Walter Clayton Jr. launches the shot that put the Gators ahead for good against Texas Tech (UAA Photo) The king was dead, its leader griping to anyone who would listen that the zebras were the difference in a coup that prevented a third reign over the kingdom of college basketball. UConn was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the Florida Gators and the only ones paying attention to Danny Hurley’s X-rated outburst were UConn fans who will go to their graves believing what happened in Raleigh was a conspiracy.   Despite the win over UConn and the sensational shooting of Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators weren’t exactly showered with respect, largely because Duke played in the second game at The Lenovo Center. The CBS crew of Grant Hill and Bill Raftery heaped tons of praise on Duke freshman Cooper Flagg but theirs was nothing compared to Dick Vitale a week earlier at the ACC championship in Greensboro. Vitale did everything but offer to bear Flagg’s first born child and proclaimed nothing or no one would stand in the way of Duke.   All that played right into the hands of Todd Golden and the Gators, who were headed to San Francisco for a Sweet 16 matchup with Maryland, formerly of the ACC and now a power in the Big Ten. Golden continued to sell the chip on the Gators’ shoulder and all this Duke/Cooper Flagg talk only made the chip grow bigger.   Golden wasn’t afraid to tell the world there wasn’t a team in the country the Gators couldn’t beat. Walter Clayton Jr., a first team All-American who wasn’t even a unanimous choice for first team All-SEC, seemed to be on a mission to prove to Vitale and all the Flagg oglers that he was the best player in the country. Not just the best clutch shooter, but the best player period. Walter proclaimed Florida’s 3-guard scheme that includes Will Richard and Alijah Martin as the “best backcourt in the nation.”   The media obsession with Duke and Flagg drowned out anything Golden had to say. It played right into the Gators’ hands.   March 26, 2025, Orlando to San Francisco       On the 4-hour flight from Orlando to Denver where I change planes, I am seated between a Christian missionary to Burma, now known as Myanmar, and a Muslim cleric from Azerbaijan. The back and forth between the two about their spiritual and religious differences is respectful. I feel blessed to hear such thoughtful discourse. I learn that Myanmar, a country that banned Christians years ago, now has four million. I learn from the cleric that the thing he loves about America is that Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of every faith live peacefully side-by-side.   In Denver there is enough time to get a barbecue sandwich and some banana pudding at Brothers. Brothers is owned by a couple of Brits who toured the South to sample the different styles of barbecue before opening their own restaurant. The barbecue and banana pudding remind me of Corky’s in Memphis.   The flight to San Francisco is supposed to be short and sweet. Emphasis on supposed. We circle San Francisco for 40 minutes and when the captain announces we now have permission to land we’re still 22 minutes out from San Francisco International.   Taking BART to Union Square I encounter Wes. He’s originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, but 30 years in San Francisco. I ask what he misses most about St. Pete and he says it’s his mom’s church. He starts singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and I join right in. Next thing you know we’re joined by this Jamaican lady who starts singing “Blessed Assurance.” By the time we get to Union Square we have a regular sing-along going and maybe 12 people have joined us.   My hotel screwed up my reservation. The clerk is belligerent, telling me because I didn’t check in the day before my reservation is cancelled. I show him on my phone the reservation that proves the hotel got it wrong. Belligerent turns nasty. I call American Express which cancels the charge to the hotel. I call a Courtyard and talk to Jamal. He sends an Uber driver to pick me up. My seventh floor room is perfect.   Across the street from the hotel is Chuy’s Fiesta. It’s not much bigger than my hotel room. Four tables, 16 chairs. The shrimp quesadilla is huge and loaded with 20 shrimp. The girl at the counter quips, “Real Mexican food served up by real Mexican people. What’ll they think of next?”   Alex Condon scores two second half points against Maryland (UAA Photo) March 27, 2025, San Francisco   By the time the Florida-Maryland game at the Chase Center tips off, I have concluded that San Francisco is (a) the best food city in America and (b) every bit as expensive as New York. A great place to visit, but I don’t think I would want to live here.   With 12:16 remaining in the first half, the stomachs of every Gator in the entire world go into spin cycle. Alex Condon goes down with an ankle injury. Now we know why it was so important for Micah Handlogten to burn his redshirt. It’s not just Rueben Chinyelu, Tommy Haugh and Micah against Maryland’s dynamic twosome of Derik Queen and Julian Reese but a zebra crew led by Bart Lenox. Bart, I think, gets paid by the toot of his whistle.   The combination of a 9-shot advantage at the foul line and 13 Florida turnovers keeps this game very tight. Somehow the Gators eke out a 40-38 halftime lead, but there is a feeling of uneasiness.   “We were able to go into halftime with the lead even though we had 13 turnovers in the first half,” Todd Golden said after the Gators advanced to the Elite Eight game with an 89-71 win over Maryland. “Once we got there we were able to recalibrate a little bit and the message was simple: We’ve got to keep defending, obviously continue to stay aggressive on the glass but we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball. If we didn’t do that, we would have put ourselves in jeopardy of going home tonight.”   Moments before the second half begins, Condo walks to the UF bench in uniform and without any noticeable limp. Florida fans in the crowd let out a roar. One of the Gator fans seated right behind my press row seat proclaims, “Look who’s back! We are going to win!”   The second half is quite a contrast to the first. The Gators quit making the silly turnovers (only four in the second half). The passing is crisper and the ball moves so quickly that it leaves holes in the Maryland defense. The Gators seem to get to every 50-50 ball and they dominate the rebounding. Defensively, even though the Gators continue to have difficulty stopping Queen, they lock down the 3-point line.   The game turns on a pair of dunks by Chinyelu and a 3-pointer by Alijah Martin that expand Florida’s lead to 55-44 with 14:19 left in the game. The Martin three is like throwing 100 pounds of chicken in the lagoon at Gatorland. Let the Big Gator eat! Everybody gets into the act at both ends of the court.   The scoring is so nicely distributed that Maryland’s defense is stretched and frazzled. Six Gators score double figures – Will Richard (15), Martin (14), Walter Clayton Jr. (13), Tommy Haugh (13), Denzel Aberdeen (13) and Chinyelu (10).     The defense is what makes Golden smile.   “We were elite in the second half,” Golden said. “We did a great job of staying aggressive, handling their pressure and their quickness and their length. Our defense stayed consistent. We were awesome on the glass all night, both sides of the ball and we started taking advantage of the opportunities we got in transition. That allowed us to step on the gas a bit and break away from them.”   The Saturday opponent will be Texas Tech, which had a miracle finish to beat Arkansas in overtime.   As I’m walking out of the Chase Center, I detour to where Arkansas is boarding the buses, the Razorbacks’ season over. John Calipari has a devastated look on his face, but he looks up, sees me and smiles. I get a hug.   “So sorry about your stepfather,” he tells me. “Your mother is okay?”   I tell him yes, ask about his family and wish him the best. He hugs me again. This is the side of John Calipari that more people should see.   March 29, 2025, San Francisco   At the Friday press conference, Golden talks about the fact the Florida roster doesn’t have a single player who was a 4-star or 5-star recruit out of high school. He says he isn’t opposed to recruiting them, but in his opinion it is much more important to find talented guys who (a) are coachable, (b) fit the system and (c) fit the culture he’s built at UF.    Emphasis on culture. This is what separates the Gators from everyone else. The Gators have a roster of guys who play for each other. Nobody is concerned with who scored the most points or who got the headlines. They’re all about the winning and they play hard, not willing to let their teammates down with a lackluster effort.   Golden says, “If they’re five stars that want to be a part of what we’re doing, great. If not, we’ll continue to find Tommy Haughs and Alex Condons and go get guys that compete their tails off and are really prideful about wearing the Florida jersey and doing it that way and live with the results.”   Haugh and Condon should be the poster children of what Golden has built at Florida. Haugh wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school in Pennsylvania. He was going to Richmond when Golden hired Richmond assistant Kevin Hovde. Golden was in Las Vegas for an NBA Global event to scout Rueben Chinyelu when Condon caught his eye playing for Australia.   “We both weren’t heavily recruited out of high school,” Haugh said. “He [Golden] kind of went against the grain and picked us out we’ll always have an appreciation for Coach.”   Chinyelu resisted Golden in Las Vegas, but after a year at Washington State, he transferred to UF.   The Florida backcourt is made up of three transfers, none of whom were big time recruits out of high school. Walter Clayton Jr. spurned football offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Florida to play basketball two seasons at Iona before transferring to UF. Will Richard, son of former Clemson linebacker Al Richard, spent his freshman year at Belmont of the Ohio Valley Conference then transferred to Florida. He was Golden’s first recruit. Martin was an All-State quarterback in Mississippi who threw for 2,100 yards and ran for another 1,300 his senior year, but he chose a basketball scholarship to Florida Atlantic rather than play football. He was a driving force in FAU’s run to the 2023 Final Four. He transferred to Florida prior to the 2024-25 season.   Talking with a couple of Bay Area media guys, one of them says, “If Florida wins the national championship it’s going to set the recruiting industry back light years. These guys are all 5-star players now but out of high school they were no-stars.”   Dinner is at a Korean restaurant that has the best kimchi I’ve eaten in the United States. The food is great and there is basketball on TV. Life is good!   Tommy Haugh hits the first of two 3-pointers in the rally against Texas Tech (UAA Photo) March 30, 2025, San Francisco   It’s funny the things you think about in the middle of a basketball game. The morning of Florida’s Elite Eight game with Texas Tech I finished reading “Marine! The Life of Chesty Puller.” At Guadalcanal, his troops surrounded and outnumbered by a crack Japanese division, Puller told his officers, “They are in front of us, behind us and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can’t get away from us now!” Puller’s troops defied all conventional wisdom and won that battle.   When Florida was down 71-61 to Texas Tech with 6:18 left in the game whose winner would advance to San Antonio for the Final Four, it looked like the Gators were about to become the fourth UF team to go down in flames at the Elite Eight. Forty-six seconds later, Texas Tech All-American JT Toppin let fly with a wide open three that looked good all the way until it clanged off the rim. As the Texas Tech contingent in the Chase Center let out a collective groan, Tommy Haugh ran down the rebound in the corner and flipped it to Walter Clayton Jr.   Clayton dribbled down the court and halfway into the paint. Seeing a crowd he dribbled out to the left wing, turned and let fly with what looked like a bad decision three. The ball hit the rim, bounced high and hit the rim again, but instead of caroming off, it landed softly in the net, cutting the Texas Tech margin to 71-64.   At that moment, Chesty Puller came to mind and I thought the Gators had Texas Tech exactly where they wanted. There was still plenty of time left, but something about Walter Clayton Jr. told me he wasn’t about to let the Gators lose. When a game is on the line and the Gators are trailing, Walter Clayton Jr. has whoever the Gators are playing at a distinct disadvantage.   Of the final 23 points the Gators scored in their 84-79 Elite Eight win, Clayton scored 13. He hit three 3-pointers, snaked his way through three Texas Tech defenders for a layup, blocked a shot, grabbed a rebound, made passes that Tommy Haugh converted into clutch 3-pointers and for good measure drained a pair of free throws with 10.6 seconds to go. Clayton was fearless, living in a moment that wasn't too big for him. “The biggest thing in those moments is you need to have somebody that wants to take those shots,” Todd Golden said. “They're obviously difficult plays, but someone that has the confidence to step up and make incredible individual plays and Walter did that for us tonight.” In the final 5:24 the Gators outscored Texas Tech 23-8. In the final 2:50, the Gators outscored the Red Raiders 18-4. Walter Clayton’s fingerprints were all over the rally from dead in the water to a punched ticket to the Final Four. The Gators were surrounded and Walter Clayton was Chesty Puller.   It is in moments like this that coaches look their team in the eye, searching for fear and doubt. At the under-4 media time out, Golden looked the Gators in the eye one-by-one. He didn’t see a hint of doubt in anyone’s eyes as he told them what had to happen if they wanted to extend the season. Call this his win or else message.   “ We were down nine or 10, whatever it was,” Golden said. “The message was we've got to make every winning play down the stretch. ” It was either make the plays or this magical mystery tour would come to an abrupt end. Good teams fold under such circumstances. Great teams rise to the occasion and make the plays they have to make. Offensively, defensively, when plays had to be made, a Gator made the plays. Games like this are always decided by toughest team.   The Gators were down 75-66 when Clayton missed a three that Haugh came out of nowhere to rebound. Dribbling the ball into the left corner, Haugh passed to Clayton who put the ball on the deck, drawing two defenders into the corner that Haugh had just vacated. Bad mistake on their part. Haugh was wide open 10 feet away on the wing. Clayton hit him with a chest high pass and the ball was next seen descending through the net. The clock showed 2:50 remaining. It was 75-69 and the Texas Tech people were as nervous as Gators were giddy.   A missed Texas Tech free throw and 23 seconds later, Haugh buried another three. Texas Tech doubled up on Clayton, who got the ball to Will Richard and over to Haugh, wide open on the right wing. At 75-72, Florida fans felt a surge of confidence. Texas Tech fans were about to lose their lunch, particularly when Toppin bricked another free throw and Haugh rebounded.   At the other end, Clayton dribbled around the perimeter looking for an opening. Dribbling left with 6-6 Darrion Williams defending, Clayton did a crossover, stepped back to his right and let fly with a game-tying three. The score 75-75 with 1:47 left on the clock. Enough time for both teams to win or lose this one, but Florida had Walter Clayton Jr. Texas Tech did not.     After Tech took its last lead with 1:23 to go who else but Clayton had the answer? In a play that will go down as perhaps the greatest in Florida basketball history, Walter Clayton Jr. took a little lob pass from Haugh into the lane. Two dribbles into a double team, Clayton retreated, dribbling back out to an open spot the right side of the lane. Back to the basket he wasted no time setting his feet, instead pivoting and launching the three that put the Gators ahead for good, 78-77, with 59 seconds left to play. Total delirium among the Florida contingent. Doom and gloom among the Red Raiders. One point could have been a million because they had no one capable of stopping Walter Clayton Jr. It was over and they knew it.   The final 59 seconds were all about Florida defense and made free throws. The Gators smothered Texas Tech at one end, didn’t miss at the foul line at the other. Clayton was 2-2, Alijah Martin 2-2 and Will Richard 2-2, all three of them unfazed by the pressure.   The Florida bench erupts as the Gators rally against Texas Tech (UAA Photo) This was a 40-minute game but no one is going to remember what happened in the first 34 minutes. They will only remember what happened when Walter Clayton Jr. took the game over, especially the last 2:50. From teetering on the verge of a call for last rites, the Gators staged a dramatic rally that defied description. Some teams refuse to lose. Florida was that team.   Walking back to the hotel, the evening chill overwhelmed by the warm glow of one of the great performances I've ever seen in all the years I've written about college basketball, I ran into Gator fans celebrating at the famous Pinecrest Diner. Seeing the media badge that I was still wearing they asked me what I thought about the game.   “The last five minutes were played right in front of me where I was sitting,” I responded. “I could almost reach out and touch. I saw it and I still can’t believe what I saw. When Walter Clayton Jr. is on your team, no deficit is safe. They can say what they want about Cooper Flagg or Johni Broome, but the best player in the country – and it isn’t even close – is Walter Clayton Jr.”   Tomorrow: The comeback against Texas Tech was miraculous, but it almost paled in comparison to what happened in San Antonio.

Alijah Martin's dunk sealed the win over UConn (Photo by Chris Spears) A few short hours after the Gators owned Nashville and the Southeastern Conference, Todd Golden is putting on his happy face. Sure, he’s happy the Gators are a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament since that has been a team goal, but Florida is No. 4 among the top seeded teams. It’s almost as if the fix was in. Were bracketologists Jerry Palm of CBS and Joe Lunardi of ESPN clairvoyant or did they have insider info about how the NCAA was going to seed the tournament teams? Both of them had Auburn as the overall No. 1 followed by Duke, Houston and then Florida.   The outward Golden does the politically correct thing and gives the world the we’re just gracious to be there song and dance. He does his best to sound humble. Inwardly, he has to be seething. If the Southeastern Conference is the strongest college basketball league the world has ever seen, then why aren’t the Gators, who just pillaged and plundered Missouri, Alabama and Tennessee to win the SEC Tournament the overall No. 1? After all, the Gators have won six in a row and 12 of their last 13 games, along the way while beating 10 teams that are in the NCAA field. Among those 12 victims is a road win at Auburn when the Tigers were the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Florida is the only team in the country with two wins over No. 1 teams. Auburn lost to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinals a day before the Gators ground the Vols to a pulp to win the championship.   The Gators should have been the overall No. 1 seed which would have made them top seed in the South going through Lexington and Atlanta. Instead, that’s Auburn’s path to the Final Four in San Antonio. Duke’s will run through Raleigh and Newark while Houston’s will run through Wichita and Indianapolis. Florida, on the other hand, will have to go through Raleigh and then fly cross country to San Francisco. Additionally, as the No. 1 seed in the West Regional, the Gators will have the toughest gauntlet of games. No other No. 1 will have to face a team of UConn’s caliber in the second round.   Ultimately, the toughness of Florida’s journey to a national championship will strengthen the Gators. Not only are they the best team in the country, but they will prove to be the toughest by a wide margin.   It all starts in Raleigh with West Regional No. 16 seed Norfolk State.   March 20, 2025, Raleigh, North Carolina   It is cold, windy and rainy in Raleigh as ace photographer Chris Spears and I check in at the Lenovo Center to pick up our credentials. The media room is guarded by a graduate of Boone High School in Orlando who has been living in the Raleigh area for 30 or so years. He confides in me that he will be quietly pulling for the Gators but he’s been told to maintain an aura of neutrality.   “Your secret’s good with me,” I tell him. He grins and whispers “thanks” back to me.   The Lenovo Center is home to North Carolina State as well as the NHL Carolina Hurricanes. In the media room there are several photos of past NC State championship teams. One, in particular, catches my attention. It’s a photo of David Thompson grabbing a rebound away from the late, great Owen Brown of Maryland. John Lucas (Maryland) and Mark Moeller (NCSU) trail the play. I remember the game well. It was the 1974 ACC Championship game in Greensboro won by North Carolina State 103-100 in overtime. Experts say it is the greatest college basketball game ever played. I can’t disagree.   Upon closer scrutiny I pay attention to the writers on press row in the background of the photo. Most of the writers in that photo have passed away. I point as I go down the row and name names. I stop when I get to this young guy with long hair and a beard, then the sports editor of the Rocky Mount Telegram.   “I was young and skinny back then,” I tell Chris, who replies, “What happened?”   A couple of hours later, Siri and the navigation on our rented Chrysler Pacfica van are having a bad day at the office. We are taken on the scenic route that takes us (twice) by old Dorton Arena. There was a time when Dorton was one of three arenas where the Carolina Cougars of the ABA played (Charlotte Coliseum and Greensboro Coliseum were the others). I still remember watching Bob Verga fire away from the time he got off the bus with that red, white and blue basketball. A few years later the Cougars moved to Denver where they became the Nuggets.   The tour of the countryside isn’t a complete disaster. We wind up at The Angus Barn where we have no reservations but are led to the upstairs lounge where the steaks are world class and the service extraordinary. This place is a must any time you visit Raleigh.   Walter Clayton Jr. scores against Norfolk State (Photo by Chris Spears) March 21, 2025, Raleigh, North Carolina   In the first 11:02 of Florida’s first round game with Norfolk State, the Gators play like their hair is on fire. With Walter Clayton Jr. scoring 13 of their first 19 points, the Gators bolt out to a 35-11 lead that expands to 53-21. That’s when the Gators pack it in. They don’t score in the last 3:15 of the half and Norfolk State finishes on an 11-0 run.   Todd Golden is steaming as he goes to the locker room.     In the Florida locker room after the Gators’ 95-69 first round win over Norfolk State, Alijah Martin is asked what Golden told the Gators at halftime.   “You see the board over there?” Martin asks. It’s a white board with writing on it, but it has a bad case of varicose veins thanks to Golden’s fist.   Tommy Haugh, who thinks Golden might have set an F-bomb record, says, “We don’t want to talk about it. We needed it though. We really needed it.”   Golden explains, “I think we played exceptionally well for the first 15 minutes then kind of exhaled … Then when we took a little bit of a breath we actually had some bad turnovers that led to transition run-outs that gave them a little juice, a little confidence.”   Once the Gators lost their mojo they never got it back. Norfolk State played the Gators evenly in the final 20 minutes, closing to within 18 with 9:26 to go, but the outcome was never in jeopardy. Still it was uninspiring. On paper a 95-69 win has all the appearances of complete domination but in reality it was a sloppy game, far from the statement Golden hoped the Gators would make.   “Regardless of the final score we just weren’t as sharp as we expect to be and what we feel like we need to be if we want to make a run in this tournament,” Golden said.   For portions of this game, the Gators played about as well as they have at any point during the season. They scored with ease because they made the extra pass to find open shooters. They dominated the backboards and that led easy points in transition. Defensively, they crowded Norfolk State shooters and ran them off the 3-point line.   But then they got lazy. The second half Gators, who outscored Norfolk State 42-37 were very average.   It wasn’t a discouraging performance because the Gators won by 26 points and there were bright spots. The Gators shot nearly 50 percent overall (29-60 for 48.3 percent) and they knocked down 10 3-pointers. The Gators outrebounded Norfolk State 41-28. The Gators had an extraordinary 20 assist on 29 made shots. At the foul line, the Gators made 27-33 shots.   Those are all good numbers but they hide the fact that the Gators could have and should have played much better.   Walter Clayton Jr. led four players in double figures with 23 points. Alijah Martin scored 17, Tommy Haugh 13 and Alex Condon 12. Will Richard didn’t score double figures (8 points) but he contributed four rebounds, five assists and a steal. Micah Handlogten and Rueben Chinyelu each had six points and eight rebounds.   It was far from perfect, but it was a win. One down, five to go.   Todd Golden answers questions prior to facing UConn (Photo by Chris Spears) March 22, 2025, Raleigh, North Carolina   No games in Raleigh on this day, just press conferences. There will be two games Sunday, Duke vs. Baylor in an NCAA East game and Florida vs. UConn in a West game. The media believes Duke will blow the doors off Baylor. Consensus is that Florida will lose to UConn if the Gators are unable to sustain their intensity for a full 40 minutes.   Todd Golden concurs with the thought that the Gators have to play 40 minutes with intensity and focus. UConn isn’t the same UConn that has won consecutive national championships, but the Huskies are formidable because they play ferocious defense. This is a physical, experienced team that Golden believes is very capable of getting back to the Final Four. For the Gators to beat them, it will take a consistent, sustained intense effort.   Golden plays the disrespect card again.   “They have multiple players that have won national championships that expect to win this time of year,” Golden said. “For us, this is a relatively new position for us with the chance to advance to play in the Sweet 16. It gives us an opportunity to keep the chip on our shoulder. I do still think the main people that think we're going to advance is the people in our locker room. We've got to make sure that we play that way tomorrow.”   Dinner is with Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun at The Capital City Chop House, which just happens to be 200 yards or so from our hotel. This is where we intended to go Thursday when Siri was dazed and confused. Steaks are good and the house salad is huge and loaded with something other than lettuce.   Over dinner we talk about the Sunday noon matchup with UConn. A rock fight is expected but we are of the opinion the Gators will show up with focus and intensity from the opening tip.   Will Richard goes up for a shot against UConn (Photo by Chris Spears) March 23, 2025, Raleigh, North Carolina   Suppose they gave a Wrestlemania event and a basketball game broke out? Well, that’s what happened when the Gators faced off with UConn, winner of 13 straight NCAA games and the last two national championships. From the opening tip until the clock struck zero in Florida’s 77-75 win, UConn was determined to force the Gators into a test of physicality.   “We dragged them into a game that was the only way to give ourselves a chance to win,” UConn coach Danny Hurley said.   This is how Tennessee beat the Gators in Knoxville. The Vols bludgeoned the Gators for 40 minutes. The zebra crew let that game evolve into a bare knuckles affair that the Vols won by 20 points. As physical as Tennessee was in that game, UConn took it to a new level and the zebra crew of Tommy Morrissey, Ron Groover and Courtney Green were complicit.   The Huskies might have gotten away with stealing a game against the region’s No. 1 seed except for one minor little detail. In constructing the Florida roster, Todd Golden had the players to deal with anything an opponent threw at them. UConn’s defense got the Gators out of sorts in the first half when the Huskies slugged their way to a 31-31 tie.   “I thought we had some uncharacteristic errors in the first half and not just with ball handling and turnovers but with rebounding,” Golden said. “Offensive execution … we weren’t ourselves the way we needed to be in the first half.”   UConn forged to a lead that hovered around 4-to-6 points for most of the second half. The Huskies had ample opportunities to break the game open, but they couldn’t hit the big shot that would have opened the floodgates.  Florida made just enough shots to hang with UConn, but it was clear the Gators needed a spark to wake them up.   The spark the Gators needed came in the form of dunks on back-to-back possessions by Rueben Chinyelu, the second coming with 8:45 left in the game. Though the Gators still trailed by four (52-48) but those two power plays had the effect of a jolt of electricity through the Gators.   When Walter Clayton Jr. drilled a 3-pointer that narrowed the UConn lead to 52-51 with 7:37 left, the entire demeanor of the Gators on the court seemed to change. From that point onward, this became Florida’s game.   Offensively the Gators got into a rhythm. Defensively the Gators got stops. At both ends of the court the Gators seized the momentum.   “We made winning play after winning play down the stretch in the last six minutes after about 34 minutes of it not looking like it was going to go our way,” Golden said.   Throughout the SEC portion of the season the Gators were at their best when they got into a comeback groove. This would be a recurring theme in the NCAA Tournament when the Gators executed a 12-point turnaround, going from six down to six up. The difference-maker against UConn was Clayton who scored 13 of Florida’s 22 points during a run that took UF from a 52-48 deficit to a 70-64 lead.   The Gators got a 62-61 lead by running a curl play for Clayton, who hit a three with hands in his face with 2:57 left in the game. He hit a pair of free throws with 1:45 left and off the exact same curl play, nailed another three for a 70-64 Florida lead with 1:07 left in the game.   “We trust him to take and make big shots when we need them,” Will Richard said.   From six down to six up, a 12-point swing that was a sign of things to come down the road.   The dagger that plunged into the Huskies’ hearts came with 40 seconds left when Alijah Martin picked off an offensive rebound on a missed free throw by Alex Condon. On the right side of the lane, Condon’s miss caromed into Martin’s hands. He took one dribble, elevated and dunked for a 72-64 lead.   “I can’t remember exactly what happened but he [Martin] somehow caught it with nobody within 10 feet of him around the rim and he was able to dunk it,” Golden said.   UConn was able to make it close in the final minute, but the shift in momentum gave the Gators enough of a cushion that UConn couldn’t overcome.   It takes a 6-0 record in the NCAA Tournament to win a national championship. The Gators escaped Raleigh with two but most important they showed that no matter the style of play, no matter how physical it gets, they could adapt to the circumstances and win. Merely good teams fold under the pressure of a UConn on the big stage but Florida showed true greatness. The moment and the circumstances weren’t big enough to swallow up Florida’s drive to prove the tournament committee got it wrong by seeding the Gators No. 4.   The Gators felt disrespected and were out to prove they were in deed the best team in the country.   Tomorrow: It’s off to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. When the Gators depart San Francisco, they take their hearts with them.

Keagan Rothrock gets the start against Monday in a series where Florida is looking to lock up an SEC tournament double bye and host a Regional and Super Regional.

Gators destroy #10 LSU in softball opener at Baton Rouge 14-4.

All they could is watch as Razorbacks silenced Gator bats (UAA Photo) The Gators made an uncharacteristic four errors on the day. They allowed two earned runs to the #5 team in the nation. By EDDIE GILLEY GatorBaitMedia.com There is an old adage in baseball that goes something like, “Momentum is only as good as today’s starting pitcher.”  After the Gators defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 6-4 on Friday night, both teams entered the Saturday afternoon game looking for a good starter  on the mound with a good start. Florida pitcher Aidan King entered the game with a 4-1 record while Arkansas countered with hard-throwing Gage Wood, who  went three complete innings and was pulled after 42 pitches while only giving up one hit.   King gave up one hit in the first, a walk in the second, and then retired the next five Hog batters. King gave up two singles in the fourth but managed to get out of the inning without giving up a run.   Gabe Gaeckle took the mound in the fourth for the visitors and picked up right where Wood left off.  Then in the top of the fifth, one play spoiled an otherwise great outing for King. He hit the eight hole hitter with a 2-2 fastball. He got ahead of the next batter 0-2.  Then the play that spoiled the game happened. The ninth guy in the Hog lineup hit what looked like a sure double play to normally sure-handed Gator third baseman, Bobby Boser. However in turning to throw to second, the ball slipped out of Bobby’s baseball hand for his second error of the season.  A sac bunt followed and gave the visitors runners at second and third with one out. Florida opted to intentionally walk the first of the Aloy brothers to load the bases. The other Aloy in the lineup, singled through the left side to plate two runners, both of whom should not have been on base.  The cleanup hitter for the Hogs lifted a long fly ball to score the third run on a sac fly. Brent Iredale’s ground rule double plated Aloy with the fourth run of the inning. The Gators brought in Jackson Barberi from the bullpen.  Arkansas sent up Cam Kozeal to pinch hit. And just like déjà vu, he homered to right field as he did Friday night to give the Razorbacks a 6-0 lead. They would tack on another run on a sac fly in the eight but it really didn’t matter as the Gators could not get the timely hit they needed to break up the shutout.  Gaeckle was effective  as he only allowed one hit in his 3.1 innings to get the win. Florida had a run taken off the board in the bottom of the eighth inning when Boser was originally called safe at home on a Stripling double, but was called out after a review. King deserved a better fate. The Gators made an uncharacteristic four errors on the day. They allowed two earned runs to the #5 team in the nation.  Unfortunately, the momentum of greater pitching was in the visitors’ third base dugout on Saturday. Gator fans hope that one play doesn’t spoil another really good  game.

Urban Klavzar nails a three in the win over Auburn (UAA photo) Robert Fulghum, an author and philosopher famous for finding simplistic solutions to stressful situations, once said, “If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience.” Just days before the loss to Tennessee in Knoxville, the spectre of the Title IX investigation of Todd Golden was lifted when an independent investigative firm out of California could find no evidence of allegations of sexual harassment among other things. Never a problem. Just an inconvenience. Then came the sprained ankle suffered by Walter Clayton Jr. at Tennessee. That proved to be another inconvenience.   That was small stuff since Clayton missed only one game, but there were injuries to Alijah Martin, Alex Condon and Sam Alexis. Big problem at some places, not at Florida. Just more inconvenience. Critics expected the Gators to crack, but the adversity they dealt with and overcame in February proved to be the major turning point of the entire season. Injuries thrust Denzel Aberdeen and Tommy Haugh into the starting lineup where they performed spectacularly. Seeing a front court depleted by injuries, Micah Handlogten burned the redshirt.   Over the next six games, the Gators found their mojo, emerging confident, deep and the team nobody in the country wanted to play. Over at ESPN, Seth Greenberg and Jay Bilas removed the Gators from their suspects list to the most likely to succeed in March. Not everyone in the country was convinced, but that played right into Golden’s hands. Nobody, but nobody ever played the disrespect card like Todd Golden.   When everyone else saw problems, Golden saw opportunity. They saw thorns, Golden saw roses.   You can’t win a national championship in February, but you can build the momentum that carries over into March. The momentum began in Gainesville when the Gators faced a very good Vanderbilt team minus Walter Clayton Jr.   Alex Condon nails a three against Vanderbilt (UAA photo) February 4, 2025, Gainesville   No Walter Clayton Jr.? No problem. Just inconvenience.   With Walt watching on the bench in civvies, Denzel Aberdeen took over the point and ran the team flawlessly against Vandy. He handled the ball, distributed to teammates and was rock solid defensively. He scored 13 points and passed for three assists.     The most important number? Zero. As in zero turnovers.   “You know, no turnovers again, controlled the game,” Todd Golden said after the Gators imposed their will on Vanderbilt, 86-75. “(Tyler) Tanner is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country and he didn’t allow him to force any turnovers on him. And again, he just controlled the game in the second half.”   Aberdeen had to take his game to a whole new level because Alijah Martin went out in the first half with what turned out to be a hip pointer. He ended up playing 27 minutes, but they were painful minutes and it was obvious something was wrong.   No Walter? No Alijah? No problem. Just inconvenience. Other people stepped up their games.   No Clayton meant someone else had to take over the scoring load. Will Richard obliged by going into one of his shooter’s comas. He bombed in five threes in seven shots en route to a 21-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist game. When Richard wasn’t stretching the Vandy defense, Alex Condon was overpowering the Commodores in the paint at both ends of the court. Condon finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.   Aberdeen’s former bench-mates did their part. Tommy Haugh had eight points, nine rebounds and four assists along with a steal and a blocked shot. Urban Klavzar hit a couple of another area code threes so clean the net barely moved. Sam Alexis scored five including a critical three that gave the Gators the lead for good with 11:54 to go in the game.   Beating Vandy minus Walt and with A-Mart slowed to a crawl is one thing. No. 1 Auburn was next.   February 8, 2025, Auburn, Alabama   Ahead of the road trip to Auburn, Walter Clayton Jr. was declared fit to play. That was the good news. Game day Alijah Martin was a no go. Problem? Hardly. Just more inconvenience. Denzel Aberdeen slid over to the wing and Urban Klavzar’s 3-point shot was on radar lock from the moment he got off the bus.   Clayton did an absolute tap dance on Auburn. When they laid off him, he bombed in four 3-pointers. When they tried to take his shots away, he found open teammates. Nine times. He blocked a shot. He got a steal. He grabbed six rebounds.   Will Richard (12 points) and Denzel (10) did their part, and they got help from Klavzar who hit all three of his 3-pointers. They stretched the defense which left Alex Condon, Tommy Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Sam Alexis to overpower Auburn and Johni Broome in the paint. Condon went off for 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Haugh had 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Chinyelu and Alexis combined for seven points, three rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.   We got a glimpse of things to come in the first half when Auburn jumped out to a 20-11 lead. Some teams have knees that turn into jelly when they go down by nine early in a hostile arena. It was just another day at the office for the Gators, who took control with a barrage of threes – one by Richard, one by Klavzar and one by Alexis – as they outscored the Tigers 37-18 the rest of the half.      In the second half, the lead expanded to 21 on a 3-ball by Klavzar with 14:21 to go. From that point on, it was just a matter of playing out the clock. For the second time in a little over a month, Florida had knocked off the No. 1 team in the nation.   This win made a statement for the 20-3 (7-3 SEC) Gators. That 30-point win over Tennessee was no fluke.   “It’s a really big win for us,” Golden said. “Obviously, it’s a needle-mover in terms of NCAA seeding. It’s a needle-mover in terms of where we finish in the SEC. I’d be hard pressed to believe there’s going to be another club that’s going to be able to come in here in conference play and get a win.”   Tommy Haugh shoots over Mississippi State's Riley Kugel (UAA photo) February 11, 2025, Starkville, Mississippi   More inconvenience for the now No. 3-ranked Gators. Thirty seconds into the game against Mississippi State, Alex Condon went down with a severely sprained ankle. In the second half, Sam Alexis will suffer a high ankle sprain. Alijah Martin is in civvies, still unable to play with his hip pointer. No problem.   Mississippi State is the No. 22 team in the country that will eventually make the NCAA Tournament field of 64, not exactly a bottom feeder. For the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs have upset on their minds, but then Denzel Aberdeen and Tommy Haugh take over. Trailing at the half, 34-33, Aberdeen gets a three and a dunk while Haugh gets a rebound, two assists and a steal in the first four minutes of the second half as the Gators take control, 42-34. The lead will swell to 20 (58-38) and those once bold Mississippi State Bulldogs will barely put up a defense.   Aberdeen will finish with 20 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Once again zero turnovers. Haugh is all over the place. He nearly gets a triple-double off the bench – 16 points, nine rebounds, eight assists – and on the defensive end he has two blocks and two steals. Clayton gets 19 to go with six rebounds, six assists and a steal, while Rueben Chinyelu and Will Richard will finish with 10 each.   Aberdeen has made the transition from bench to starter seamlessly, but with Condon and Alexis down, Haugh will have to play with the same kind of insane energy that made him an absolute terror in Starkville.   Golden describes Haugh as “one of the guys who delivers the heartbeat for this team, and the passion in which he plays, the toughness, the consistency, of being coachable as he is to go out and execute on the floor what the coaches want him to do is everything … It’s an elite effort for him tonight.”   February 13, 2025, Gainesville, Florida   “I’m back” tweeted Micah Handlogten. The injuries to Alex Condon and Sam Alexis impressed a need bigger than taking a redshirt for the 7-1 Handlogten. On Rob Browne’s SEC Sidelines podcast I am asked the impact of Handlogten’s return.   “With him back, the Gators are the favorites to win the national championship,” I tell him.   That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.   Micah Handlogten (3) is the last line of defense against South Carolina (UAA photo) February 15, 2025, Gainesville, Florida   South Carolina comes to the O-Dome, probably still kicking itself for blowing a 14-point lead to the Gators back in Columbia. The Gators led only five seconds in that one, but it was the most important five seconds of the game. Alex Condon and Sam Alexis are out and Alijah Martin is dressed but his status is questionable coming back from the hip. No problem. Just another inconvenience. In their absence, Denzel Aberdeen and Tommy Haugh will be in the starting lineup.   On this night, Denzel and Haugh will be the stars in an easy 88-67 win. Aberdeen goes off for 22 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Haugh’s stat line reads 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, one blocked shot and two steals. Between the two of them they hit 14-22 from the field, 8-13 from the 3-point line.   Micah enters the game at the 15:48 mark in the first half. The sold out O-Dome crowd erupts in an absolute lovefest greeting. The look on Micah’s face says everything. The crowd just confirmed that he made the right call to come back. Twenty-one seconds into the game, Micah’s pass to Aberdeen is converted into a 3-pointer that puts the Gators up 15-6. He will play 20 minutes, scoring two points while grabbing three rebounds. He hands out five assists, blocks two shots and comes away with two steals.   A-Mart returns also. He could have started but deferred to Denzel. That’s unselfishness for you. In his 24 minutes, Martin scores 11, hitting 3-5 from the 3-point line.   Clayton takes only nine shots. Instead of focusing on putting the ball in the hole, he spends the night getting the ball to teammates. He finishes with 10 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals.   The defense is incredible. The Gators spend the game running the Gamecocks off the 3-point line. They attempt only 12 the entire game. The Gators score 21 points while forcing 13 South Carolina turnovers.   Florida is 22-3, 9-3 in the SEC. When Condon comes back healthy, this is going to be formidable. I’m sticking with my prediction. The Gators are the favorites to win the national championship.   February 18, 2025, Gainesville, Florida   Oklahoma tried to outquick the 2nd-ranked Gators, believing their smaller front court guys could get to the rack. It seemed like a good idea at the moment, but as the Sooners were quick to discover, Florida’s big guys have no problems moving their feet and defending the perimeter. The result was Florida’s third straight game holding an opponent to fewer than 70 points. The Gators’ 85-63 win had everything to do with a relentless, efficient defensive effort.   In improving to 23-3 (10-3 SEC), the Gators held Oklahoma to only 49 shots from the floor. The Sooners managed only six second chance points. Only Jeremiah Fears, a likely NBA lottery pick, shot well (22 points) but one-man attacks just don’t work well against a defense that doesn’t take possessions off.   This one was over before the first half clock flatlined at 0:00. The Gators went on a 17-4 run that featured 3-pointers by Urban Klavzar, Denzel Aberdeen, Alijah Martin and two by Will Richard that staked UF to a 37-17 lead. From there it was a matter of cruise control offensively, intensity defensively.   Richard gave credit to Martin, the Florida Atlantic transfer whose intensity on the defensive end of the court is contagious.   “ A-Mart (Alijah Martin), he’s taken us to a different level, just how he impacts the game, picking up full court,” Richard said. “I don’t feel like he gets enough credit for what he does for us on the defensive end. He’s definitely taken us to another level. The emphasis is definitely there and it’s brought us to another level.”   Five Gators scored in double figures led by Walter Clayton Jr. with 18, Richard and Martin with 14 each. Rueben Chinyelu, who was brilliant defensively, scored 11 and Klavzar became the ninth Gator to reach double figures this season with a 10-point effort.   February 22, 2025, Baton Rouge   Back in the spring of 2022, the Gators hired Todd Golden to replace the departed Mike White. LSU hired Matt McMahon from Morehead State. Consensus at the time was that LSU got the better end of the deal. Nobody was thinking that way when the Gators traveled to Baton Rouge ranked No. 2 nationally and looking like a team that will get a No. 1 seed when the NCAA announces its 64-team field.   For a half, however, McMahon and LSU seemed quite capable of springing a monumental upset. After bolting out to a 29-15 lead, the Gators went stone cold. LSU suddenly couldn’t miss as the Tigers finished the half on a 22-2 run, one of the worst stretches of basketball the Gators played all season.   “I think we got way too comfortable in the first half,” Tommy Haugh said after Florida’s 79-66 win. “We got that lead and thought it was going to be easy. That’s not the SEC. You get settled in and that can happen.”   There was some carryover into the second half, but when Walter Clayton Jr. scored six straight points to cut the deficit from eight to three (41-38), the Gators got back into a groove at both ends of the court. Clayton put the Gators ahead for good (49-48) with 12:16 to go but it wasn’t until Alijah Martin scored six straight points to stretch the lead to 10 (69-59) with 4:18 to go that the Gators had full control.   The big guys were difference makers. Rueben Chinyelu had his best game of the year with 19 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Haugh had 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one blocked shot. Martin scored 14, Clayton 13 and Denzel Aberdeen 11.   The Gators outrebounded LSU 48-33 and outscored the Tigers in the paint 44-24.   February 25, 2025, Athens, Georgia   Thirteen minutes into the game the entire Gator Nation was asking who are these guys? Those same Georgia Bulldogs the Gators had blown out so handily in January were up 39-13. You would have thought Georgia was the No. 2 ranked team in the country and Florida was the team struggling to win enough games to eke their way into the NCAA field.   To the Gators’ credit, they did come back to actually take the lead in the last two minutes, but so much effort was spent coming back that there was no energy left to finish. Georgia 88, Florida 83.   It’s a game the Gators had no business losing. They were outscored in the paint 34-32 and they missed way too many free throws (18-29 for the game).   In the final 27 minutes of the game, with the exception of the missed free throws the Gators were outstanding offensively and the defense was intense. Florida outscored Georgia 70-49 after that extended period of first half ineptitude. Defensively, the Gators forced 17 Georgia turnovers that were converted into 29 points.   “We just put ourselves in too big a hole,” Golden said. “Obviously getting down 26 points 13 minutes into the game is not ideal when you’re trying to win a basketball game.”   Florida dropped to 24-4 overall and 11-4 in the SEC. With three games to go in the regular season, bracketologists Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm dropped the Gators off their No. 1 lines. Auburn had all but clinched the SEC regular season title, but the race for second, third and fourth and the double bye at the SEC Tournament was up in the air.   Prior to Georgia, the Gators were playing like a championship team. The Georgia loss was so unexpected and the first half was so miserable that there was talk the Gators might drop all the way down to a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.   Too many people were thinking the Gators had a problem. This wasn’t a problem. It was simply an inconvenience.   Tomorrow: With the arrival of March, the Gators start putting things together. When the Gators rebounded from a 3-game losing streak to go on an 11-game run to the 2006 national championship, Joakim Noah coined the phrase “the Gator Boyz are hot!” The Gator Boyz were about to get hot again.

Todd Golden still has three scholarships to give after landing AJ Brown (Photo by Chris Spears) By adding AJ Brown from the transfer portal on Thursday, Todd Golden took a big step toward the reload of a roster that has lost its entire backcourt to graduation and two underclassmen who decided to find greener pastures elsewhere. Brown, a redshirt sophomore who prepped at Orlando Christian Prep, blossomed last season at Ohio University where he averaged 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 38.8 percent from the 3-point line. Brown is the older brother of Florida freshman Isaiah Brown.   Brown joins Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee in a retooled Florida backcourt that has to replace first team All-America Walter Clayton Jr., 3-year starter Will Richard and defensive stopper Alijah Martin. Lee is a pure point who can play off the ball. Brown is a wing who can guard all three perimeter positions. Those two additions give Golden six scholarship perimeter players.   With the addition of Brown, Golden has 12 on his roster with three available scholarships at his disposal. Golden is likely to add an experienced combo guard who can play the point or either of the wings, a hybrid forward who can play the perimeter or in the post, and a young big with multiple years of eligibility.   Here are five possibilities from the portal:   PG Hayden Gray (6-4, 190, SR , from UC-San Diego): He was the point for a 30-win UC-San Diego team. He shoots the 3-ball well (41.8 percent), doesn’t turn the ball over and was the Big West Defensive Player of the Year. Because he played two years in Division II he may have more than one year of eligibility.   SG/SF Ben Henshall (6-7, 200, Perth, Australia): Tough guy who is still growing. Inside/outside type who is Alex Condon’s buddy. They’re currently working out together.   SG/PG Andrej Stojakovic (6-7, 190, from California): The talk is that he was blown away by his visit to Illinois, but that was the weekend and he still hasn’t committed. In other words, the door is open. He’s more a wing than a point, but NBA people think he has to become more of a ball handler. Florida can allow him to do both.   SG/PG Desmond Claude (6-5, 207, JR, from Southern Cal): This is a new one, but reports are that he is in contact with the Gators. He played two years at Xavier and then spent last season at Southern Cal where he averaged 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He plays the point or the wing. If there is a drawback it is his outside shooting. He’s a career 27.1 shooter from 3-point.   PF Dovydas Butka (6-9, 215, FR, from Pepperdine): He’s a Lithuanian who had an outstanding freshman year at Pepperdine when he averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He has three years of eligibility remaining.   The Florida Roster April 24, 2025 Big guys (6): Micah Handlogten (7-1, 255, JR); Alex Condon (6-11, 230, SO); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, SO); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 260, SO); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 250, FR); Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, FR)   Perimeter (6): Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, JR); AJ Brown (6-4, 195, RSO); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-4, 195, FR); CJ Ingram (6-6, 190, FR); Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180, FR)   THE SEC IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL   ALABAMA Goners: PF Jarin Stephenson (6-11, 210, SO, to North Carolina ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, to Kentucky ); SF Naas Cunningham (6-7, 175, FR, to UNLV ) Newbies: PG Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, FR, from Miami ); PF Taylor Bol Bowen (6-10, 205, SO, from Florida State ); C Noah Williamson (7-0, 224, JR, from Bucknell )   ARKANSAS Goners: C Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2, to Illinois ); PG Casmir Chavis (6-0, 180, FR); PG Boogie Fland (6-2, 210, FR) Newbies: C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, from South Carolina ); PF Malique Ewin (6-10, 220, SO, from Florida State )   AUBURN Goners: SG Jahki Howard (6-6, 185, FR, to Utah ); SG Chad Baker-Mazara (6-7, 180, SR); PG JP Pegues (6-1, 175, SR); PF Addarin Scott (6-9, 207, FR) Newbies: Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 240, JR, from UCF ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR, from Mississippi State ); SG Kevin Overton (6-5, 190, SO, from Texas Tech ); SF Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 200, FR, from Lincoln Memorial )   FLORIDA Goners: PG Kajus Kublicas (6-2, 180, SO); PG Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR, to Kentucky ); PF Sam Alexis (6-9, 240, JR) Newbies: PG Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR, from Princeton ); SG AJ Brown (6-5, 200, RSO, from Ohio U )   GEORGIA Goners: Silas Demery Jr. (6-5, 195, JR, to UConn ); PG Savo Drezgic (6-4, 200, FR); PF RJ Godfrey (6-7, 225, JR, to Clemson ); SG DeShayne Montgomery (6-4, 190, SO, to Dayton ) Newbies: Justin Bailey (6-3, 185, JR, from Wofford ); PG Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, FR, from California ); SF Kanon Catchings (6-9, 190, FR, from BYU )   KENTUCKY Goners: PG Kerr Kriisa (6-3, 180, JR, to Cincinnati ); SG Grant Darbyshire (6-2, 190, JR); SG Walker Horn (6-1, 200, JR); PG Travis Perry (6-1, 188, FR) Newbies: C Jayden Quaintance (6-9, 225, FR, from Arizona State ); SF Mouhamed Dioubate (6-7, 215, SO, from Alabama ); PG Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, SO, from Pittsburgh ); PF Kam Williams (6-8, 190, FR, from Tulane ); PG Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, JR, from Florida )   LSU Goners: SG Vyctorius Miller (6-5, 185, FR, to Oklahoma State ); PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, to Ole Miss ); PF Daimion Collins (6-9, 202, SR); PF Noah Boyde (7-0, 245, JR, to Western Kentucky ); SG Mike Williams (6-3, 180, SO); SG Tyrell Ward (6-6, 195, JR, to VCU ); PG Curtis Givens (6-3, 185, FR) Newbies: PF Marquel Sutton (6-7, 205, JR, from Nebraska-Omaha ); SG Max McKinnon (6-5, 200, JR, from Pepperdine ); SG Rashad King (6-6, 198, JR, from Northeastern ); PG Dedan Thomas (6-0, 175, FR, from UNLV ); C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, from Mississippi State ); PF Lassina Traore (6-10, 230, SR, from Xavier )   MISSISSIPPI STATE Goners: C Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO, to LSU ); PF KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 245, JR to Auburn ); SG Riley Kugel (6-5, 210, JR, to UCF ); PG Kanye Clary (5-11, 190, JR, to Oklahoma State ); SF Adrian Myers (6-6, 205, FR); C Jeremy Foumena (6-11, 235, SO, to UCF ); SF Harrison Alexander (6-4, 190, FR); PF EJ Paymon (6-9, 230, FR) Newbies: C Quincy Ballard (6-11, 240, SR, from Wichita State ); PG Ja’Borri McGhee (6-0, 200, FR, from UAB ); SF Amier Ali (6-8, 185, FR, from Arizona State ); PF Achor Achor (6-9, 222, SO, from Kansas State ); SG Jayden Epps (6-2, 190, JR, from Georgetown )   MISSOURI Goners: C Josh Gray (7-0, 260; SR); SG Marcus Allen (6-7, 200, FR, to Miami ); SF Aidan Shaw (6-9, 210, JR, to Boston College ); C Peyton Marshall (7-0, 300, FR, to Georgia Tech ) Newbies: SG Sebastian Mack ( from UCLA ); C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO from Oklahoma ); PF Jevon Porter (6-11, 235, JR, from Loyola Marymount ); C Shawn Phillips (7-0, 245, JR, from Arizona State )   OKLAHOMA Goners: C Luke Northweather (6-11, 240, RSO to Missouri ); SF Tae Davis (6-9, 240, JR, from Notre Dame ); SG Duke Miles (6-2, 175, SR, to Texas A&M ); SF Jacolb-Fredson Cole (6-7, 220, FR to McNeese); C YaYa Keita (6-9, 241, JR) Newbies: PG Nijel Pack (6-0, 180, SR, from Miami ); SF Tae Davis ( from Notre Dame ); PG Xzayvier Brown (6-2, 165, SO, from Saint Joseph’s )   OLE MISS Goners: C John Bol (7-2, 210, FR); SG TJ Caldwell (6-4, 190, JR); SG Robert Cowherd (6-5, 200, SO); PF Ja’Von Benson (6-7, 251, SR) Newbies: PF Corey Chest (6-8, 220, FR, from LSU ); PG Koren Johnson (6-2, 175, RSO, from Louisville ); SF AJ Storr (6-6, 200, JR, from Kansas )   SOUTH CAROLINA Goners: PF Okku Federiko (6-8, 220, FR); SF Morris Ugusuk (6-4, 170, SO); SG Cam Scott (6-6, 170, FR); PG Jamarii Thomas (6-0, 185, SR); PG Meechie Johnson (6-2, 175, SR, to Ohio State ); SG Austin Herro (6-3, 180, FR); C Nick Pringle (6-10, 220, SR, to Arkansas ); SG Arden Conyers (6-7, 204, FR); SG Zachary Davis (6-7, 200, JR, to Memphis ) Newbies: SG Kobe Knox (6-5, 185, JR, from South Florida ); C Christ Essendoko (7-0, 285, SO, from Providence ); PF Elijah Strong (6-8, 220, SO, from Boston College ); PG Mike Sharavjamts (6-9, 180, JR, from Utah ); PF Nordin Kapic (6-8, 245, FR, from UC-San Diego )   TENNESSEE Goners: Darlinstone Dubar (6-6, 207, SR) Newbies: PF Jaylen Carey (6-8, 265, SO, from Vanderbilt ); PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6-1, 175, JR, from Maryland )   TEXAS Goners: PF Jamie Vinson (6-11, 225, FR); SF Devon Pryor (6-7, 180, FR, to Oregon ); SG Malik Presley (6-6, 200, FR) Newbies: SF Dailyn Swain (6-7, 200, SO, from Xavier ); SF Camden Heide (6-7, 205, SO, from Purdue ); C Matas Vokietaitis (7-0, 245, FR, from Florida Atlantic ); PF Lassina Traore (6-9, 215, JR, from Xavier ); SG Simeon Wilcher (6-4, 180, SO, from St. John’s )     TEXAS A&M Goners: George Turkson (6-7, 220, JR, to Maryland ); SG Andre Mills (6-4, 200, FR, to Maryland ); C Pharrel Payne (6-9, 230, to Maryland ); SF Solomon Washington (6-7, 225, JR); PF Janus Ratowski (6-11, 225, FR); SF Jaelen Lee (6-6, 195, S0); SF Rob Dockery (6-6, 215, FR); SG Zhuric Phelps (6-3, 175, SR) Newbies: SF Zach Clemence (6-10, 225, RFR, from Kansas ); PG Jacari Lane (6-0, 178, JR, from North Alabama ); SF McKenzie Mgbako (6-8, 217, SO, from Indiana ); PG Josh Holloway (6-2, 160, SO, from Samford ); SG Duke Miles (6-2, 175, SR, from Oklahoma ) VANDERBILT  Goners: PF Jaylen Carey ( to Tennessee ); PG Jason Edwards (6-1, 175, JR, to Providence ); PG Jordan Williams (6-2, 215, JR); SF Alex Hemenway (6-4, 190, SR); PF Jaqualon Roberts (6-8, 230, SO, to Davidson ); PG Karris Bilal (6-2, 190, FR, to Louisiana ); PF Kijani Wright (6-9, 200, FR); PG MJ Collins (6-4, 190, JR, to Utah State ) Newbies: PG Frankie Collins (6-1, 185, JR, from TCU ); C Mason Nicholson (6-10, 280, JR, from Jacksonville State ); SF AK Okereke (6-7, 220, SO, from Cornell ); SF Mike James (6-6, 195, SO, from North Carolina State ); PF Jalen Washington (6-10, 225, JR, from North Carolina )

Alex Condon blocks a shot against Texas A&M (Photo by Chris Spears) They call it March Madness for a reason. This is the month in which truly great teams prove their worth. What happens from November until the final day of February is just the undercard. The heavyweight fight begins starting March 1 as the regular season schedules start winding down, leading up to the conference tournament. What happens in those days leading up to the NCAA selection committee announcing who’s in and who’s out is just the start of the craziness that rivets the entire country every single year.   There was no question Florida would make the NCAA Tournament when February bled into March but that unexpected loss to Georgia had many of the experts questioning if the Gators were tough enough to make a deep run. The loss put the double bye of the SEC Tournament in jeopardy and it caused bracketologists Joe Lunardi (ESPN) and Jerry Palm (CBS) to move the Gators off their No. 1 lines. With three regular season games remaining the Gators still had much to prove   There was an army of doubters both regionally and nationwide who questioned if the Gators could hang with the bluebloods and handle the pressure of March. If the Gators were doubting or feeling the pressure, they surely didn’t show it. They were embarrassed by the loss to Georgia, but all that game did was strengthen their resolve and narrow their focus. The Gators never stopped believing they were going to be great.   The team that wins the national championship has to go 6-0 over three consecutive weekends. Good teams fall by the wayside. The great teams survive and advance, but to get to the NCAA Tournament, the Gators first had to conquer the obstacles of the final three regular season games and then the SEC Tournament in Nashville.   What was it going to be for the Gators? Good? Or great? The first step on the journey to greatness began in Gainesville on the first day of March against Texas A&M.   March 1, 2025, Gainesville, Florida   Playing the Aggies reminds me of that famous quote by Mark Twain who said, “Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” The Aggies turn every game into a rock fight. They drag opponents down to their level and then they do indeed beat you with their experience.   Coming off that disappointing loss to Georgia, this game makes me nervous. Buzz Williams needs a big win to right his listing ship. The Aggies were in conversations about being a No. 2 NCAA seed but their ship is listing. They need a big win in the worst way and the Gators seem ripe to go down for the second time in the week. It’s bare knuckles time. The Aggies have come to the O-Dome.   The Aggies’ strategy isn’t exactly rocket science. The game plan is to take Walter Clayton Jr. out of the offense and take their chances that no one else will catch fire. On paper it works well. In real life, it doesn’t work because Will Richard goes into a shooter’s coma and the Gators completely dominate the Aggies on the inside.   The Gators take complete control in the final nine minutes of the first half when they expand their lead from four (25-21) to 11 (45-34) at the break. Clayton isn’t scoring, but Alijah Martin (12), Will Richard (8) and Tommy Haugh (8) pick up the slack.   Any hope the Aggies have of a comeback is crushed in the first four minutes of the second half when Richard scores Florida’s first eight points. Richard has one of those shooter’s coma games, hitting 6-9 from the 3-point line and grabbing six rebounds as part of a 25-point night. When Richard isn’t bombing away, the Gators outmuscle the Aggies in the paint.   Kenny Cross, longtime friend and exceptional basketball writer for Lindy’s, tells me during a time out, “The Gators are out-Aggie-ing the Aggies.”   Alex Condon, in his second game back since the ankle sprain, scores 11 with nine rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Haugh scores 17 with three rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and two steals. Micah Handlogten only scores two points, but he is a wall defensively, finishing with eight rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots, two steals and several intimidations.   The Gators make a believer out of Buzz Williams.   “I think at the rim they may be the best I have seen and I have been doing this a long time,” Williams says. “They are perfect.”   Williams declares the Gators legitimate national championship contenders.   This was a very good Florida win, and certainly, the Gators were beastly on the inside, but was it their best game of the year? Hardly, but it did prove once again, this is more than just a one-man gang. Clayton can take games over, but he has plenty of help.   The Gators are 25-4, 12-4 in the SEC.   Alex Condon scores on Bama's Grant Nelson (UAA Photo) March 5, 2025, Tuscaloosa, Alabama   The offensive philosophy of Alabama coach Nate Oats isn’t rocket science. Three-pointers and layups. That’s it. Outlining Florida’s defensive strategy to counter the Crimson Tide, Todd Golden says, “Obviously, we’re going to try to make them operate in the mid-range, try to make them take shots they’re not comfortable with or strive to take.”   It isn’t uncommon for Alabama to take 40 or more threes in a game, but on this day, the Gators are very good running them off the line and making them take what Golden calls “tough twos.” Alabama shoots only 25 3-pointers. Alabama All-American Mark Sears scores 30 in the game, but he’s only 2-10 from the 3-point line. That proves critical as No. 5 Florida (26-4, 13-4 SEC) gets a huge road win, 99-94, over No. 7 Alabama (23-7, 12-5 SEC) that clinches the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament no matter the Senior Night outcome against Ole Miss.   Alabama has no one who can contend with Alex Condon on the inside. He destroys the Tide with 27 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and two blocked shots. He gets plenty of help on the inside from Rueben Chinyelu (9 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block, 2 steals), Tommy Haugh (12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block) and Micah Handlogten (2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal).   The Gators outrebound Alabama 50-35, prompting Oats to declare, “We knew they were a tough rebounding team. We’re usually better than that, when we go into a game knowing we got the rebounds. It seemed they beat us to about every 50-50 ball. They obviously destroyed us on the glass.” Walter Clayton Jr. was like the conductor of a great symphony orchestra the way he controlled the ebb and flow of the game. He scored (22 points) and found teammates for eight assists. He turned the ball over only once.   It was a Clayton three with 15:55 remaining that started the Gators on a 31-13 run that decides the outcome. During that flurry, Clayton is all over the place with eight points, three rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. Sears may have outscored Clayton, but Walt leaves no doubt who is the best guard in the SEC and the entire country.   Bama had a little flurry in the final minute to make this one closer than it really was. When the clock flatlines at 0:00, Alabama, which once was ranked No. 1 in the nation, is gasping for air and the Gators are making a case that they’re the best team in the country.      Walter Clayton Jr. scores on Ole Miss (UAA Photo) March 8, 2025, Gainesville, Florida   Senior Night is emotional. Not only is it Florida’s last home game of what is turning into a rather remarkable season, but it’s time to say good-bye to Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard. All three arrived at UF through the portal, but all three bleed orange and blue. Richard transferred from Belmont to become Todd Golden’s first recruit three years ago. Clayton was next, arriving from Iona to return to his home state in the spring of 2023. In the spring of 2024, Alijah Martin became the missing piece of what Clayton has dubbed “the best backcourt in the country” by transferring in from Florida Atlantic.   Against an Ole Miss team that arrives in Gainesville on the heels of a win over Tennessee, the Gators catch fire in the second half and blow the doors off the Rebels, 90-71. Clayton has a statement game – 23 points (5-11 on 3-pointers), five rebounds, eight assists and a blocked shot – with 13 coming in the second half when the Gators turn a 1-possession game into a 20-point lead over an 8-minute span.   Todd Golden calls it “spurtability” when the Gators take games over at both ends of the court, leaving very good opponents in the dust. A 14-0 run when the Gators went from three ahead to a 54-37 lead was orchestrated by Clayton who got things going with a layup, a 3-pointer and an assist for an Alex Condon layup.   “ Walter had a stretch there where he was unguardable, and really kind of took the top off the defense,” Golden said. “And, you know, once we were able to get out to that run, you know, we felt pretty good about it the rest of the way.”   Martin closed out the O-Dome portion of his Florida career with 13 points, five rebounds, one assist, one blocked shot and three steals. Richard chipped in with 10 points and three rebounds.   For the third straight game, the Gators own the paint and the backboards. Led by Alex Condon (17 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) the Gators outrebound Ole Miss 48-36. Contributing to the domination are Rueben Chinyelu (7 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal), Tommy Haugh (7 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) and Micah Handlogten (2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 blocked shot) the Rebels are pounded into submission.   “They can dribble, pass and shoot,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “They can playmake just enough. They have an NBA point guard in Clayton, and then the bigs just come in swarms. They do a great job of the four-man rotation, keeping guys fresh so they can rim-run and seal.”   The Gators are 27-4, 14-4 in the SEC. They don’t play until the Friday quarter-finals.   March 11, 2025   Who is the idiot that didn’t vote Walter Clayton Jr. first team All-SEC? The coaches All-SEC team was announced and while Clayton did make first team it wasn’t unanimous. It would be great if the SEC made the coaches’ votes public. At least one coach has either the brain function of the single cell creatures that emerged from scummy ponds to evolve billions of years ago or else he kept Clayton off for spite.   Whatever, Clayton is the type who won’t say a word, but beneath the silence a fire will burn. Walt knows how good he is and so does everybody else, but when things like this happen, a fire of disrespect blazes in his belly.   Alex Condon makes third team. Should have been second. No All-Defense for Will Richard and/or Alijah Martin?   March 13, 2025   The coach that didn’t vote Walt first team All-SEC should be grabbed by the lapels and slapped silly. Walter Clayton Jr. made first team All-America. First team All-America and he isn’t first team All-SEC?   This happens far too often to Florida athletes. Go back to football season. Center Jake Slaughter didn’t make first, second or third team All-SEC as voted by the coaches, yet he was first team All-America.   Jake will be back to make people pay in the fall. As for Walter Clayton Jr., his payback will come over the next nine games.   Alijah Martin soars high for a dunk against Missouri (UAA Photo) March 14, 2025, Nashville   The Gators arrive in Nashville ranked fourth nationally and deserving of a No. 1 seed. The opponent for Friday night’s quarter-final of the SEC Tournament is 22nd-ranked Missouri, which beat the Gators in the O-Dome back in January. Expectations are a white knuckler among the national media.   The Florida Gators have other ideas, among them payback. The Gators played this one in spurts in which they looked clearly like the best team in the country, and others in which they appeared beatable. Think of it like a yo-yo effect. When the Gators were up they were very, very good. When they were down, they played like a bored team.   It was like Lucy Van Pelt holding the football for Charlie Brown. Every time the Tigers thought they could rally past the Gators for the kind of win that could propel them to a top four NCAA seed, the Gators had answers as they moved on to the SEC Tournament semifinals with a 95-81 win.   By the first media timeout the Florida backcourt had already made a statement. Will Richard scored eight of Florida’s first 15 points. Alijah Martin had a three and an assist and Walter Clayton Jr. had two points, a steal, a rebound and an assist. Florida’s 15-4 lead gave way to a Mizzou rally that lends to those earlier white knuckles predictions, but Richard, Martin and Clayton once again make their presence known.   Leading 28-24, the Gators outscore Missouri 22-13 the rest of the half with Clayton going off for seven points, one rebound, three assists and a steal; Martin getting an assist and two points; and Richard scoring five and getting a steal. At 50-37, the Gators seem to be well on their way to a blowout.   Prosperity gave way to boredom. Mizzou rallied to within four (64-60) with 13:14 left in the game but the Gators pushed it back out to 10 (74-64) when Martin dunked to finish off a fast break with 9:02 remaining. Missouri got back within five (75-70) but that was like flipping the enough is enough switch. The Gators outscored Missouri 20-11 the rest of the way.   Clayton led the Gators with 18 points, three rebounds, six assists, a blocked shot and two steals. Richard and Martin each scored 17 while Tommy Haugh had 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.     March 15, 2025, Nashville   Florida’s 104-82 SEC Tournament semifinal win over Alabama evoked memories of Wile E. Coyote riding an Acme rocket in an attempt to catch up with the Roadrunner. Thanks to the rocket, Wile thought he had Roadrunner within his grasp except for one teensy problem. Roadrunner stopped on a dime at the edge of a cliff. The rocket and Wile whizzed by. No brakes to stop and a mile-deep canyon below. The rocket ran out of fuel and Wile  crashed to the bottom of the canyon.   For the fourth straight game (two in 2024, a third game 10 days earlier) Alabama thought it could run with the Gators. For awhile the Crimson Tide was rocket propelled but then the rocket ran out of fuel and the Tide crashed and burned.   Bama led the Gators 48-47 with 18:46 left in the game when the rocket engine sputtered the first time. Four minutes later, the Crimson Tide was in a heap at the bottom of the canyon and the Gators were ahead 64-50. From there it only got worse.   Florida scored 57 second half points on the way to an SEC Tournament-record 104. Six Gators scored in double figures, part of a 55.88 percent shooting day that included 44.4 percent from the 3-point line. Bama meanwhile shot a miserable 11-35 (31.4 percent) from the 3-point line.   “We kept coming in waves in the second half,” Todd Golden said. “I thought we did an incredible job of wearing them down.”   Mark Sears, who was a unanimous first team All-SEC performer, scored nine. Walter Clayton Jr., who made first team All-America and yet wasn’t a unanimous All-SEC first team, scored 22 with three rebounds, six assists and three steals. Clayton hit 6-11 from the 3-point line and didn’t turn the ball over.   With 16 each were Will Richard and Alijah Martin. Denzel Aberdeen and Tommy Haugh both scored 11 while Rueben Chinyelu had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Micah Handlogten grabbed 10 rebounds.   The way the Gators handled Alabama all but guaranteed the Gators would be one of the four No. 1 seeds when the NCAA announced the field a day later. Florida manhandled an Alabama team that would be a No. 2 seed, wearing down the Crimson Tide with speed, quickness, unselfishness, physicality and depth. The Gators didn’t have a single player on the floor for more than 30 minutes.   “I think it really speaks to first of all the depth of our team, second just the unselfishness of our group,” Golden said. “That is why we are who we are. We have good individual players. What makes this team special and gives us a chance to play deep into March and hopefully early April is our unselfishness, our willingness to make the extra pass. When it's opportunistic for other guys to take the shots, to move the ball to them.  We just have a mature, unselfish group that way.”   Walter Clayton Jr. was the SEC Tournament MOP (UAA Photo) March 16, 2025, Nashville   A year ago, the Gators got to the championship game of the SEC Tournament in Nashville only to lose to Auburn. Think of that game as the Gators knocking at the door.   A year later, it was the Gators and Tennessee facing off for the SEC Tournament title and, according to so many experts, the fourth No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Think of what happened at Bridgestone Arena as the Gators kicking the door down.   For all practical purposes this was a home game for Tennessee. Among the more than 19,000 in attendance, creamsicle orange was the dominant color, but that was about all Tennessee dominated. This was Florida’s game, not only to win the first tournament of the brief Todd Golden era at UF but to secure a No. 1 seed.   “Really, I just think we continue to prove what we have been all season, which is being one of the best teams in America, continuing to show we can beat any team in America,” Golden said after the Gators put down the Vols, 86-77. “When we’re playing like this, I think we are the best team in America.”   In winning their 30th game of the season – only the fourth time in Florida history that has happened – the Gators dominated the backboards, played great defense and never let Tennessee get over the hump even when the Vols staged a couple of second half rallies that made it a close game. When Tennessee trimmed Florida’s once 13-point lead to five (65-60) with 7:39 left in the game, Walter Clayton Jr. got to the foul line where he hit both shots and then drilled a three with 6:49 left to stretch the lead back to eight (70-62).   The Vols were never the same again.   Although he had plenty of help – four other Gators scored in double figures – Clayton was the difference-maker and the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. In many ways this was a redemption game for Clayton who scored 20 points combined in the two regular season games the Gators and Vols split.   In the championship game, Clayton had 22 to go with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Richard, named to the All-Tournament team, had 17 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals. Alex Condon had 13 points, nine rebounds, an assist and a steal, and Alijah Martin finished with 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.   The Gators outrebounded Tennessee 39-25 and outscored the Vols 32-20 in the paint.   March 16, 2025   Just a few short hours after the Gators won the SEC Tournament, the NCAA selected its tournament field, awarding the Gators the No. 1 seed in the West Regional. Overall, Florida was the No. 4 seed which meant the Gators were on the same side of the bracket as Auburn, which was the No. 1 overall seed.   Florida’s first and second round games were assigned to Raleigh with Norfolk State in the first round and the winner of UConn and Baylor in the second.   Tomorrow: Rounds one and two in Raleigh as Florida’s march to a national championship begins.