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

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

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

Todd Golden should be SEC Coach of the Year (Photo by Chris Spears) The best basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference is Todd Golden. He proved it last year when he took the Gators to the NCAA championship in just his third year on the Florida job. He should have been SEC coach of the year in 2025, but that honor was bestowed on Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, whose Tigers held the No. 1 ranking for a portion of the season and who got to the Final Four. Head-to-head, Golden won two matchups with Auburn, one during the regular season when Auburn was ranked No. 1 and then in the NCAA semifinals, where Auburn was the No. 1 seed for the entire tournament.   The best player in the Southeastern Conference, and quite frankly, the nation last year was Walter Clayton Jr. When the SEC coaches voted on Player of the Year, they voted for Johni Broome of Auburn. Amazingly, when the coaches voted the All-SEC team, one or more didn’t vote Clayton first team. Yet, Clayton was a consensus first team All-America, the Most Outstanding Player at the SEC Tournament, the NCAA West Regional and for the entire NCAA Tournament. Head-to-head, Walt was the better player than Broome, both during the regular season game and especially the semifinals when he scored 34 points. Broome had 15 points in the semis, but only three in the second half when the Gators erased a 12-point Auburn lead.   It’s worth mentioning last year because with four games remaining in the regular season, Florida is ranked No. 7 nationally and on the kind of dominating run that makes the Gators the team nobody in his right mind wants to play. It’s true the Gators lost head-to-head matchups to now No. 3 Arizona, No. 1 Duke and No. 6 UConn, but Arizona was the first game of the year in November, and both Duke and UConn were early in December. All three of those games were on the road. Arizona in Las Vegas was nothing more than another home game for the Wildcats. The Gators faced Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and Roger Ayers was on the whistle. Duke never loses at Cameron, especially when Ayers is calling the game. Although it was Washington DC last Saturday when Duke beat Michigan, guess who was on the whistle? As for UConn, that game was at Madison Square Garden, also known as Storrs South because whenever the Huskies play there it is nothing more than a home game.   The Gators who played Arizona, Duke and UConn early season aren’t the Gators of right now. Todd Golden was still juggling his roster and trying to figure out a rotation that would bring out maximum efficiency. That time has come. Golden has the best front court in the nation with starters Tommy Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon with 7-1 Micah Handlogten coming off the bench. The backcourt has been trickier because it took awhile for Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee and Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland to grow comfortable with each other and for Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown to emerge as the go-to guys off the bench. It took awhile for the four in the backcourt to blend together and play like a real unit, but Golden’s patience and tinkering with how he used these guys has paid off. Florida’s four backcourt guys are as good as or better than any team in the country, not to mention the SEC.   The result is an exceptional 8-man rotation, which this time of year is ideal for making a run at winning a national championship. Golden scheduled an incredibly tough non-conference schedule, found his rotation and now the Gators sit 12-2 in the SEC. With two wins in the last four games, the Gators will be the SEC champs for the first time since 2014. It would take the Gators losing twice and Arkansas going 4-0 which would mean beating UF at the O-Dome Saturday for someone other than Florida to win the SEC.   So, will Todd Golden be the SEC Coach of the Year. He could be but bet the ranch the SEC coaches will vote either Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington or Texas A&M’s Bucky McMillan. Both Byington and McMillan have done an outstanding job but Golden beat both of them head-to-head. He also beat Alabama’s Nate Oats and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes head-to-head and there is a very strong possibility Golden gets John Calipari’s scalp to hang on his belt Saturday night.   Smart money says the Gators finish the final two weeks of the regular season 4-0 and win the SEC title by three games at 16-2. No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) has to play Texas A&M tonight, Florida on the road, Texas at home and Missouri on the road. There is at least one loss in there. Among the last four for No. 17 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) are roadies to No. 22 Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) and a resurgent Georgia team, plus arch-rival Auburn in the finale. Alabama at Tennessee is an elimination game with the loser getting its fifth loss in league play. Tennessee also has to deal with Missouri tonight and No. 25 Vanderbilt in the last game of the year.   Florida will win the SEC by either two or three games and the Gators will be a top-5 ranked team. That’s worthy of SEC Coach of the Year for Golden, who with three more wins gets to 100 in four years on the Florida job.   So will he get it? Donkeys might fly first.   That brings us to SEC Player of the Year. Before going further, think back to last year when Walter Clayton Jr. was the best player in the league and not only didn’t he win it, but at least one coach left him off his All-SEC first team ballot. Last year (2024), also, the coaches didn’t vote Florida football center Jake Slaughter first, second or third team All-SEC. The Associated Press voted him first team All-SEC and first team All-America.   The best player in the SEC is Tommy Haugh. Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas, Nate Ament of Tennessee, Otega Oweh of Kentucky and Tyler Tanner score more points, but as Haugh has proven with his performances against the likes of Arizona, Duke and UConn, not to mention the SEC schedule, he’s the best player in the league.   Here is what UConn coach Dan Hurley said after the game in Madison Square Garden: “I think he’s one of my favorite players in recent memory, just that guy is just an incredible player,” Hurley said. “… That guy’s like first team All-American. I mean that guy should be a lottery pick. That guy’s tremendous.”   He is tremendous and the reason why is he figures out what his team needs for any particular game and then he does it. He averages 17.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He is a 6-9 hybrid who during the course of any game will play and defend four positions at an extraordinarily efficient manner. He has made a 3-pointer in 22 consecutive games. His defense is lights out, so is his timing for making a play that shifts momentum Florida’s way. Against Arizona, Duke and UConn he combined for 69 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots. In critical SEC games against Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M and Kentucky he combined for 72 points, 23 rebounds, eight assists, eight steals and four blocked shots.   Now, when the coaches vote prior to the start of the SEC Tournament in Nashville, if they’ve actually watched how he affects the biggest games, Tommy Haugh will be the SEC Player of the Year.   Will they vote Haugh as Player of the Year? Those same donkeys that won’t fly when it comes to voting Coach of the Year probably will stay grounded. Again. Just like last year with Walt and Jake.   Associated Press top 25: 1. Duke 25-2; 2. Arizona 25-2; 3. Michigan 25-2; 4. Iowa State 23-4; 5. Houston 23-4; 6. UConn 25-3; 7. FLORIDA 21-6; 8. Purdue 22-5; 9. Gonzaga 27-2; 10. Illinois 22-6; 11. Virginia 24-3; 12. Nebraska 23-4; 13. Michigan State 22-5; 14. Kansas 20-7; 15. St. John’s 22-5; 16. Texas Tech 20-7; 17. Alabama 20-7; 18. North Carolina 21-6; 19. BYU 20-7; 20 Arkansas 20-7; 21. Miami (OH) 27-0; 22. Tennessee 20-7; 23. Saint Louis 25-2; 24. Louisville 20-7; 25. Vanderbilt 21-6   Coaches top 25: 1. Duke 25-2; 2. Arizona 25-2; 3. Michigan 25-2; 4. Houston 23-4; 5. Iowa State 23-4; 6. UConn 25-3; 7. FLORIDA 21-6; 8. Purdue 22-5; 9. Gonzaga 27-2; 10. Nebraska 23-4; 11. Illinois 22-6; 12. Virginia 24-3; 13. Michigan State 22-5; 14. Kansas 20-7; 15. St. John’s 22-5; 16. Texas Tech 20-7; 17. Arkansas 20-7; 18. Alabama 20-7; 19. North Carolina 21-6; 20. Louisville 20-7; 21. Vanderbilt 21-6; 22. Tennessee 20-7; 23. BYU 20-7; 24. Saint Louis 25-2; 25. Miami (OH) 27-0   Tuesday’s SEC games No. 22 Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at Missouri (18-9, 8-6 SEC) Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) at South Carolina (12-15, 3-11 SEC) Auburn (15-12, 6-8 SEC) at Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11 SEC)   Wednesday’s SEC games No. 7 FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC) at Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) at No. 25 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC) at No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) at No. 17 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC)   Saturday’s SEC games No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC) No. 25 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) at Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) No. 17 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at No. 22 Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC) Missouri (18-9, 8-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) South Carolina (12-15, 3-11 SEC) at Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC) at Auburn (15-12, 6-8 SEC) Oklahoma (12-14, 3-11 SEC) at LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC)   SPORTING NEWS NCAA TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS (SEC teams in bold face) No. 1 seeds: Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Iowa State No. 2 seeds: UConn, Houston, Purdue, FLORIDA No. 3 seeds: Illinois, Gonzaga, Kansas, Nebraska No. 4 seeds: Michigan, Texas Tech, Virginia, Alabama No. 5 seeds: St. John’s, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Louisville No. 6 seeds: BYU, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, No. 7 seeds: Saint Louis, Villanova, North Carolina State, Wisconsin No. 8 seeds: Utah State, SMU, Iowa, Texas No. 9 seeds: Miami, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia No. 10 seeds: Miami (OH), Saint Mary’s, Texas A&M, UCLA No. 11 seeds: UCF, Santa Clara, TCU, Ohio State No. 12 seeds: South Florida, Belmont, Yale, Utah Valley No. 13 seeds: Liberty, Stephen F. Austin, High Point, UNC-Wilmington No. 14 seeds: Hawaii, North Dakota State, East Tennessee State, Portland State, No. 15 seeds: Austin Peay, Navy, Wright State, Merrimack No. 16 seeds: Appalachian State, Long Island, Howard, Southeast Missouri State, UMBC, Bethune-Cookman   WE HAVEN’T HEARD THE LAST OF CHARLES BEDIAKO Just when you thought case closed, Charles Bediako’s attorneys filed for injunctive relief to the Alabama Supreme Court which would allow him to play for 17 th -ranked Alabama while his appeal works its way through the courts. Back on February 9, Tuscaloosa circuit judge Daniel Pruet ruled in favor of the NCAA that terminated a temporary restraining order that was allowing the former G-League player to suit up and play college basketball again. Bediako declared for the 2023 NBA Draft but was not selected, so he spent two years in the G-League while on a 2-way contract.   Bediako played five games for Alabama under a temporary restraining order issued by circuit judge James Roberts. When Roberts, who along with his wife is an Alabama booster, recused himself, Pruet heard the NCAA argument that Bediako was ineligible under the rules. Pruet agreed with the NCAA but Bediako, who averaged 10 points and 4.6 rebounds during the five games, has opted to appeal so he can continue playing for the Crimson Tide.   Of course, Alabama coach Nate Oats, AD Greg Byrne and the entire Alabama administration is supportive, not to mention the boosters who are likely funding this legal action. The Alabama administration released this statement: "We understand that Charles is pursuing an appeal in his case against the NCAA, and ultimately, he must do what he considers to be in his best interest. The University continues to support Charles as he works toward completing his degree."   If you believe the Alabama admin, it’s all about the academics. If you live in the real world, then you know that Bama can be destroyed in the paint with its current roster and they'll take help from wherever they can get it even if it means bending any rule necessary.

Tommy Haugh is the best player in the SEC (Photo by Chris Spears) When CBS rolled out its latest attempt to nail the brackets for a 2026 NCAA Tournament that is still nearly four weeks from the opening tip, three of the four top seeds were Arizona (West), Duke (East) and UConn (South). Florida has already played those three, Arizona in Las Vegas back in November, Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium back in December and UConn at Madison Square Garden, also in November.   In losing by six to Arizona, the Gators had a chance to tie the game with 43 seconds remaining but Boogie Fland missed a three. With 15 seconds to go, Xaivian Lee missed a three that would have cut the margin to 91-90. Florida lost the game by six (93-87) in a game that was essentially a home game for Arizona, which will probably be ranked second or third when the latest Associated Press poll comes out a little after noon today.   The Gators lost by a single point (67-66) to Duke when Isaiah Evans hit a three with 19.7 seconds remaining. The Gators came from 15 points down to take the lead at 66-64 on a Boogie Fland three with 34.9 seconds to go but Evans retaliated 15 seconds later. The Gators had a chance for a game-winning shot, but Fland turned the ball over with 2.5 seconds left. That is a game the Gators could have and should have won. Duke rarely loses a home game and can anyone remember a game the Blue Devils lost when Roger Ayers was on the whistle. The Blue Devils will probably be No. 1 when the new AP poll comes out today.   At Madison Square Garden, which UConn people call Storrs II, the Gators lost by four (77-73). The Gators had a chance to tie the game after forcing a UConn turnover with 9.4 seconds to go, but Fland was called for a 5-second violation trying to inbounds the ball. UConn was ranked No. 5 at the time and that’s where the Huskies probably will be ranked today.   So, three games played on the road against opponents that were top five then and will be top five today and the difference was 11 points.   Now, Saturday, Duke beat then No.1-ranked Michigan, which CBS has as the other No. 1 seed in its bracketology, and 4 th -ranked Arizona went on the road to beat No. 2 Houston. UConn bounced back from an upset loss to beat Villanova in Philadelphia.   Florida, meanwhile, won its seventh straight game and its sixth straight road game – fourth straight by at least 19 points – to maintain a 2-game lead over a 3-team pack in the Southeastern Conference race. The Gators are 21-6 overall, 12-2 in SEC play. When they lost to UConn, UF was 5-4.   Since No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Houston, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 8 Kansas and No. 10 Illinois all lost on Saturday and earlier in the week both No. 7 Purdue and No. 9 Nebraska bit the bullet one time, the Gators should move into the top ten for the first time since week four. The Gators are top five in both the kenpom.com and barttorvik.com analytical rankings. They are No. 9 in the NCAA NET Rankings and when the NCAA came out with its Early Bracket Preview on Saturday, the Gators were No. 9, which means the first team on the No. 3 line of the top 16 seeds for the tournament. Since there was so much Saturday turmoil, Florida probably will move up to the No. 2 line next week. There is also a very good chance the Gators jump to a No. 2 when Joe Lunardi (ESPN) comes out with his new brackets on Tuesday.   Florida is a legitimate national championship contender. The Gators are a top four defensive team and they’re the best rebounding team in the nation. Todd Golden has an exceptional 8-man rotation of the best collection of bigs in the country and perhaps the nation’s fastest backcourt when transitioning from defense to offense. The Gators have the best player in the SEC in Tommy Haugh (17.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game), the nation's top rebounder in Rueben Chinyelu (11.77 per game) and one of the more versatile bigs in Alex Condon (14 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists).   The missing link has been 3-point shooting but the last four games the Gators seem to have busted out of their season-long slump. Florida is 36-95 from three in the last four games, hitting 10 twice and 11-22 in Saturday’s win at Ole Miss. Haugh has been consistent all season long (33.7 percent, at least one three in 22 straight) and Urban Klavzar (40.1 percent including 19 of his last 37) is one of the best long range shooters in the country. Lee is a career 37 percent 3-point shooter who has hit 9-23 (39.1 percent) in the last four games. Fland shot 34 percent last year at Arkansas so Saturday’s 3-6 effort at Ole Miss is a good sign that he’s ready to have some breakout games.   If you binge-watched basketball all day Saturday starting with the Gators then Michigan, Duke, Houston, Arizona and Iowa State on Saturday, do any of you believe the Gators aren’t as good or better than any of those teams? The Gators can say for sure they’re more than 15 points better than they were earlier in the year when they faced Arizona, Duke and UConn. Can Arizona, Duke and UConn say the same thing, especially if they played the Gators on a true neutral court?   Tuesday’s SEC games Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at Missouri (18-9, 8-6 SEC) Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) at South Carolina (12-15, 3-11 SEC) Auburn (15-12, 6-8 SEC) at Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11 SEC)   Wednesday’s SEC games No. 12 FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC) at Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) at No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC) at No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) at No. 25 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC)   Saturday’s SEC games No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at No. 12 FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC) No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) at Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) No. 25 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) at Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC) Missouri (18-9, 8-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) South Carolina (12-15, 3-11 SEC) at Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC) at Auburn (15-12, 6-8 SEC) Oklahoma (12-14, 3-11 SEC) at LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC)   NCAA NET Rankings (top 25 plus SEC): 1. Michigan; 2. Duke; 3. Arizona; 4. Illinois; 5. Gonzaga; 6. Purdue; 7. FLORIDA; 8. Houston; 9. Iowa State; 10. UConn; 11. Nebraska; 12. Michigan State; 13. Louisville; 14. Texas Tech; 15. Vanderbilt; 16. Virginia; 17. Tennessee; 18. Kansas; 19. Arkansas; 20. BYU; 21. Alabama; 22. Saint Louis; 23. St. John’s; 24. Utah State; 25. Iowa (SEC: 29. Kentucky; 32. Auburn; 33. Georgia; 39. Texas; 42. Texas A&M; 60. Missouri; 67. LSU; 70. Oklahoma; 91. Ole Miss; 96. Mississippi State; 105. South Carolina)   SEC teams in CBS bracketology East: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. Alabama (Other SEC: Vanderbilt 5; 11. Missouri)   South: 1. UConn; 2. Iowa State; 3. Nebraska; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 6. Kentucky; 9. Auburn)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Virginia (Other SEC: 5. Arkansas; 9. Georgia)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Purdue; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 9. Texas; 10. Texas A&M)   Top 25 teams plus SEC kenpom.com analytics: 1. Michigan 25-2; 2. Duke 25-2; 3. Arizona 25-2; 4. Illinois 22-6; 5. FLORIDA 21-6; 6. Houston 23-4; 7. Purdue 22-5; 8. Iowa State 23-4; 9. Gonzaga 27-2; 10. Michigan State; 11. UConn 25-3; 12. Nebraska 23-4; 13. Vanderbilt 21-6; 14. Tennessee 20-7; 15. Louisville 20-7; 16. Texas Tech 20-7; 17. Arkansas 20-7; 18. Virginia 24-3; 19. Kansas 20-7; 20. Alabama 20-7; 21. BYU 20-7; 22. St. John’s 22-5; 23. Utah State 23-4; 24. Saint Louis 25-2; 25. North Carolina State 19-8 (SEC: 31. Kentucky 17-10; 32. Texas 17-10; 34. Auburn 15-12; 38. Georgia 19-8; 52. Missouri 18-9; 53. LSU 14-13; 82. Ole Miss 11-16; 90. Mississippi 13-14; 92. South Carolina 12-15   Top 25 teams plus SEC barttorvik.com analytics: 1. Michigan 25-2; 2. Arizona 25-2; 3. Duke 25-2; 4. Houston 23-4; 5. FLORIDA 21-6; 6. Illinois 22-6; 7. Purdue 22-5; 8. Iowa State 23-4; 9. UConn 25-3; 10. Texas Tech 20-7; 11. Nebraska 23-4; 12. Vanderbilt 21-6; 13. Tennessee 20-7; 14. Louisville 20-7; 15. Michigan State 22-5; 16. Kansas 20-7; 17. Gonzaga 27-2; 18. Virginia 24-3; 19. St. John’s 22-5; 20. Alabama 20-7; 21. Arkansas 20-7; 22. Saint Louis 25-2; 23. North Carolina State 19-8; 24. Utah State 23-4; 25. BYU 20-7 (SEC: 34. Texas A&M 19-8; 37. Auburn 15-12; 39. Kentucky 17-10; 41. Georgia 19-8; 42. Texas 17-10; 47. Missouri 18-9; 56. Oklahoma 13-14; 63. LSU 14-13; 81. Mississippi State 13-14; 84. Ole Miss 11-16; 98. South Carolina 12-15   WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC 16. LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC): The Tigers can play with nearly every team in the league for 35 minutes. Unfortunately, the games are 40 minutes.   15. South Carolina (12-15, 3-11 SEC): Shock of all shocks. The Gamecocks scored 97 in a game to beat Mississippi State. Three of the next four are very losable. Buzzards are circling the South Carolina basketball complex. Coaching change is in the works.   14. Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC): The Rebels will have to win their last four games and two in the SEC Tournament to avoid the first losing season in Chris Beard’s career.   13. Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11 SEC): The Lloyd Noble Center will become a thing of the past with the approval of the Rock Creek Entertainment District where a new basketball arena will be built. Will Porter Moser still be the head coach when the new palace opens?   12. Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC): Mathematically speaking, the Bulldogs could still post a winning record. Given the schedule, it might take a miracle of feeding the 5,000 proportions for that to happen.   11. Auburn (15-12, 6-8 SEC): The next three games are all winnable. If Auburn finishes 9-9 in SEC play there is no doubt the Tigers will be in the NCAA Tournament.   10. Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC): Mark Pope is blaming the zebras for the Wildcats loss to Auburn. He should instead be looking at the blown layup and two missed stickbacks that would have sealed the win. He has a $22 million roster that often plays like a bunch of amateurs.   9. Missouri (18-9, 8-6 SEC): Missouri is on the NCAA bubble. Win two of the last four and the Tigers will be locks for the NCAA.   8. Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC): Georgia beat Kentucky in Lexington and Texas at home last week. Can they stay hot the last two weeks of the regular season?   7. Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC): The loss to Georgia was a serious setback. It will be difficult to regain the momentum with Florida, A&M and Arkansas the next three games.   6. Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC): Bucky Ball got a huge win Saturday night. One win in the last four games and the Aggies will have a winning record in SEC play. That’s an accomplishment for the shortest and least talented team in the league.     5. Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC): The good news is Duke Miles is back. The bad news is he played like someone who has been away for a month in the loss to Tennessee.   4. Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC): The next two games (at Missouri, home Alabama) will determine if the Vols get the double bye for the SEC Tournament.   3. Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC): Circle next Saturday’s roadie to Tennessee. That game will likely determine if the Crimson Tide gets the double bye for the SEC Tournament.   2. Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC): Only the road trip to Florida looks daunting for the Razorbacks, who toughed out a win with Missouri Saturday. If Darius Acuff Jr. heats up, Arkansas can play with anyone.   1. FLORIDA (21-6, 12-2 SEC): Oh my, the Gators are starting to shoot the ball well from the outside. Dangerous doesn’t even begin to describe Florida.

The most important period in Florida history may rest on the success of Sumrall to get this spring off to a roaring start. By Loren P. Meadows, Football Analyst, GatorBaitMedia.com , Host of the Lowdown with Loren Meadows Out the gate strong-Coach Jon Sumrall (Chris Spears photo) For the past three seasons beginning with Napier’s first week, we set out to grab 6-7 reasons the Florida Gators would win the corresponding number of games the following season. Unfortunately, from offensive coordinator, to the transfer portal to the head coach were those reasons which all seemed viable at the time. So the last four seasons can be easily deemed a failure in the eyes of most Gators. While Sumrall smiles and continues to glad-hand around Gainesville there is work to be done, more goodwill to accrue and if he and the staff are not careful, more mistakes could be made.  Sumrall has accumulated a solid group of talented coaches and personnel that has fans excited about the coming spring and the fall to follow. Quarterback battles, roster spots devoid of promises, totally open competition, and a bravado that many say has them ready to run through a brick wall. With respect, all that is fine and dandy and the two month sample size has been solid. Here lies the problem, you assemble in the winter to prepare in the spring to show and prove in the fall. It is the fall that has been an issue for a school that Bear Bryant once called a “sleeping giant.” So I am going to withhold my judgment and give my opinion based on where this program has been and where I think it is headed, simply because we can all get excited in talking season, however it is those 12 Saturdays in the fall that have to be the focus. No matter how much you see Jon Sumrall and his family about town if it doesn’t go well, Second Rate Sumrall has the same ring as Sun Belt Billy. However, for the theme of this article I am going to vow to remain positive while in wait- and-see mode — offering three simple suggestions to the head coach. For right now, the key is winning the public relations side in the offseason, and is poising to bring that same energy to a program desperate for consistency. I It’s simple: Stay sociable, make it look like football and remember none of it matters if you can’t win eight consistently. Here’s how you can accomplish all three. 1.     Positive public relations off the field - : When Sumrall made his second appearance to the media after his official announcement he went to every single media member and introduced himself. WIN. He has been spotted at several basketball games, gymnastics meets and even was seen at KSP Friday night for softball, WIN. While at these events he shook hands, posed for pictures, sitting among the fans like a regular, even going back for seconds to make a hot dog. WIN. But there’s an extra step. Bring that same energy to your football team, a couple open practices so folks can see the fire. Allow the media more than 15 minutes of stretching and routes on air. Most that watch may or may not know what they are truly looking at and in the spring . Who cares? Miami has allowed the media to see entire practices and last I checked they were a blocked punt and a great fourth down call away from the natty. There really is no downside to it. 2.     Eliminate the fluff: Everyone loves great athletes that are good people, and 99.9 percent of them are. We don’t need to be reminded that a young man comes from a great family after five picks. We need to know why he threw the picks and what will be done to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Deflecting to off-the-field areas to explain on-field problems will not and shouldn’t be tolerated. I have long thought that coaches get way too much credit when kids are well behaved and too much blame when they don’t. They have mothers and fathers that help with that. A lack of arrests or a 3.7 team GPA is not an elixir for a 5-7 season in the era of NIL in the most fertile recruiting ground in the country. 3.    Clean up the football and clean it up now : You play with 11, not 10, and certainly not 12. High school teams have fewer talented players that know when and where to be when it is there time to be on the field. Sumrall and company need to take the time this spring to clean up the on-field operation. Make special teams special again, bring the savagery back to the defense, maximize the efficiency of reps, and allow both Buster Faulkner and Brad White to develop units that consistently produce on a weekly basis. The last staff had a Monday-Friday problem, a lack of tolerance early will be just what the doctor ordered for a roster that has underachieved in the past. So there it is — nothing major, just a subtle nudge to a coach who upon our first meeting was quite impressive and whom I am cautiously optimistic about. Will these three things bring sure success? Who knows? What we do know is they will be a welcome change from the previous set up and they have proven to work for others. The good news is spring ball is 10 days away. The Sumrall Era has begun.

Urban Klavzar steps back before launching a 3-pointer (Photo courtesy of UAA) On Florida’s first possession of the game, the Ole Miss Rebels surrounded Rueben Chinyelu with four players. The result, a turnover.    The Rebels were determined to neutralize Chinyelu, the nation’s leading rebounder and the Southeastern Conference leader in double-doubles. The strategy was effective, just one teensy problem. In paying so much attention to Chinyelu, Ole Miss left open the perimeter, which seemed like a good idea at the moment when considering the Gators came into the game shooting a rather dismal 29.4 percent from the 3-point line.    Not every brilliantly conceived idea turns out to be a stroke of genius as Ole Miss discovered. Left open to fire away from three, the Gators launched 22 times and found the bottom of the net on half of them. Urban Klavzar, who you expect to hit his share of threes, went 4-5. Klavzar has made at least one 3-pointer in 17 consecutive games. Tommy Haugh, who has now made a three in 22 straight games, went 2-6 with a couple of gravity-defying rim-outs.    The shockers were Boogie Fland and Alex Condon. Coming into the game, Fland was all of 17-95 shooting the 3-ball. As bad as that sounds, the percentage – 17.89 – sounds even worse. Condon came into the game 6-46 from three, having missed every three he’s taken since the Vandy game. Ole Miss left him wide open with 15:02 left in the half. He resisted the urge to pass to a teammate, launched and drained it.   So, when Fland went 3-6 from three and Condon 1-2, it was a sure sign that it was a bad day at the office for Ole Miss. Any time Condon makes a three it’s a real bonus. When Fland is making shots, the Gators become that much more complete of a team.   “We know he’s [Fland] a much better shooter than his percentages to this point of the season,” Florida coach Todd Golden said after the Gators (21-6, 12-2 SEC) put a 94-75 stomping on Ole Miss (11-16, 3-11 SEC) Oxford for their seventh consecutive win, their sixth straight road win.    The Gators are also a much better 3-point shooting team than the percentages if you take into account the numbers in the last four games. Florida is shooting a most respectable 37.89 percent with 10 threes in wins over Georgia and Kentucky to go with Saturday’s 11, the most the Gators have made in an SEC game this season.    Golden has been issuing subtle warnings for a couple of months now, suggesting that if the Gators ever start shooting 30 percent or better from the 3-point line they would be a very dangerous team. Well, that time has arrived and Florida is indeed very dangerous.     The way the Gators shot the ball – 57.1 percent overall, 50 percent from three and 87 percent from the foul line – they didn’t need one of those beastly performances from Chinyelu, whose stat line read three points, six rebounds and two assists. The double-downs and triple-teaming of Chinyelu opened up the paint area for Condon, who finished with 24 points, four rebounds, six assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Condon only turned the ball over once.   “I thought he [Condon] would play incredibly poised, did a really good job of slowing down in the paint and not being in a hurry and did a really good job on his touch shots around the rim today, putting the ball in,” Golden said. “Obviously, he hit a three early, which got him going a little bit. And just, again, handled double teams, handled any kind of coverage they threw at us and really did a good job playing fast, but not in a hurry.”   When Condo wasn’t making the Rebels pay, Tommy Haugh was doing his part to shred the Ole Miss defense. His two made threes contributed to a 20-point, 9-rebound effort that he supplemented with four assists, two blocked shots and a steal. It was the 11 th  time this season Haugh has scored 20 or more points. With his next point, Haugh will become the 59 th  player in Florida’s 1,000-point club.    Klavzar’s four threes were part of a 15-point effort. In SEC play, Klavzar has made 35 of his 80 3-pointers (43.75 percent). In the seven games since Florida’s last loss, Klavzar is hitting a scorching 51.35   percent of his threes (19-37).    Despite the shooting, this wasn’t one of Florida’s more memorable games. The Gators were sloppy with the basketball, turning it over 19 times which Ole Miss converted into 24 points. Although the overall numbers were good – Ole Miss shot 41 percent overall and just 2-16 (12.5 percent) from the 3-point line – it wasn’t vintage Florida defense. With Haugh drawing the primary assignment on Ole Miss leading scorer AJ Storr, the Gators held him to eight points on 3-10 shooting overall and just 0-2 on 3-pointers.    The Gators also did an exceptional job of running Travis Perry and Patton Pinkins off the 3-point line, to which Golden said, “W e did a good job on AJ Storr. We did a really good job on Pinkins and Perry, not allowing them to get 3-point shots up.”   As expected, the Gators won the rebounding battle (39-24). While it was a +15, which is equal to Florida’s nation-leading rebound per game margin, the Gators actually lost the scoring battle in the paint, 42-38.    Because it was Florida’s sixth consecutive road win, Golden couldn’t really complain too much. At this point of the season every win is a good one. Grinders and ugly wins count the same in the win column as those near flawless efforts. It wouldn’t be a normal day in the SEC if Golden didn’t find teaching points ahead of the next game (Wednesday night at Texas).   “ We did not do good enough job taking care of the ball,” Golden said. “I thought that was an area that we can really focus on before we get to Texas and gotta clean up. We allowed them I think to score 24 points off turnovers, and that’s just not a formula for success.”   It should be noted that five of Florida’s 19 turnovers came in garbage time when the Gators were playing with five reserves on the floor.   Once again, Golden got outstanding production from the four in his backcourt rotation. In addition to Klavzar’s 15 points, Golden got another 27 points from starters Xaivian Lee (11), Boogie Fland (11) and Isaiah Brown off the bench (5). The Gators had 26 assists in 32 made baskets  with Lee racking up 10. It was the first points-assists double-double by a Gator since Tyree Appleby did it against Ole Miss in 2022.   Prior to the game, the Gators were No. 9 when the NCAA released its early bracket preview. In the NCAA’s eyes, they are a No. 3 seed for the tournament, borderline No. 2. In the NCAA Net Rankings the Gators were No. 9 prior to the Ole Miss game.   The Gators maintained their 2-game lead in the Southeastern Conference standings. They have four games remaining, two at home (Arkansas and Mississippi State) and two on the road (Texas and Kentucky). Florida’s ability to win games on the road is why the Gators are leading the league and why they are almost a mortal lock to win the Southeastern Conference championship outright.   According to Golden, there is a very good reason why the Gators are so good away from the O-Dome since SEC play began.   “Our team has been very good in terms of mentally preparing on the road,” Golden said. “I think a big part of it is this group enjoys being around each other. There are obviously less distractions on the road in regards to having family around or people coming to visit, stuff like that. And I think at home, we’ve got a lot of stuff going on and it's hard to always focus completely, whereas on the road, we're pretty insulated. We keep it simple. We get here, we shoot, we go eat, we go to sleep, we wake up, and we get ready to play. And these guys have been ready since the Missouri game, in terms of competing on the road.”    ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) 69, No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) 65: The Vols outscored Vandy 5-0 in the final minute of the game to remain two games behind Florida in the SEC race. Tennessee was led by Ja’Kobi Gillespie with 17 points, and 13 by Nate Ament, whose contested jumper put the Vols ahead for good, 66-65. Vandy was led by Tyler Tanner with 16.   No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC) 94, Missouri (18-9, 8-6 SEC) 86: Arkansas stayed within two games of SEC leader Florida as Billy Richmond scored 21 and Darius Acuff Jr. 20 to lead the Razorbacks past Missouri. Mark Mitchell scored 26 to lead Missouri. No. 25 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC) 90, LSU (14-13, 2-12 SEC) 83: Like Tennessee and Arkansas, Alabama won to remain two games behind the Gators. Aden Holloway (17) and Amari Allen (16) led Alabama while Marquel Sutton scored 21 for LSU, which has lost its last four games. Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC) 75, Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11 SEC) 71: Rylan Griffen made two free throws with eight seconds remaining as Texas A&M withstood a furious Oklahoma rally for its ninth SEC win of the season. The win ensures the Aggies will finish with no worse than a .500 record in SEC play. Rashaun Agee scored 17 to lead A&M while Dayton Forsythe led Oklahoma with 14.   Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC) 91, Texas (17-10, 8-6 SEC) 80: The Bulldogs won their second straight game to even their SEC record at 7-7. Georgia had one of its best shooting games of the season, hitting 11-20 3-point shots with Kanon Catchings, Smurf Millender and Jeremiah Wilkinson hitting three apiece. Wilkinson led the scoring for Georgia with 19. Matas Voketaitis scored 22 to lead Texas. Auburn (15-12, 6-8 SEC) 75, Kentucky (17-10, 8-6 SEC) 74: Elyiah Freeman’s tip in with 1.1 seconds remaining was the game-winner for Auburn, which broke a 5-game losing streak. Keyshawn Murphy, who grabbed 10 rebounds for Auburn, scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half. Otega Oweh led Kentucky with a career-high 29.   South Carolina (12-15, 3-11 SEC) 97, Mississippi State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) 89:  South Carolina held Josh Hubbard to 4-20 shooting overall and just 2-12 from the 3-point line. Hubbard hit 10 threes and scored 46 points in his previous game. South Carolina hit 12-24 of its 3-point shots. Meechie Johnson and Mike Sharavjamts each scored 21 to lead the Gamecocks. Quincy Ballard scored 15 for Mississippi State.

Boogie Fland gets a defensive stop against Georgia (Photo by Chris Spears) The mathematics favor 12 th -ranked Florida, so much that everybody on the planet expects a blowout today (12 noon, ESPN) when the Gators (20-6-11-2 SEC) take on Ole Miss (11-15, 3-10 SEC) in Oxford. The Gators have won six straight games including their last five on the road and they have a 2-game cushion in the Southeastern Conference standings. Ole Miss, on the other hand, has lost eight straight games and is fighting to stay out of the SEC cellar.    Florida is a 13.5-point favorite and the way the Gators have been playing lately, most would be shocked if the final margin isn’t closer to 20. The Gators have won their last six by a 22-point per game margin. Only Kentucky (9-point UF win) was able to keep it closer than 10 points.   There is a 3-team pack chasing the Gators, who can inch closer to the SEC regular season title with a win over Ole Miss. If the Gators make it six straight road wins today, it narrows the chances Tennessee (19-7, 9-4 SEC), Arkansas (19-7, 9-4 SEC) or Alabama (19-7, 9-4 SEC) can at least earn a tie for the championship. Today, Tennessee travels to Vanderbilt (21-5, 8-5 SEC), Arkansas is home against Missouri (18-8, 8-5 SEC) and Alabama is on the road to LSU (14-12, 2-11 SEC).   The Gators can’t count on either Tennessee, Arkansas or Alabama losing, so it’s imperative on the Gators playing at a very high level to maintain that 2-game edge.   "We talked about it yesterday,” Golden said Friday afternoon. “You're in a spot where you have five league games left, and you have a 2-game lead in the league, which is an incredible spot to be in, but we can't necessarily focus on that or worry about it. The reality is, at the same time, having that goal in front of us, we still have to approach and focus on our day-to-day, just getting better. We talked about our macro goal, but at the same time, on a micro level, yesterday, it was focusing on getting to know Ole Miss and the personnel, kind of getting our bodies back right.   “Today, I thought we had a really good practice. Thought we executed well, our physicality was there, thought we had a kind of a pop in our step. Just as good of a position as we're in today, if we don't take care of business tomorrow and play well, we're gonna be in a tough spot. So it's just taking one game at a time and trying to continue to keep ourselves in a really good position."   Despite their poor record in SEC play, Ole Miss hasn’t exactly been a pushover. The Rebels have been in most games until late, when a lack of quality depth and rebounding has taken a toll. The Rebels average just 34.4 rebounds per game. Florida leads the nation in rebounding (46.04 per game), offensive rebounds (16.42) and rebounding margin (14 per game). The Gators boast the SEC and nation’s leading rebounder in Rueben Chinyelu (11.8 points, 12.0 rebounds). Alex Condon (13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds) ranks third in the SEC in rebounding. Those kind of numbers point to Florida winning big, but Ole Miss can play very tough. Prior to their 8-game losing streak in SEC play, Ole Miss won three straight games in league play – over Missouri at home, at Georgia and at Mississippi State.   “I think they've just been one of those teams that's fallen a little short, like Oklahoma, in some matchups, where you look at them and you're like, 'Dang, you know, they got good players, just like everybody else in the league', and that's why they can go on the road and win at Georgia, even though it was earlier in conference play,” Golden said. “They can go on the road at Texas, have a chance to tie the game with a minute to go. They should have won at Texas A&M, so you when you kind of look at all the results, big-picture wise, like, their record's not great, but they're very capable team, and I think on their home floor, just like any team in the league, like, you got to do a really good job of playing well if you want to get out of there with a win."   In addition to dominating the backboards, the key for the Gators will be on the defensive end. The Gators are actually scoring more points this season than a year ago (86.1 per game this year; 84.8 last) despite a lack of consistent outside shooting (29.4 percent on 3-pointers). Despite the poor shooting percentage, the Gators have actually made more 3-pointers (192) than their opponents (178).   But it is the defense that is the calling card. Per the analytics at barttorvik.com , the Gators are the No. 3 team in the country in defensive efficiency. They’re No. 4 at kenpom.com . All five Florida starters can guard on the perimeter and all five are very good rebounders, which accounts for a lot of one-and-done offensive trips down the floor for opponents.   Since convincing the team that the secret to success this year would be rebounding and defense, Golden believes the Gators are “a more talented defensive team this year, and that's something that we got to continue to hang our hat on."   Golden has also had success getting the Gators to treat every opponent seriously, taking a true one-game-at-a-time approach rather than look ahead.   "It's been the mindset,” Golden said. “It will continue to be the mindset. It's the best way to approach every game. Not every single game can you really treat as a national championship, but it's just mentality and consistency in approach. And trying to do all the things you can put yourself in position be successful and letting the chips fall where they may. But I do think, especially later in the year, the mental part of it's really important and staying fresh and staying focused and making sure that you don't take any of these opportunities for granted. We only got five league games left, two at home, and the postseason will be here before you know it."   Anticipated starting lineups No. 12 FLORIDA (20-6, 11-2): (Alex Condon, 6-11, 236, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-11, 265, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Boogie Fland (6-3, 185, SO); Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185, SR)   Ole Miss (11-15, 3-10 SEC): Malik Dia (6-9, 250, SR); James Scott (6-10, 225, JR); Travis Perry (6-5, 185, SR); Patton Pinkins (6-5, 200, FR); Ilias Kamardine (6-1, 185, FR)   Saturday’s games No. 12 FLORIDA (20-6, 11-2 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-15, 3-10 SEC) Tennessee (19-7, 9-4 SEC) at No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-5, 8-5 SEC) Missouri (18-8, 8-5 SEC) at No. 20 Arkansas (19-7, 9-4 SEC) No. 25 Alabama (19-7, 9-4 SEC) at LSU (14-12, 2-11 SEC) Texas (17-9, 8-5 SEC) at Georgia (18-8, 6-7 SEC) Kentucky (17-9, 8-5 SEC) at Auburn (14-12, 5-8 SEC) Texas A&M (18-8, 8-5 SEC) at Oklahoma (13-13, 3-10 SEC) Mississippi State (13-13, 5-8 SEC) at South Carolina (11-15, 2-11 SEC)   SEC in ESPN (Joe Lunardi) bracketology Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Texas Tech; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 6. Kentucky; 10. Georgia)   South: 1. Houston; 2. Illinois; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Nebraska (Other SEC teams: 5. Arkansas; 10. Texas A&M)   East: 1. Duke; 2. UConn; 3. Kansas; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 9. Texas; 11. Missouri)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. Purdue; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Alabama (Other SEC: 10. Auburn)   SEC in CBS bracketology Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Vanderbilt (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 10. Missouri)   South: 1. Houston; 2. Purdue; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 10. Georgia)   East: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. Alabama (SEC: 9. Texas; 10. Texas A&M)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. UConn; 3. Nebraska; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 7. Kentucky)