Tommy Haugh powers up for two of his 17 points (Photo courtesy of UAA Communications) There were stretches Saturday afternoon at the O-Dome in which we were treated by a team that has elbowed its way into serious Final Four contention. When the Gators are focused, motivated and playing hungry the way they did during the 10-2 run that began the game with Kentucky or the 11-2 second half explosion that caused the 11,230 sardined into the arena to nearly blow the roof off the joint, it isn’t difficult to foresee Florida making a second straight Final Four.   When the Gators are in their pillage and plunder mode, even very good basketball teams like the 25 th -ranked Kentucky Wildcats (17-8, 8-4 SEC) look like a carcass on the side of the road with buzzards circling. The 14 th -ranked Gators (19-6, 10-2 SEC) had some moments in which they were as flat as a bottle of Coca-Cola that has been open and sitting at room temp for a few hours, but whenever necessary they went from ordinary to beastly.   During those high-powered stretches that turned Kentucky into 92-83 road kill, the Gators played great defense which turned 14 UK turnovers into 25 points. They found Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavzar open on the perimeter where they drilled in 3-pointers (4-7 for Lee, 5-11 for Klavzar). During one extended second half sequence the Gators grabbed 17 of 23 rebounds that either ignited fast breaks, resulted in stickbacks or gave another chance to nail a three.     The good stretches showed how untouchable the Gators can be when they get their collective acts together. The bad stretches provided a pad full of coaching points for Todd Golden, who admitted, “ we're getting there. We're not all the way. I thought we took a step back in some of the areas that we had been growing in, but we're also getting a lot better in some areas that I didn't expect us to maybe jump in. So we gotta stay the course."   No, the Gators are not all the way there. Not yet at least. But this is an almost avalanche effect as we see the Gators picking up momentum and laying waste to everything in their path. There are six SEC games remaining on the schedule and then three potentially in the SEC Tournament in Nashville.   How the Gators do in those nine games will determine how they are seeded and where they will play in the NCAA Tournament. The last five wins have been impressive enough that the Gators have shed the potential label, replacing it with serious national contender.   Getting past Kentucky was a rather large step in the right direction even if it wasn’t one of Florida’s best games. Of course, any win over Kentucky, is a great win even if hindsight tells you that had the Gators played to their capability, this would have gone down as a 25 or 30-point blowout. The Gators left points on the floor at the foul line (22-32). They missed way too many shots within five feet of the basket. They turned the ball over 11 times. They lost contain on UK deluxe shooter Collin Chandler (5-7 on threes). They were outrebounded in the first half.   So winning by nine was solid, but it could have been and should have been more decisive. Even so it served notice to the rest of the country that even when the Florida Gators aren’t totally in synch they are still good enough to flatten anyone that gets in their path.   It was Xaivian Lee, who for the second straight game, was the tone-setter. In getting the Gators off to a 10-2 lead in the first 3:25 of the game, Lee drained a pair of threes. After the under-16 media time out, Lee and Tommy Haugh combined to score the next 10 Florida points for a 20-8 advantage. The lead swelled to 15 – 32-17 on a steal and dunk by Boogie Fland with 9:23 remaining – but that’s when the Gators went into a bit of a funk that allowed Kentucky to go on a 10-0 run that altered thoughts of a runaway.   Kentucky got within five at 34-29, but the Gators stepped on the gas and pulled away for a 41-32 lead at the intermission. Kentucky got off to a strong second half start to narrow the margin to 43-41, but Haugh got a layup and free throw and Lee fired in a three from the left wing to create some space at 49-41.   It was a 5-point game (56-51) when Klavzar went into a shooter’s coma. Over the next 10 minutes, Klavzar nailed four threes and added a layup when he powered his way through two Kentucky bigs. When he hit his fourth three of the second half, it gave the Gators an 81-70 lead with 3:07 left in the game. Klavzar finished the game with 19 points.   Florida’s big guys did their part. Outrebounded for much of the first half, the Gators were dominant in the second. Over one stretch, the Gators outrebounded Kentucky 17-6, turning UK possessions into one-and-dones and extending UF possessions. In the second half, the Gators scored on 61.1 percent of their possessions and for the entire game, Florida scored on 58.3 percent of the possessions. For a second straight game, the Gators nailed 10 threes (10-26).   “Our tenaciousness, our physicality showed up in last 10 minutes of the game,” Golden said. “I thought we dominated that way. We kind of refused to not get the ball. That has to be our calling card as we move forward.”   While this wasn’t anything close to perfection it was a shot across the bow of the SEC and nation that the Gators have so many ways to win games.   “I think when we hit 10 threes – I think it was in back-to-back games – I don't think anyone in the country can play with us,” Alex Condon said after 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. “We’re a dangerous team. Inside, especially rebounding is a big emphasis. That's our DNA. Every game we try to win the rebound count by at least 12, and it sucks the guys inside, and then you throw it out, and these guys hit threes. It's really unbeatable basketball I think.”   Beating Kentucky kept Florida in first place, a full game ahead of Arkansas, and provided a 2-game cushion over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Alabama, who all have four losses in league play. So, even though it wasn’t the complete game that Golden would have liked, particularly on the national stage (game was broadcast on ABC), it was a purposeful win in which the Gators made it abundantly clear that even when they aren’t 100 percent locked in for a full 40 minutes, they’re still better than everyone else.   Game notes: Five Gators scored in double figures – Lee 22, Klavzar 19, Haugh 17, Condon 14 and Chinyelu 10. Chinyelu also had 11 rebounds for his SEC-leading 15 th double-double of the season … Haugh hit a three for the 20 th consecutive game … Former Gator Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 19 points, but it took him 21 shots to get there. Aberdeen and Otega Oweh shot a combined 12-35 from the field.   ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC) 82, Texas A&M (17-8, 7-5 SEC) 69: Tyler Tanner scored only four points, but Tyler Nickel picked up the slack by hitting five 3-pointers as part of a 25-point night. AK Okereke added 23 for the Commodores. In losing their fourth straight game, the Aggies were led by Marcus Hill with 20.   No. 21 Arkansas (19-6, 9-3 SEC) 88, Auburn (14-11, 5-7 SEC) 75: This was an easier than expected win for the Razorbacks, who got 31 points and seven assists from Darius Acuff Jr., who hit 7-10 of his threes. Billy Richmond scored 25 for the Razorbacks. The story for Auburn was leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, suspended indefinitely by head coach Steven Pearl. Tahaad Pettiford led Auburn with 29 points and seven assists.   Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC) 89, South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC) 75: Aden Holloway had 20 while Labaron Philon Jr. and Latrell Wrightsell 19 each to lead Alabama to an easy win. Meechie Johnson scored 26 for South Carolina.   Tennessee (18-7, 8-4 SEC) 73, LSU (14-11, 2-10 SEC) 63: The Vols dominated the rebounding 45-24 to take out LSU. Nate Ament led Tennessee with 22 points while Jalen Reece and Marquel Sutton each scored 15 for short-handed LSU, playing without injured Max Mackinnon.   Texas (16-9, 7-5 SEC) 85, Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC) 68: The Longhorns blew a tight game open in the second half in a matchup that has serious NCAA Tournament implications. Dailyn Swain led Texas led Texas with 25 points while Matas Voiketaitis had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mark Mitchell and Jayden Stone each scored 16 for Missouri.   Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9 SEC) 94, Georgia (17-8, 5-7 SEC) 78: Oklahoma, which trailed by two at the half, outscored Georgia 53-35 in the second half. The Sooners got 19 from Tae Davis and 18 each from Nijel Pack and Kuol Atak. Georgia, which has lost five of its last six, got 20 from Blue Cain.   Mississippi State (12-13, 4-8 SEC) 90, Ole Miss (11-14, 3-9 SEC) 78: Led by Josh Hubbard, who lit up the Rebels for 32 points, Mississippi State ran out to a 19-point first half lead. Malik Dia scored 32 to lead Ole Miss, which has lost seven in a row.   Tuesday’s games South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC) at No. 14 FLORIDA (19-6, 10-2 SEC) Georgia (17-8, 5-7 SEC) at No. 25 Kentucky (17-8, 8-4 SEC) LSU (14-11, 2-10 SEC) at Texas (16-9, 7-5 SEC)   Wednesday’s games No. 19 Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC) at Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC) No. 21 Arkansas (19-6, 9-3 SEC) at Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC) Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9 SEC) at Tennessee (18-7, 8-4 SEC) Ole Miss (17-8, 7-5 SEC) at Texas A&M (17-8, 7-5 SEC) Auburn (14-11, 5-7 SEC) at Mississippi State (12-13, 4-8 SEC)   WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC 16. South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC): The Gamecocks have lost six in a row. They haven’t hit rock bottom yet, however. That happens Tuesday night in Gainesville.   15. Ole Miss (11-14, 3-9 SEC): The Rebels have lost seven in a row and next week they have to go to Aggieland and host the Gators.   14. Mississippi State (12-13, 4-8 SEC): The schedule eases a bit, enough that the Bulldogs could potentially get to 8-8 in the SEC. The four games other than at Florida and at Alabama are winnable.   13. LSU (14-11, 2-10 SEC): The only win in the last seven games is South Carolina. Matt McMahon’s situation grows more grim by the game.    12. Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9 SEC): Six games to go and four are winnable. At 7-9 in the SEC Porter Moser might save his job.   11. Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC): Mizzou went right back to the bubble by losing at Texas. The Tigers are dangerous opponents, but they’re as capable of losing as they are of winning at this point.   10. Georgia (17-8, 5-7 SEC): The Bulldogs are backsliding their way to the NIT. They’ve lost five of six and the next three games are at Kentucky, Texas and at Vanderbilt.   9. Auburn (14-11, 5-7 SEC): If the Keyshawn Hall suspension lasts more than a week, Auburn can start thinking NIT.   8. Texas A&M (17-8, 7-5 SEC): Bucky Ball has hit the skids. The Aggies have lost four straight. This kind of thing happens when you have the shortest and least talented team in the SEC.   7. Texas (16-9, 7-5 SEC): The Longhorns have won four in a row with two very winnable games upcoming that will ensure at least break even in the SEC. This is a dangerous team.   6. Tennessee (18-7, 8-4 SEC): The Vols have Oklahoma and a roadie to Nashville for Vandy this week. They could get to 22-23 wins in the regular season which would probably get a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.   5. Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC): The Tide went 2-0 without Charles Bediako last week. Can they bushwhack Arkansas Tuesday without a 7-footer who can block shots?   4. Kentucky (17-8, 8-4 SEC): The Wildcats should win the next three easily. A 5-1 finish in SEC play could get UK within sniffing distance of the No. 4 line.   3. Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC): Mark Byington says Duke Miles could be back in a week or two. Vandy needs him desperately to take the heat off Tyler Tanner.   2. Arkansas (19-6, 9-3 SEC): Wednesday in Tuscaloosa is a chance for Arkansas to get a statement win.   1. FLORIDA (19-6, 10-2 SEC): The Gators beat Kentucky without playing anywhere close to their best.

Gators drop second meet in a row 198.075-197.575 to the #1 Oklahoma Sooners.

Xaivian Lee puts the clamps on Georgia's Blue Cain (Photo by Chris Spears) In assessing what went wrong Wednesday night in Athens, Georgia coach Mike White was asked about Florida’s defense, which held the Bulldogs to a season-low 66 points, a full 25 fewer than their second in the nation per game average.     “There wasn’t a hole,” White said. “There wasn’t a weak link.”   No holes. No weak links. Just a team that has grown comfortable in its own skin, a team that has come to grips with the fact that this isn’t a déjà vu season. In winning the NCAA championship a year ago, it seemed the Gators could literally shoot their way out of any trouble. Now, a year later, the new identity – the one that Todd Golden has been insisting – is defense, rebounding and toughness.   The Gators lead the nation in rebounding, offensive rebounding and rebounding margin. Defensively, they are No. 3 nationally in the barttorvik.com analytics, No. 5 in kenpom.com .   In reality, how good are the Gators? Well, against Georgia, the Bulldogs had the basketball 77 possessions and scored on just 29. That breaks down to .857 points per possession and a scoring percentage of 37.7. Florida, on the other hand, had 73 possessions, scored on 38 of them and averaged 1.178 points every time the Gators had the basketball.   The Gators scored on a whopping 52.1 percent of their possessions.   On their march to a national championship a year ago, it seemed the Gators’ solution to any kind of trouble was to shoot their way into prosperity. In their last three games – Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, Auburn in the NCAA semifinals, and Houston in the national championship game – the Gators trailed by 10 or more points in the second half. It’s true that Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard all made big shot after big shot to bring the Gators back in those games.   It’s also true that they played defense at an elite level. The object of the game is to score more points, but you have to get stops defensively to get the ball and give yourself a chance. On Houston’s last four possessions of the national championship game, Florida’s defense was so tight that the Cougars never even got a shot off.   Florida won that game, 65-63.   The straws that stirred the Florida drink last year – Clayton, Martin and Richard – all ply their trade in the NBA now. When they departed for the pros and Denzel Aberdeen packed his bags for Lexington and the Kentucky Wildcats, it meant roster reconstruction once again for Todd Golden. He’s used to it.   Following his first season at UF, Golden knew he needed more size so he went to the portal to bring in Tyrese Samuel from Seton Hall and 7-1 Micah Handlogten from Marshall. The arrival of unheralded freshmen big men Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh hardly caused a ripple nationally. The backcourt was reconstructed with Zyon Pullin from Cal-Riverside and Walter Clayton Jr. from Iona.   From 16-17 year one to 24-12 in year two the Gators were one of the most improved teams in the country. If Handlogten hadn’t suffered a fractured leg in the SEC Tournament championship game against Auburn, I feel confident the Gators would have won the tournament and gone on to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.   The second year Gators could score on anyone but terrible defensively, so Golden once again went to the portal, adding Rueben Chinyelu from Washington State and Alijah Martin from Florida Atlantic. Chinyelu and Martin gave the Gators an instant defensive identity and toughness that had been missing. Amazingly, the 2025 Gators scored essentially at the same clip – 85.6 per game in 2024; 84.8 in 2025 – but the result of the defensive emphasis was a nearly -10 point reduction in opponents’ scoring from 79.2 per game to 69.6.   So, that brings us to 2026 and another example of roster reconstruction. The backcourt is run by transfers Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton). They’re backed up off the bench by last year’s newbies, Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown. The front court foursome of Haugh, Condon, Chinyelu and Handlogten remained intact.   This is where we have seen the genius of Golden. He scheduled tough with games like Arizona, TCU, Duke and UConn all on the road, and gave the Gators a chance to forge a brand new identity. This isn’t a great shooting team – 29.2 percent on threes following a 10-26 performance at Georgia – but scoring hasn’t dropped off at all. The Gators are scoring 86.2 per game, giving up 71.   In the last four games, opponents have shot 34-117 from the 3-point line while averaging just 64.5 points per game.   “As we’ve learned the last couple of weeks from our group, when we guard and rebound, we’re pretty tough to beat,” Golden said . “Our team is getting to a point where enjoying and kind of owning the identity of being a defensive, gritty, physical, rebounding team.”   Almost unnoticed is how the Gators have become one of the nation’s more efficient offensive teams and that’s all because of defense and rebounding. The Gators have a size advantage on nearly every team in the country, but these aren’t big, immobile guys. They can move their feet, play defense even out on the perimeter and they know how to trigger the break. No team in America gets the ball from defense to offense faster than the Gators.   One of the chief reasons Florida is scoring more points than last year’s team despite just 29.2 percent 3-point shooting is the speed in which the Gators transition from defense to offense. The 100-77 win over Alabama was a clinic in layups and dunks before Alabama could get its defense set.   It took awhile for Fland and Lee to work out the kinks that come naturally after transferring in to a new situation. Fland is the lead guard, Lee the off guard, but when Fland rests, Lee is perfectly capable of running the point. They don’t turn the ball over – Lee, for example, has gone 86 minutes on the court since his last turnover – and they get the ball to teammates. When they score – Lee had 18 against Georgia, Fland 15 – it makes the Gators even more dangerous.   Best of all, they play great defense.   It has taken awhile for Fland and Lee to grow comfortable in their roles with a new team, new philosophy and through the roof expectations. They have endured the barbs that came when the Gators lost early games, all of them winnable that came down to a silly mistake here or a missed shot there. As they have grown, the Gators have grown with them to the point that more than one national analyst has Florida on the short list of teams that can make the Final Four and cut down the nets.   That tough non-conference schedule turns out a genius move on the part of Golden. Sure, the Gators lost games, but they learned how to play together and best of all created an identity that is uniquely theirs. This isn’t last year’s team, for sure, but it’s a team capable of winning a national championship.   The Gators are playing at a scary good level right now and they still haven’t peaked. Fland noted after the blowout of Alabama that the Gators still have plenty in the tank. They can win with defense, rebounding and toughness.   And if they start making threes with any sort of consistency?   “Collectively as a staff and as a program, we think of our 3-point shooting as the cherry on top,” Golden said. “ We don’t want that to be what makes us good or what we rely upon to be a good team. We want it to be a thing where if we are shooting ball well, we’re really hard to beat. ”   The Gators are already hard to beat. If Fland and Lee ever start shooting the ball well in addition to what they bring to the table defensively and setting up opponents with their passing and ball handling, hard to beat might be classified as impossible to beat.   SATURDAY IN THE SEC No. 25 Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC) at No. 14 FLORIDA (18-6, 9-2 SEC) Texas A&M (17-7, 7-4 SEC) at No. 19 Vanderbilt (20-4, 7-4 SEC) Auburn (14-10, 5-6 SEC) at No. 21 Arkansas (18-6, 8-3 SEC) South Carolina (11-13, 2-9 SEC) at Alabama (17-7, 7-4 SEC) LSU (14-10, 2-9 SEC) at Tennessee (17-7, 7-4 SEC) Texas (15-9, 6-5 SEC) at Missouri (17-7, 7-4 SEC) Georgia (17-7, 5-6 SEC) at Oklahoma (12-12, 2-9 SEC) Mississippi State (11-13, 3-8 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-13, 3-8 SEC)   FEELING THE BURN … These coaches are sitting on seats so warm they threaten to burst into flames any day now. Jerome Tang, Kansas State: He was a big splash his first year in 2022-23, but K-State hasn’t made the tournament since then and won’t this year. The Wildcats are 10-14, dead last in the Big 12.   Lamont Paris, South Carolina: He’s headed for his third losing season in the four he’s been head coach at South Carolina. In the four years he’s been coaching the South Carolina men, women’s coach Dawn Staley has won two NCAA titles, finished second once and made the Final Four the other year. In Columbia they’re asking why can’t they get a men’s coach who can do that?   Wes Miller, Cincinnati: The Bearcats are 12-12 and they’re not going to make the NCAA Tournament. Again. Miller hasn’t made the tournament once and this is year five.   Matt McMahon, LSU: It’s not working out at LSU, but McMahon might not get fired because the school spent so much money paying off Brian Kelly and hiring Lane Kiffin.   Porter Moser, Oklahoma: Nice guy. Maybe no one nicer but he’s 86-71 at Oklahoma. Much more is expected. This is year five and the Sooners have only made the NCAA Tournament once.   Bobby Hurley, Arizona State: The Sun Devils are 13-12. The last time they made the NCAA was 2023. Older brother Danny has won two national championships at UConn since then. Meanwhile down in Tucson, Tommy Lloyd has Arizona among the favorites to win the national championship. Bad optics for Bobby.   Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh: They extended his contract through the 2029-30 season and the people who write the checks are wondering why? Pitt is the ACC bottom feeder. Capel has made the NCAA Tournament only one time in eight years.   Shaka Smart, Marquette: Marquette is 9-16 and the faithful aren’t happy. Chances are Shaka gets another year although they would be extremely pleased if he sought gainful employment elsewhere.   Steve Pikell, Rutgers: The Scarlett Knights are 9-15 and won’t make the NCAA Tournament. Again. Pikell hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2021. He had two lottery picks on his team last year and still finished with a losing record.   Adrian Autry, Syracuse: He is 48-42 in three years at Syracuse, 14-11 this year. The Orange haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since he’s been the coach. The natives are very restless.     GREENER PASTURES ON ANOTHER HILL … Chris Beard, Ole Miss: He is a very good basketball coach but something isn’t working at Ole Miss. There are rumors that his agent is putting put feelers. Who else is going to pay him $5 million? If someone comes close, they probably get one heck of a basketball coach.   Mick Cronin, UCLA: His last good team was 2022-23 when the Bruins went 31-6, but they’ve never advanced beyond the Sweet 16 in six previous seasons. They won’t fire him, but they would be happy if he whisked off to somewhere else. There’s a really good chance of that.   Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State: He won big at Fairmont State and Youngstown State, now he’s 46-11 at Utah State. Someone is going to snap him up.   Jim Crutchfield, Nova Southeastern: Yes, he coaches Division II, but his teams score 100 a game routinely. He’s won two national championships at Nova where his career record is 223-26. Prior to Nova he was the coach at West Liberty in West Virginia where his career mark was 359-61.

Georgia Tech, Marshall coming to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium

Xaivian Lee (1) works off a pick set by Micah Handlogten (Photo courtesy of UAA Communications) Here is a scary thought for you. As good as the 14 th -ranked Florida Gators have been, what happens when they suddenly start making shots?   Georgia found out the hard way Wednesday night in Athens. Determined to at least neutralize the Gators in the paint, they left the perimeter wide open. Bad decision. Very bad decision.   For only the third time all season, the Gators found the range for 10 3-pointers and it wasn’t the usual suspects who did the most damage. Oh, Tommy Haugh made a three for the 19 th straight game, but this wasn’t one of his better shooting nights (1-6 from deep). Urban Klavzar, who’s been nailing threes left and right lately, had a good night – 2-4 from three – but Georgia did a good job limiting the number of good looks he got.   So Xaivian Lee stepped up and dropped in three threes. He was 3-9 for the game. Considering he came into the game hitting an icy 25 percent, 3-9 was huge. Altogether, he was 7-14 from the field. He backed up his 18-point night with three rebounds, seven assists and three steals. No turnovers. As in ZERO.   Isaiah Brown, a 31 percent shooter from long distance, drilled three in four attempts. He had 12 points off the bench.   Get this. Boogie Fland, who had thrown up 17 consecutive SCUDs, tossed one in for good measure.   So maybe giving the Gators the three seemed like a good idea at the moment for Mike White and Georgia, but when the clock flatlined at 00:00, Florida (18-6, 9-2 SEC) walked out of ancient Stegman Coliseum with an 86-66 win that keeps the Gators in sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference.   “ We collectively, as a staff and as a program, think of our three-point shooting as a cherry on top,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “We don't want that to be what makes us good or what we rely upon to be a good team. We want it to be a thing where if we are shooting the ball well, that we're just really, really hard to beat. I thought that showed up in the first half when we went 6-for-14 from three. Obviously, had a 16-point lead going in halftime, shot 33 percent the second half, which is elite for us and something that we can build on moving forward.”   This wasn’t the same M.O. the Gators used to bushwhack their last four opponents. Those games were all about brute force in the paint. Now, that’s not to say the Gators didn’t do well on the inside – they outscored the Bulldogs in the paint 38-34, outrebounded them 42-35 – it’s just that Georgia gave them open threes and they knocked down shots which turned this into one more blowout. The Gators have outscored their last four opponents, 367-258. Florida’s nine SEC wins are by a combined 191 points.   This breaks down Georgia’s strategy. Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten, who typically combine for 47.8 points per game, combined to score 32. Holding those guys nearly 16 below their average and you have to think you’ve got a good chance to win. Georgia may have kept the Gators from scoring big on the inside, but Florida’s big guys grabbed 33 rebounds with Chinyelu going beast mode on the glass again with 20.   Limited inside scoring, no problem whatsoever. It was 10-0 before the antidote to the Georgia strategy came through with the first three, a bomb from Urban Klavzar. Lee got the next one and Brown followed that one with one of his own. That made it 19-7 with 12:31 to go.   Lee and Brown went back-to-back from three to put the Gators ahead 29-12 with 7:20 remaining in the first half. By the time the teams broke for the locker at halftime, it was 43-27.   Georgia scored the last four points of the first half and seven straight out the gate to start the second half. Down only 43-34, the Georgia faithful and the ESPN announcing crew started talking upset in the making. Wrong.   Then came the 3-ball. Again. Haugh and Klavzar delivered, stretching the lead back out to a more comfortable 15, 49-34, with 15:57 left in the game.   Golden wasn’t exactly a happy camper at that point so wholesale changes were made in the lineup.   “ I think it speaks to the depth of our team, and I thought our bench was fantastic again tonight,” Golden said. “You look at Isaiah, Urby and Micah. We come out the second half, and I didn't think we had the energy that we necessarily needed to finish the game the right way. Credit to Georgia, they came out ready to compete in the second half. They went on a 6-0 run, which ended up being an 11-0 run when you go back in the 1st half, got down to nine. And we went to the bench. We subbed those three guys in, and next thing you know, we go in quick 6-0 run to go in the under-16 media at 15 as opposed to nine, and that's a big difference. They go in at the under-16 down nine, they're talking to each other about, ‘We're back in this thing. Let's go.’ Instead, it's 15, and it's like, ‘Man, we've been playing really well, but we haven't cut into it very much.’ And it speaks to our bench and our depth on our team.”   The Gators got a little sloppy with the ball later in the half, but when the Bulldogs narrowed the gap to 72-62 with 4:09 remaining, the Gators simply took the game over. A 3-pointer by Lee was the dagger with 3:56 left to make it a 75-62 game.   “He was great,” Golden said.  “He was one of the best players on the floor, clearly, tonight. I thought he did a great job just playing with poise, especially when Georgia tried to speed us up, taking care of the basketball, hit some really big threes – one early, two late – that kind of stymied a couple of their runs. I thought he played with really, really good poise all night. (He) ended up with 7 assists in this game with no turnovers. Says a lot about his effort.”   Defensively, it was just another day at the office for the Gators. Georgia came into the game averaging 91.9 points, second best in all of college basketball. The 66 Georgia scored was its lowest total all season and just the second time all year the Bulldogs have scored fewer than 70 in a game.   Georgia managed only 25-72 (34.7 percent) from the field overall and 8-29 (27.6  percent). Georgia turned the ball over 12 times which the Gators converted into 18 points.   “We're guarding, you know? We're guarding,” Golden said. “I think, especially to start games. I think they were 5-for-23 to start the game tonight, and we were up double digits pretty early. As I said after the last game, I think our team is getting to the point where we're enjoying kind of owning the identity of being a defensive, gritty, physical rebounding team that gets out in transition, takes advantage of opportunities that arise from our defense. And if we play like that, we're going to be in every ballgame and give ourselves a really good chance to win.”   Game notes: Xaivian Lee has zero turnovers in his last 86 minutes on the floor … Fland had 15 points to go with three rebounds and two steals. He hit 7-13 of his shots … Condon had 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal … Haugh’s box score – 11 points, two rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals … Chinyelu didn’t get a double-double, but he did become the fourth Gator in history to have a third 20-rebound game … The Gators have won five consecutive SEC road games.     Elsewhere in the SEC Alabama (17-7, 7-4 SEC) 93, Ole Miss (11-13, 3-8) 74: All of Latrell Wrightsell’s 21 points came from the 3-point line as Alabama won its third straight game. Freshman Amari Allen had an outstanding game with 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots. AJ Storr came off the bench to score a game-high 27 for Ole Miss.   Missouri (17-7, 7-4 SEC) 86, Texas A&M (17-7, 7-4 SEC) 85: Missouri’s size was too much for the Aggies to overcome. They’ve lost three in a row. Mizzou’s winning points came on an alley-oop lob to 7-footer Shawn Phillips, who also blocked Rashaun Agee’s attempt at a game-winner at the buzzer. Trent Pierce led Missouri with 23 while Zach Clemence scored 20 for A&M.   Tennessee (17-7, 7-4 SEC) 73, Mississippi State (11-13, 3-8 SEC) 64: The Vols won this in the paint, outrebounding Mississippi State 45-31. Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 18 to lead Tennessee while freshman Nate Ament scored 16 to go with five assists. Josh Hubbard launched 24 shots for MSU and scored 31 points.   Saturday’s games No. 25 Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC) at No. 14 FLORIDA (18-6, 9-2 SEC) Texas A&M (17-7, 7-4 SEC) at No. 19 Vanderbilt (20-4, 7-4 SEC) Auburn (14-10, 5-6 SEC) at No. 21 Arkansas (18-6, 8-3 SEC) South Carolina (11-13, 2-9 SEC) at Alabama (17-7, 7-4 SEC) LSU (14-10, 2-9 SEC) at Tennessee (17-7, 7-4 SEC) Texas (15-9, 6-5 SEC) at Missouri (17-7, 7-4 SEC) Georgia (17-7, 5-6 SEC) at Oklahoma (12-12, 2-9 SEC) Mississippi State (11-13, 3-8 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-13, 3-8 SEC)   Kenpom.com top 25: 1. Michigan 23-1; 2. Arizona 23-1; 3. Duke 22-2; 4. Houston 22-2; 5. FLORIDA 18-6; 6. Illinois 20-5; 7. Iowa State 21-3; 8. UConn 23-2; 9. Purdue 20-4; 10. Michigan State 20-4; 11. Gonzaga 24-2; 12. Kansas 19-5; 13. Vanderbilt 20-4; 14. Nebraska 21-3; 15. Louisville 18-6; 16. Arkansas 18-6; 18. Tennessee 17-7; 18. Virginia 21-3; 19. Iowa 18-5; 20. Alabama 17-7; 21. BYU 18-6; 22. Texas Tech 17-6; 23. St. John’s 19-5; 24. Saint Louis 23-1; 25. Utah State 21-3 (Other SEC teams: 27. Kentucky 17-7; 31. Auburn 14-10; 33. Texas 15-9; 35. Texas A&M 17-7; 41. Georgia 17-7; 52. Missouri 17-7; 56. LSU 14-10; 58. Oklahoma 12-12; 71. Ole Miss 11-13; 88. Mississippi State 11-13; 99. South Carolina 11-13   Barttorvik.com top 25: 1. Michigan 23-1; 2. Houston 22-2; 3. Arizona 23-1; 4. FLORIDA 17-6; 5. Duke 22-2; 6. Illinois 20-5; 7. UConn 23-2; 8. Purdue 20-4; 9. Iowa State 21-3; 10. Kansas 19-5; 11. Vanderbilt 20-4; 12. Nebraska 21-3; 13. Texas Tech 18-6; 14. Louisville 18-6; 15. Michigan State 20-4; 16. Gonzaga 24-2; 17. Tennessee 17-7; 18. Virginia 21-3; 19. Alabama 17-7; 20. Arkansas 18-6; 21. St. John’s 19-5; 22. Saint Louis 23-1; 23. Iowa 18-6; 24. Indiana 17-8; 25. Clemson 20-5 ( Other SEC teams: 30. Texas A&M 17-7; 31. Auburn 14-10; 39. Kentucky 17-7; 41. Texas 15-9; 43. Georgia 17-7; 49. Missouri 17-7; 58. Oklahoma 12-12; 66. LSU 14-10; 77. Ole Miss 11-13; 88. Mississippi State 11-13; 102. South Carolina 11-13   WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC 16. South Carolina (11-13, 2-9 SEC): The fans want a new coach. Lamont Paris is not the answer.   15. Mississippi State (11-13, 3-8 SEC): Josh Hubbard hung 31 on the Vols and Mississippi State still lost.   14. Oklahoma (12-12, 2-9 SEC): If Porter Moser can’t get the Sooners to the NIT then Porter Moser will be seeking gainful employment elsewhere.   13. Ole Miss (11-13, 3-8 SEC): The Rebels have a get well game with Mississippi State Saturday.   12. LSU (14-10, 2-9 SEC): The schedule is brutal the rest of the way. Making the NIT seems like a pipe dream.   11. Missouri (17-7, 7-4 SEC): Beating the Aggies in College Station was huge. The Tigers get Texas at home next.   10. Georgia (17-7, 5-6 SEC): Georgia is starting to look like an NIT team. The Bulldogs have squandered a 13-1 start to the season.   9. Texas A&M (1-7, 7-4 SEC): Three straight losses. The lack of size and talent is catching up to the Aggies.   8. Auburn (14-10, 5-6 SEC): Three straight losses and Saturday at Arkansas? 7. Texas (15-9, 6-5 SEC): The Longhorns are on the NCAA bubble. They need a couple of good wins to ensure they’ll be dancing in March.   6. Tennessee (17-7, 7-4 SEC): Freshman Nate Ament is being asked to carry the Vols. He’s good, but is he that good?   5. Vanderbilt (20-4, 7-4 SEC): Duke Miles can’t get healthy fast enough.   4. Alabama (17-7, 7-4 SEC): No Charles Bediako, no problem. The Tide went 3-2 with him in the lineup.   3. Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC): The Wildats have won eight of nine since starting the SEC portion of the schedule 0-2.   2. Arkansas (17-6, 7-3 SEC): If everybody is healthy, the Razorbacks can beat anyone in the league except Florida.   1. FLORIDA (18-6, 9-2 SEC): Time to face facts. The Gators are flat out good.

Boogie Fland has been been directing the Gators flawlessly (Photo by UAA Communications) The Gators were hot when they rolled into Athens last season. Winners of six straight and already with a blowout 30-point win over Georgia in Gainesville. Another blowout was expected, but a funny thing happened on the way to an easy win. Georgia ran up a 41-16 lead before the Gators woke from their funk.   The Gators staged a furious rally, the likes we have rarely seen, in the second half to actually take the lead with 1:28 left in the game. Now, the Gators gave out of gas and lost the game, 88-83, but that was the last time Florida lost. Twelve wins later, the Florida Gators were the national champions.   So here we are a year later. The Gators (17-6, 8-2 SEC) have won eight of their last nine games, own a 92-77 blowout win over Georgia in Gainesville, and find themselves being taken very seriously as potential Final Four contenders as they face off with Georgia (17-6, 5-5 SEC) in Athens tonight (7 p.m., ESPN2). The Gator Boyz are hot and Georgia is desperate for a signature win. The closest thing to signature among Georgia’s five SEC wins are in overtime against Auburn and a blowout of then No. 17 Arkansas, both at Stegman Coliseum where the Bulldogs can be formidable. A win over the 14 th -ranked Gators would provide a real jolt to Georgia’s NCAA hopes. Right now, Florida ranks No. 9 in the NCAA NET rankings. Georgia is No. 35 and in real need of a Quad 1 win.   Georgia isn’t the only team with plenty at stake tonight There are both NCAA and SEC ramifications for the Gators in this one. Florida holds a half-game lead over Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC) in the SEC standings with the Wildcats due in Gainesville Saturday. The SEC champion is the regular season winner, so getting a ninth SEC win against Georgia and then potentially gaining another game of separation with a win over UK in Gainesville would put Florida in outstanding position capture its first SEC title since 2014.   How do the Gators avoid an ambush like the one last year in Athens? Staying the course of what has been successful in recent weeks is a good place to start. That means defense, rebounding, taking care of the basketball and dominating in the paint. The eight SEC wins have been by a combined margin of 167 points with a rebounding margin of 119. The Gators have turned the ball over only 73 times in the eight wins while forcing 100 opponent turnovers. In the paint, the Gators have scored 408 points in the eight wins while allowing just 232.   Critical for the Gators will be to take this game seriously without looking ahead to the Saturday showdown at the O-Dome with Kentucky. If Florida shows up with its focus in the right place, this should be a good win for the Gators.   Anticipated starting lineups No. 14 FLORIDA (17-6, 8-2 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)   Georgia (16-7, 5-5 SEC): Kanon Catchings (6-9, 220, SO); Somto Cyril (6-11, 260, SO); Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO); Blue Cain (6-5, 195, JR); Jordan Ross (6-3, 195, JR)   Game notes: Alex Condon is 38 points from 1,000 for his Florida career. He has scored 962 in 95 career games. He’s averaging 10.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for his career … Tommy Haugh needs 59 points to make 1,000 for his career.  For 99 games he is averaging 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game … Rueben Chinyelu has more points (276) and more rebounds (264) in 23 games this year than he had in 40 games a year ago. Chinyelu leads the SEC in rebounding (11.5 per game), which ranks fourth nationally. He also leads the SEC in offensive rebounds ( and is fourth nationally … In SEC games only, Urban Klavzar is hitting 41 percent while Haugh is hitting 37.5 percent. Haugh has made a 3-pointer in 18 consecutive games … In SEC games, Boogie Fland has 55 assists against only 16 turnovers.   Tuesday’s scores No. 19 Vanderbilt (20-4, 7-4 SEC) 84, Auburn (14-10, 5-6 SEC) 76: Tyler Tanner’s 25 points included 12-13 from the foul line as Vanderbilt became the first SEC team to get to 20 wins this season. Tanner, who also had four rebounds, six assists and two steals, got 22 points of support from Jalen Washington. Tahaad Pettiford scored 21 for Auburn, which lost its second straight game.   No. 21 Arkansas (18-6, 8-3 SEC) 91, LSU (14-10, 2-9 SEC) 62: The Razorbacks took only 12 threes (made three) the entire game, but they didn’t need them. Darius Acuff Jr. scored 28 and Meleek Thomas 20 to lead Arkansas. LSU, held to 3-21 from the 3-point line, got 18 points from Marquel Sutton.   Wednesday’s games No. 14 FLORIDA (17-6, 8-2 SEC) at Georgia (17-6, 5-5 SEC) Alabama (16-7, 6-4 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-12, 3-7 SEC) Tennessee (16-7, 6-4 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-12, 3-7 SEC) Missouri (16-7, 6-4, SEC) at Texas A&M (17-6, 7-3 SEC)   The Athletic top 25: 1. Arizona; 2. Michigan; 3. UConn; 4. Duke; 5. Illinois; 6. Hourston; 7. Nebraska; 8. Iowa State; 9. Purdue; 10. Michigan State; 11. Kansas; 12. FLORIDA; 13. Texas Tech; 14. Gonzaga; 15. Virginia; 16. St. John’s; 17. North Carolina; 18. Saint Louis; 19. Vanderbilt; 20. Alabama; 21. Arkansas; 22. Iowa; 23. Tennessee; 24. BYU; 25. Louisville   SEC teams in ESPN (Joe Lunardi) bracketology West: 1. Arizona; 2. Nebraska; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Gonzaga (Other SEC teams: 5. Alabama; 8. Texas A&M)   South: 1. UConn; 2. Houston; 3. Purdue; 4. Virginia (SEC teams: 5. Tennessee; 11. Texas)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Michigan State; 4. North Carolina (SEC teams: 6. Arkansas; 7. Kentucky; 8. Auburn)   South: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. Texas Tech (SEC teams: 5. Vanderbilt; 10. Georgia)   SEC teams in CBS bracketology Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Gonzaga (Other SEC teams: 6. Arkansas; 7. Tennessee)   South: 1. Houston; 2. Illinois; 3. Michigan State; 4. Vanderbilt (Other SEC teams: 8. Georgia; 11. Missouri)   West: 1. Arizona; 2. UConn; 3. Nebraska; 4. Texas Tech (SEC teams: 6. Kentucky; 9, Texas A&M)   East: 1. Duke; 2. Kansas; 3. Purdue; 4. Alabama (Other SEC teams: 8. Auburn; 10. Texas)   SEC teams in The Athletic bracketology West: 1. Arizona; 2. Nebraska; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Gonzaga   South: 1. UConn; 2. Iowa State; 3. Michigan State; 4. Virginia (SEC teams: 5. Vanderbilt; 11. Texas)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Purdue; 4. Texas Tech (SEC teams: 5. Alabama; 6. Kentucky; 8. Auburn; 10. Georgia   East: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. St. John’s (SEC teams: 5. Tennessee; 6. Arkansas; 9. Texas A&M)    SEC teams in Sports Illustrated bracketology West: 1. Arizona; 2. Nebraska; 3. Kansas; 4. Gonzaga (SEC teams: 5. Vanderbilt)   Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Purdue; 4. North Carolina (SEC teams: 6. Arkansas)   East: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Texas Tech (Other SEC teams: 5. Kentucky; 9. Texas A&M; 10. Georgia)   South: 1. UConn; 2. Iowa State; 3. Michigan State; 4. Alabama (Other SEC teams: 7. Tennessee; 8. Auburn; 11. Texas)   The Sporting News bracketology No. 1 seeds: Arizona; Michigan; Duke; UConn No. 2 seeds: Iowa State; Houston; FLORIDA; Illinois No. 3 seeds: Nebraska; Michigan State; Gonzaga; Kansas No. 4 seeds: Purdue; Virginia; Vanderbilt; St. John’s No. 5 seeds: Texas Tech; Alabama; North Carolina; Louisville No. 6 seeds: BYU; Arkansas; Clemson; Tennessee No. 7 seeds: Kentucky; Saint Louis; Iowa; North Carolina State No. 8 seeds: Texas A&M; Villanova; Auburn; Utah State No. 9 seeds: Saint Mary’s; SMU; Wisconsin; UCLA No. 10 seeds: Indiana; Georgia; Texas; UCF No. 11 seeds (** play-in): Miami (OH); Southern California; Santa Clara; San Diego State; Miami (FL); California No. 12 seeds: Tulsa; Belmont; Yale; Liberty No. 13 seeds: Stephen F. Austin; Utah Valley; UNC-Wilmington; North Dakota State No. 14 seeds: East Tennessee State; UC-Irvine; Winthrop; Troy No. 15 seeds: Portland State; Wright State; Austin Peay; Navy No. 16 seeds (** play-in): UT-Martin; Merrimack; Long Island; Bethune-Cookman; UMBC; Morgan State On the bubble: Ohio State; New Mexico; Missouri; Seton Hall

Downtown Ava Brown: She got in the home run derby (UAA Photo)

Urban Klavzar, aka Lethal Weapon III, is Florida's designated shooter (Photo by Chris Spears) It was about this time a year ago that the Florida Gators began shaping up as the best team in the country. A dominant 90-81 win on the road over then No. 1 Auburn was the game that opened the eyes of the nation that the Gators were the real deal and a serious contender to win a national championship.   One day short of a year later, the Gators (17-6, 8-2 SEC) scored a very impressive win over Texas A&M in College Station. Not only did the beatdown of the Aggies put the Gators in sole possession of first place in the SEC, it served notice to the rest of the nation that Florida repeating as national champion isn’t such a far-fetched dream.     With eight SEC games remaining a year ago, the Gators stood 20-3 overall, 7-3 in the SEC, ranked No. 3 in the nation. As of today’s Associated Press rankings, the Gators are No. 14, which is too low, but Todd Golden will play that as a disrespect card. It will be awhile before the Gators sniff the rare air of the top five. Six losses will do that for you, but the losses are by a combined 26 points and they include white knuckles losses to now No. 1 Arizona in Las Vegas; No. 4 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium and now No. 6 UConn in Madison Square Garden. All those losses were pre-Christmas and in each one, the Gators were in position to win in the last 30 seconds. With the exception of the 9-point loss to Auburn, the Gators were a last possession away from winning five of six games.   Now, top to bottom the Southeastern Conference is still the most competitive league in the nation but it won’t put a record 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament this year. Most of the experts predict 10 SEC teams, which will match the Big Ten. The knock on the Gators a year ago was the strength of schedule was built on a 14-4 SEC record. This year, Golden upgraded the non-conference schedule. Mix that in with having to do a rebuild of a team that no longer has one of the great backcourt combos in recent college basketball history. Start connecting the dots and you should be able to understand why it is just now that the Gators are becoming that tsunami wave that is going to continue to grow in size and strength.   It has taken the Gators this long to both create a new identity and grow comfortable with it. A year ago there was no state secret how the Gators were going to win games. Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Alijah Martin and Denzel Aberdeen would fill up the basket from the outside, the big guys would rebound and everybody played stifling defense.   This year Golden lacks shooters who can bail the Gators out of just about any circumstance, so he has gone about proving why he’s one of the best coaches in the country at adjusting on the fly. His perimeter guys are the gang that can’t shoot straight, but surprisingly, they’ve actually made more threes than their opponents. If there is a positive to all the missed threes it is the Gators are the best offensive rebounding team in the country and many of the misses turn into stickbacks.   The Gators shot 35.6 percent as a team from three a year ago. This year they’re struggling at 28.8 percent. Xaivian Lee is shooting 25 percent and Boogie Fland a dismal 18.2 percent. History says they’re better shooters than that and they’ve had games in which the threes dropped, but more often than not they miss. Urban Klavzar is in the process of becoming Lethal Weapon III for UF, sort of the designated shooter. He is hitting a team high 38 percent on his threes and everything he throws up looks good the moment it leaves his hand. Leave Isaiah Brown alone in the corner and he can nail a three, but he’s the team’s most explosive dunker, particularly off baseline drives. His minutes continue to increase.    Although they don’t shoot the ball well from the outside, both Fland (11.3) and Lee (10.7) score and rarely turn the ball over. They’re so good handling the ball that they make the Gators almost impossible to press. Defensively, they’re both exceptional.   So it’s a tradeoff for Golden. While he waits to see if the shooting will ever come around, he has reinvented the Gators into one that is brutalizing opponents with their rebounding, defense and domination in the paint. The Gators lead the nation in rebounding (46 per game), offensive rebounding (16.64 per game) and rebounding margin (+15 per game). Defensively, the Gators are fourth nationally in defensive efficiency per Bart Torvik, sixth per Ken Pomeroy.   Scoring hasn’t suffered. In their 18 regular season SEC games a year ago, the Gators scored 100 in a loss to Kentucky and scored more than 90 just three other times. Through 10 SEC games, the Gators have scored 90 or more six times and 100 once. When the Gators hung 100 on Alabama, they did it by taking only 13 threes (made 3) the entire game, while scoring an unheard of 72 in the paint.   The four on the front line – 6-9 Tommy Haugh, 6-11 Alex Condon, 6-11 Rueben Chinyelu and 7-1 Micah Handlogten – are the focus on both ends of the floor. They are the reason the Gators dominate the paint and force opponents into a lot of one-and-done trips down the floor. The offensive rebounding means a lot of extended possessions for the Gators, who are No. 9 nationally in Bart Torvik’s offensive analytics, No. 13 at Ken Pomeroy.   As well as the Gators are playing Boogie Fland has issued a warning.   “We haven’t played our best basketball,” Fland said after the Alabama blowout win. “ That is the crazy part. We're scoring 100 and not playing our best basketball yet. So that is crazy. We still have more to grow, more room for improvement."   That is crazy. It’s also scary for whoever gets in the path of this team moving forward. A year ago this was when the Gators found the extra gear that carried them to the Final Four and a national title. This isn’t last year’s team, but it’s one that is heating up and starting to look very capable of cutting down the nets in the future.   BEDIAKO RULED INELIGIBLE Judge Daniel Pruet in Tuscaloosa, Alabama revoked the temporary restraining order that was allowing Charles Bediako to resume playing college basketball after spending two years in the G-League. The judge denied Bediako’s motion to overturn NCAA eligibility rules which prohibit him from playing because he signed an NBA 2-way contract. While under the protection of the TRO, Bediako played in five games, averaging 10 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game.   Associated Press top 25: 1. Arizona 23-0; 2. Michigan 22-1; 3. Houston 21-2; 4. Duke 21-2; 5. Iowa State 21-2; 6. UConn 22-2; 7. Nebraska 21-2; 8. Illinois 20-4. Kansas 18-5; 10. Michigan State 20-4; 11. North Carolina 19-4; 12. Gonzaga 23-2; 13. Purdue 19-4; 14. FLORIDA 17-6; 15. Virginia 20-3; 16. Texas Tech 17-6; 17. St. John’s 18-5; 18. Saint Louis 23-1; 19. Vanderbilt 19-4; 20. Clemson 20-4; 21. Arkansas 17-6; 22. BYU 17-6; 23. Miami (OH) 24-0; 24. Louisville 17-6; 25. Kentucky 17-7   Coaches top 25: 1. Arizona 23-0; 2. Michigan 22-1; 3. Houston 21-2; 3. Iowa State 21-2; 5. UConn 22-2; 6. Duke 21-2; 7. Illinois 20-4; 8. Nebraska 21-2; 9. Kansas 18-5; 10. Michigan State 20-4; 11. Gonzaga 23-2; 12. Purdue 19-4; 13. North Carolina  19-4; 14. FLORIDA 17-6; 15. Virginia 20-3; 16. Texas Tech 17-6; 17. St. John’s 18-5; 18. Clemson 20-4; 19. Saint Louis 23-1; 20. Vanderbilt 19-4; 21. Arkansas 17-6; 22. BYU 17-6; 23. Louisville 17-6; 24. Miami (OH) 24-0; 25. Iowa 16-5   Tuesday’s games No. 19 Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4 SEC) at Auburn (14-9, 5-5 SEC) No. 21 Arkansas (17-6, 7-3 SEC) at LSU (14-9, 2-8 SEC)   Wednesday’s games No. 14 FLORIDA (17-6, 8-2 SEC) at Georgia (17-6, 5-5 SEC)) Missouri (16-7, 6-4 SEC) at Texas A&M (17-5, 7-3 SEC) Alabama (16-7, 6-4 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-12, 3-7 SEC) Tennessee (16-7, 6-4 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-12, 3-7 SEC)   Saturday’s games No. 25 Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC) at No. 14 FLORIDA (17-6, 8-2 SEC) Texas A&M (17-6, 7-3 SEC) at No. 19 Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4 SEC) Auburn (14-9, 5-5 SEC) at No. 21 Arkansas (17-6, 7-3 SEC) LSU (14-9, 2-8 SEC) at Tennessee (16-7, 6-4 SEC) South Carolina (11-13, 2-9 SEC) at Alabama (16-7, 6-4 SEC) Georgia (17-6, 5-5 SEC) at Oklahoma (12-12, 2-9 SEC) Texas (15-9, 6-5 SEC) at Missouri (16-7, 6-4 SEC) Mississippi State (11-12, 3-7 SEC) at Ole Miss (11-12, 3-7 SEC)   SEC teams in latest Bart Torvik analytics: 4. FLORIDA 17-6; 12. Vanderbilt 19-4; 15. Tennessee 16-7; 20. Alabama 16-7; 26. Arkansas 17-6; 28. Texas A&M 17-6; 30. Auburn 14-9; 40. Kentucky 17-7; 41. Georgia 17-6; 42. Texas 15-9; 52. Missouri 16-7; 59. LSU 14-9; 62. Oklahoma 12-12; 80. Ole Miss 11-12; 90. Mississippi State 11-12; 104. South Carolina 11-13   SEC teams in latest CBS Sports bracketology West: 1. Arizona; 2. UConn; 3. Purdue; 4. Alabama (Other SEC: 6. Arkansas) South: 1. Houston; 2. Illinois; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Gonzaga (Other SEC: 10. Texas) Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Michigan State; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 9. Texas A&M; 10. Georgia) East: 1. Duke; 2, Nebraska; 3. Kansas; 4. Vanderbilt (Other SEC: 7. Kentucky; 8. Auburn)   SEC in NCAA NET rankings: 9. FLORIDA; 14. Vanderbilt; 21. Tennessee; 23. Alabama; 26. Arkansas; 28. Kentucky; 31. Auburn; 35. Georgia; 36. Texas; 40. Texas A&M; 58. LSU; 62. Missouri; 74. Oklahoma; 83. Ole Miss; 96. Mississippi State; 113. South Carolina   ESPN Bubble Watch Conference by Conference BIG TEN Mortal locks (5): Michigan; Illinois; Nebraska; Purdue; Michigan State Should get in (4): Iowa; Indiana; Wisconsin; UCLA Work to do (3): Southern California; Ohio State; Washington   SEC Mortal locks (6): FLORIDA; Vanderbilt; Alabama; Tennessee; Arkansas; Kentucky Should get in (3): Auburn; Georgia; Texas A&M Work to do (2): Texas; Missouri Long shot (1): LSU   ACC Mortal locks (6): Duke, Virginia; Louisville; North Carolina; Clemson; North Carolina State Should get in (1): SMU Work to do (3): Miami; Virginia Tech; California Longshot (1): Stanford   Big 12 Mortal locks (6): Arizona; Iowa State; Houston; Kansas; Texas Tech; BYU Should get in (1): UCF Work to do (3): Oklahoma State; Baylor; West Virginia; TCU   Big East Mortal locks (3): UConn; St. John’s; Villanova Work to do (1): Seton Hall Long shot: Creighton   Everybody else Mortal locks (2): Gonzaga (West Coast Conference); Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) Should get in (3): Utah State (Mountain West); Saint Mary’s (West Coast Conference); Santa Clara (West Coast Conference) Work to do (7): Miami Ohio (MAC); San Diego State (Mountain West); New Mexico (Mountain West); VCU (Atlantic 10); Tulsa (American); Boise State (Mountain West);  Belmont (Missouri Valley) Long shots Nevada (Mountain West; Grand Canyon (Mountain West); George Mason (Atlantic 10); South Florida (America); Liberty (Conference USA); McNeese (Southland); Yale (Ivy); Akron (MAC); Dayton (Atlantic 10); Stephen F. Austin (Southland)

Chenyelu on the attack in College Station -- when he wasn't bring held. (UAA Photo)

#2 Florida fell to #7 Missouri in Columbia 197.200 - 196.500. In an uncharacteristic start to the meet the Gators had three bad rotations on an event they were ranked number one in the country in, Bars. You have to go WAY back to 2010 to find a lower score on this event that Florida always dominates year after year.