Alijah Martin blows by a Georgia defender in 30-point UF win back in January (Photo by Chris Spears) The Georgia Bulldogs are on the clock, which makes them a very dangerous opponent for 3rd-ranked Florida (24-3, 11-3 SEC) tonight at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens (7 p.m., SEC Network).   With only four regular season games remaining, Georgia finds itself sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Bulldogs (16-11, 4-10 SEC) are in the first four out group of both Joe Lunardi (ESPN) and Jerry Palm (CBS Sports). They are No. 41 in the NCAA Net Rankings but only 1-7 in games against Quad 1 opponents.   To put it mildly, the Bulldogs are in desperation mode. They need wins to get back into the NCAA Tournament picture. After Florida, the final three games are at Texas, at South Carolina and home against Vanderbilt. Three wins might get the job done. Two would be dicey.   The Gators can’t afford to take Georgia lightly even with a 30-point blowout win over the Bulldogs back in January. With a No. 1 seed on the line, the Gators can’t afford to take their foot off the gas pedal, something they did in the final 6:49 of the first half against LSU back on Saturday when they blew a 14-point lead and trailed the Tigers by six at halftime.     “I don't think we were aggressive enough offensively getting to our spots and getting the kind of shots that allowed us to build the lead,” Florida coach Todd Golden said Monday. “It goes together with defense, where I don't think we were as physical or dictating the action as well as we need to do. We only turned them over one time in the first half. I thought that was a big issue for us. Second half, we played very well. We outscored them by 20 in that half. We turned them over six times. We got out in transition and started finding easier baskets that way. ”   Florida outscored LSU 48-28 in the second half, playing the kind of basketball you expect of a highly ranked team. LSU committed to slowing down the Florida perimeter game so the Gators pounded the ball inside where Rueben Chinyelu had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Tommy Haugh had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Micah Handlogten came off the bench to grab six rebounds.   The Gators will be almost all the way back to full strength tonight as Alex Condon is expected to play after missing all but 30 seconds of the last four games with a sprained ankle. With Condon back, the Gators will be back to a 4-man rotation in the paint and will be a nightmare at both ends of the court.  There isn’t a team in the SEC that can compete with Florida’s combination of size, skill and depth, all of which will be even better when Sam Alexis is able to return, perhaps Saturday when the Gators host No. 11 Texas A&M.   Tonight, the full focus has to be on a seventh straight win. The Gators have to put their foot on Georgia’s throats early and then stomp. Repeatedly.   “Georgia's very good,” Golden said. “Our league can do it to you, where you get to stretch, where you're two out of your last 10, and you're like, watching them, like, dang, these guys are good – when watching them on film. ”   Anticipated starting lineups No. 3 FLORIDA (24-3, 11-3 SEC): Thomas Haugh (6-9, 205, SO); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 255, SO); Will Richard (6-4, 206, SR); Alijah Martin (6-2, 195, GR); Walter Clayton Jr. (6-2, 195, SO)   Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC): Asa Newell (6-11, 220, FR); RJ Godfrey (6-8, 230, JR); Dylan James (6-9, 210, SO); Blue Cain (6-5, 195, SO); Silas Demary (6-5, 195, SO)   SEC Basketball Today’s games No. 3 FLORIDA (24-3, 11-3 SEC) at Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) No. 24 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC) at No. 6 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) No. 5 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) at LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC) at No. 14 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC)   Wednesday’s games Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) at No. 12 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7 SEC) at Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC) Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) at Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC)   Saturday’s games No. 7 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) at No. 2 FLORIDA (24-3, 10-3 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) at No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 9-5 SEC) No. 6 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) at No. 6 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) No. 14 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC) at Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) at No. 24 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC) Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC) at Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) at Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) at South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC)   Coaches top 25: 1. Auburn 25-2; 2. Duke 24-3; 3. FLORIDA 24-3; 4. Houston 23-4; 5. Tennessee 22-5; 6. Alabama 22-5; 7. St. John’s 24-4; 8. Michigan State 22-5; 9. Iowa State 21-6; 10. Texas Tech 21-6; 11. Texas A&M 20-7; 12. Wisconsin 21-6; 13. Michigan 20-6; 14. Clemson   Associated Press top 25: 1. Auburn 25-2; 2. Duke 24-3; 3. FLORIDA 24-3; 4. Houston 23-4; 5. Tennessee 22-5; 6. Alabama 22-5; 7. St. John’s 24-4; 8. Michigan State 22-5; 9. Iowa State 21-6; 10. Texas Tech 21-6; 11. Wisconsin 21-6; 12. Texas A&M 20-7; 13. Clemson 22-5; 14. Missouri 20-7; 15. Michigan 20-6; 16. Maryland 21-6; 17. Kentucky 18-9; 18. Memphis 22-5; 19. Louisville 21-6; 20. Purdue 19-9; 21. Marquette 20-7; 22. Arizona 18-9; 23. Saint Mary’s 25-4; 24. Mississippi State 19-8; 25. BYU 19-8   UF BASEBALL: LAWSON SEC CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK First baseman Brendan Lawson, whose four games produced a grand slam, nine RBI, a double and a stolen base, was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week. In the Gators (7-0) three-game sweep of Dayton, Lawson went 5-10 at the plate with eight RBI. For the season he is hitting .333.   The Gators moved up in both the D1Baseball and Baseball America polls, to No. 8 at D1Baseball, to No. 6 at Baseball America.   The Gators will send Billy Barlow (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound tonight when they travel to DeLand to face Stetson (6:30 p.m., ESPN+). The Gators will be home Wednesday night when they face North Florida (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).   Florida pitchers rank fifth in the country in ERA (1.42). The Gators are No. 1 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.31-1) and strikeouts per nine innings (15). Pierce Coppola is ninth in strikeouts with 20 in 10 innings pitched.   D1Baseball top 25: 1. Texas A&M 5-1; 2. LSU 6-1; 3. Tennessee 7-0; 4. Arkansas 6-1; 5. North Carolina 6-0; 6. Georgia 8-1; 7. Florida State 7-0; 8. FLORIDA 7-0; 9. Oregon State 5-2; 10. Virginia 3-3; 11. Oregon 6-2; 12. Wake Forest 7-1; 13. Clemson 6-1; 14. Vanderbilt 7-1; 15. Texas 5-1; 16. Oklahoma 6-0; 17. Duke 4-3; 18. Mississippi State 6-1; 19. Dallas Baptist 6-1; 20. UC-Santa Barbara 6-1; 21. Troy 6-1; 22. Southern Miss 7-1; 23. Cincinnati 4-2; 24. Ole Miss 6-1; 25. TCU 5-2   Baseball America top 25: 1. Texas A&M 5-1; 2. Tennessee 7-0; 3. LSU 6-1; 4. Arkansas 6-1; 5. Florida State 7-0; 6. FLORIDA 7-0; 7. Clemson 6-1; 8. Virginia 3-3; 9. North Carolina 6-0; 10. Georgia 8-1; 11. Oregon State 5-2; 12. Texas 5-1; 13. Vanderbilt 7-1; 14. Wake Forest 7-1; 15. Mississippi State 6-1; 16. Oklahoma State 2-3; 17. Duke 4-3; 18. Dallas Baptist 6-1; 19. Oregon 6-2; 20. UC-Irvine 4-3; 21. UC-Santa Barbara 6-1; 22. North Carolina State 3-4; 23. Kentucky 4-1; 24. TCU 5-2; 25. Alabama 8-0   UF SOFTBALL: GATORS REMAIN NO. 3 Following their 5-0 run through the opposition in the Sun Devil Classic, the Gators remain No. 3 in the Softball America top 25 poll, trailing Texas and Oklahoma. The Southeastern Conference is represented by 12 of the top 25 teams.   The Gators lead the SEC and rank third nationally in batting average (.393). The Gators are No. 1 nationally in hits, No. 2 in home runs (34), slugging percentage (.702) and scoring (9.26 runs per game). Freshman Taylor Shumaker is No. 1 in the country in RBI (33), tied for the lead in home runs (10) and tied for fourth in hits (27). Kendra Falby is tied for No. 1 in stolen bases (19) and is No. 3 in hits (28).   The Gators will face Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday evening (6:30 p.m.) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.  The Gators will host Samford, Troy, Western Michigan and Florida A&M this weekend in the Florida Invitational.   Softball America top 25: 1. Texas 15-1; 2. Oklahoma 12-0; 3. FLORIDA 18-1; 4. UCLA 14-2; 5. Texas A&M 15-1; 6. LSU 14-0; 7. Arizona 15-2; 8. Duke 13-3; 9. Florida State 11-3; 10. Arkansas 14-1; 11. Tennessee 13-3; 12. Georgia 14-0; 13. Oregon 15-1; 14. Texas Tech 14-3; 15. Oklahoma State 7-4; 16. Nebraska 12-4; 17. South Carolina 15-0; 18. San Diego State 12-3; 19. Auburn 14-1; 20. Mississippi State 13-2; 21. Liberty 12-3; 22. Alabama 10-6; 23. Virginia Tech 12-3; 24. Stanford 12-2; 25. Florida Atlantic 15-2   UF LACROSSE: GATORS REMAIN NO. 6 The Gators remained No. 6 in the latest Inside Lacrosse poll. The Gators will be home Saturday against No. 18 James Madison.   Inside Lacrosse top 25: 1. Boston College 5-0; 2. North Carolina 4-0; 3. Northwestern 4-1; 4. Yale 3-0; 5. Syracuse 3-1; 6. FLORIDA 3-1; 7. Michigan 3-1; 8. Stanford 4-0; 9. Maryland 2-1; 10. Virginia 2-1; 11. Johns Hopkins 2-2; 12. Clemson 4-0; 13. Princeton 1-1; 14. Stony Brook 3-0; 15. Loyola 2-2; 16. Penn 1-1; 17. Notre Dame 2-2; 18. James Madison 2-1; 19. Duke 2-2; 20. Ohio State 3-0; 21. Army 3-0; 22. Navy 3-1; 23. UConn 3-1; 24. Harvard 2-1; 25. Southern California 4-1   UF GYMNASTICS: GATORS FALL TO NO. 6 Injuries to Anya Pilgrim and Sloane Blakely cost Florida a chance to be competitive against No. 1 Oklahoma last Saturday, causing the Gators to drop all the way to No. 6 in the lastest Womens Gymnastics poll. The Gators still have the No. 1 team score of the season, 198.125, in a win over Georgia. Only four teams have broken the 198 barrier all season.   The Gators are No. 4 in vault, No. 8 in bars, No. 6 in balance beam with the highest score in the country (49.700) and seventh in floor. Leanne Wong ranks fifth nationally in all-around,  in vault and tied for third in bars. Selena Harris-Miranda is fourth in vault.   The Gators will be home Friday to face No. 8 Missouri at the O-Dome (5:45 p.m., SEC Network).   WCGA top 25: 1. Oklahoma; 2. LSU; 3. UCLA; 4. Utah; 5. California; 6. FLORIDA; 7. Michigan State; 8. Missouri; 9. Georgia; 10. Kentucky; 11. Auburn; 12. Oregon State; 13. Minnesota; 14. Stanford; 15. Michigan; 16. Arkansas; 17. Alabama; 18. North Carolina State; 19. Denver; 20. Arizona; 21. Nebraska; 22. Ohio State; 23. North Carolina; 24. Illinois; 25. Penn State

The University of Florida’s football program officially announced Monday that Wilson, who worked with the Gators’ cornerbacks as a quality control analyst in 2022, has returned to Gainesville—this time as the team’s defensive backs coach. Deron Wilson After spending the past two seasons in Fayetteville coaching Arkansas’ secondary, Wilson now steps into a role many Gators fans have been eager to see filled. During his time at Arkansas, Wilson helped engineer a significant improvement in the Razorbacks’ pass defense. The Hogs allowed just over 200 yards through the air per game in 2023, the best figure the program has posted in over a decade. The unit’s knack for creating turnovers also stood out, snagging 12 interceptions—third most in the SEC—including a league-high four pick-sixes. Wilson’s familiarity with Gainesville, coupled with his SEC coaching experience, makes him a natural fit as the Gators look to bolster their secondary. Florida head coach Billy Napier highlighted Wilson’s value not just in terms of on-field performance, but also in his ability to connect with recruits. “It’s great to have Deron back,” Napier said. “His knowledge of our system and his track record in the SEC make this an easy choice. Beyond that, he’s a strong recruiter, and I know he’ll play a key role in shaping our defensive backfield.” For Wilson, it’s not just about X’s and O’s. Returning to Florida gives him a chance to be part of a culture he believes in. “I’m honored to rejoin the Florida Gator football staff,” Wilson said. “The culture Coach Napier is building, the high standard he sets for everyone involved—these are the things that inspire me. I’m ready to work toward championships and help build a pipeline of elite talent.” Wilson’s coaching resume is already a lengthy one, especially for someone still climbing the ranks. He spent time at McNeese State as defensive coordinator, where he earned praise for helping transform the Cowboys’ defense after the 2020 season was disrupted by COVID-19. At UTSA, he worked his way up from graduate assistant to cornerbacks coach, where his players consistently ranked among the conference’s best, helping the Roadrunners become a force in Conference USA. Wilson’s own playing days at Southern Miss set the foundation for his coaching career. A standout cornerback, he started 39 straight games and earned All-Conference USA honors, contributing to a pair of bowl appearances. His knack for finding the football—eight career interceptions, four of which he returned for touchdowns—was evident early. Even after his senior season was cut short by injury, Wilson’s understanding of the game and his leadership on the field were unmistakable. Born and raised in New Orleans, Wilson is also a family man. He’s engaged to Paige Alexander and has twins, Deron Kadeem II and Dakota Marie, who undoubtedly will get to experience a new chapter of their father’s football journey as he returns to the Sunshine State. For the Gators, Wilson’s hiring marks more than just filling a position—it’s a step toward building a more complete, cohesive defense, one that’s ready to compete at the highest level of college football.

Pierce Coppola has 20 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched in 2025 (UAA Photo) Lefty Pierce Coppola (2-0) delivered his second consecutive quality start Sunday afternoon when he went five innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight as 10th-ranked Florida ran its record to 7-0 with a 12-2 run-rule win over Dayton.   Coppola, who missed two full seasons and most of a third with injuries, threw with purpose once again. He walked only one batter while using 74 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. Dayton touched him for single runs in the fourth and fifth. He gave up a leadoff triple in the fourth, but got out of the inning without allowing another hit. He gave up a leadoff homer in the fifth and a two out double, but snuffed out the rally with a ground ball third out.   "I thought Pierce was really good again,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I thought he was really sharp. Really efficient early on. ”   Luke McNeillie pitched the sixth and seventh innings, walking one while striking out three. Freshman Aidan King went the eighth, allowing two hits while striking out one.   The story at the plate was second baseman Cade Kurland, who hit a leadoff homer in the seventh and a 2-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Gators the 10-run cushion they needed for the run-rule. The homers were Kurland’s first two of the season.   Florida busted the game open in the bottom of the fourth. Trailing 1-0, the Gators pushed four across the plate with Ty Evans, Kyle Jones and Colby Shelton hitting run-scoring singles.   In the fifth, Brendan Lawson led off with a double and scored on an Evans single. In the sixth, Lawson singled in Shelton who had hit an opposite field double. Kurland’s first home accounted for the seventh inning run. In the eighth, the Kurland hit a 2-out, 2-run homer to end the game.   Jones, Shelton, Lawson, Evans and Kurland had two hits apiece to pace Florida’s 12-hit attack. For the weekend, Lawson, a true freshman, was 5-10 with a double, a grand slam and eight RBI.   “The game never speeds up on him,” O’Sullivan said of Lawson. “He's under control. He would probably have three or four home runs right now if the wind was a little bit more like it will be as the season goes on. I mean he handles left-handers, he handles, obviously, right-handers and he gives you good at bats. He's got really good strike-zone management, but he's been really impressive."     The Gators will be at Stetson Tuesday night (6:30 p.m., ESPN+) and home against North Florida on Wednesday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+). Miami comes to town Friday for the annual weekend rivalry. All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.   Game notes: Though the first seven games, Florida pitchers have a 1.42 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 57 innings. The Gators have allowed only 33 hits and just 13 walks … Coppola leads the team with 20 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched … The Gators won all three games against Dayton by ten or more runs, the first time that has happened since 2005 against Michigan State … The Gators have hit 12 home runs in seven games and have stolen 25 bases. Last season the Gators stole only 43 bases in 66 games. Colby Shelton led the Gators last year with six steals in eight attempts. Blake Cyr already is 5-5 through seven games … As a team, the Gators are hitting .357 … At the plate, the Gators have more walks (39) than strikeouts (37). A year ago the Gators struck out three times more often than they walked.     UF SOFTBALL: TOTAL CARNAGE AT SUN DEVIL CLASSIC The No. 3 Gators (18-1) went 5-0 at the Sun Devil Classic, outscoring their five opponents 62-8. Sunday morning, the Gators put the final touches on the carnage with a record-setting 24-3 win over Iowa State of the Big 12. Through 19 games, the Gators have a team batting average of .393 with 33 home runs hit by 11 different players.   Against Iowa State, the Gators scored nine runs in the first, seven in the second and six in the third. Kendra Falby, who led off the game with a single and a stolen base, had a 2-run single later in the inning. Kenleigh Cahalan and Korbe Otis both hit 2-run doubles in the inning.   In the second, Cahalan led off the inning with a home run, then later in the inning hit a 2-run single. Otis also had a 2-run single in the second.   Jocelyn Erickson had a 2-run double and Mia Williams hit a 2-run homer in the third.   Olivia Miller pitched three innings to get the win with Ava Brown going the last two.     In the win over Iowa State, Kenleigh Cahalan went 3-4 with a single, a double and her fourth homer of the season for six RBI. Kendra Falby went 4-4 with three RBI and two stolen bases. Korbe Otis went 3-4 with a double and four RBI. Joceylyn Erickson went 3-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Mia Williams hit her fifth homer and drove home two runs. Taylor Shumaker went 1-3 with two RBI.   Falby is hitting an even .500 with a perfect 19-19 in stolen bases. Shumaker is hitting .491 with 10 homers, 33 RBI and 9-9 in stolen bases. Otis is hitting .429 with three homers and 16 RBI. Erickson is hitting .423 with six doubles, two triples, four homers and 25 RBI. Mia Williams is hitting .423 with five homers and 10 RBI. Cahalan is hitting .392 with four homers and 24 RBI and Rylee Holtorf if hitting .387 with two homers and 12 RBI.   Keagan Rothrock has an 8-1 record with a 1.52 ERA while Ava Brown is 4-0 with a 2.03.   The Gators will be home against Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday night. Next weekend the Gators will host Samford, Troy, Western Michigan and Florida A&M in the Florida Invitational, the Gators last weekend series before SEC play begins on the road at Texas A&M.

Alex Condon's return will make the Gators deeper and that much better (UAA Photo) LSU coach Matt McMahon perfectly summed up how the Tigers went from a 6-point halftime lead to a 79-65 loss to second-ranked Florida (24-3, 11-3 SEC) Saturday evening in Baton Rouge.   “ Second half, I think when you look at the story of the game it’s that they physically dominated us in the paint,” McMahon said after the Gators outscored the Tigers 44-24 in the paint and had a 48-33 rebounding advantage.   LSU defended well enough on the perimeter to win the game, but the Tigers couldn’t handle Florida on the inside where Rueben Chinyelu had his best game as a Gator with 19 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots and Tommy Haugh had 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and a steal. For good measure, Micah Handlogten came off the bench to score one point but he grabbed six rebounds.   On the perimeter, Alijah Martin scored 14 points, but he was 4-13 from the field. Martin also had six rebounds and one assist. Walter Clayton Jr. scored 13 but he was 5-16 overall from the field and 2-8 from the 3-point line. He also had six rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals but no assists. Will Richard was scoreless on 0-3 shooting but he had three rebounds, five assists and a steal. Off the bench Denzel Aberdeen scored 11 on 5-9 shooting and had two steals, and Urban Klavzar went 2-6 from the field, 1-4 from the 3-point line.   “If you had told me that we’d hold (Walter) Clayton, (Will) Richard and (Alijah) Martin to 9-of-32 from the floor, I would have taken that every day,” McMahon said.    Probably every coach in the country would say the same thing.   What Florida did on the inside should be a shot across the bow of every team in the country. Florida’s perimeter game gets plenty of publicity and for good reason. They’re that good, but the inside guys are maturing and turning the Gators into a beast of a team to defend.   Pack the paint to snuff out the inside game and the perimeter guys can go into a collective shooter’s coma when they start raining threes seemingly from the ceiling. Try to shut down the perimeter game and the inside guys are proving capable of taking a game over, which they’ve been doing short handed in the last four games.   Playing short handed has been a blessing in disguise because it has forced Chinyelu and Haugh to play bigger roles at both ends of the court. It also convinced the 7-1 Handlogten to elect to forget taking a redshirt to give the Gators added depth and defense. Haugh has scored 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in the last six. Chinyelu has scored double figures the last four in which he’s averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. In his three games, Handlogten has 10 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots off the bench.   Short handed is about to become a thing of the past. Alex Condon, out since the first 30 seconds of the Mississippi State game, could have played against LSU. Figure he’s in the rotation Tuesday night at Georgia. Sam Alexis, also out since the Mississippi State game, could be back as soon as Saturday when No. 7 Texas A&M comes to Gainesville.   Condon is averaging 10.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while Alexis chips in off the bench with 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds. Add those two guys to the front court rotation and the Gators have rim protection, rebounding, scoring and unselfish guys who know how to find open shooters.   Equally important, at full strength, the Gators will have 25 fouls 6-9 or taller in the paint, which can help neutralize a zebra with a quick whistle.   Todd Golden prefers an 8-man rotation, but with the emergence of Klavzar to help the perimeter foursome of Clayton, Martin, Richard and Aberdeen and Handlogten to go with Condon, Chinyelu, Haugh and Alexis, the Gators might be as strong a team as any in the country. The Gators are on everybody bracketologist’s No. 1 line. In these next four games and the SEC Tournament, it’s entirely possible they could be the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.   THE SEC THROUGH 14 CONFERENCE GAMES No. 4 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC): Lunardi and Jerry Palm still have the Crimson Tide as a No. 1 seed, largely due to a 9-5 record against Quad 1 teams. They could get bumped off the No. 2 line Saturday when they pay a visit to Tennessee.   Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC): The win over Missouri is huge for the Razorbacks, who have two very winnable games this week. Seven SEC wins and Arkansas is solidly in the NCAA field even before the SEC Tournament. That’s the power of John Calipari as the head coach.   No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC): Nobody in the country has a resume quite like Auburn, which is 14-2 in Quad 1 games. Barring a total collapse in the last four SEC games and an early bow-out at the SEC Tournament, the Tigers will be the overall No. 1 seed. Someone on the radio threw out the idea of Duke as the No. 1. Oh please.   No. 2 FLORIDA (24-3, 11-3 SEC): The Gators are 6-2 on the road and they are the only team in the country that has two wins over a No. 1 ranked team (Tennessee and Auburn). Mortal lock for a No. 1 seed. Roadie with Georgia Tuesday is dangerous. The Aggies (Saturday) always play the Gators tough.   Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC): Georgia desperately needs some Quad 1 wins. A 2-11 record against Quad 1 teams isn’t going to cut it on selection Saturday. The Bulldogs are home against No. 2 Florida Tuesday night. They’ve got a winnable game at Texas Saturday but that won’t be a Quad 1 win.   No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7 SEC): Kentucky is a lock for the NCAA Tournament and despite a rotten (2-6) road record Lunardi and Jerry Palm have the Wildcats as a No. 3 seed. Two reasons for that: UK has eight Quad 1 wins so far and nobody in college basketball travels quite like the Wildcats. Wherever they play in March will be sold out.   LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC): The Tigers could still make it to the NIT but they probably need to go 3-1 in the last four regular season games to make it. Going to be tough. The Tigers are home against No. 6 Tennessee and on the road at Mississippi State this week.   No. 21 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC): The Bulldogs will make the NCAA Tournament but they need some wins to stay ahead of a 7-10 seed. They’re at No. 4 Alabama Tuesday night, home against LSU Saturday. A 7-7 record against Quad 1 teams is helpful for their NCAA seeding.   No. 15 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC): Mizzou probably blew any chance of getting a top four seed by losing to Arkansas. The Tigers need two wins this week (South Carolina, at Vanderbilt) to stay in the hunt for a five or six. The Tigers are 6-7 against Quad 1 teams.   Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC): The Sooners are still on NCAA life support, but they’re breathing easier after their win over Mississippi State. They can substantially boost their chances of making the tournament if they can beat No. 17 Kentucky Wednesday night. Kentucky is dreadful on the road.   No. 24 Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC): The Rebels are as good as in the NCAA Tournament, but their seeding took a dip when they lost to Vanderbilt. They’ve got Auburn on the road this week and a homer with Oklahoma. Ole Miss is 5-8 against Quad 1 teams.   South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC): The Gamecocks avoiding a reverse run of the SEC table and in the process they might have torpedoed any chance Texas has of getting in.   No. 6 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC): Saturday is the biggie for the Vols, who are currently sitting on the No. 2 line. Any chance they get on the No. 1 line depends on a win over Alabama at Thompson-Boling. Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC): The Longhorns suffered a huge blow to their NCAA chances when they lost to South Carolina, which hadn’t won an SEC game all season. They can’t afford even one loss this week against Arkansas or Georgia.   No. 7 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC): Just when the Aggies were thinking they could sneak into the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament, they went 0-2 last week, clocked on the road at Mississippi State, then beaten at home by No. 6 Tennessee.   Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC): Vanderbilt could be on shaky ground if the Commodores get their doors blown off at Texas A&M on Wednesday and home against Missouri on Saturday. They are 3-8 against Quad 1 opponents so two losses could be problematic.   SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s games No. 2 FLORIDA (24-3, 11-3 SEC) at Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) No. 21 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) No. 6 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) at LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC) at No. 15 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC)   Wednesday’s games No. 24 Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) at No. 7 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7 SEC) at Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC) Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) at Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC)   Saturday’s games No. 7 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) at No. 2 FLORIDA (24-3, 10-3 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) at No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 9-5 SEC) No. 4 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) at No. 6 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) No. 15 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC) at Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) at No. 21 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC) Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC) at No. 24 Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) at Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) at South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC)

Tommy Haugh slams home a second half dunk against LSU (UAA Photo) It isn’t often that within the same 40 minutes we see both the worst and the best of a team, but that was the story of 2nd-ranked Florida’s 79-65 win over LSU at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge Saturday.   In the final 6:41 of the first half, the Gators (24-3, 11-3 SEC) blew a 14-point lead as LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) went on a 22-2 tear to take a 37-31 lead at the intermission. During those final minutes, the Gators launched 12 scuds with only a Denzel Aberdeen layup with 2:59 to go the only shot that found the bottom of the net. Not only was Florida’s offense in the tank, but the defense went AWOL as well. LSU outside shooters bombed away, hitting five consecutive threes.   “I think we got way too comfortable in the first half,” Tommy Haugh said. “We got that lead and thought it was going to be easy. That’s not the SEC. You get settled in, that can happen.”   Florida’s first half stats: 11-34 from the field and just 4-14 from the 3-point line. The Gators shot 10-21 in the first 13:19 of the half when they were building up a 29-15 lead. Of their final 12 misses, five came from the 3-point line.   Had Florida’s defense continued to play at a high level, the Gators could have gone into the halftime locker with a decent lead despite going into the offensive tank, but LSU got into a groove. During that 22-2 run, the Tigers went 6-9 from the field. Prior to that impressive run, LSU was 6-22 from the field and 1-9 from the 3-point line.   “They went on a 22-2 run, made some big threes, played with a lot of confidence, didn't allow us to operate very comfortably offensively, which, you know, honestly, we've been pretty good that way,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “But they held us, I think, to two points for eight minutes or whatever it was … At halftime, we had to recalibrate and make sure that we got back to defending … In the second half, I thought we imposed our will on them a little bit. ”   The second half was what you expect of the 2nd-ranked team in the country. The Gators put 48 points on the scoreboard while holding LSU to 28. Florida dominated every phase of the game but it took a little more than four minutes of the second half before the Gators left the Tigers gasping for air.   In the first minutes of the second half, the Gators fell behind by eight on two occasions (41-33 with 18:11 left in the game; 46-38 with 15:47 left). That’s when Rueben Chinyelu and Haugh took the game over, scoring the next nine Florida points cutting LSU’s lead to 48-47. Florida took the lead for good on a short jumper in the lane by Walter Clayton Jr. with 12:16 to go and that was followed up by a layup and three by Urban Klavzar that sandwiched a Denzel Aberdeen steal and layup.     It was 56-52 when Haugh went on what seemed like a personal vendetta with a pair of thunderous dunks and a tip-in as the Gators stretched the lead to 63-56. Haugh scored only three first half points (4 rebounds), but in the second half he scored 13 to go with six rebounds and three assists. He got it done on the defensive end as well with a block and a steal.   Golden had words with Haugh at the half and that seemed to inspire him to play at a higher level. He finished the game with Haugh 16 points on 7-9 shooting that included 2-2 from the 3-point line. He grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. In Florida’s last six games, Haugh has averaged 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He has eight blocked shots and eight steals in the last six.     “Honestly, I thought first half he wasn’t playing as well as he normally does,” Golden said. “Usually, he keeps us in our offense and he’s a guy that’s making winning play after winning play, and I challenged him at halftime to keep us more organized and be more aggressive. We didn’t take him off the floor in the second half, and he was a huge part of the way we played and obviously had some big-time drives and finishes, a couple really nice dunks, another big three in front of our bench.”   Haugh was spectacular, but so was 6-10, 255-pound Rueben Chinyelu, who had the most dominant game of his Florida career. In the final 20 minutes, Chinyelu scored 11, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a shot. His final numbers were 19 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Chinyelu hit 8-14 of his shots from the field, 3-3 from the foul line. It was the most active Chinyelu has been on the offensive end. He scored on stickbacks, a dunk or two and a nifty short jumper. Defensively, he was intimidating.   “Rueben just did a great job imposing his will, finishing around the rim and cleaning up the glass,” Golden said. “He got us seven offensive rebounds, 19 points, two assists for him. Again, he’s improving so much in real time, and he’s given us a big lift over these last couple weeks.”   Chinyelu has scored in double figures the last four games, averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds.   With Chinyelu, Haugh and Micah Handlogten (1 point, six rebounds, 1 assist) controlling the paint, the Gators outrebounded LSU, 24-14 in the second half, 48-33 for the entire game. The domination in the paint had plenty to do with Florida’s improved second half defense. The Gators held LSU to 28 points in the final 20 minutes when the Tigers were just 12-32 overall from the field and a miserable 3-15 from the 3-point line. For the game, LSU shot 24-63 from the field (38.1 percent) and 9-31 from the 3-point line (29 percent).   The second half defense was far more reminiscent of the way the Gators played the previous four games. It has been since the 90-81 win over Auburn that the Gators allowed an opponent to score 70 or more points.   “Defensively, I thought we drilled down, did a better job of taking away their high pick-and-roll game and getting out to shooters and making it uncomfortable for them to score,” Golden said. “A big part of this win for us tonight was imposing our will on the glass, plus-15 on the glass, gave ourselves some second-chance opportunities and limited their second-chance opportunities compared to ours. ”   Five Gators scored in double figures led by Chinyelu with 19. Haugh scored 16 (10 rebounds), while Alijah Martin had 14 (6 rebounds, 1 assist), Clayton 13 (6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals) and Aberdeen 11 (2 steals).   The Gators, who travel to Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) Tuesday night, have won six consecutive games by an average of 15 points.     SEC BASKETBALL Saturday’s scores No. 2 FLORIDA (24-3, 11-3 SEC) 79, LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) 65 No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) 82, Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) 70 No. 4 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) 96, No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7 SEC) 83 No. 6 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5) 77, No. 7 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5) 69 Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) 92, No. 15 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC) 85 Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC) 93, No. 21 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC) 87 Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) 77, No. 24 Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) 72 South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC) 84, Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) 69   Tuesday’s games No. 2 FLORIDA (24-3, 11-3 SEC) at Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) No. 21 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) No. 6 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) at LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC) at No. 15 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC)   Wednesday’s games No. 24 Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) at No. 7 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7 SEC) at Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC) Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) at Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC)   Saturday, March 1 No. 7 Texas A&M (20-7, 9-5 SEC) at No. 2 FLORIDA (24-3, 10-3 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) at No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 9-5 SEC) No. 4 Alabama (22-5, 11-3 SEC) at No. 6 Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) No. 15 Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC) at Vanderbilt (18-9, 6-8 SEC) LSU (14-13, 3-11 SEC) at No. 21 Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7 SEC) Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10 SEC) at No. 24 Ole Miss (19-8, 8-6 SEC) Georgia (16-11, 4-10 SEC) at Texas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) at South Carolina (11-16, 1-13 SEC)

Teammates mob Brendan Lawson at home after third inning grand slam (UAA Photo) Moved up to No. 5 in the batting order, freshman Brendan Lawson made Kevin O’Sullivan’s confidence pay off in a big way Saturday afternoon as a crowd of 8,155 watched the 10th-ranked Gators (6-0) pound Dayton (2-4), 11-1, a run-rule win halted in the bottom of the eighth.   The Gators were ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the third when they loaded the bases on walks to Blake Cyr and Bobby Boser and an error that put Colby Shelton on first. On a 1-0 count, Lawson hit his first collegiate home run over the wall in right field to clear the bases. In the bottom of the eighth, Lawson picked up his fifth RBI with a sacrifice fly.   "He's got a slow heart rate,” O’Sullivan said of his first baseman. “Doesn't seem to ever get too excited. The game doesn't speed up on him. His zone control is exceptional, especially for a young hitter. He doesn't chase out of the zone very much. We put him in the fifth spot tonight for a reason. He's been swinging the bat really good. A lot of his outs have been hard hit. He's an advanced hitter and I think I've said that even before the season started. He's been doing that against our own pitchers as well."   The Gators parlayed nine hits, six walks, three hit batters and two Dayton errors into their fifth consecutive game scoring 10 or more runs. The Gators were error-free in the field and three UF pitchers gave up only four hits while walking two batters, hitting two and striking out 13. Florida pitchers have 83 strikeouts in six games.   Jake Clemente (2-0) got the win. He went the first four innings, allowing two hits while walking two, hitting two and striking out seven. Clemente threw 74 pitches, 42 for strikes. Lefty Frank Menendez went the next three, allowing one hit while striking out five. He threw a very efficient 31 pitches to the 10 batters he faced. Freshman Matthew Jenkins went the eighth, giving up a hit while striking out one.   O’Sullivan didn’t think Clemente was as sharp as he needed to be.   “Two starts in a row, four innings,” O’Sullivan said. “That was one of those main things we talked about when the season started. We need to get some more quality starts than we had last year. You don't want to go to your pen in the fifth. He just seemed a little off tonight. I don't know if it's mechanics or something. We’ll have to watch the video.”   The Gators jumped on Dayton starter Peyton Malecha for a first inning run. Cyr led the game off with a double, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Bobby Boser’s sacrifice fly to right field.   The Gators knocked Malecha out of the box in the fifth. The Gators tagged reliever Jackson Judy for two in the sixth when Ty Evans doubled, Cyr was hit by a pitch and Shelton hit a 2-out opposite field double down the left field line to put UF up 7-0.   It was 7-1 in the bottom of the eighth when the Gators scored four to close things out on the run-rule. Hayden Yost doubled, Cyr was hit by a pitch and Shelton hit an RBI double to center field. After a walk to Brody Donay, Lawson drove home a run with a sacrifice fly. The final two runs came on a 2-run single by Landon Stripling.   The Gators will go for the series sweep this afternoon with lefty Pierce Coppola taking the mound.   UF SOFTBALL: GATORS WIN TWO, IMPROVE TO 17-1 The 3rd-ranked Gators improved their record to 17-1 Saturday with a pair of wins at the Sun Devil Classic in Arizona. The Gators trounced New Mexico State, 12-1, in game one and then held on for a 6-4 win over Grand Canyon in game two.   Freshman Katelynn “Red” Oxley made her collegiate pitching debut against New Mexico State, going four innings while giving up two hits and striking out three. The Gators backed her up by scoring in all four innings they got to hit, starting with two in the first.   Kendra Falby singled, Taylor Shumaker was hit by a pitch and after a double steal, Korbe Otis walked to load the bases. Jocelyn Erickson gave the Gators the only runs they needed with a 2-RBI single.   Shumaker hit a sacrifice fly in the second to score Brook Barnard. In the third, Erickson hit a solo homer and Kenleigh Cahalan hit a 2-run homer, scoring Mia Williams, who had doubled.   Florida erupted for six in the bottom of the fourth. One out after a Shumaker triple, Erickson hit her second home run of the game over the wall in right field. Walks to Cassidy McClellan and Ava Brown and a single by Mackenna Bellaire loaded the bases for Gaby Cormia, whose infield single drove in a run. Falby walked in a run, Bellaire scored on a wild pitch and Shumaker hit an RBI single.   The Gators were cruising with a 6-0 lead in game two against Grand Canyon when things got out of hand for starting pitcher Keagan Rothrock. Rothrock gave up a 3-run homer and a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fifth. Ava Brown came on to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, allowing one hit while striking out two.   Florida scored five runs in the third when Cahalan hit her second home run of the day, over the right field wall. A single by Falby, walks to Shumaker and Erickson and an error on a grounder by Williams gave the Gators a 1-0 lead. Cahalan followed with her fourth homer of the season.   The Gators added an insurance run in the top of the fifth when Otis led off with her fourth home run of the season over the left field wall.   The Gators conclude their trip to Arizona today when they face Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference at 11 a.m.

When it comes to basketball analytics, Todd Golden is a genius (Photo by Chris Spears) There are times when Todd Golden makes you think he’s playing chess while the other coaches in the Southeastern Conference are playing checkers. Think back to the end of the first half of Florida’s win over Oklahoma back on Tuesday.   Following a pair of Will Richard free throws that gave the Florida Gators a 44-26 lead with 29 seconds to go, Golden called a timeout to set the strategy for the end of the half. Things got interesting on the sideline as Golden elected to take what most would consider a very unorthodox plan of attack. The decision was made to try to force a turnover, but if the Sooners broke the pressure, go ahead and foul somebody.   Wait? Oklahoma’s in the bonus so a foul gives them a one-and-one opportunity at the line.   “I mean, we're just prepared for those moments, you know,” Golden said Friday before the 2nd-ranked Gators (23-3, 10-3 SEC) left for Baton Rouge where they will face LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC) at the Maravich Center tonight (6 p.m., SEC Network). “Like, Saf (Jonathan Safir), Hov (Kevin Hovde) are sprinting up to me and saying ‘we should foul, we got to foul here, we got to foul’ and then I got (John) Andrzejek yelling ‘we can’t foul, we can’t give them points’ so we’re just going back and forth. ”   But there is method to Golden’s madness and it’s fueled by the analytics that tell him the foul is exactly what the Gators should do.   “So at that point, they're gonna hold for the last shot, right?” Golden explained. “There's no shot clock, so you leave with 29 seconds or whatever, they're winning the rest of that half, and I think – and I could be off a little bit – but generally, like, end of half possession that's going against the set defense is worth a little less than a point. It's like .9 points, right, that possession is worth .9. So, in that scenario, when they hold for the last shot, they're going to beat you over that 28 seconds .9, theoretically, right? A point to your zero points, because you don't get the ball back.   “So even fouling (Jeremiah) Fears, who's a 90 percent free throw shooter – and a key part of this is they were in the one-and-one, so there's no guarantee that you get a second free throw in the one-and-one. So, it's not 1.8, it's not as simply as 90 percent times two, because it's 90 percent, but that 10 percent he could miss it, right? Which he did, by the way, so you  foul him and you raised their point probability from .9 to probably 1.6 or something like that. Which, okay, you're giving them an extra .7, right? But now we get the ball back right with 10 seconds, however it is. So we go from zero expected points to .9, on 10 seconds. Close enough, maybe a little less, but right in that ballpark. So you're winning that foul by .2 points over those 28 seconds, or whatever.”    Fears missed the free throw. Urban Klavzar sneaked under the rim and grabbed the rebound, then navigated through traffic, head up, looking for someone to pass the ball to. Between the midcourt and foul circle at the Florida end of the court, he accelerated, blew past everybody and beat the horn with a layup.   Instead of giving up two points, the Gators got the ball back, scored two and their halftime lead expanded to 20, 46-26. Just like that.   Thinking analytically paid off.   “ We fouled a little earlier than we wanted, but it gave us a little more time to make a play, and he misses the free throw, and Urby takes it coast to coast,” Golden said. “We end up winning that segment 2-0. If we let him hold for the last shot, we're never gonna have a chance to score.”   One of the things that helped Scott Stricklin make the decision to hire Golden three years ago was his ability to apply the analytics to put his teams in winning situations. The analytics don’t always work. Some coaches pay very little attention to them and do just fine.   Coaches like Golden integrate the analytics into the decision making process to give their teams an edge. In the case of that final play, it was only two points in an already blowout game, but what if Oklahoma had rallied? What if the Sooners had come back to turn an embarrassing defeat into a white knuckles finish?   Those two points would have been crucial. That’s how Golden’s mind works. How many coaches play the percentages to the same degree as Golden?   “I’d say, not a lot, probably,” Golden said.   The analytics have helped the Gators to the No. 2 ranking in the country. They’ve helped Golden maneuver his team through an unprecedented rash of injuries that have seen the Gators minus at least one starter for five consecutive games. Denzil Aberdeen has started five straight games, one in place of Walter Clayton (Vanderbilt game), the last four for Alijah Martin. Martin will be back in the lineup against LSU with Aberdeen coming off the bench once again.   Alex Condon, who sprained an ankle 30 seconds into Florida’s road win over Mississippi State, has missed the last two games completely. His place in the lineup has been taken by Thomas Haugh. Haugh will start again against LSU, but there is a chance Condon will be available. Backup big guy Sam Alexis, who was also injured in the Mississippi State game, is definitely unavailable.   “Alex is doing great, to be honest,” Golden said. “He's moving around really, really well. Tomorrow night's not out of the question. I think it's probably more of a longer shot, but it's definitely not out of the question, so we'll see how he does in practice today. He'll probably receive a doubtful or questionable tag, depending on how practice goes. Sam's a little further behind. He'll be out tomorrow night. With that being said, he's still progressing, which is great, but Condo is ahead of Sam right now. ”   In Condon is unable to answer the bell, the Gators will be going with a 3-man rotation of big guys (Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten) for the third straight game. With three bigs instead of four, it does change who Golden has on the floor at the same time. He prefers three perimeter guys with two bigs.   Against Oklahoma, there were stretches when Haugh played on the perimeter with Chinyelu or Handlogten the only big guy playing in the paint. Other times, Will Richard (6-4) slid down from the perimeter to play as the second big guy.     “Without Condo, we really only have three healthy big guys,” Golden said. “So, while we want to play with our three out, two in identity in our early game action, at the same time, we played 20 minutes the other night with four out, where we haven't played that way a lot this year. In fact, we haven't played that way at all, really. It's a credit to our guys, specifically Alijah and Will, that we were able to function that well on that end last game.”   Anticipated starting lineups No. 2 FLORIDA (23-3, 10-3 SEC): Thomas Haugh (6-9, 215, SO); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 255, SO); Will Richard (6-4, 2-6, SR); Alijah Martin (6-2, 195, GR); Walter Clayton Jr. (6-2, 195, SR)   LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC): Daimion Collins (6-9, 200, JR); Dji Bailey (6-5, 195, SR); Vyctorius Miller (6-5, 185, FR); Curtis Givens III (6-3, 185, FR); Cam Carter (6-3, 190, SR)   SEC BASKETBALL Saturday’s games No. 2 FLORIDA (23-3, 10-3 SEC) at LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC) Georgia (16-10, 4-9 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC) No. 17 Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC) No. 6 Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC) at No. 7 Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC) No. 15 Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC) at Arkansas (15-11, 4-9 SEC) No. 21 Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-10, 3-10 SEC) No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC) at Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC) Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC) at South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC)

Injuries end any chance of upsetting #1 Oklahoma on the road in Norman. In an eerily familiar scenario, Anya Pilgrim went down within the first minute of the first routine on Uneven Bars. It reminded me of when Alex Condon went down against Mississippi State in the first 30 seconds of that game.

Blake Cyr slides headfirst across home plate in the second inning (Photo by Chris Spears) It isn’t as if 10th-ranked Florida (5-0) needs any help. The Gators have potent bats up and down the lineup, but on a cold night at Condron Family Ballpark, the Dayton Flyers were much too accommodating. Dayton pitchers walked five, hit four batters and uncorked three wild pitches. The Gators, meanwhile, smacked 10 hits including Bobby Boser’s third homer of the season and stole five bases in a 13-1 run-rule game called mercifully after seven frigid innings.   Florida starter Liam Peterson (2-0) got all the help he would need in the bottom of the first when Hayden Yost led off with a double in the left center gap and Boser followed with a homer into the right field bullpen. The Gators added another run in the first and three in the second to give Peterson plenty of cushion. He went four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out five to pick up the win.   Kevin O’Sullivan split the final three innings among true freshman Jackson Barberi and redshirt freshmen Caden McDonald and Christian Rodriguez. Barberi allowed two hits and struck out one; McDonald gave up three hits, one run and struck out one; and Rodriguez gave up a hit while striking out two. Both McDonald and Rodriguez missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.   “Honestly, it was not an easy night to hit or pitch,” O’Sullivan said while praising his pitchers, adding that Peterson “made some big pitches when he needed to.”     After Boser cleared the bases with his first inning home run, Colby Shelton walked, stole second and third, then scored on a ground out by Cade Kurland. In the second, Blake Cyr was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch, to third on Justin Nadeau’s ground out and scored on a Yost grounder. Later in the inning, Boser reached on a wild pitch third strike and stole second. Shelton was hit by a pitch and both runners advanced on a failed pickoff that sailed into center field. Following a walk to Brody Donay, Kurland delivered a 2-RBI single.   In the fourth, Donay singled off the pitcher’s leg, stole second and scored on a single to right by Brendan Lawson to make it 7-0.   The Gators closed out the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when they sent 10 to the plate while scoring six runs. The Gators got a bases loaded walk to  Kurland to drive in one run, an RBI by Lawson when he was hit by a pitch, also with the bases loaded. Luke Heyman hit a sacrifice fly, Cyr doubled in two runs and Yost hit a sacrifice fly to complete the scoring.   Through five games, the Gators have already hit nine home runs. They’re hitting .366 as a team and they’ve stolen 21 bases in 23 attempts. In 66 games a year ago, the Gators only stole 43 bases.   The Gators have a 1.32 team ERA. Florida pitchers have struck out 70 batters in 41 innings.   The Gators and Dayton play game two of their series today at 4 p.m. (SEC Network+).   UF SOFTBALL: GATORS 20, OPPONENTS 1 IN TWO FRIDAY GAMES The 3rd-ranked Gators (15-1) served notice to the rest of the field at the Sun Devil Classic in Tempe, Arizona, Friday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of California Baptist and host Arizona State. The Gators hammered out an 11-0 run-rule win over California Baptist in the first game, then blistered Arizona State, 9-1, in game two.   Freshman Taylor Shumaker went 3-3 with four RBI while hitting her ninth and 10th homers in Florida’s rout of Cal Baptist. Shumaker hit a 2-run homer in Florida’s 9-run first inning and hit another 2-run homer in the fourth. Rylee Holtorf hit a grand slam in the first while Korbe Otis had a 2-run double and Kenleigh Cahalan hit an RBI double.   Falby had a 3-3 day at the plate with two stolen bases.   Getting the win in the circle was Ava Brown (4-0), who gave up three hits in four innings. Olivia Miller gave up one run while pitching the fifth.   Florida hammered out 12 hits against Arizona State to back the 6-hit pitching of Keagan Rothrock (7-1). Rothrock gave up five hits, walked two and struck out five.   The Gators put two across the plate in the second on a sacrifice fly by Holtorf and an RBI single by Falby. The Gators stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third on a sacrifice fly by Reagan Walsh. Two more scored in the fourth on Mia Williams’ fourth homer of the year and an RBI single by Shumaker.   Florida closed out the scoring in the top of the seventh with a 4-run outburst. Otis scored on a wild pitch, Williams hit an RBI single and Layla Lamar drove in two with a single up the middle.   Otis had a 3-3 game, while Shumaker, Jocelyn Erickson and Williams all had 2-4 days at the plate.   Through 16 games, the Gators are hitting .375 led by Shumaker (.511, 10 HR, 29 RBI), Williams (.465, 4 HR, 8 RBI) and Falby (.458, 15-15 stolen bases). The Gators have hit 26 home runs and they have stolen 38 bases in 40 attempts.   Florida pitchers have a 1.89 ERA.   Today, the Gators face New Mexico State (6 p.m.) and Grand Canyon (8:30 p.m.). The Gators will conclude play in the tournament Sunday against Iowa State (11 a.m.).

The stretch run in the Southeastern Conference officially begins Saturday. ESPN’s bracket genius Joe Lunardi has a record 13 SEC teams making it into the NCAA field, but these last five games will be make or break for what amounts to the league’s bottom feeders. Right now, South Carolina, LSU and Georgia are the only teams that won’t be on Lunardi’s NCAA dance card.   At the top of the league are No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Florida and No. 4 Alabama. Auburn has a 2-game lead but four of the Tigers’ five games are against ranked teams. Even so, it’s difficult to imagine anyone but Auburn winning the regular season championship and earning the overall No. 1 seed when the NCAA reveals its brackets on Selection Sunday.   Lunardi has the Aggies and Tennessee on his No. 2 line. Missouri has a legitimate shot to crack the top four. After that, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are rock solid.   Then things get interesting. Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas all have work to do. Georgia isn’t completely out of the picture either. Could those four teams get enough quality wins to convince the selection committee that they belong on the dance floor?   Here is a breakdown of all 16 teams, the remaining games on their schedules and a legitimate look at their chances to get into the NCAA Tournament.   No. 4 Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC): Bama can score, no doubt about it, but can the Crimson Tide play a lick of defense? They gave up 94 in their loss to Auburn, 110 Wednesday night to Missouri. Every remaining game is against a ranked team. Barring a complete collapse in the last five games, Alabama will be a No. 1. Go 5-0 and the Tide could win the SEC. Bama is the No. 6 team in the NCAA NET rankings.   Saturday: Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC) The final four games: No. 21 Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC); at No. 6 Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC); No. 2 Florida (23-3, 10-3 SEC); at No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC)   Arkansas (15-11, 4-9 SEC): Since injuries forced John Calipari to play with only eight scholarship players, the Razorbacks have become one of those teams nobody wants to play. They play everybody tough, home or on the road and they’re capable of beating all but about two or three teams in the SEC. Joe Lunardi has the Hogs in. They really need three wins in the last five to be certain, but that’s do-able. The Hogs are No. 40 in the NCAA NET rankings   Saturday: No. 15 Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC) The final four games: Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC); at South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC); at Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC); No. 21 Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC)   No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC): The only game that looks losable is at Texas A&M where the Aggies do the kind of things to opponents that would land civilians for an all-expenses paid vacation at Huntsville. The Tigers have a 2-game lead in the SEC and they’re a lock for a No. 1 seed. The only teams that could surpass them for the overall No. 1 are Florida and Duke. Bruce Pearl has the kind of depth to win it all.   Saturday: Georgia (16-10, 4-9 SEC) The final four games: No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC); at No. 17 Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC); at No. 7 Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC); No. 4 Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC)   No. 2 FLORIDA (23-3, 10-3 SEC): It’s going to be difficult for the Gators to make up the 2-game deficit with Auburn, but they have a legitimate shot to take over sole possession of second place in the regular season. The Gators are on everybody’s No. 1 line. The real question is which overall seed? Right now, most of the brackets have them in the West which is probably the No. 4 seed. Would the selection committee move the Gators to No. 1 in the East while moving Duke out West? Florida is No. 4 in the NET rankings. Todd Golden should get serious consideration for Coach of the Year honors after dealing with injuries without missing a beat. Florida is a legit Final Four team.   Saturday: at LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC) The final four games: at Georgia (16-10, 4-9 SEC); No. 7 Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC); at No. 4 Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC); No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC)   Georgia (16-10, 4-9 SEC): Georgia has plenty of work to do and needs at least a 3-2 finish to avoid the Nobody’s Interested Tournament. The next two are against Auburn and Florida which means they can’t afford a loss in the last three. If you’re prone to wagering, put Georgia in your NIT bracket. The Georgia faithful think Mike White is the bomb. Georgia is No. 39 in the NCAA NET rankings.   Saturday: at No. 1 Georgia (16-10, 4-9) The final four games: No. 2 FLORIDA (23-3, 10-3); at Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC); at South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC); Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC)   No. 17 Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC): At home the Wildcats are formidable, but the road has been unkind. Three of the last five are roadies. Of the last five, they get No. 1 Auburn at home, Alabama and Mizzou on the road. Even so, they’re a lock to make the tournament, if for no other reasons tradition and Wildcat fans travel better than any team in the country. Head coach Mark Pope gets a first year mulligan even though the Wildcats probably lose 11-12 games minimum. Next year he can sweat. UK is No. 12 in the NCAA NET rankings.   Saturday: at No. 4 Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC) The final four games: at Oklahoma (16-10, 3-10 SEC); No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC); LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC); at No. 15 Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC)   LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC): The Tigers have won their last two games but their last five are all against ranked teams including three top ten. If they can somehow win three there is a really good chance they’ll get in the NIT. If they post a losing record, head coach Matt McMahon might find himself looking for work. Their NCAA NET ranking is No. 78.   Saturday: No. 2 FLORIDA (23-3, 10-3 SEC) The final four games: No. 6 Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC); at No. 21 Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC); at No. 17 Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC); No. 7 Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC)   No. 21 Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC): Four of the last five games are against unranked teams so getting to 22 or 23 wins is entirely possible. They’re locks for the NCAA Tournament. Lunardi has the Bulldogs a No. 7, which seems about right. They have a No. 26 NCAA NET ranking.   Saturday: at Oklahoma (16-10, 3-10 SEC) The final four games: at No. 4 Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC); LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC); Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC); at Arkansas (15-11, 4-9 SEC)   No. 15 Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC): This is a really dangerous team that nobody is going to want in their NCAA bracket. Right now the Tigers are a No. 5 seed. The schedule is conducive for a 5-0 or 4-1 finish. Currently No. 13 in the NET rankings, they could be a top four. Mizzou lit up Bama for 110 points. They can run with anyone in the league and if you want to grind they can mug you. Because the Tigers went 0-18 in the SEC last year, Dennis Gates probably wins SEC Coach of the Year.   Saturday: at Arkansas (15-11, 4-9 SEC) The final four games: South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC); at Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC); at Oklahoma (16-10, 3-10 SEC); No. 17 Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC)   Oklahoma (16-10, 3-10 SEC): The SEC has been so unkind in Oklahoma’s first run through the league. The Sooners are No. 53 in the NET rankings and last four in for Lunardi. They have to hope and pray they can pick up a couple of wins in their last five and that the selection committee looks favorably on non-conference wins against Arizona, Louisville and Michigan. Best bet the NIT. Porter Moser might be feeling some heat from the boosters.   Saturday: Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC) The final four games: No. 17 Kentucky (18-8, 7-6 SEC); at No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC); No. 15 Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC); at Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC)   No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC): The Rebels currently sit on Lundardi’s six line and they have a No. 24 NET ranking. That’s the good news. The bad news is they have to play at Vandy, at No. 1 Auburn and at No. 2 Florida, plus they have a homer with No. 6 Tennessee. The Rebels will make the tournament but they may be fortunate to be anything better than a No. 8 when the dust settles. Chris Beard may be tempted to take a higher profile job.   Saturday: at Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC) The final four games: at No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 11-1 SEC); Oklahoma (16-10, 3-10 SEC); No. 6 Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC); at No. 2 FLORIDA (23-3, 10-3 SEC)   South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC): The only way for the Gamecocks to salvage anything from this disaster of a season is to get a win, therefore avoiding hanging a bagel in the SEC win column. They get Texas, Arkansas and Georgia at home. Those three are their best bets for a win. The NET ranking is No. 94. Lamont Paris is safe. For now.   Saturday: Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC) The final four games: at No. 15 Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC); Arkansas (15-11, 4-9 SEC); Georgia (16-10, 4-9 SEC); at No. 6 Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC)   No. 6 Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC): When the Vols are making shots they can beat anyone in the country. Rick Barnes’ defense rarely lets him down, but he hasn’t been able to turn the Vols into anything but very average on the road where they face the Aggies Saturday. That would be a huge win. They also get Alabama at home a week from Saturday, another chance to cement their current spot on Lunardi’s two line. The Vols are No. 5 in the NCAA NET rankings.   Saturday: at No. 7 Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC) The final four games: at LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC); No. 4 Alabama (21-5, 10-3 SEC); at No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC); South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC)   Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC): The Longhorns are on shaky ground, but they have five winnable games remaining. A 4-1 record would move them off Lundardi’s No. 10 line and take the guesswork out of getting into the NCAA Tournament. If the Longhorns don’t make the field of 64, Rodney Terry will be sitting on a very hot seat. The Longhorns are the No. 35 team in the NCAA NET rankings.   Saturday: at South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC) The final four games: at Arkansas (15-11, 4-9 SEC); Georgia (16-10, 4-9 SEC); at No. 21 Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC); Oklahoma (16-10, 3-9 SEC)   No. 7 Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC): Currently, Lunardi has the Aggies sitting on the No. 2 line. Win two of the three games they have against ranked teams over the next couple of weeks and they’ll stay there. The Aggies are No. 16 in the NET rankings. Any game against a Buzz Williams-coached team is a guaranteed rock fight.     Saturday: No. 6 Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC) The final four games: Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC); at No. 2 FLORIDA (23-3, 10-3 SEC); No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC); at LSU (14-12, 3-10)   Vanderbilt (17-9, 5-8 SEC): The Commodores are going to sweat on Selection Sunday if they have fewer than 20 wins. They are on Lunardi’s No. 11 line and No. 44 in the NET rankings. The next three games are against ranked teams but two are home, so there’s a really good shot at an upset.   Saturday: No. 24 Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5 SEC) The final four games: at No. 7 Texas A&M (20-6, 9-4 SEC); No. 15 Missouri (20-6, 9-4 SEC); Arkansas (15-11, 4-9 SEC); at Georgia (16-10, 4-9 SEC)