late, great Lewis Grizzard, “When my love returns from the ladies’ room will I be too old to care?”