So the HBC, chuckling as he made a little sport, told his guest Napier: “Coach, if you can do that today, they’ll rip my name off of that stadium in a heartbeat and make it ‘Billy Napier Field.’” So here’s how the new coach can get his name on Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, or perhaps convert Steve Spurrier Field to “Billy Napier Field”: All Coach Napier has to do is dominate the two best teams in America, Georgia and Alabama, for 12 seasons. Says the man whose name is already plastered across the front, preceding Florida Field. The other night when Napier was visiting Steve Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille, the HBC was asked by his partner Freddie Wehbe to query the group with his usual trivia question. So Spurrier grabbed the mic and asked: “When I was at Florida, we played Georgia and Alabama 21 times. What was our record against them?” It took a while before a patron replied: “Seventeen and four!” Bingo! A woman in the audience correctly identified it -- perhaps somebody doing the math of 11-1 vs. Georgia and 6-3 vs. Alabama from 1990 to 2001 and passing it along. Looking back, such a superb accomplishment from today’s perspective was one of the most remarkable in college football history. Especially considering today’s landscape which the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide currently rule. So the HBC, chuckling as he made a little sport, told his guest Napier: “Coach, if you can do that today, they’ll rip my name off of that stadium in a heartbeat and make it ‘Billy Napier Field.’” It’s fair to say Napier is off to an excellent start, changing the culture of the UF football program, and maybe even being perceived as slowly building up a head of steam. If the strong vibe continues to be first-class and yields some big-name recruits after this weekend’s much-ballyhooed official visits, progress would be well on the way. However such a thought as replacing Spurrier’s name on Florida Field, even as a joke, is far-fetched. As we often say, let Napier win a game before we start drawing up specs for his statue. Having said that, in the progress report on Napier’s first 50 days on the job, he would likely score very high in problem-solving, player evaluations, salvaging recruits, rescuing a few players from the transfer portal, the speed-dating hiring of accomplices, clear communication with media and outlining a manifesto not unlike the schematic used by Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. The jury is still out on all the money being spent for recruiting and the assistant coach/support staff said to be about $7.5 million. We don’t know the total number of hires Napier has made yet – said to be in the range of 80 total – but of the 10 assistant coaches he went after, Napier landed seven. None with any better resume than Assistant Head Coach/Cornerbacks Corey Raymond, the so-called Godfather of LSU’s self-acclaimed “DBU” and Offensive Line Coach Rob Sale of the New Giants. Just the 10-person coaching staff alone has averaged roughly $750,000 per person. And that doesn’t even include the $200,000 salary of Assistant AD Of Recruiting Strategy Katie Turner from Georgia, which would bring it down. It certainly looks fantastic on paper, even though we don’t know yet if any of it will work on grass. So it’s difficult to evaluate at the present. “Either it could be the greatest coaching staff in history,” a leading recruiting expert told me, “or they could all be fired in five years.” He went on to say that while Napier’s choices have stirred up a buzz among top recruits and appeared “fantastic” so far, critics might suggest there were “too many coaches hired from his old program at UL-L” and that he wasn’t sure hiring Turner over Lee Davis was nothing more than “a wash.” Asked about all the great flood of Louisianans to Gainesville, Spurrier laughed when he denied that he was thinking of opening a second restaurant specializing in Cajun food. “Maybe that’ll be Billy’s thing,” he said, but at the same time acknowledging of a preponderance of “Rajin’ Cajun tags” in the parking lot. So the “Rajun’ Cajun Invasion” is underway. Is it too much hot sauce to handle? As another critic of Scott Stricklin’s choices recently said, “If you hire the AD, the head coach and several coaches from Mississippi State, aren’t you in danger of one day turning into Mississippi State?” So will UF become UL-L East? In 1990, Spurrier spent only 400Gs on his staff Another guy who heard some rumblings about hiring too many coaches from his past employer may have been Spurrier, who brought in his fair share of “Dookies.” But criticism didn’t last long. On his first staff, Spurrier reached out to Jimmy Collins, Carl Franks, Bob Sanders and Rick McGeorge at Duke, later adding Ron Broadway as another. Also on that first 1990 staff were Jim Bates, Bob Sanders, Tim Marcum, Jerry Anderson, Dwayne Dixon and John Reaves. The latter two had never coached before, although Dixon played for Spurrier. “Dwayne was making $18,000 working in the office of Student Life. I said, ‘I know I can get you all the way up to $28,000.’ And he said, ‘Coach, that would be great.’ John Reaves was making about $30,000 coaching the tight ends. Bates and Marcum were our more experienced, higher paid guys – Bates, made about $50,000 and Marcum made about $40,000.” He kept Strength & Conditioning Coach Rich Tuten as a holdover from the Galen Hall staff. “That was our first coaching staff, not exactly a ‘Who’s Who List of Coaches In America.’” He got them all for about $400,000 total. Coupled with his 400G salary, Spurrier’s budget for everybody was about the average salary of one Napier coach. Plus Steve secured a $50,000 loan to be paid back unless he won the SEC in four years. He won right away and wiped it out. There was no agent. Spurrier retained the services of “Uncle” Willie O’Neal, a friend and Gainesville attorney and told him what he wanted, which amounted to about $450,000 counting the loan. To which O’Neal countered: “They’ll never give you all THAT!” Which they did. They all shook and when they walked out, Uncle Willie said, “Orr, we should have asked for more.” And Spurrier said: “Uncle Willie, everybody’s happy. We don’t need any more.”

For a couple of hours Thursday Ty’Ron Hopper put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. It would be a tough blow for the Gators to lose Hopper, whose 62 tackles in 2021 included 2.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. For reasons yet unknown, Hopper removed his name from the portal a couple hours later. Such is life in college football’s newfangled era of free agency. It is going to take some getting used to because it has changed the entire landscape of the game. Before the transfer portal and the subsequent NCAA rule that allowed immediate eligibility for first-time transfers, there was the one-year sit out requirement serving as a deterrent. Now, it’s the wild, wild west. Not only do coaches have to go out and recruit high school and junior college players, but they have to re-recruit their own players to determine how many transfers they might need to fill voids left by players who are seeking greener pastures at St. Somewhere Else University. The changing landscape of recruiting has everything to do with why Billy Napier is bringing in an “army” of support staff that will number close to 80 when everyone is hired and busy at work. Napier has staff to evaluate high school and junior college kids. He’s hired a personnel guy from the NFL to take a free agency approach to the transfer portal. He’s kept former Syracuse head coach and coaching legend Paul Pasqualoni from the previous staff to head the scouting department, almost certainly with assignments to scout the current players on the roster to determine who and what Florida needs to improve every single position. It is a dramatic change from previous staffs at Florida, but a sure sign that the transfer portal has not only changed recruiting but is here to stay. “Certainly, the transfer portal is a part of college football now, and certainly a lot different dynamic because they can go play immediately,” Napier said after the early signing day back in December. “I think you're going to see this is just part of the game now, and certainly what we need to do is build a really good culture here where players want to be as part of our organization and play for the University of Florida, and hopefully we don't have to deal with those issues unless we're wanting to deal with them.” If you are keeping score of how Napier is handling the transfer portal, he’s lost five players, all of whom have found a new place to play in 2022. With the additions of running back Montrell Johnson and offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence, both of whom played for Napier at Louisiana, five have transferred in (QB Jack Miller III from Ohio State and OT Kamryn Waites from Louisiana are the other two). Additionally, three were in the portal but changed their minds and returned – defensive end Dante Zanders, linebacker Lloyd Summerall III and Hopper. Napier signed nine players in December and have since added another three commits. By adding those 12 high school kids to the five players who have transferred in, the Gators now have an adjusted recruiting ranking of No. 14 nationally. When the Gators sign high school and juco kids in February and add more via the transfer portal, the recruiting perspective should change dramatically. What seemed a gloom and doom recruiting scenario when Napier took the Florida job is now quite optimistic. We won’t know how many more Gators will enter the transfer portal for awhile yet. Some will take a look at who Napier signs in February from the high school/juco ranks and that will cause them to transfer out. Others will decide to leave after spring practice when the see they are buried too far down the depth charts or else they just don’t hit it off with their new position coach. That is why Napier will continue to recruit the portal into the early weeks after the spring semester ends. “You’ve got the recruiting perspective,” Napier said at a recent press gathering. “You’ve got a window to get them in now, and then kind of a sprint until February singing day. And then you have another opportunity to add some players prior to summer school starting. Three windows of time to add players, and certainly we’re working hard in all three of those areas.” It is not unrealistic that the Gators would sign another eight high school/juco types and add another 5-7 transfers. UF is allowed to replace as many as seven transfers who leave after December 15 without the new transfers counting against the scholarship cap of 85. TRANSFERS IN THE SEC AS OF JANUARY 20, 2022 Outgoing starters in boldface Alabama Out (11): WR Javon Baker; LB Shane Lee; QB Paul Tyson (Arizona State); TE Jahleel Billingsley (Texas); OT Tommy Brown (Colorado); LB Drew Sanders (Arkansas); LB King Mwikuta (Arkansas State); LB Jackson Bratton (UAB); OT Pierce Quick (Georgia Tech); WR Xavier Williams (Utah State); CB Marcus Banks (Mississippi State) In (2): RB Jaymyr Gibbs (Georgia Tech); CB Eli Ricks (LSU) Arkansas Out (16): LB Andrew Parker; RB Trelon Smith; CB Greg Brooks Jr. (LSU); S Joe Foucha (LSU); DL Jalen Williams (Southern Miss); CB Devin Bush; CB Nick Turner; WR Kendall Catalon; OT Ray Curry Jr.; WR Darin Turner (Alabama A&M); S Jermaine Hampton-Jordan; LB JT Towers; DL Andy Boykin; RB Josh Oglesby (Stephen F. Austin); K Vito Calvaruso; DL Solomon Wright In (5): CB Dwight McGlothern (LSU); LB Drew Sanders (Alabama); EDGE Landon Jackson (LSU); WR Jadon Haselwood (Oklahoma); QB Cade Fortin (South Florida) Auburn Out (14): DL Ian Matthews; OT/TE J.J. Pegues (Ole Miss); DL Lee Hunter (UCF); LB Romello Height; DL Daniel Foster-Allen (South Alabama); CB Eric Reed; CB Dreshun Miller; WR Kobe Hudson (UCF); LB Nick Curtis; DL Dre Butler; S Ahmari Harvey (Georgia Tech); QB Bo Nix (Oregon); OL Tashawn Manning (Kentucky); S Ladarius Tennison (Ole Miss); WR Elijah Canion (Purdue); RB Shaun Shivers (Indiana); EDGE Caleb Johnson In (5): QB Robby Ashford (Oregon); DL Jayson Jones (Oregon); QB Zach Calzada (Texas A&M); CB DJ James (Oregon); LB Eugene Asanta (North Carolina) FLORIDA Out (5): LB Mohamoud Diabate (Utah); WR Jacob Copeland (Maryland); EDGE Khris Bogle (Michigan State); OL Gerald Mincey (Tennessee); CB Elijah Blades (Buffalo) In (5): Jalen Kimber (Georgia); RB Montrell Johnson (Louisiana); OL O’Cyrus Torrence (Louisiana); OL Kamryn Waites (Louisiana); QB Jack Miller III (Ohio State) Georgia Out (8): WR Jermaine Burton; QB JT Daniels; S Latavious Brini; CB Lovasea Carroll (South Carolina); CB Jalen Kimber (Florida); WR Justin Robinson (Mississippi State); CB Ameer Speed (Michigan State); WR Jaylen Johnson In: None Kentucky Out (12): CB Cedric Dort (Wisconsin); WR Isaiah Epps; LB Marquez Bembry; S Moses Douglass; DL Isaiah Gibson (Marshall); LB KD McDaniel (UCF); RB Torrance Davis; LB Jared Casey (Indiana); OT Naasir Watkins; RB Travis Tisdale; OT Jake Pope; QB Nik Scalzo In (4): QB Deuce Hogan (Iowa); DL Darrion Henry-Young (Ohio State); DL Tashawn Manning (Auburn); WR Tayvion Robinson (Virginia Tech) LSU Out (10): CB Dwight McGlothern (Arkansas); WR Alex Adams (Akron); WR Trey Palmer (Nebraska);WR Deion Smith; QB Max Johnson (Texas A&M); EDGE Landon Jackson (Arkansas); CB Eli Ricks (Alabama); LB Navonteque Strong; WR Koy Moore; DL Eric Taylor In (11): DL Mekhi Wingo (Missouri); OT Tre’Mond Shorts (East Tennessee State); P Jay Bramblett (Notre Dame); LB West Weeks (Virginia); WR Kyren Lacey (Louisiana); RB Noah Cain (Penn State); CB Greg Brooks Jr. (Arkansas); S Mekhi Williams-Garner (Louisiana); S Joe Foucha (Arkansas); Long snapper Slade Roy (East Carolina); OT Miles Frazier (Florida International) Mississippi State Out (12): WR Theodore Knox; WR Malik Heath; S Landon Guidry; K Nolan McCord; CB Kyle Cass; WR Quinton Torbor; OT Calvin McMillian (Southern Miss); EDGE Aaron Odom (Southern Miss); DL Armondous Cooley (Southern Miss); S Janari Dean (Southern Miss); LB Aaron Brule (Michigan State); S Londyn Craft In (6): K Ben Rayben (Northern Colorado); K Massimo Biscardi (Coastal Carolina); WR Justin Robinson (Georgia); WR Jordan Mosley; CB Jackie Matthews (West Virginia); LB Marcus Banks (Alabama) Missouri Out (11): DL Mekhi Wingo (LSU); S Shawn Robinson (Kansas State); QB Connor Bazelak (Indiana); WR Jay Maclin (North Texas); EDGE Jatorian Hansford (South Florida); S Ishmael Burdine (TCU); TE Messiah Swinson (Arizona State); TE Daniel Parker (Oklahoma); OT Chris Shearin; LB Jamie Pettway (Florida Atlantic); OT J’Marion Gooch In: OG Bence Polgar (Buffalo); LB Tyrone Hopper (North Carolina); OT Jayden Jenigan (Oklahoma State); CB Dreyden Norwood (Texas A&M); S Joseph Charleston (Clemson) Ole Miss Out (17): RB Henry Parrish (Miami); DB Tylan Knight (Southern Miss); CB Jalen Jordan (South Alabama); OL Bryce Ramsey (Southern Miss); WR Jadon Jackson; QB John Rhys Plumlee (UCF); CB JaKorey Hawkins (Wyoming); DL Quentin Bivens (Southern Miss); DL Sincere David; WR Jamar Richardson (South Alabama); TE DaMarcus Thomas (South Alabama); DL Patrick Lucas (Indiana); DL LeDarrius Cox (Indiana); LB Daylen Gill (Southern Miss); LB Mohamed Sanogo (Louisville); WR Brice Johnson (Houston); S Dink Jackson In (7): OT/TE J.J. Pegues (Auburn); LB Troy Brown (Central Michigan); S Isheem Young (Iowa State); OT Mason Brooks (Western Kentucky); WR Jordan Watkins (Louisville); S Ladarius Tennison (Auburn); RB Zach Evans (TCU) South Carolina: Out (7): TE Keveon Mullins (Jackson State); QB Jason Brown (Virginia Tech); OL Vincent Murphy (Western Kentucky); WR Dominick Hill; LB Jahmar Brown; WR Ger-Caro Caldwell; LB Rosendo Louis; WR OrTre Smith In (7): CB Lovasea Carroll (Georgia); WR Antwane Wells (James Madison); RB Christian Beal-Smith (Wake Forest); S Devonni Reed (Central Michigan); DL Terrell Dawkins (North Carolina State); TE Austin Stogner (Oklahoma); QB Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma) Tennessee Out (12): WR Kaemen Marley; TE Trinity Bell; OT K’Rojhn Calbert (Eastern Kentucky); WR Andison Coby; Long Snapper Will Albright; RB Dee Beckwith; RB Tiyon Evans (Louisville); LB Morven Joseph (Florida Atlantic); QB Harrison Bailey (UNLV); RB Carlin Fils-aime; RB Tee Hodge (Indiana State); QB Brian Mauer (Stephen F. Austin) In (3): TE Charlie Browder (UCF); QB Navy Shuler (Appalachian State); OT Gerald Mincey (Florida) Texas A&M Out (6): RB Darvon Hubbard; S Erick Young; RB Deondre Jackson (Nebraska); QB Zach Calzada (Auburn); CB Dreyden Norwood (Missouri); EDGE Antonio Doyle (Jackson State) In (1): QB Max Johnson (LSU) Vanderbilt Out (11): OT Tyler Steen; Edge Alex Williams; LB Brayden DeVault-Smith; S Brendon Harris; WR Amir Abdur-Rahim; WR Cam Johnson; DL Lorenza Surgers (Minnesota); CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally; DL Terion Sugick (Arkansas State); QB Jeremy Moussa (Florida A&M); DL Marcus Bradley (UMass) In (1): LB Kane Patterson (Clemson)

Deric Fabian, a local player from Ocala and the younger brother of Jud Fabian, impressed coaches and fans during the fall season. Fabian hit home runs in each of a two-game series fall scrimmage against Georgia Southern. By BENNETT SOLOMON GatorBait Staff Writer The 2022 Florida Gator baseball begins in just under a month, with the team hitting the field under the lights to take on the Liberty Flames Feb. 18. Coming off a season with high expectations but multiple disappointments, the Gators hope to make it past the opening round of the NCAA tournament, all the way to Omaha for the College World Series. With multiple key players heading to the draft over the offseason and several new faces looking to fill voids on the field, here’s what to look out for on the 2022 season: The Gators enter the season ranked ninth in the country, according to D1Baseball’s preseason Top 25. With 19 returning players from last season’s squad and 17 newcomers, the Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s team enters a loaded SEC with hopes of living up to preseason expectations, unlike last season. The team will have its hands full throughout the season, as the SEC consists of eight teams in the top-25 and six ranked in the top 10. Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and LSU all rank in the top 10 to begin the season. The Gators will face four of those top ten teams this season, hosting Arkansas and LSU while hitting the road to face reigning national champions Mississippi State and runner-up Vanderbilt. The Gators were able to bring in the top-ranked recruiting class, according to Perfect Game. One transfer and 16 freshmen highlight the Gators incoming class, with left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola leading the young group as the 10th best freshman on Perfect Game’s Top 75 list. Deric Fabian, a local player from Ocala and the younger brother of Jud Fabian, impressed coaches and fans during the fall season. Fabian hit home runs in each of a two-game fall series scrimmage against Georgia Southern. With shortstop Josh Rivera returning to the Gators, Fabian will most likely compete for the starting third base job. With the talented incoming class, they will be joining an experienced group of 19 returning players. Hunter Barco, Jud Fabian, Kendrick Calilao, Kris Armstrong, Colby Halter, and Sterlin Thompson are the main players returning to the Gators lineup after receiving a vast amount of playing time during the 2021 season. "The Little Brother" Deric Fabian carries a big stick, too. (UAA photo) Barco, a left-handed pitcher, will be the ace for the Gators pitching staff after ending the 2021 season in dominant fashion. Coming off a 10-win season with a 4.01 ERA and 94 strikeouts, Barco was named to the preseason Perfect Game All-American first-team. The southpaw from Jacksonville is also listed in the top-100 MLB Draft prospect list, according to MLB Pipeline. Barco struggled at the beginning of the season in 2021, but after successful performances in SEC play, he was handed the ball during the biggest games near the end of the season. Barco will be tasked with pitching in Friday night games against powerhouse SEC teams, hoping to give the Gators a series advantage heading into Saturday and Sunday. Outfielder Jud Fabian is another key returnee for the Gators and was also placed on the preseason Perfect Game All-American first-team. Passing up a signing bonus for $1.8M with the Red Sox to play with his brother. Jud led the Gators last year with 21 home runs. However, Fabian’s batting average was just .249 in 59 games. Just like Barco, Fabian struggled during the beginning of the season, but improved as the season went on. Against Vanderbilt, Fabian hit two home runs off No. 2 overall pick Jack Leiter in Game 2 of the series. Fabian will be looking to lead the Gators offensively after deciding to return for one final year and joins strong group of outfielders. Senior first-baseman Kris Armstrong is one of the infielders that decided to return for another season. In 43 games played in 2021, Armstrong had an impressive batting average of .289 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs. Additionally, Armstrong was one of few Gator infielders to stay consistent in the field throughout the year. The big first baseman only made two errors, while the team suffered defensively throughout the season, committing 70 errors to lead the SEC. Experts say that as usual, Florida definitely has the talent to compete for an SEC title and College World Series slot this year. If the Gators can remain consistent in the field and stay forceful at the plate, this team could see itself hosting another regional and hopefully packing their bags to Omaha in June.

Mystifying. That might be an appropriate word to describe Mike White’s Florida basketball team 17 games into the season. It’s mystifying because this team has proven it can play so well and so physical in wins over Florida State and Ohio State, both of whom have wins over Duke. It’s mystifying because the same Gators who won those two games when they were off to a 6-0 start can be dominated by a Texas Southern team that came to the O-Dome winless. Also mystifying because the Gators 3-6 slump after that 6-0 start included three straight SEC losses to ranked teams that followed a self-destructive pattern. Perhaps the greatest mystery of all is how this same team beat a very good Mississippi State team at the O-Dome without injured Colin Castleton despite trailing by 10 in the first half and by eight with eight minutes to go in the second. That was Florida’s second straight SEC win and it probably raises as many questions as it answered. First and foremost, there is the question of Castleton and health. Prior to injuring his shoulder the day before Mississippi State, the 6-11 Castleton was playing the best basketball of his career, doing it at both ends of the court while providing serious leadership. In the Gators four SEC games prior to Mississippi State, he averaged 17.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.5 blocked shots per game. For the season he’s averaging 15.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, which ranks second in the SEC. In the win over South Carolina, Castleton scored 10 points and had seven rebounds, two assists and eight blocked shots. Despite scoring totals that are misleading, he dominated the game at both ends of the court. Offensively, South Carolina wasted so much energy collapsing on Castleton to keep him from scoring that it opened the game up for everyone else. Defensively, no one got to the rim in the second half. “I was really down for Colin this afternoon as we go to shootaround and we got the news [that he would not play],” White said. “He’s coming off his best three-game stretch … not only numbers but confidence, swagger – some of those things we talk about – unselfishness, leadership, passion, making winning plays. He’s just been really, really good and I feel for him.” Castleton is a warrior who played through a significant ankle injury last year. There were times last season when Castleton’s ankle was swollen the size of a softball, yet the big man from DeLand played through the injury and was one of the most consistent big men in the country. Having seen him deal with the pain with such toughness, White says that for Castleton to miss a game, the injury has to be serious. How long he will be out of the lineup is unknown at this time, but it could have a serious impact on the Gators, who have 13 SEC games remaining plus the SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup with Oklahoma State. Without Castleton against Mississippi State, the Gators had to go against a huge front line that measured 6-11, 6-9 and 6-8 with only one player taller than 6-7. Despite lacking the rim protector and the consistent rebounding presence that Castleton brings to the table, the Gators compensated surprisingly well. There were many unexpected contributions. Jason Jitoboh, the likeable 6-11, 290-pound Nigerian, picked up three first half fouls and sat all but five minutes. When he picked up his fourth foul four minutes into the second half, he had one blocked shot to show for his time on the court. He played like a man possessed in the final eight minutes of the game when he played foul-free, scored eight points – the Gators won the game by eight – and used his body like a wall to keep the Bulldogs away from the rim. “Down the stretch he was really good,” White said. “Made some plays at the rim. Both offensively and defensively had some good wall-ups … He’s a consistent guy, especially these last few months. He just kind of stays the course. He’s a guy that at times hasn’t gotten much opportunity. He’s got a great attitude.” Tuongthach Gatkek, who hadn’t even played in a game since December 22, entered the game early when Jitoboh drew the ire of the zebras. His numbers weren’t overwhelming, he was able to contribute on both ends of the court. He scored two points on a dunk, grabbed a rebound and was very good in the full court press where he came up with a pair of steals. He used his length and quickness to help out defensively, and offensively, he helped keep the ball moving without turning it over. “I thought he was terrific helping us,” White said. “… He did a lot of stuff that allowed for some ball movement without him scoring.” Freshman Kowacie Reeves, starting his third straight game, had a second straight 14-point performance, hitting 3-6 from the three-point line, 3-4 from the foul line and contributing two rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot. In the wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State, he’s hit 5-9 from the three-point line and 7-9 from the foul line. As both South Carolina and Mississippi State discovered, he’s not a late-game liability at the foul line even if he is a freshman. Tyree Appleby, whose previous four games had produced just 26 points, scored 17 against the Bulldogs, 13 in the first half. When MSU tried to neutralize him in the second half, Appleby became a distributor and a key factor in Florida’s very efficient full court press. He finished with five assists and only two turnovers. This after a six assist, two turnover game at South Carolina. Against Alabama, Auburn and LSU he had 15 assists and 12 turnovers. Phlandrous Fleming Jr., healthy again, has scored in double figures three straight games. Against MSU, he had 10 points, three rebounds, five assists, one blocked shot and a steal despite giving up three and four inches in height on the defensive end. He has become White’s defensive jack-of-all trades. In any given game he will defend four positions rather efficiently and on the offensive end, he’s a fearless driver who can get into the paint to complement good range from the perimeter. And then there was Anthony Duruji, who had the best game of his Florida career. After a quiet first half, Duruji came alive in the final 20 minutes when the Gators needed someone to step up and carry the offensive load. Duruji scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. For the game he was 6-8 from the field including 2-3 on his three-pointers. He had three rebounds, a blocked shot and a game-high five steals while playing the point in Florida’s full court press. When Mississippi State got the ball across midcourt, Duruji often drew the assignment of dealing with Iverson Molinar, a very gifted scorer who is likely to have a long NBA career someday. Molinar scored 10 in the first half, but only two in the second when Duruji became his primary defender. He couldn’t drive on Duruji and when the Bulldogs tried to free him up with screens he didn’t have enough room to squeeze off shots. It was a brilliant effort, the kind the Gators need on an every night basis. “His motor has improved as much as anything along with his skill level and confidence,” White said. “He was really, really good in the second half.” What the Gators did against Mississippi State was admirable, but can they sustain that kind of effort if Castleton is out of the lineup for a prolonged period of time? And, even when Castleton returns, can the Gators play with that kind of tenacity defensively and can then commit to moving the basketball the way they have the last two games. The Gators have hit 50 percent or better from the field only four times all season, but they made 55.1 percent of their shots against South Carolina and followed that up by hitting 51.1 percent against Mississippi State. In the three SEC losses prior to South Carolina, the best shooting effort was 42.3 percent against Alabama. Florida’s abysmal three-point shooting seems to have found the range once again. The Gators hit 10-24 against Mississippi State. More importantly, the Gators took good shots. There weren’t any wild or out of range attempts. If Castleton is out several games, the Gators are going to be at a serious disadvantage, both in terms of size and depth. The Gators will really be tested when they have to play three games in five days starting with Saturday’s home encounter with Vanderbilt. That will be followed by a Monday makeup game with Ole Miss in Oxford (game was postponed due to COVID back on December 29) and then a road trip to Knoxville to face No. 24 Tennessee Wednesday night. This isn’t an ideal schedule but everyone in the league understands that the problems dealing with COVID require flexibility even if it isn’t convenient. The way the Gators have played the last two games should bolster their confidence, but especially after getting the win over Mississippi State when it took the entire team to play at a very high level on both ends of the court. “To be able to beat Mississippi State without Colin Castleton, our guys should feel good about themselves,” White said. It will take more than feeling good these next three games. It is a chance for UF (11-6, 2-3 SEC) to move up in the SEC standings. Currently, there are seven teams in the league with three losses in conference play so the doom and gloom of starting SEC play 0-3 should be replaced by a feeling of optimism. After the Mississippi State win, Duruji said the Gators have their swag back after that 3-6 stretch. Swag is a fragile thing, however, and White is aware that this team has struggled at times with dealing with adversity. In the wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State there was plenty of adversity but the Gators played through it so there is hope for the rest of the season. “We played with a ton of confidence early [against Mississippi State], and some of that was we were so proficient defensively,” White said. “We just seemed to shoot it with more confidence. I could go on and on and we definitely showed some more swagger offensively. I thought we played more downhill, played with instincts, let it fly to a certain extent … that said I like our shot selection too. It’s a really conscientious group, a really good group of guys. I think sometimes we can overthink it.” Can the Gators make it through however many games they’ll be without Colin Castleton, but particularly these next three games without overthinking? If they can somehow go 2-1 over this short stretch, they’ll go into the month of February even at 4-4 in the SEC which will should have them very much in the NCAA Tournament conversation. It’s mystifying that the Gators can be so good at times and yet play so poorly at others. If White has found the right buttons to push that can keep the Gators playing with the same level of consistency we’ve seen the last couple of games, and if Castleton can recover quickly from his injury, then it’s entirely possible that White could get the Gators into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. Who would have even thought that ten days ago when it seemed the Gators were about to go in the tank?

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: GETTING BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS Colin Castleton, Florida’s leading scorer (15.4), rebounder (9.1) and second in the SEC in blocked shots (2.75 per game), sat on the end of the bench Wednesday night at the O-Dome, unable to play because an already sore shoulder was injured further in practice Tuesday. Instead of the disaster that Castleton’s absence might have been, the Gators (11-6, 2-3 SEC) got a little help from some friends to pull off a stunning 80-72 win over a tall, talented Mississippi State (12-5, 3-2 SEC). Calling it improbable would only scratch the surface of what happened. Without Castleton, Jason Jitoboh got his first career start. He had no points, a missed shot and a block to go with three fouls to show for five minutes of playing time in the first half. When he picked up his fourth foul in the second half with 16:58 left he still hadn’t score. In the final 8:55, he scored all eight of his points, didn’t commit another foul, grabbed two rebounds, blocked another shot and played outstanding defense on the interior. Anthony Duruji, who had four points, one assist and one blocked shot at the half, scored 18 in the second half to go with three rebounds and five steals. He spent a good bit of time defending MSU leading scorer Iverson Molinar, who had 10 of his 12 points in the first half. When MSU needed Molinar, he couldn’t get a shot off. Freshman Kowacie Reeves, who scored 14 to help the Gators beat South Carolina last Saturday in just his second career start, scored 14 again including nine in the second half, when he also had two rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot. He hit 3-6 from the three-point line and 4-5 from the foul line. Tyree Appleby, who had hit 9-31 from the three-point line in his previous six games, kept the Gators in it in the first half when he scored 13 of his 17 points. He hit 4-9 on three-pointers, 5-6 from the foul line and had five assists and a steal. Toungthatch Gatgek, who hadn’t even played since December 22, contributed two points, a rebound, a blocked shot and two steals. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. stuffed the box score with 10 points, three rebounds, five assists, a blocked shot and two steals. The second half defense was stifling, particularly over a 4:46 stretch in which the Gators outscored the Bulldogs 14-0 to go from three down to a 77-63 lead. Florida’s full court pressure had a real effect on the Bulldogs, but so did a halfcourt defense that seemed to change shape like an amoeba every time MSU had the ball. This was a case of Florida coach Mike White adjusting the defense on the fly to keep the Bulldogs dazed and confused. On many possessions the Bulldogs weren’t able to get the ball farther than the foul line before there were only 10 seconds left on the shot clock. “We did a couple of things that we hadn’t really had a chance to practice,” White admitted. Whatever it was, it worked, and it helped the Gators take out a team that had won six of its last seven including a win over the same Alabama team that knocked off the Gators by 13 points. It also helped the Gators get back to respectability in the SEC. Although the Gators are just 2-3 in league play, they’re now just one game out of fourth place and they’re among seven SEC teams that half at least three losses. There are still 13 SEC games and an SEC/Big 12 challenge game with Oklahoma State remaining on the schedule, but the last two games have seen the Gators play more like the team that went 6-0 to start the season. In their stretch of nine games in which they went 3-6, the Gators had difficulty dealing with adversity. Not having Castleton Wednesday was serious adversity. Trailing by 10 in the first half and by eight in the second half would have done the Gators in a couple of weeks ago. Wednesday night, thanks to a little help from friends, the Gators got a very important SEC win and a confidence boost. “Our swag is back,” Duruji said. “That’s something that we preached before the game. Sometimes we give teams too much credit because we’re good, too.” Good enough to win against Mississippi State when they were short-handed. SEC BASKETBALL Wednesday’s games: FLORIDA (11-6, 2-3 SEC) 80, Mississippi State (12-5, 3-2 SEC) 72; Alabama (12-6, 3-3 SEC) 70, No. 13 LSU (15-3, 3-3 SEC) 67; No. 2 Auburn (17-1, 6-0 SEC) 83, Georgia (5-13, 0-5 SEC) 60; Kentucky (15-3, 5-1 SEC) 64, Texas A&M (15-3, 4-1 SEC) 58 Saturday’s games: Vanderbilt (10-7, 2-3 SEC) at FLORIDA 11-6, 2-3 SEC); No. 12 Kentucky (15-3, 5-1 SEC) at No. 2 Auburn (17-1, 6-0 SEC); Georgia (5-13, 0-5 SEC) at South Carolina (10-7, 1-4 SEC); Ole Miss (9-5, 1-4 SEC) at Mississippi State (12-5, 3-2 SEC); No. 13 LSU (15-3, 3-3 SEC) at No. 24 Tennessee (12-5, 3-3 SEC); Missouri (8-9, 2-3 SEC) at Alabama (12-6, 3-3 SEC); Texas A&M (15-3, 4-1 SEC) at Arkansas (13-5, 3-3 SEC) SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: Nick Saban is going to hire two former Florida assistant coaches, both of whom worked for Will Muschamp both at UF and South Carolina. Coleman Hutzler will coach Bama’s linebackers and work as the special teams coordinator and Travaris Robinson will coach the corners. Hutzler coached special teams at Ole Miss last year, while Robinson coached the secondary at Miami … Former Alabama running back Kyle Edwards is transferring to Southeastern Louisiana. Arkansas: Running back Trelon Smith, who finished second on the team with 598 rushing yards in 2021, has entered the transfer portal. This is his second transfer. He transferred to Arkansas from Arizona State in 2019 … The Razorbacks will get a visit from former Georgia defensive back Latavious Brini. Auburn: Outside linebacker Eugene Asante is transferring in from North Carolina. Asante had 23 tackles in 2021. Georgia: In somewhat of a shocker, wide receiver Jermaine Burton entered the transfer portal. The second leading receiver for the Bulldogs in 2021, Burton had 26 catches for 497 yards and five touchdowns. During his UGa career he had 53 catches for 901 yards and eight touchdowns … Not as much a surprise, but Stetson Bennett IV has decided to return for one more season. He threw for 2,862 yards and 29 touchdowns while leading Georgia to the national championship. Bennett’s impending return already has JT Daniels in the transfer portal and it could send either Carson Beck or Brock Vandagriff into the portal as well, particularly with 4-star QB Gunner Stockton already enrolled. Kentucky: Former Alabama wide receiver Javon Baker is visiting Kentucky ... In addition to four transfers already enrolled, nine high school signees are early enrolled for the spring semester. LSU: Former coach Ed Orgeron was dropped as a defendant in a high profile Title IX sex discrimination lawsuit against the athletic department. Also dropped as a defendant was former LSU athletic director Crazy Joe Alleva … LSU will pay former Georgia wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton $900,000 per year on a three-year contract. Mississippi State: Northern Colorado kicker/punter Ben Reybon, who had a long field goal of 57 yards in 2021, is transferring in. He is the third kicker the Bulldogs have added in the last two weeks. Missouri: Offensive lineman, Dylan Spencer, who committed to Jackson State after entering the transfer portal, has changed his mind and will remain at Mizzou … Shawn Robinson, who transferred to Mizzou as a QB from TCU only to switch to safety, is on the move again. He’s transferring to Kansas State. At Mizzou in 2021 Robinson had 31 tackles, a sack and an interception. Ole Miss: Former Auburn OL/TE J.J. Pegues (6-3, 308) is transferring to Ole Miss ... Defensive back Keidron Smith, who had 65 tackles and two interceptions in 2021, is in the transfer portal. South Carolina: Former South Carolina graduate assistant Tyler Lamb has been hired to coach quarterbacks at Virginia. Tennessee: The Vols have added a home-and-home series with Washington in 2029-30. Washington will visit Knoxville in 2029 and the Vols will reciprocate in 2030. Texas A&M: Darvon Hubbard, who was the No. 39 running back in the country out of high school, is in the transfer portal as is former 4-star defensive back Erick Young. Hubbard was once committed to Ohio State … Former Aggie linebacker Antonio Doyle is transferring to Jackson State to play for Deion Sanders. Vanderbilt: Defensive back Dashaun Jerkins is in the transfer portal. In 2021, Jerkins had 43 tackles and three interceptions. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The Big 12 is moving ahead with plans to split into two divisions with 14 teams in 2023, a move that assumes that the divorce that will send Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference won’t be finalized until 2025. BYU, one of the four teams the Big 12 added when Texas and Oklahoma were accepted as future members of the SEC, is expected to join the league in 2022 with Cincinnati, UCF and Houston arriving from the American Athletic Conference in 2023. The Big 12’s media contract with Fox and ESPN runs out in 2025. Even before Texas and Oklahoma decided to bolt, neither Fox nor ESPN had shown any willingness to negotiate a new deal, which is one of the reasons the two schools left for the SEC. The Big 12 will have very little bargaining power when Texas and Oklahoma exit the Big 12 since they are the only teams that move the television ratings needle. Right now that contract pays a little less than $39 million per school per year but a league without Texas and Oklahoma will be fortunate to get a contract that pays even $25 million a year. So how does the Big 12 survive after Texas and Oklahoma bolt? And how do Cincinnati, Houston and UCF afford the $17 million buyout to leave the AAC? It’s complicated, but if ESPN and the SEC pitch in, it’s do-able. ESPN’s new contract with the SEC kicks in after the 2023 football season. Getting Texas and Oklahoma in the league for 2024 would certainly help but that would require the SEC and ESPN to work out a deal help with the exit fees, estimated at somewhere between $80 and $100 million. A better deal for ESPN would be to buy out the CBS lame duck TV year of 2023. One reason CBS didn’t get into a bidding war to retain the SEC was needing the money to extend the NFL contract beyond 2022 but that opens the door for ESPN to buy out the last year of the CBS contract for the Saturday SEC football games. Since Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC would certainly impact the ratings in a big way, it would behoove ESPN to work hand-in-hand with the SEC and the Big 12. First things first. The SEC, which has quite a bit of cash on hand, could work out a deal to pay some of the Texas and Oklahoma buyouts with ESPN picking up the other portion. That would give the Big 12 money to help its three new members leave the AAC, money that would easily be recovered by adding Texas and Oklahoma to the TV lineup. Second, ESPN could offer the Big 12 a television contract. Now, it wouldn’t help the league pay anything close to the nearly $39 million currently being paid, but something that would help the league pay its members somewhere around $20-25 million would get everybody’s attention. Third, the SEC and Notre Dame voting together to keep the Big 12 as a Power Five conference would stifle any attempt by the “alliance” to relegate the Big 12 to Group of Five status. There is a deal to be made here if someone will just take the first step.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: CAN THE GATORS WIN TWO IN A ROW? A case can be made that the SEC is top to bottom the toughest basketball league in the country this year, which is why only two games separate the Gators (10-6, 1-3 SEC) and Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1 SEC) for fourth place in the league standings. There is that much parity in the league this year where only second-ranked Auburn (16-1, 5-0 SEC) and Texas A&M (15-2, 4-0) are unbeaten even though it’s early in the season. So the question for Florida tonight is can the Gators put together a second straight solid performance against Mississippi State at the O-Dome (7 p.m., SEC Network)? After three straight losses to ranked SEC teams, the Gators finally got their first SEC win against South Carolina in Columbia last Saturday when they played their best game since they got off to a 6-0 start in the month of November. Mike White reshuffled his lineup a bit for that game, inserting freshman Kowacie Reeves into the starting lineup for the second straight game and going with Brandon McKissic and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. at the guards. Reeves scored double figures (14) for the first time in his Florida career and hit four clutch free throws late in the second half. McKissic only scored three points, but he supplemented that with six rebounds and four assists. Fleming also had 14 points. To beat Mississippi State, which is one of the taller and more physical teams in the SEC, the Gators have to keep Colin Castleton out of foul trouble. Castleton only scored 10 points in the win over South Carolina, but he had seven rebounds and he protected the rim with eight blocked shots. Castleton and 6-7 Anthony Duruji will be up against an MSU front line that goes 6-11, 6-9 and 6-7 up front. In addition to keeping Castleton engaged and out of foul trouble, the Gators need to have another shooting game like they had against South Carolina when they hit a season high 55 percent. Although the Gators were only 7-22 from the three-point line, it was a marked improvement over the three previous SEC games when they combined to go 21-76, a rotten 27.6 percent. SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s scores: Arkansas (13-5, 3-3 SEC) 75, South Carolina (10-7, 1-4 SEC) 59; Missouri (8-9, 2-3 SEC) 78, Ole Miss (9-8, 1-4 SEC) 53; No. 24 Tennessee (12-5, 3-3 SEC) 68, Vanderbilt (10-7, 2-3 SEC) 60 Wednesday’s games: Wednesday’s games: Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (10-6, 1-3 SEC); No. 18 Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (15-2, 4-0 SEC); No. 12 LSU (15-2, 3-2 SEC) at No. 24 Alabama (11-6, 2-3 SEC); Georgia (5-12, 0-4 SEC) at No. 4 Auburn (16-1, 5-0 SEC) GATORS NO. 9 IN D1BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL There is reason for optimism in the Florida baseball camp. Kevin O’Sullivan returns six returning starters including All-America center fielder Jud Fabian and a pitching staff led by 10-game winner Hunter Barco. That solid roster is bolstered by the consensus No. 2 recruiting class in the country that features three lefty pitchers and Deric Fabian, Jud’s younger brother who probably will settle in at third base. All that talent is why D1Baseball.com ranks the Gators No. 9 in their preseason poll, one of six SEC teams in the top ten. The Gators had an off year in 2021 when they finished 38-22 overall, 17-13 in SEC play and didn’t make it out of the Gainesville Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Although O’Sullivan will have to replace Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich in the pitching rotation and leading hitter Jacob Young in the outfield, this figures to be a better Florida team and one that should factor in the SEC race. The Top 25: 1. Texas; 2. Arkansas; 3. Vanderbilt; 4. Mississippi State; 5. Ole Miss; 6. Stanford; 7. Oklahoma State; 8. LSU; 9. FLORIDA; 10. North Carolina State; 11. Florida State; 12. East Carolina; 13. Notre Dame; 14. Texas Tech; 15. Arizona; 16. Georgia; 17. TCU; 18. Oregon State; 19. Tennessee; 20. UC-Irvine; 21. Georgia Tech; 22. Dallas Baptist; 23. Duke; 24. Long Beach State; 25. Miami GATORS NO. 5 IN D1SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL If Florida’s fall performance was an indicator of things to come, then Tim Walton probably has his best roster in several years, led by first team All-America Charla Echols, who hit .375 with 15 homers and 55 RBI in 2021, third team All-America Hannah Adams, who hit .356 with 10 homers and 38 RBI, and third team All-America pitcher Elizabeth Hightower, who went 17-6 with a 1.61 ERA. Walton added to that strong core by bringing in an outstanding freshman class with projected starters Reagan Walsh and Kendra Falbey, pitcher Lexie Delbrey and early enrollee Samantha Roe, the nation’s top-rated high school senior. Walton also has former All-SEC freshman Skylar Wallace eligible after she had to sit out last year when she transferred from Alabama. It’s a lineup impressive enough that D1Softball ranks the Gators No. 5 in its preseason poll. A year ago, the Gators won their 9th SEC championship under Walton and finished 45-11, although they didn’t get past the NCAA Super Regionals. The Top 25: 1. Oklahoma; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma State; 4. UCLA; 5. FLORIDA; 6. Florida State; 7. Washington; 8. Arkansas; 9. Texas; 10. Missouri; 11. Virginia Tech; 12. Michigan; 13. Duke; 14. Clemson; 15. Arizona; 16. Oregon; 17. LSU; 18. Tennessee; 19. Georgia; 20. Kentucky; 21. Arizona State; 22. Louisiana; 23. Northwestern; 24. Liberty; 25. James Madison SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: Defensive end LaBryan Ray, who had 6.5 sacks in his Alabama career, is off to the NFL … Kendall Randall, who has played in 40 games in his Alabama career, will be back for a super senior season thanks to the NCAA 2020 COVID year rule. Arkansas: Offensive coordinator Kendall Briles is interviewing with Mario Cristobal for the OC job at Miami. Auburn: Another transfer quarterback has landed in Auburn. Joining Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada is Oregon transfer Robby Ashford, who didn’t take a snap in two seasons. Georgia: Linebacker Quay Walker, who was Georgia’s fourth-leading tackler in 2021, is off to the NFL. Also leaving for the NFL is tight end John Fitzpatrick, who had seven starts and six catches for 83 yards in 2021 … Defensive back Ameer Speer is transferring to Michigan State. LSU: Safety Jay Ward, who had 69 tackles and two interceptions in 2021, is returning for another season … Linebacker Micah Baskerville, who had 83 tackles, two sacks and an interception, is leaving for the NFL … Transferring in to LSU are former Missouri defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo and former East Tennessee State left tackle Tre’Mond Shorts. Mississippi State: Wide receiver Makai Polk, who caught 34 passes for 442 yards and five touchdowns, is in the transfer portal. Missouri: Running back Nathaniel Peat, who led Stanford in rushing with 402 yards and three touchdowns, is transferring to Missouri. Ole Miss: Officially joining Lane Kiffin’s staff are Charlie Weis Jr. (Co-OC/QB), Marquel Blackwell (RB), Chris Kiffin (Co-DEC/LBs) and Nick Savage (strength and conditioning). Wide receivers coach Derrick Nix is also the assistant head coach. Tennessee: Former Tennessee quarterback Harrison Bailey is transferring to UNLV where he will have four full years of eligibility. THE QUARTERBACK SITUATION AT EVERY SEC SCHOOL: JANUARY 18, 2022 Alabama: Heisman Trophy quarterback Bryce Young returns. With last year’s backup Paul Tyson transferring out, the only quarterbacks on campus are redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe, a former 4-star, and 5-star early enrollee Ty Simpson. Arkansas: K.J. Jefferson is the returning starter. Backup Malik Hornsby was going to transfer but changed his mind. John Steven Jones has started in the past. Also in the QB room are Ole Miss transfer Kade Renfro, who has four years eligibility remaining, and redshirt freshman Lucas Coley, a former 4-star recruit. Auburn: When three-year starter Bo Nix (since transferred to Oregon) went down with a season-ending injury, LSU transfer TJ Finley took over the starting job. He has since been joined by Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada, who started nine games in 2021, and Oregon transfer Robby Ashford. The Tigers also have 4-star redshirt freshman Dematrius Davis and 4-star signee Holden Geriner in the QB room. FLORIDA: Last season’s starter Emory Jones was expected to transfer out but he’s still at UF, although he is expected to transfer out in the spring. Anthony Richardson had spectacular moments and moments he would like to forget in 2021, but he has enormous upside. Former 4-star Jack Miller III transferred in from Ohio State. Also in the QB room are redshirt freshmen Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jalen Kitna. Georgia: Stetson Bennett IV has another year to play but will he come back? As it is, he’s a legend so how could he top 2021? JT Daniels has apparently transferred out, leaving former 4-star Carson Beck and former 5-star Brock Vandagriff as the incumbent backups if Bennett elects to stay. Gunner Stockton, a 4-star recruit, enrolled early. Kentucky: Starter Will Levis is returning. Deuce Hogan, a 3-star 2020 recruit, transferred in from Iowa. The other QBs are former redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron and Nick Scalzo, a 2019 recruit who has never played a down. LSU: Starter Max Johnson transferred out, but Garrett Nussmeier, who got a couple of starts as a true freshman in 2021 returns as does often-injured Myles Brennan, who decided to return to LSU after putting his name in the portal. The only other quarterback is 5-star signee Walker Howard. Mississippi State: Starter Will Rogers returns. Backups Chance Lovertich, who got a few snaps against Vandy, and Jack Abraham, injured all last year, also return. Sam Houston State transfer Jack Kistofek, who didn’t play in 2021, returns. The Bulldogs signed 4-star Sawyer Robertson in 2021 along with 3-star Daniel Greek. The Bulldogs signed 3-star quarterback Braedon Locke back in December. Missouri: Starter Conner Bazelac has transferred to Illinois. When Bazelac went down with an injury late season Brady Cook took over as the starter. Freshman Tyler Macon, who saw action in three games returns. The Tigers signed 4-star Sam Horn. Ole Miss: Matt Corral is off to the NFL and John Rhys Plumlee has transferred to UCF. Kinkead Dent has been on campus since 2019 but has thrown only four passes. Luke Altmeyer was the backup last year and at this point is the incumbent. No high school or juco QBs have been signed yet nor has Lane Kiffin landed a transfer. South Carolina: The Gamecocks landed one of the bigger names in the transfer portal when Spencer Rattler left Oklahoma. Luke Doty, who missed a lot of games due to injury, is basically the returning starter. Colton Gauthier took a redshirt although he played in one game last year. Braedon Davis, a 4-star, early enrolled and the Gamecocks also signed 4-star Tanner Bailey. Tennessee: Hendon Hooker is the returning starter. Joe Milton III is still on the roster and Harrison Bailey has transferred to UNLV and Brian Maurer has transferred to Stephen F. Austin. The Vols signed 4-star Tayven Jackson. Texas A&M: Former LSU starter Max Johnson transferred in. Haynes King, who was the starter last year until he was injured is back but Zach Calzada, who started the final nine games, has transferred to Auburn. The Aggies signed 5-star Conner Weigman, who has enrolled. Vanderbilt: Ken Seals, who started seven games but missed the other five with injuries, is back as is Mike Wright, who was actually more effective in the five games he started, is also returning. The Commodores signed 3-star A.J. Swann and 3-star Drew Dickey. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: As the Gators begin Phase I of Billy Napier’s team building plan today, I have to wonder how he’s getting all these people hired, interviewing every single player, dealing with recruiting and the transfer portal and still having time to figure out how he’s going to manage the roster. It’s a very serious issue with the transfer portal combined with the NCAA’s rule that gave every single player who played in the 2020 COVID year an extra year of eligibility. The NCAA has offered some roster flexibility for this season, but hasn’t moved the needle even a millimeter when it comes to how all Division I schools will have a max of 85 on scholarship in 2023. There is actually a simple solution to this problem and it begins with football at the Division I level seceding from the NCAA. Let the coaches and athletic directors set their own rules and more important, their own scholarship limitations. Is 85 enough scholarships with 12-game seasons that can expand to 15 (more when the playoff expands)? How do you deal with what amounts to free agency? Because of the portal, it’s entirely possible that a program can be made irrelevant if enough players transfer out. How can you make up for the losses? This is a can of worms of the NCAA’s making. The NCAA proves incapable of dealing with these issues on a daily basis. If the schools in Division I are serious about roster management, they can start by jettisoning the NCAA and making some rules that make sense. What a concept that would be.

The situation called for perfection or whatever is next Sunday afternoon where a sellout crowd of 8,781 was shoehorned into the O-Dome and an ABC national television audience watched the biggest early-2022 gymnastics meet come down to Nya Reed and Trinity Thomas. This wasn’t national championship-on-the-line pressure but it was thick enough that it would have taken a chainsaw to cut through it. It was one of those rare moments when a head coach discovers exactly what kind of team she has. It’s one thing for Jenny Rowland to see her team in the gym every day, or like last week when second-ranked Florida blew the doors off three underwhelming opponents in a season-opening quad meet. It’s something else when the opponent is sixth-ranked Alabama, which has six NCAA championship banners hanging from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. It’s never an embarrassment to lose to the Crimson Tide, but this was anything but a vintage Florida performance. With the exception of a 9.975 by Reed followed by a perfect 10 from Thomas on the first rotation vault, the Gators were hardly living up to the pre-meet hype. Florida had to take at least one score of 9.775 or less on every rotation. There were deductions for falls, near falls, bobbles and dismounts. The Gators turned in a 48.975 on bars and their normally powerhouse beam rotation needed a 9.90 by freshman Leanne Wong to salvage a 49.100. Those kind of scores on bars and beams are the source of a lot of lost gymnastics meets. While the mistakes kept piling up for the Gators, Alabama wasn’t exactly turning in a championship-level performance, but Tammy Duckworth’s team made fewer mistakes and they were ever so close to walking out of the O-Dome with their first road win in Gainesville since 2003. When Luisa Blanco closed out a brilliant day at the office (9.925 bars, 9.900 floor and 9.950 beam) the Crimson Tide had a .350 lead, which probably seemed insurmountable. About the only thing standing in Alabama’s way of scoring a huge win that would send ripples through the collegiate gymnastics world was for Reed and Thomas to close out the meet the way they finished on the vault. But, that’s exactly what they did as the Gators rallied to a 197.000-196.925 win that Rowland called “the toughest 197 we’ve ever had to sweat out.” You’ve probably heard the old adage that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. While it isn’t necessarily true, it doesn’t happen very often. Back-to-back 10s at a gymnastics meet, especially when that’s almost what it will take to score a come-from-behind win? Let’s just say if you’re into wagering on such things, put your money on the lightning. In the case of the Gators Sunday afternoon, Reed and Thomas were lightning bolts. Although they didn’t know exactly what kind of deficit the Gators needed to erase to come away with a win, they knew both had to score big. Reed, whose 9.975 on the vault was a collegiate best in the event, went first. By the time she had completed her first tumbling run it was evident that this had the makings of a huge score as long as she didn’t overshoot a landing. She was a blur and then she exploded off the mat, so high that the crowd almost gasped in unison. It was scintillating. When she finished she was mobbed by teammates and the O-Dome crowd roared, then began a chant that was more of a demand from the judges. They screamed, “10! 10! 10!” Because Reed’s routine was both electric and without visible flaws, the judges could only comply with the crowd’s wishes. When the score was posted, the roar from the crowd was deafening. Reed’s 10 only drew the Gators close but it would still take Thomas coming through with one of her patented icewater-in-the-veins clutch performances. But how much to tie? How much to win? Rowland didn’t know but Florida assistant Adrian Burde did. When the Gators are performing, Burde’s brain works like a calculator. He had the winning score down to the hundredths of a point. “My brain doesn’t work like that but he [Burde] is always the person to come to and if you need to know what score we need at the moment,” Rowland said. A 9.925 would have tied the score, but Thomas, already with the 10 on the vault, was following a 10, which only increased the degree of difficulty. Since the judges had a baseline of perfection from which to score, if Reed’s floor was a 10, then Thomas probably needed something even more flawless if that was even possible. Two 10s in the same meet is a rarity. Three? It’s only happened once in Florida history, ironically at the O-Dome against Alabama. Alex McMurtry on bars, Bridget Sloan on beam and Kennedy Baker on floor were perfect that night in 2016. Perfect back-to-back? Kristen Guise and Amy Myerson did it for the Gators back in 1996. When Bridget Sloan and Kytra Hunter did it in 2014, it gave the Gators a come-from-behind win over Georgia in the SEC Championships in Birmingham. The pressure Sunday didn’t faze Thomas, who has had her share of perfection in a Florida leotard. An 18-time All-American, she isn’t a stranger to big moments. The focus it takes to score a perfect 10 requires requires completely zoning out the noise and neutralizing the pressure. Prior to Sunday, Thomas had a perfect score seven times – three each on floor and bars, one on beam. When she nailed her landing for a 10 on the vault, Thomas became only the third Florida gymnast – Sloan and McMurtry are the other two – and just the eleventh in NCAA history to complete the Gym Slam, which is at least one 10 on all four events. When Reed’s score was posted, the roar from the crowd nearly lifted the roof off the O-Dome. Thomas was caught up in the excitement momentarily. She wanted to join her teammates who encircled Reed, but thought better of it. Briefly before going into her personal cone of silence to become oblivious to the crowd noise and static enough to power the O-Dome, Thomas thought about the conversations she has been having with Reed about the possibility of the two of them one day going back-to-back perfect scores. “I saw Nya’s 10 go up, and I was like, ‘This is it!’” Thomas said. “We’ve talked about going back-to-back 10s before forever, and today, literally right before we went, we said, ‘Let’s do it!’ and her 10 came up and I gasped, and I was like, ‘Ahhh, this is the moment!’” In that moment, it’s almost like the O-Dome crowd anticipated what was about to happen. From the moment, Thomas made her way to the edge of the mat, the O-Dome crowd was there was real electricity in the air. When voice of the O-Dome Tom Collette announced her as the last competitor of the day, the crowd erupted louder than before. As if she needed it, Thomas got a rush of adrenaline. She responded with a brilliant effort, so flexible, a combination of grace and power. By the time she finished and Burde leapt high and punched a giant hole in the air, there was little doubt that Thomas had delivered a winning performance. Teammates danced and hugged. It was a Mount St. Helen moment for the crowd whose volcanic response practically willed the the judges to score another 10. When the judges complied with the 10 the crowd demanded, it set off a carnival-like celebration in the stands and on the mat. The only ones who weren’t celebrating were the Alabama Crimson Tide. They had come so close to breaking a long O-Dome losing streak only to see victory snatched away when not only one, but two perfect tens would do.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: A COMPLETE COACHING STAFF AND A BIG TIME TRANSFER A day without some sort of positive news from Billy Napier is almost like a day without sunshine. Perhaps this is all part of Napier’s plan. By spreading out the announcements the way he has, he’s keeping Florida football in the news and that is keeping Florida fans, rival coaching staffs and recruits engaged on a daily basis. Monday, Pete Thamel, formerly of Yahoo Sports but now of ESPN, announced that Florida will be hiring North Carolina co-defensive coordinator Jay Bateman as its inside linebackers coach, which completes Napier’s staff. Also announced was the transfer of two-time All-Sun Belt offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence from Louisiana. Bateman is a powerhouse recruiter who is also a former Broyles Award (nation’s top assistant coach) finalist from his four years as the defensive coordinator at Army (2014-18). He has worked his way up through the ranks starting as a graduate assistant at DIII Hampden-Sydney and then moving up through the D1AA ranks until he got his first Division I coaching job at Ball State (MAC) coaching inside linebackers. At Army in 2018, his defense finished eighth nationally, allowing just 295.5 yards per game. The Black Knights finished 10th in scoring defense that year (17.7 per game) and 10th against the run (106.77 yards per game). At North Carolina he coached safeties while sharing coordinator duties with Tommy Thigpen. Napier’s assistant coaching staff looks like this: Jabbar Jaluke (RB), Keary Colbert (WR), William Peagler (TE), Darnell Stapleton (OL), Rob Sale (OL/OC), Sean Spencer (DL/Co-DC), Mike Peterson (OLB), Bateman (ILB), Corey Raymond (CB) and Patrick Toney (S/Co-DC). Torrence was thought to be a heavy Gator lean from the time he entered the NCAA transfer portal. When it was announced that Rob Sale would be joining the staff after a year with the New York Giants and reuniting with Darnell Stapleton to coach the offensive line, it seemed to be one further indicator that Torrence (6-5, 335) would be coming to Florida. Torrence is the fifth transfer Napier has brought to Florida, the third (offensive tackle Kamryn Waites and running back Montrell Johnson are the others) who followed their coach from Louisiana. SEC BASKETBALL It seems a little bit strange that Gonzaga regained the No. 1 position in both the Associated Press and Coaches top 25 basketball polls. The Zags have won seven games in a row but their last loss was by nine points to Alabama on a neutral court. That’s important because No. 2 Auburn, which has one fewer loss than the Zags, just beat Alabama last week on the road in Tuscaloosa. One fewer loss and a win over a team that beat Gonzaga seems more impressive than the Zags seven straight. The SEC has four teams in the top 25 now: No. 2 Auburn, No. 12 Kentucky, No. 13 LSU and No. 24 Tennessee. Only the Big Ten and Big 12 (five each) have more top 25 teams than the SEC. Tuesday’s games: South Carolina (10-6, 1-3 SEC) at Arkansas (12-5, 2-3 SEC); No. 22 Tennessee (11-5, 2-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (10-6, 2-2 SEC); Missouri (7-9, 1-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-7, 1-3 SEC) Wednesday’s games: Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (10-6, 1-3 SEC); No. 18 Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (15-2, 4-0 SEC); No. 12 LSU (15-2, 3-2 SEC) at No. 24 Alabama (11-6, 2-3 SEC); Georgia (5-12, 0-4 SEC) at No. 4 Auburn (16-1, 5-0 SEC) The Associated Press Top 25: 1. Gonzaga 14-2; 2. Auburn 16-1; 3. Arizona 14-1; 4. Purdue 14-2; 5. Baylor 15-2; 6. Duke 14-2; 7. Kansas 14-2; 8. Wisconsin 14-2; 9. UCLA 11-2; 10. Houston 15-2; 11. Villanova 13-4; 12. Kentucky 14-3; 13. LSU 15-2; 14. Michigan State 14-3; 15. Iowa State 14-3; 16. Southern Cal 14-2; 17. Illinois 13-3; 18. Texas Tech 13-4; 19. Ohio State 11-4; 20. Xavier 13-3; 21. Providence 14-2; 22. Loyola Chicago 13-2; 23. Texas 13-4; 24. Tennessee 11-5; 25. UConn 11-4 The Coaches Top 25: 1. Gonzaga 14-2; 2. Auburn 16-1; 3. Arizona 14-1; 4. Purdue 14-2; 5. Duke 14-2; 6. Baylor 15-2; 7. Kansas 14-2; 8. Wisconsin 14-2; 9. UCLA 11-2; 10. Houston 15-2; 11. Villanova 13-4; 12. Kentucky 14-3; 13. Michigan State 14-2; 14. Iowa State 14-3; 15. Southern Cal 14-2; 16. LSU 15-2; 17. Illinois 13-3; 18. Ohio State 11-4; 19. Texas Tech 13-4; 20. Xavier 13-3; 21. Providence 14-2; 23. Colorado State 13-1; 24. Loyola Chicago 13-2; 25. (TIE) Tennessee 11-5 and UConn 11-4 SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: Linebacker Christian Harris will enter the NFL Draft after a season in which he had 70 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Arkansas: Former LSU cornerback Dwight McGlothern, who had 32 tackles and an interception in 2021, is transferring to Arkansas … Quarterback Cade Fortin, who began his collegiate career at North Carolina, is transferring from South Florida to Arkansas. He was 25-48 for 183 yards and two interceptions in 2021 at USF. Auburn: Guard Alec Jackson is returning for the 2022 season ... In the portal is defensive lineman J.J. Pegues, who also doubles as a tight end. Georgia: Brace yourself. JT Daniels, who was going to be the savior of Georgia football except he couldn’t beat out former walk-on Stetson Bennett, is expected to put his name in the transfer portal. If he leaves, his next destination will be his third school. Bennett, by the way, is pondering coming back for another year … Edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. has decided to return in 2022 as is defensive back William Poole III ... Linebacker Channing Tindall, who had 67 tackles and 5.5 sacks, is off for the NFL LSU: Punter Jay Bramblett, who averaged 43.8 yards at Notre Dame last year, is transferring to LSU … Wide receiver Jaray Jenkins, who caught 34 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns is returning for the 2022 season … Defensive analyst Gerald Chatman, who was retained by Brian Kelly, is leaving to become the defensive line coach at Tulane. Missouri: Edge rusher Tyrone Hopper, who suffered a season-ending injury in North Carolina’s first game of 2021, is transferring to Mizzou. This will be his seventh year of college football. Hopper is a grad transfer. Ole Miss: All-Conference USA offensive tackle Mason Brooks is transferring to Ole Miss from Western Kentucky. Brooks will bookend with Nick Broeker, the starting left tackle from 2021 who announced that he’s returning for 2021. Tennessee: Wide receiver JaVonta Payton, who caught six touchdown passes and led the SEC with 22.9 yards per catch, is headed to the NFL. THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT COLLEGE SPORTS SINCE 2000 Since 2000, there have been 64 national champions in the three most important college sports – football, basketball and baseball. Here is a breakdown of the conferences and the number of champions produced: Football (22) SEC 13; ACC 3; Big Ten 2; Big 12 2; Pac-12 1; Big East 1 Basketball (21) ACC 8; Big East 7; SEC 3; Big 12 2; Big Ten 1 Baseball (21) SEC 9; Pac-12 5; Big 12 2; ACC 1; WAC 1; Sun Belt 1; Mountain West 1; Big West 1 Conferences with the most national championships SEC 25; ACC 12; Big East 8; Big 12 6; Pac-12 6; Big Ten 3; WAC 1; Sun Belt 1; Mountain West 1; Big West 1 MATT HAYES WROTE IT … Writing for Saturday Down South, Matt Hayes gives us his take on ACC commissioner Jim Phillips going out on a limb to oppose expansion of the College Football Playoff and how the ACC could turn out to be the biggest loser in the future. Here are a few gems from that column: “Why would the ACC make a stand when it knows an expanded Playoff is the answer for monetary concerns (remember universities cutting programs during the 2020 season?), and for other issues that are quickly and clearly coming into focus (hello, pay for play). “Multiple industry sources believe there were two overriding reasons: A check on SEC power, and an attempted power play for force Notre Dame into the ACC – to supplement the conference’s undervalued media rights deal. “Neither will work, and both could eventually further strengthen the SEC.” On Notre Dame staying in lockstep with Greg Sankey and the SEC: “If FBS football contracts as part of the reorganization of the NCAA structure – and the Autonomous 5 (see: Power 5) conference break away from the Group of 5 – Notre Dame will almost certainly need a conference partner … Notre Dame knows this, and that’s why it has been tied at the hip with the SEC and Big 12 in pushing for the 12-team model – a model that would preserve its independent status and preserve some form of the current makeup of the FBS division. The very thing that Sankey has been trying to do.” On the ACC going alone: “The easiest way to understand the enormity of this moment: the SEC, Big 12 and Notre Dame favor 12-team Playoff expansion. The Pac-12 announced last week it’s agreeable to any form of Playoff expansion … The Big Ten doesn’t have a problem with a 12-team format; it does have an issue with the structure (number of automatic qualifiers). The ACC is the odd conference out.” On the possibility that stonewalling the playoff could force teams from other conferences to petition the SEC for membership: “The future of revenue generation is marketable marquee games. That’s why the SEC added Oklahoma and Texas and why the SEC could add more marketable teams – if pushed into the decision … Does the SEC want to expand? The short answer now is no. But you better believe Sankey has answers in case the landscape suddenly turns unstable. “Guess who stands to lose big if the SEC expands again? That’s right, the ACC.” ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: To expand the playoff or not to expand the playoff. That is only one of many questions that need to be answered for the health of all college sports but it just happens to be the single most important. Because football is the engine that drives all college sports, the revenue generated by an expanded playoff is critical and the sooner it happens, the better. The revenue from an expanded playoff isn’t going to cure all the financial problems facing college athletics, but if some of the economic projections are correct, a 12-team playoff could double or perhaps triple the current yearly payout which would mean bigger payouts to each conference. There is very little room to increase the $450 million or so generated in the current 4-team model, so expansion is imperative. I believe that far more money will be generated if the ESPN/ABC stranglehold is broken so that the playoff is spread out among multiple networks. The NFL is smart the way it spreads out its playoff broadcasts among CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN/ABC and then rotates the Super Bowl among its network affiliates. Since the NCAA Basketball Tournament expanded its coverage from a solo effort by CBS to include the networks of the Turner family (TBS, TNT and a couple others), the tournament is far better because fans can see entire games instead of hopscotching from one game to another. No matter who broadcasts, however, whether it’s ESPN/ABC or multiple networks, it’s time for the conference commissioners who have the final say in an expanded playoff to figure out how to get this done before the current contract with ESPN/ABC expires after the 2025 season. It would be a big help if the commissioners would eliminate this silly notion that any expansion vote has to be unanimous.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT, THE NEXT FEW DAYS WILL BE HECTIC If you are of the opinion that Billy Napier has done everything but move heaven and earth in the last few weeks, then brace yourself and buckle up. In NASCAR terms, it will be pedal to the metal. Start with coaching staff. Sean Spencer hasn’t been formally announced yet, but he has at least one foot in the door as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. He spent the last two years with the New York Giants, but from 2011-19 he was with James Franklin at Vanderbilt and Penn State. Each of his last three years at Penn State, the Nittany Lions were top ten nationally in sacks. Spencer’s nickname is “Coach Chaos.” That leaves the inside linebackers position open and it should be filled this week. On the transfer portal, Napier plucked corner Jalen Kimber, a former 4-star recruit who has four years of eligibility remaining, from Georgia. He was a 2020 signee (doesn’t count against eligibility) and played in only one game in 2021 after injuring his shoulder so that counts as a redshirt. Today, offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 335), an All-Sun Belt Conference performer for Napier at Louisiana, will decide his transfer destination between Florida and LSU. Smart money is on Florida, where he visited this weekend and where his name is already listed in the student directory. Another possible transfer this week is wide receiver Javon Baker, who caught seven passes for 101 yards and a TD in 2021. He was a 4-star recruit out of high school whose offer list included Auburn, Ohio State, Michigan and Ole Miss. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Expect more transfers in the days ahead based on what Napier said Friday: “I think you could see us add a number of players over the next 10 days or so, maybe little less than that, eight to 10 days. We’re still in process of working on that part of our team.” And then there was the commitment from 3-star defensive back Miguel Mitchell out of Oxford, Alabama, formerly committed to Vanderbilt but with offers from Louisiana, LSU, Southern Cal and Wake Forest among others. There were other official visitors over the weekend beside Mitchell. Commitments could be forthcoming. IT WAS ONLY ONE WIN, BUT IT DOES CHANGE PERSPECTIVE ABOUT UF HOOPS After an 0-3 start to the SEC portion of the schedule, any kind of win would have been a huge relief for the Gators, but couple Florida’s 71-63 win over South Carolina with a rather chaotic Saturday in the Southeastern Conference and it does change perspective. At least for the moment. At 1-3, the Gators are only two-games behind fourth place Mississippi State (3-1) in the SEC standings. Fourth place is important because the top four teams in the league get a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. There are still 14 SEC games remaining, but the way it’s looking right now 10-8 in league play will have a real shot at the double-bye. The Gators are just one game out in the win column from Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. They’re even in the loss column with Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. From a perspective standpoint, the Gators (10-6, 1-3 SEC) are in far better shape than they were heading into the weekend. The big question is can their success against South Carolina carry over into Wednesday night’s game at the O-Dome with Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1 SEC)? In getting the win over South Carolina (10-6, 1-3 SEC), the Gators got 55 percent shooting (27-49) from the field, the best overall shooting day they’ve had all season. The Gators shot 31.8 percent (7-22) on three-pointers, but that was on eight fewer attempts than they had last Wednesday in the loss to LSU so it represents significant improvement. The Gators also had 17 assists on 27 made baskets, their best passing effort in quite some time. Florida still turned the ball over 15 times, which is too many, and it allowed South Carolina to score 19 points, but the overall defensive effort made it difficult for the Gamecocks to get many good shots. Whereas Florida was efficient with its shooting, the Gamecocks launched 75 shots and made only 26 (34.7 percent). The Gators got a big lift from freshman Kowacie Reeves, who made only the second start of his career. Reeves hit 4-6 from the field (2-3 on three-pointers), 4-5 from the foul line and contributed three rebounds, an assist, a blocked shot and a steal. His 14 points represent a career high. He made a critical defensive play late in the game and hit four free throws in the final 5:20. Was this the breakthrough game the former 5-star recruit has been waiting for? “I mean, I’m lost for words honestly, because a lot of the guys on the team predicted, like, told me something similar to this was gonna happen,” Reeves said. “Like, (Anthony) Duruji and Colin (Castleton), they was telling me, they was comparing their freshmen years and telling me how things was just up and down and bumpy for them at first, but they just encouraged me to just keep pushing on, keep working, paying attention to every little detail and just being engaged on defense. That was going to keep me on floor. So, once I did get those things, it started to come together. I just got to continue to do those things and feed off those guys.” Castleon had a big game although not in the scoring column. He only got seven shots (made four) due to the way South Carolina was collapsing around him, but his 10 points were accompanied by seven rebounds, two assists and a season-high eight blocked shots. With Castleton protecting the rim, South Carolina only got 20 points in the paint the whole game. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. matched Reeves in the scoring column (14 points) and had three rebounds, one assist, one steal and a blocked shot. SEC Basketball Saturday’s scores: FLORIDA (10-6, 1-3 SEC) 71, South Carolina (10-6, 1-3 SEC) 63; No. 4 Auburn (16-1, 5-0 SEC) 80, Ole Miss (9-7, 1-3 SEC) 71; Arkansas (12-5, 2-3 SEC) 65, No. 12 LSU (15-2, 3-2 SEC) 58; No. 18 Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC) 107, No. 22 Tennessee (11-5, 2-3 SEC) 79; Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1 SEC) 78, No. 24 Alabama (11-6, 2-3 SEC) 76; Texas A&M (15-2, 4-0 SEC) 67, Missouri (7-9, 1-3 SEC) 64; Vanderbilt (10-6, 2-2 SEC) 73, Georgia (5-12, 0-4 SEC) 66 Tuesday’s games: South Carolina (10-6, 1-3 SEC) at Arkansas (12-5, 2-3 SEC); No. 22 Tennessee (11-5, 2-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (10-6, 2-2 SEC); Missouri (7-9, 1-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-7, 1-3 SEC) Wednesday’s games: Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (10-6, 1-3 SEC); No. 18 Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (15-2, 4-0 SEC); No. 12 LSU (15-2, 3-2 SEC) at No. 24 Alabama (11-6, 2-3 SEC); Georgia (5-12, 0-4 SEC) at No. 4 Auburn (16-1, 5-0 SEC) KELLY RAE HAS THE UF WOMEN ON A ROLL Considering the chaos surrounding the Florida women’s basketball program these last few months, what Kelly Rae Finley has done with the Gators (13-5, 3-2 SEC) might be worthy of having the interim removed. Sunday, the Gators rallied from nine points down in the fourth quarter for a hard fought 85-77 win over Alabama (10-7, 1-5 SEC). This was Florida’s third straight SEC win and the 13th win is one more than the Gators had all of last season under former coach Cam Newbauer. The Gators own two SEC wins over ranked opponents. And, this is happening without best player Lavender Briggs, out the last four games and the rest of the season with a shin fracture. The Gators face their toughest stretch of the season in the next two weeks with games against (at) Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and (at) Georgia, all ranked in the top 20. If the Gators can find a way to win one or two of those games, it could make Kelly Rae a viable option for the future or at least worth considering for the permanent position. SEC FOOTBALL Alabama: Coming back in 2022 are All-SEC linebacker Henry To’o To’o, All-SEC defensive back Jordan Battle, right guard Emil Ekiyor Jr., defensive tackles D.J. Dale and Byron Young and defensive back Demarcco Hellams, … Declaring for the NFL Draft are wide receivers Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden and defensive back Jalyn Armour-Davis … Transferring out are wide receiver Javon Baker … Transferring to Texas is tight end Jauleel Billingsley. Billingsley caught 17 passes for 253 yards and three TDs in 2021 … Quarterback Paul Tyson, grandson of Bear Bryant, is transferring to Arizona State. Linebacker King Mwikuti is transferring to Arkansas State. Arkansas: Backup quarterback Malik Hornsby has removed his name from the transfer portal ... Former Alabama linebacker Drew Sanders is transferring to Arkansas. Auburn: Corner DJ James, who had 46 tackles and two interceptions in 2021, is transferring in from Oregon … Linebacker Chandler Wooten has declared for the NFL. He had 94 tackles and an interception in 2021 … J.C. Sherritt, who has spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at D1AA Cal Poly, has joined the staff as a defensive analyst … Caylin Newton, formerly a quarterback at Howard who was a wide receiver at Auburn in 2021, is transferring out. Georgia: Wide receiver George Pickens, who caught 90 passes for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career, has declared for the NFL Draft. Also leaving are running back Zamir White, safety Lewis Cine, linebacker Nakobe Dean, corner Derion Kendrick, defensive lineman Travon Walker and offensive tackle Jamaree Salyer… Returning is defensive back Christopher Smith, who had seven tackles and an interception in the national championship game. Also returning in the secondary is STAR/nickel Tykee Smith, who suffered a torn ACL and played in only two games … In addition to corner Jalen Kimber transferring to Florida, defensive back Lovasea Carroll is in the portal. Carroll was a 4-star running back recruit when he came to Georgia. He only played in four games in 2021, so he is a redshirt freshman with four seasons of eligbility remaining. Kentucky: Defensive back Tyrell Ajian, who had 46 tackles and an interception in 2021, is returning for 2022. LSU: LSU is expected to hire Cortez Hankton, who coached Georgia’s wide receivers … Linebacker West Weeks, who had 31 tackles and a sack as a true freshman at Virginia in 2021, is transferring to LSU as is wide receiver Kyren Lacy, who had 50 catches for 684 yards and 10 touchdowns in two seasons playing for Billy Napier at Louisiana … Bowling Green offensive coordinator Terry Malone is joining the LSU staff as an offensive analyst. Mississippi State: Wide receiver Justin Robinson, who caught two passes for 18 yards in 2021, is transferring from Georgia to Mississippi State. Missouri: Former Texas State offensive coordinator Jacob Peeler has been hired to coach the wide receivers. Ole Miss: As expected, Henry Parrish is following running backs coach Kevin Smith to Miami. Parrish ran for 551 yards and three touchdowns in 2021 at Ole Miss ... Defensive back Jalen Jordan is transferring to South Alabama where he will join former Ole Miss wide receiver Jadon Jackson. Tennessee: The Vols will play Syracuse in the 2025 Chik-fil-A Kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta … Former starting O-lineman K’Rohn Calbert is transferring to D1AA Eastern Kentucky. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I don’t normally give much credit to ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who I think was dropped on his head by his mother too many times when he was an infant, but he did get one thing right in a weekend rant stating his opposition to College Football Playoff expansion: There is indeed a problem with the NCAA that has to be fixed. Now that the Boy Scouts and the brain dead at the NCAA have allowed sports to become pay for play, it’s time for the Division I football schools to secede and form their own organization with their own set of rules before Mark Emmert and his minions can figure out a way to screw things up permanently.

The first time Napier set foot on the field was the Gasparilla Bowl, where he couldn't coach -- only observe. But he quickly found out about the challenges ahead. (UAA Photo) 'The bad news is that the Bulldogs wound up being very Kirby Smart after all. And it feels like Kirby may have lapped the field on Dan Mullen’s Gators. Now the baton has been handed off to Billy Napier…' Hey diddle-diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow – and the Bulldog and Elephant – jumped over the moon. The Gator is still trying to get off the launch pad. Perhaps there is help on the way, but at this moment, the new SEC bar is so high that the moon cannot be found in Gainesville with The James Webb telescope. Has anybody got a slide rule or tape measure? We need to gauge just how high Georgia and Alabama raised the stakes after that bombastic national championship performance Monday night. This is getting to be serious bid-ness. How serious? A gambler friend of mine suggested the other day that the hottest new card game in Vegas is called GEORGIA Hold ‘Em. “We ain’t ever seen nothin’ like that around here in these parts of Texas,” said my friend from Austin. There’s got a to be a better measuring stick than the unreliable one used by the previous Gator coach. Remember how Dan Mullen described the distance between the Florida and Georgia programs after his second straight loss to Georgia in 2019, 24-17? “Seven points,” said Mullen. “We are seven points behind Georgia.” Technically Dan was right and he backed it up by beating Georgia the next year, but it sounded more like a point spread than a team vs. team evaluation. While Mullen may have won that battle, he was in the process of losing the war. And he did lose the war, plus his job. By a mile. The bad news is that the Bulldogs wound up being very Kirby Smart after all. And it feels like Kirby may have since lapped the field on Dan Mullen’s Gators. Now the baton has been handed off to Billy Napier, whose early speed looks impressive. But Napier knows he wants to be the tortoise, not the hare. Frankly, that Georgia advantage Mullen described as “seven points” looks more like “seventy” at the moment. And yet, as grim as that forecast might seem for Gator fans, the young 42-year-old Tennessee-born, Georgia-raised, son-of-a-coach Napier proffers the one commodity lacking these days around The Gator Nation: Hope. I am here today to offer you a little bit of that, but also tempering it with a bit of cautious optimism. Many Gator fans are stuck in the middle between hope and despair, still striped with the recent scars of the failed romance with Mullen. We may never know what was behind the crashing and burning of The Dan Mullen Flying Machine, with pieces on the ground. And while there is no shame in seeking a self-diagnosis for what looks and feels like Post Disorder Stress Syndrome, let me assure you there is no need for PTSD symptoms brought on by the disappointment of failed expectations over games. Less than 40 days ago after the dismissal of Mullen and hiring of Florida’s 25th full-time head coach – there have been five interims -- many of us began educating ourselves, drilling down on the potential, prospects and the personality of Billy Napier. Here’s what I do know: --Napier said he was drafting an “army” of coaches and support personnel. Consider it done. One source told me they saw information that said the number is 78 and that number is close to being reached. --Napier said he doubted he’d corral many – if any -- commits out of the current 2022 class. He got nine, including 5-star safety Kamari Wilson, and the forecast for signing day No. 2 in February is bright and sunny. Stay tuned for As The Transfer Portal Turns drama. You can bet Napier has plans for strip-mining that resource. He picked up another player Tuesday when he added sophomore running back Montrell Johnson from Louisiana-Lafayette, who rushed for 838 yards last season. --In this world of Name-Image-Likeness fondness, those who hesitate are lost. I’m told that Napier has big plans for using all legal means to cultivate the agencies who are signing up his players to deals, but that he’s very much in favor of immediate action. Apparently, NIL is going to be a big deal at Florida under Napier. --And speaking of immediate action: Since the football players started parking their cars on campus or near the practice stadium 100 years ago, campus police have been ticketing and/or booting them into oblivion and probably have a line item in their budget for “Football Players Parking Revenue.” In almost no time Napier reached out to the administration to “borrow” the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium North Lawn space. Immediately players were tweeting how thrilled they were after new warm breakfasts to be able to park their car without fear of being ticketed or towed away. These are good omens. I’m not claiming to have cracked the code, but I do consider myself somewhat of a graduate student of college football, with a minor in football coaches – having lived with and around them for more than a half century. While I’m not going to get into the prophesying and coach prediction business, I am fairly confident Napier can be successful, based on what I’m seeing, hearing and feeling. And I like the hire. But it should come with a warning label of “Do Not Try This At Home.” Steve Spurrier recently admitted after having stated that “Dan Mullen will break my record for wins and I only hope he will allow me to be there to present him with the game ball,” that he was dead wrong and that he planned to “get out of the coach predicting business.” If the HBC is swearing off the coaching crystal ball, so am I. in his presser Friday, Napier carefully outlined his plan, point by point, laid out his 13-day evaluating process, embraced the cooperative spirit of current players like Emory Jones and congratulated his rival Georgia because “I know a lot of people in that building.” He assured the media that every member of his mammoth support staff would have a purpose and nobody would be there “eating popcorn and watching the game on TvV.” They will be assisting in the development of a big roster that will eventually include 85 scholarship players and 50 walkons. Napier has a plan and a vision, but was was quick to add: “Vision without action is a dream." Seems like Napier is a man of action doing and saying all the right things. But let me check myself right there, remembering what I saw from the behemoths in Lucas Oil Stadium. It brought about a new definition for “Big Boy Football.” It’s time for another Gator coach to begin scaling this mountain again. At least it will be in the right direction, a few steps closer to the moon. Hey diddle diddle.

“Vision without an action is a dream so it’s important here that we translate this vision we have here for University of Florida football into simple every-day actions.” – Billy Napier Of all the things Billy Napier said at the 15-minute press conference he held Friday morning on the third level press deck at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, what resonates most is that Florida’s new football coach is busy turning a vision into something tangible. There wasn’t enough time to go into every minute detail about the flurry of activity that he set in motion the moment he was hired more than a month ago. This is not a Houdini act that he’s performing. The problems he inherited are not going to disappear instantly but listening to him describe what’s going on, you get the impression that this chip away approach is going to work just fine. There were only a few smiles and no giggles as Napier took a few moments to outline what’s next as he applies his “People Plan” to Florida football. What stood out as much or more than anything else was the way Napier came across like the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, which, in reality, is what he is. Jim McElwain, yellow teeth and no socks, always came across as the middle-aged guy who wants to remind everyone that he was once the cool kid who drove a convertible. He tried folksy, but nobody bought then or has bought since the my dog Clarabelle approach. Dan Mullen always came across as someone too busy trying to convince us that he’s the smartest guy in the room rather than the coach who has his finger on every pulse involved in the program. In the end, Mullen’s smarts couldn’t compensate for all the flaws in his organization. Napier was almost robotic but in a good way Friday morning. Good, because after the chaos of a 2020 season that could have been and a 2021 that never was, it’s not a bad thing to have a coach who has a daily spreadsheet of tasks that have to be performed and the day isn’t complete until every box has been checked. So, style points were in short supply as Napier gave an overview before answering a few questions from the media. You wouldn’t call his answers perfect tens, but that might have something to do with the fact that as many blanks as Napier has already filled in there are still plenty more to go. There are things he just can’t talk about yet because he hasn’t completely assembled his staff. It is fairly obvious that in the short time he’s been on the job at UF, Napier has taken a wrecking ball to the worn-out structure that was in place prior to his arrival. Now he’s busy laying a brand new foundation, one strong enough to withstand future storms, and that begins and ends with people. Every time Napier speaks you come away with a better understanding of how football, relationships and people are necessary parts to create a championship engine. As the CEO, he understands that if he doesn’t surround himself with the best people possible, this will be a house of cards just as it was for Will Muschamp, McElwain and Mullen before him. Muschamp was saddled with Charlie Weis as his first offensive coordinator and then he compounded things by bringing in Brent Pease after year one. McElwain promised offense, never delivered after Will Grier was suspended for testing positive for performance enhancement drugs, and his luck ran out when the NFL defense Muschamp left behind all went pro. If the Mullen years were a movie, then he was the star surrounded by a bunch of assistants that he found on the set of Hee Haw. Never has it been so obvious that championships are never won with average or below average assistants. There were expectations that Napier would announce a filled-out coaching staff Friday but that didn’t happen. The final two spots of the coaching staff – defensive line and inside linebackers/co-defensive coordinator – probably won’t be announced until certain NFL teams involved in the playoffs pack up the pads for the winter. Napier also didn’t announce any further gems snagged out of the transfer portal. Three have been announced – quarterback Jack Miller III (Ohio State), offensive tackle Kamryn Waites (Louisiana) and running back Montrell Johnson (also Louisiana) – and more will be announced in the days ahead but the decision of who and how many will transfer has its roots in an almost complete process of evaluating each player on the current roster. Napier said Friday that he is just now completing a 13-day assessment period in which he will have personal conversations with every player on the current roster. “Certainly, you're not just evaluating a guy from a physical component, right,” Napier said. “You’re evaluating what is his history on the field from a production standpoint, right. What is his history as a teammate? What is the consensus amongst the people in the building about him? Certainly, they've got a track record academically, and some of these players we have history with where we know them from the past, but I think the big thing here is that we've got to establish working relationships. We've got to establish trust and communication with all the areas of the organization that work with the player.” During practices leading up to the Gasparilla Bowl and in the game itself, Napier got a first hand look at the players on the roster who have remaining eligibility. Seeing players with their work and practice habits up close and personal will go a long way toward determining how to build and shape the roster. Which players, for example, fit immediately into the plans for 2022 and beyond? What needs can be addressed with high school and junior college recruits? There is, after all, a February signing period looming and this is a very big recruiting weekend with two more to come. That leads to the question how many transfers beyond the three already announced will be brought in to strengthen positions of need? “I think we were fortunate to be able be around and observe bowl practice,” Napier said. “We put players through evaluation workouts. We made profile tapes of every player returning on the team. I think we were able to wrap our heads around about the current team, where we’re at, positions of concern from depth perspective. Where is there a gap in depth? And then went out and acquired some players in some of those positions. Now there’s more to come. I think you could see us add a number of players over the next 10 days or so, maybe little less than that, eight to 10 days. We’re still in process of working on that part of our team.” Attrition is always part of every spring at all 130 Division I football programs and Florida will be no different. Some on the current roster may choose to call it a college football career even before spring football. Others will go through the 15 spring practices and find themselves buried so deeply on the depth chart or at odds with the new offensive and defensive systems that they feel compelled to find a new place to play. Spring football also could sound alarm bells at certain positions, which is why the transfer portal will be in play for Napier at least until the end of the spring semester. “You’ve got the recruiting perspective,” Napier said. “You’ve got a window to get them in now, and then kind of a sprint until February signing day, and then you have another opportunity to add some players prior to summer school starting. Three windows of time to add players, and certainly we’re working hard in all three of those areas.” When Napier was hired at Clemson by Tommy Bowden (Dabo Swinney’s predecessor) there was no “army” of support people – “I think we had nine assistants, two GAs, an ops guy, a high school relations guy” – but once Nick Saban began taking more of an NFL approach to college football, the notion of support staff at every level has taken off. Mullen’s support staff was fairly small. Napier’s will involve everything from many more analysts, graduate assistants, recruiting staff, player personnel, high school relations and NIL specialists. There is no area that can be neglected for a program that will involve 85 on scholarship and 50 walk-ons. Napier takes the approach that 135 football players requires a good staff-to-player ratio to deal with every phase of the player’s life and football career. “I think that’s a big part of what we believe in, more people that have a sincere care for the player and want to impact the player,” Napier said. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin caught Napier’s vision for the program and made him the top priority when Mullen was dismissed. Stricklin believes in his coach so much that while he may not have given him a blank check, he will devote more than adequate resources to ensure the Gators can compete with Alabama, Georgia and others who are finding success through their own more is better approach. Napier has worked for Dabo Swinney at Clemson and for Nick Saban at Alabama. During his time at Alabama he was friends with defensive coordinator now Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. The idea isn’t to mimic what those three are doing, but to create a football culture that uniquely fits the footprint of the University of Florida. It involves an organizational plan that incorporates eight phases for football and six for recruiting. Perhaps you don’t try to clone what others have done, but you certainly understand what they’re doing and what it takes to equal or better their success. “I think it’s important for us to focus on the things that we can control but also understanding the question I think you’ve got to be aware of the competition,” Napier said. “Know your competition. Certainly we'll get into those things as we get closer to competing, but right now I'm more concerned and working hard on what's going on inside our house, you know, instead of worry about what the neighbor's house is doing. “I think that's just where we're at. That's where we're at in this process: really evaluating all the things that are going on relative to the development of our players. What can we do better to help them in all areas, and that's the approach we've taken, but each year one team gets to stand on that stage and hold the trophy up, right? The good thing is that this place has done it before, right? So, we're very capable, but I also think we understand the amount of hard work that goes into that. We’ve got a lot of work to do before we start worrying about that.” Vision without action is only a dream. The difference between a dream and a vision capable of becoming reality is what happens every single day. Michelangelo didn’t sculpt the statue of David overnight, but his vision transformed from a rock into a masterpiece because he came to work every day for two years and patiently added magnificent shape by chipping away, sanding, polishing and then repeating the process. After two years of hard work, Michelangelo had a finished product that has withstood the test of time. Think of the Florida football program as a chunk of marble and Billy Napier as the sculptor, hammer and chisel in hand, armed with an “army” of supporters who are helping him create what he expects to be a masterpiece.

For me and my hosts that night, as well as a handful of others, sitting here has not changed how we cheer our team. For many others, Gator basketball is a different world in this atmosphere. Empty seats paint a spectacle much like any cross-section of Doak Campbell Stadium any Saturday during the fall. By CARLTON REESE The Florida Gators basketball team has forever enjoyed a vaunted home court advantage, one that only a handful of other places seem to match or surpass. Such has been the case going back to the days of the old Alligator Alley, where some pretty mediocre UF teams took down some national powers from time to time. The fans seemed to crowd the court from sideline to sideline and baseline to baseline, leaving opposing teams feeling a bit claustrophobic and perhaps even overwhelmed. I remember the 1979 UF team dismantling ninth-ranked Kentucky in that old building and that was a Gators team that won only eight times. In 1975, the fourth-ranked Wildcats fell to a sub-.500 Gator squad and that season UF took down a pair of top-10 teams in Alabama and Vanderbilt in the span of three days. Beginning in 1980, the Gators moved into the more modern Stephen C. O’Connell Center, and although the atmosphere for home games changed overnight, the crowds were bigger and louder and still seemingly right on top of the players. That home court advantage became legendary when coach Billy Donovan took over and guided the Gators to a pair of national championships. Those days are long gone, and it is not because of the talent or coaching. The renovated dome now referred to as the Exactech Arena, where fans sit in the dark and stare at a luminous court as though at a Broadway show, cannot be described with the same adjectives as in days of yore. After Wednesday night’s loss to LSU, head coach Mike White commented on how pleased he was with the crowd’s involvement. “It was…” White said, then paused before continuing, “… good.” Not “electric” or “intimidating” – just “good.” He would have been lying had he described the crowd, whose loudest moments came during the halftime entertainment, as “raucous” or anything of the sort. No, ‘good’ was pretty accurate. There were some loud moments when the Gators roared back to within a point and had the Tigers on the ropes. The students did their part as they usually do and have for the last 45 years that I have attended UF basketball games, including my time in that section during the mid-to-late 1980s. The problem is on the other side of the court. As a student, I remember chants of “Old People, Stand!” directed at the alumni section. It was funny and the point made, but that side was always full of fans and for the most part was as loud as one could expect. What we have today borders on embarrassing. I have sat in the Club Seats several times and did so again for Wednesday night’s loss. The area is not wanting for the creature comforts: complimentary all-you-can-eat dining with desserts and snacks, bottomless beverages and virtually no lines to wait in for a beer. The chair-back seating is miles from the cheek-to-cheek bench seating that existed before the renovation. For me and my hosts that night, as well as a handful of others, sitting here has not changed how we cheer our team. For many others, Gator basketball is a different world in this atmosphere. Empty seats paint a spectacle much like any cross-section of Doak Campbell Stadium any Saturday during the fall. At one point, three ladies took their seats near us at about the 5:30 mark of the first half and I am not sure if they ever noticed anything taking place on the court – cell phones in their grills and hair-dryer conversations aplenty. They weren’t the only ones. It occurred to me that the atmosphere was merely social for them and likely for many others who do not share the same passion for the game as me and my gracious hosts. To watch a Florida basketball game on television is to notice quite demonstrably what seems like half a half-empty stadium courtside. It looks like a Rays game, quite honestly. Perhaps if the television cameras were situated on the other side of the court, one would only see a packed student section. I cringe every time I turn on a Gator basketball game, for that very reason. Club section seats are expensive and go to many benefactors and long-time season-ticket holders. They are rewarded with a first-class experience at every game and the event becomes something more than just a basketball game – I highly recommend it. So why all the empty seats there? It used not to be this way – in the days of the cold benches, these sections were always packed, even during lean times when victories were not so common. I’m not conducting any psychological experiment here, only asking a question regarding something that has been nagging me from the time of this building’s renovation. Where has the energy gone? It’s too easy to say that it went away after the dominance on the court faded – that energy was there in good times and bad during my lifetime of attending games. This phenomenon is recent. At Duke’s storied Cameron Indoor Arena, the student section surrounds the entire court and it is likely the greatest home court advantage in all of college basketball. They don’t enjoy carved meat and bread pudding, but they do enjoy annual runs at championships. The old Alligator Alley was akin to Cameron in this way. Dank and musty, Alligator Alley was a relic even in its time, but there certainly existed a charm. We shall never go back and the construction of the O-Dome helped make those national titles possible, even if they did take 25 years in the making. The O-Dome provided its own atmosphere about which television announcers and opposing coaches extolled, carrying on without hyperbole the role of the venue in making a road trip to Gainesville among the most feared in college basketball. The last two opponents to visit Gainesville, Alabama and LSU, were clearly superior teams to the Gators, yet both came in as underdogs according to the bookmakers. No doubt, the minds in Vegas have not yet caught on that Exactech Arena is no significant edge for the home team. At this point in time, the Gators are a good basketball team, certainly not a great one. The first three SEC games were all against elite competition and UF was competitive in each and probably should have won at least one, that being against LSU where the offensive game plan yielded more wide open 3-point shots than we have seen in a very long time; unfortunately, very few of those shots went through the hoop. The 22.6 percent shooting from 3-point range and the uglier 50 percent from the free throw line were not the result of LSU defenders. Meanwhile, LSU players were banking in fadeaway 3-pointers at shot clock buzzer. Colin Castleton has his moments but it's too early to tell about this team. (Chris Spears photo) It’s too early to write off this Florida team, but we’re close – a bad day in Columbia Saturday will most certainly put the Gators in too big a hole to crawl out of, with the conference being as loaded as it is. If the Gators can make a run, it would be nice for it to happen in front of a full crowd courtside and not a bunch of empty blue chairs. Will an upset or two do the trick… or would lobster bisque be the more enticing option?