Upset now? Just wait ‘til mid-March   By CARLTON REESE GatorBaitMedia.com Todd Golden strategizes with the Florida Gators basketball team during a timeout.Todd Golden discusses strategy with the Florida Gators basketball team during a timeout Photo Credit UA Florida routed No. 1 Auburn on its home court, just a month after crushing undefeated and No. 1 Tennessee in Gainesville.  At 20-3 and with two of the best victories of any team in the country, the Gators find themselves ranked in a tie for No. 3 in the Associated Press poll – the 20-3 Duke Blue Devils share the spot with Florida. The important thing to consider, though, is at this point in time what seed in the NCAA Tournament has Florida earned?  Whatever the accounting, the Gators certainly seem a no-brainer for a No. 1 seed what with their overall record combined with those two wins that are an absolute rarity.  Truth is, it matters not a whit because the date is Feb. 11 and not March 16 and a whole lot of jostling will take place over the next month. Why it does matter is that the thought process going into today’s determinations are the same processes that will take place on Selection Sunday – so if the calculus today seems at best strange and at most extremely flawed, expect a skewed accounting next month as well, and be prepared to throw an object at your flatscreen. So what is this new-fangled Pythagorean Theorem at the heart of tournament seeding?  Prepare for the onslaught of “Quad 1” and “Quad 2” wins and losses, the product of some unwashed hippie walking out of Princeton’s Fine Hall. By instituting some banal definition for a quality win or loss, we have supplanted critical thinking with some sterile analysis that bears some fairly rotten fruit. We are also to become familiar with the none-too-recent arrival of the “bracketologist” – a shameful title that would be funny if it were not actually taken seriously by a large number of fans. It was bad enough that we had to listen to Dick Vitale yell every Selection Sunday that “these kids are crying their eyes out!” that now we have to pay attention to some pseudo-scientist with a fake label speak with some self-anointed authority on a human subject he has only examined through some ledger generated by faulty computer models. Take, for example, the recent “ludis peritis” at CBS Sports who graced us with their wisdom on the subject. These bracketologists, as they call themselves without recognizing their hubris which defeats them every week, recently gave their reasons why Florida right now actually is NOT a No. 1 seed. Gary Parrish: “Florida’s record in quadrant one just doesn’t stack up to the other one seeds (Auburn, Duke, Alabama and Tennessee). Auburn is 12-2 in the same quadrant (where Florida is 4-3), Duke 5-3, Tennessee 8-4.” Jerry Palm: “The (Gators’) win at Auburn would be the best win of any team all year… but, they didn’t play the nonconference schedule these other teams played.” Put aside for a moment that you may have never heard of Gary Parrish or Jerry Palm – I’m sure they’re capable journalists and know a thing or two about college basketball – one could have a bot propped on a table spewing out the information these two bring. They are just talking heads coughing up tired statistics birthed from uncreative minds in order to supplant serious research.  Florida is 4-3 in Quad 1 games and Duke is 5-3 – what more analysis than that is needed?  The data is clear, now shut up and bow before the Mathematica Principia.   Just what are these quads, anyway?  Simply put, every team is given a ranking based on an NCAA metric (NET). Any home game played against a team ranked in the top 30 of this metric is deemed to be a “Quad 1 Game” as is any neutral-site game against a team in the top 50 or road game against a team in the top 75. Quad 2, Quad 3 and Quad 4 games follow a similar formula, but with lower rankings in their determinations. Georgia’s NET ranking is 34, so Florida’s blowout of the Dawgs is not a Quad 1 (for the purpose of the discussion, a “quality”) win. But Cincinnati’s win at Central Florida (ranked 72) IS a Quad 1 win. Anyone beginning to see the absurdity in all this? In determining the NET rankings, the NCAA uses some alchemic formula that factors in “results, scoring margin, strength of schedule, game location, and efficiency on both sides of the court.” That clear enough?  The circular logic in this whole thing is more than maddening, it’s like a debate with Steven Bonnell, aka, Destiny.  “Strength of schedule” is the gerrymandered product of inherent bias; “efficiency on both sides of the court” is, —well, who knows but it sounds smart. According to these CBS oracles, Tennessee’s nonconference was much better than Florida’s. In fact, Palm stated that Tennessee has at least six more quality wins than Florida in the non-conference – this based on his opinion that Florida had zero quality wins before SEC play.  Let’s accept the premise then that Florida had no quality wins in non-onference, so that means Tennessee had six by this Muppet’s definition. The Vols’ three best wins in the nonconference were most definitely against Louisville, Baylor and Illinois, of which only Baylor was ranked at the time.  Louisville went 0-4 against SEC teams this season and the 6-5 nonconference record translated into a feasting on a buffet of ACC weaklings.  Baylor, ranked 13 when the Vols drubbed them, had earlier lost by 38 to Gonzaga and has since lost five more times, including at home to TCU.  Illinois lost by 2 to the Vols, but was destroyed by Alabama and has now dropped from the rankings with a rather-ordinary 16-8 record. By any rational statistical measure, this is not a verdict in Tennessee’s favor, yet in the eyes of Parrish and Palm, there is no questioning of the narrative —they are inclined to force feed their audience. They have not even examined the numbers and completely ignored any human element involved. On Feb. 11, all this talk is merely a slice of time that will be long forgotten in a month when losses pile up and victories astound here, thereby changing the names and faces of those dominating the discussion. But all must keep in mind, the cold numbers and narrow insights that today produce these absurd conclusions will be what also determines the absurd conclusions we are likely to see on Selection Sunday.  Go ahead and save your ire for March 16, but don’t say you weren’t warned.

Thomas Haugh loads up a 3-pointer from the corner over Riley Kugel (UAA Photo) As if 3rd-ranked Florida (21-3, 8-3 SEC) needed any extra motivation, Mississippi State’s RJ Melendez provided all they needed 30 seconds into Tuesday night’s game in Starkville. On an inbounds play that resulted in a midair collision, Condon came down on Melendez’s ankle. Whistled for a foul, Melendez gave a who me look to the zebras. Condon was on the floor, clutching his ankle, writing in pain.   Florida coach Todd Golden apparently saw more to it than simply a collision that resulted in a sprained ankle.     “ I didn't like the play,” Golden said. “I thought it was a dirty play … exacerbated by the pull-down, the horse collar, and really disappointed for that to happen to one of your very good players early in the ball game, and at the same time I think it lit a fire under our group. I thought we responded the right way, and I thought our guys did a heck of a job of stepping up in his absence." Sparks turn into brush fires. Brush fires turn into raging infernos. That’s what happened at Humphrey Coliseum where the Gators turned a 34-33 first half deficit into a 58-38 lead in the first 6:19 of the second half. From that 25-4 blitz the Gators cruised to an 81-68 win over the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs (17-7, 5-6 SEC).   The prospects of a second straight SEC road win over a ranked team, seemed to take a hit when Condon went down, leaving the Gators to play 39:30 with a 3-man rotation of big guys. Making matters worse, the Gators were already playing without second leading scorer and the SEC’s best perimeter defender Alijah Martin, still dealing with the lingering effects of a hip pointer suffered in last week’s win over Vanderbilt. One team’s disaster is another team’s opportunity. The Gators simply made the best of the situation, turning to a pair of baby-faced assassins to plunge multiple stilettos into the Mississippi State hearts. Denzel Aberdeen, making his third straight start and second in place of Martin, scored a career and game-high 20 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. It was his third consecutive game in double figures. Thomas Haugh came off the bench to flirt with a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, two blocked shots and two steals.   When the Gators took the floor to start the second half, Aberdeen needed only 16 seconds to nail a 3-pointer that was like throwing a 40-gallon drum of gasoline on the first half fire. Aberdeen got behind the MSU defense for a couple of fast break dunks during Florida’s spurt.   “Like he doesn't start for us, but he's a starter-level player, and he's played like an all-league player for the past couple games stepping up,” Golden said. “And again, just a guy that's improved dramatically, you know, in his time in Gainesville, and he's just playing with so much poise and confidence right now and just his ability to get in the paint and play off two feet, finish around the rim, hit big threes, been very good defensively.”   In the first 6:19 of the second half, Haugh hit a pair of 3-pointers, handed out four assists, grabbed two rebounds and stole the ball twice. In the last three games, Haugh has scored 40 points to go with 27 rebounds, 15 assists, six blocked shots and four steals.   Golden gushed about Haugh’s effort.   “ We just have a very good team this year, and we have multiple guys that can do it, but Tommy is, you know, one of the guys that delivers the heartbeat for this team, and the passion in which he plays, the toughness, the consistency, of being as coachable as he is to go out and execute on the floor what the coaches want him to do is everything. And for him to go 16, nine and eight with two blocks and two steals. It's an elite effort for him tonight."   In the first half, the Gators were able to get nearly any shot they wanted. Getting the shots and knocking them down, however, was a completely different story. The Gators made only 11-30 from the field and 6-20 from the 3-point line. What saved the day from becoming a disaster was Florida’s defense, which held the Bulldogs to 12-33 from the field and 2-15 from the 3-point line. The Bulldogs held the halftime lead largely because they held a 26-16 advantage on the backboards and an 18-8 margin in the paint.   Aberdeen’s 3-pointer to start the second half gave the Gators the lead for good at 36-34. Over the next five minutes, Florida would hit five more threes. Florida’s offense was cooking, but the Gators were equally efficient on the defensive end. It wasn’t until Mississippi State’s 10th possession of the second half that they put any point on the board and by then the Gators already had a 50-36 lead.   The lead would expand to 24 (74-50) with 6:31 to go. The Bulldogs would cut into the lead, but Florida was never really threatened.   For the second straight game, five Gators scored in double figures. Walter Clayton Jr. had another brilliant game with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and only one turnover.   “Guarding, rebounding down, you know, five defensive rebounds, and, you know, I can't say enough about him,” Golden said. “He's an amazing player. He’s gonna be playing the NBA next year, and we're gonna enjoy him, you know, as long as we have him here in Gainesville."   Will Richard scored 10 and Rueben Chinyelu, after being held to no points and no rebounds, contributed 10 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in the second half.   The Gators will be home Saturday night to face South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) at the O-Dome (8:30 p.m., SEC Network).   CONDON UPDATE: “ Good news on the X-Ray,” Golden said. “It came back clean. At this time, we think it's a low ankle sprain, which is obviously better than a high ankle sprain, or anything more serious.”   Game Notes: This was the first time in Florida basketball history that the Gators have won consecutive games on the road against ranked teams. The Gators have beaten ranked teams in consecutive games only 10 times in school history … The Gators finished the game 28-61 (45.9 percent) and 14-36 (38.9 percent) from the 3-point line … With their 19 assists against Mississippi State, the Gators have 61 assists in their last three games.     SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday scores No. 6 FLORIDA (21-3, 8-3 SEC) 81, NO. 22 Mississippi State (17-7, 5-6 SEC) 68 No. 1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1 SEC) 80, Vanderbilt (17-7, 5-6 SEC) 68 No. 2 Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC) 103, Texas (15-10, 4-8 SEC) 80 No. 15 Kentucky (17-7, 6-5 SEC) 75, No. 5 Tennessee (20-5, 7-5 SEC) 64 No. 8 Texas A&M (19-5, 8-3 SEC) 69, Georgia (16-9, 4-8 SEC) 53   Today’s games Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC) at No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC) No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC) at South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) at Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC)   Saturday’s games South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) at No. 3 FLORIDA (21-3, 8-3 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1 SEC) at No. 3 Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (17-7, 5-6 SEC) No. 4 Tennessee (20-5, 7-5 SEC) Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC) at No. 10 Texas A&M (19-5, 8-3 SEC) No. 14 Kentucky (17-7, 6-5 SEC) at Texas (15-10, 4-8 SEC) No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC) at Georgia (16-9, 4-8 SEC) No. 22 Mississippi State (17-7, 5-6 SEC) at No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC) LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC)   UF SOFTBALL: SHUMAKER HOMERS AGAIN, GATORS RUN-RULE JU Taylor Shumaker may only be a freshman, but every time she swings her bat it sends ripples throughout the college softball world. In the first inning Tuesday evening at Katie Seashole Presley Stadium, Shumaker sent a 3-2 pitch over the wall in right center for her sixth home run in a season that is only seven games old.     Shumaker’s home run got Florida started on a first inning scoring frenzy that included a grand slam by Rylee Holtorf. From that 8-0 beginning, the No. 1 Gators (7-0) cruised to a 10-1 win over Jacksonville. The Gators are at home again tonight when Stetson comes to town (6 p.m., SEC Network+).   In that first inning explosion, Shumaker closed out the scoring with a run-scoring single that drove home Kendra Falby, who had singled and stolen second. Shumaker was 2-2 in the game, raising her batting average to .550. Shumaker has three singles, two doubles, six home runs and 13 RBI. She has also walked five times.   The Gators combined seven hits with seven walks to produce their fifth run-rule win of the season.   Kara Hammock got the win in the circle to improve to 2-0. Hammock went three innings, allowed two hits, one run, walked three and struck out five. Ava Brown pitched two hitless innings with three strikeouts to finish off the Dolphins.   Through seven games, the Gators have outscored their opponents 63-9. Eight Gators have hit Florida’s 15 home runs. Five Gators are hitting .400 or better – Shumaker .550, Mia Williams .526, Falby .476, Kenleigh Cahalan .421 and Korbe Otis .400.

Tommy Haugh could be SEC Sixth Man of the Year (Photo by Chris Spears) If the road win over Auburn didn’t convince people, then what happened at Mississippi State should have. Florida beat Auburn without Alijah Martin, hobbled with a hip pointer. The Gators beat Mississippi State in Starkville without Martin again, and for all but 30 seconds without Alex Condon, who sprained an ankle in a vicious takedown by RJ Melendez. Experts who have seen the replay video are miffed that neither zebras Pat Adams and Olandis Poole or the folks who are in the replay center didn’t call it a flagrant one.   At Auburn, the Gators led by 20 or more before settling for an 90-81 win over the No. 1 team in the nation. At Mississippi State, the Gators bolted out of the locker room on a 17-0 tear to start the second half, led by as many as 24 and finished with an 81-68 win over the No. 22 team in the nation.   Good teams don’t do that kind of thing. Even great teams struggle to win on the road in the Southeastern Conference, much less do it down one or two starters.   Florida did it.   Now, at 21-3 overall and 8-3 in the SEC, it’s time to think seriously about Florida as a potential Final Four team. Martin’s hip will respond and he will be back. He’s the team’s second-leading scorer and the best perimeter defender in the SEC, perhaps in the country. He’s lock down. Condon has a lower ankle sprain on the outside of the ankle. He couldn’t put any weight on the ankle when he went to the locker room at the 19:30 mark of the first half against Mississippi State. The X-rays were negative and it was determined that this is not a high ankle sprain. Prognosis exceptional that Condon will be back at full strength rather quickly. He is Florida’s leading rebounder and going into Mississippi State had 36 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists in the previous two games.   Getting Martin and Condon back is critical. Learning how the Gators respond to adversity was also critical because Todd Golden saw in real time what he sees every day in practice. He has very good players up and down his roster so when Martin and Condon went down it was indeed next man up and the response was a shot across the bow of every team in the Southeastern Conference.   The Gators are far from a one-man team.   Go back to the Vanderbilt game, played without leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr., who sprained an ankle against Tennessee. Denzel Aberdeen started his first game, scored 13 points, directed traffic on the offensive end and made it through 35 minutes of being pressured every dribble without turning the ball over. Against Auburn, Denzel scored 10 points that included a pair of critical threes when the Gators wobbled a bit at the end. In the win at Mississippi State, Denzel scored 20, grabbed four rebounds coupled with a pair of assists and two steals.   The Mississippi State game can be described as Denzel Aberdeen’s shining moment. Whether in high school at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips or his first two seasons at UF, Aberdeen has always been overshadowed by Riley Kugel. Kugel transferred to Mississippi State after a 2024 season in which he had superstar moments and too many of the super low variety. Aberdeen’s star shone brightly in Starkville. Kugel scored seven and three of those came on a 3-pointer with 12 seconds to go, the game long since decided. Denzel Aberdeen got the best of his former teammate while also showing the world that he’s vital to a team that is capable of winning the national championship. There is a certain righteousness in that.   There was help for Denzel from mates who come off the bench.   In the win over Vandy, Tommy Haugh scored eight, grabbed nine rebounds, handed out four assists, blocked a shot and came up with a steal. Freshman Urban Klavzar nailed a pair of critical threes. Sam Alexis hit a big three, finished with five points, a pair of assists and a very important blocked shot in his nine minutes.   Then came Auburn.   Haugh was all over the place, scoring 16 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Klavzar nailed all three of his threes, the net hardly moving each time. He also had a pair of assists and a steal. Alexis only scored three but it came on a 3-pointer when the Gators were rallying after digging a 10-point hole in the first few minutes.   When Condon went down at Mississippi State, Haugh flirted with a triple-double. He played 36 minutes seemingly without showing even a hint of fatigue. He nailed three 3-pointers on his way to a second straight 16-point game. He grabbed nine rebounds. He led the team with a career-high eight assists. With 40 points, 27 rebounds and 15 assists in his last three games, Haugh is making a legitimate run at SEC Sixth Man of the Year. Klavzar only took two shots against Mississippi State, but one of them was a three that hardly moved the net. He also had two rebounds and an assist. Alexis scored three and grabbed three rebounds.   Clayton came back from his sprained ankle with a 19-point, six rebound, nine assist game at Auburn and 19 points, six rebounds and six assists at Mississippi State. Will Richard had a spectacular 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists against Vandy, 12 points and five rebounds at Auburn, 10 points and a pair of steals against Mississippi State. Rueben Chinyelu had maybe his best half of the year in the final 20 minutes against Mississippi State when he scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.   What we know 24 games into the season is that the Florida Gators are a very dangerous team. There is a very solid and often spectacular starting five of Clayton, Condon, Richard, Chinyelu and Martin. And now we know that Golden has four plug and play guys off the bench who can get the job done.   The next three games for the Gators are all very winnable. It would be a monumental upset for UF to lose to South Carolina, Oklahoma or LSU. Georgia is dicey since it’s in Athens, but Florida beat the Bulldogs by 30 earlier in the year and should win a closer game on the road.   So four wins would give the Gators 25 with a final three games of (home) Texas A&M, at Alabama and home against Ole Miss. That’s a tough way to close the season, but Florida should be favored to win the two home games. A year ago, the Gators lost in overtime to Alabama in Tuscaloosa but came back to score blowout wins over the Crimson Tide in Gainesville and in the SEC Tournament. Florida won’t be intimidated in the least by Alabama.   Should the Gators go 6-1 or 7-0 the rest of the way, they will almost certainly be seeded on the No. 1 line on Selection Sunday. At 25 or more regular season wins, the Gators are sure to be at the very least a No. 2 seed.   Currently the Gators are on the No. 2 line for both Joe Lunardi of ESPN and Jerry Palm of CBS. Prior to Tuesday night, both and Palm had Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee on the No. 1 line of his brackets. Both Florida and Texas A&M were on the No. 2 line.   Tennessee has five SEC losses with showdowns looming with the Aggies, Alabama and Ole Miss. If the Vols falter, it would open the door for Florida or Texas A&M to move up to the No. 1 line. Figure in a worst case scenario Tennessee will be a No. 3 seed but the Vols could still go on a run that will keep them at No. 1 although it might mean they have to do well at the SEC Tournament.   It is difficult to imagine the SEC getting all four No. 1s, largely because Duke probably won’t lose another ACC game. Although the ACC is at its weakest in decades, there is the Duke myth that in all probability will make the Blue Devils one of the four top seeded teams. So here is a projection of the top 16 seeded teams:   No. 1: Auburn, Alabama, FLORIDA, Duke No. 2: Texas A&M, Houston, Purdue, Tennessee No. 3: Iowa State, St. John’s, Texas Tech, Wisconsin No. 4: Kansas, Ole Miss, Michigan, Kentucky   SEC BASKETBALL Wednesday’s scores No. 19 Ole Miss (19-6, 8-4 SEC) 72, South Carolina (10-14, 0-11 SEC) 68 Arkansas (15-9, 4-7 SEC) 70, LSU (12-12, 1-10 SEC) 58 No. 21 Missouri (19-6, 8-4 SEC) Oklahoma (16-8, 3-8 SEC)   Saturday’s games South Carolina (10-14, 0-11 SEC) at No. 3 FLORIDA (21-3, 8-3 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1 SEC) at No. 2 Alabama (21-3, 10-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (17-7, 5-6 SEC) No. 5 Tennessee (20-5, 7-5 SEC) Arkansas (15-9, 4-7 SEC) at No. 8 Texas A&M (19-5, 8-3 SEC) No. 15 Kentucky (17-7, 6-5 SEC) at Texas (15-10, 4-8 SEC) No. 21 Missouri (19-6, 8-4 SEC) at Georgia (16-9, 4-8 SEC) No. 22 Mississippi State (17-7, 5-6 SEC) at No. 19 Ole Miss (19-6, 8-4 SEC) LSU (12-12, 1-10 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-8, 3-8 SEC)

Alex Condon (21) was named SEC Player of the Week (UAA Photo) No time for attaboys. That’s the message Todd Golden is stressing to the Gators (20-3, 7-3 SEC), now No. 3 in both the Associated Press and Coaches top 25 polls. The Gators need to make sure the glow of beating No. 1 Auburn has faded away, particularly with a very tough matchup in Starkville tonight (7 p.m., ESPN2) with a Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC) team that plays like it belongs in the top ten at home.   “ I think the biggest challenge with our schedule the rest of the way is not allowing ourselves to get too high or too low, depending on the result,” Golden said Monday before the Gators departed for Starkville. “Saturday is easy to pat yourself on the back and read the press clippings of how it's best win of the year and then not be ready mentally going into what I consider to be an equally as tough environment in Starkville against a really, really good team.”   Florida has been a mixed bag on the road in hostile environments lately. The Gators were clobbered by 20 in Knoxville to No. 5 Tennessee, a game in which the crowd got under their skin early and often. The Gators struggled to make shots and turned the ball over way too often. The defense wasn’t all that bad, but the offense never gave the Gators a chance.   One week later at Auburn, an equally tough road environment, the Gators were the picture of cool, calm and collected. When they fell behind early by 10 (15-5), the Auburn crowd was borderline psychotic but the Gators blocked out the noise, caught fire and outscored the Tigers 85-66 the rest of the way.   At Tennessee, the Gators couldn’t make a shot. Against Auburn, the Gators had one of their best passing games in Golden’s three seasons on the UF job with 22 assists that led to 48 percent shooting from the floor and 13 made 3-pointers. The ball was spread around so well that six different Gators nailed a 3-pointer.   Florida has shot the ball extremely well the last two games – 62-118 overall from the field (52.5 percent) and 23-54 from the 3-point line (42.5 percent). Florida’s 42 assists in the last two games are the best 2-game stretch of the season.   “I thought we did a great job moving the ball and taking care of it over the past two games, with the exception of like the first five minutes of the Vanderbilt game,” Golden said. “And I think that led to us being really, really hard to guard. Getting 90 at Auburn is an insane offensive performance. We made 13 threes, we made our free throws. I think we shot close to 60 percent from two. We did a great job in making them guard us through the extension of the shot clock and allowed their defense to break down a little bit, but we just took advantage of it and we made some shots, man. And when you do that, those numbers are gonna go up."   The Gators will need good shooting, finding open shooters with crisp passes and taking care of the basketball to score a win in Starkville. Golden believes Florida’s effort has to match or exceed what it took to win at Auburn to come away with a win tonight.   “It’s going to take a very similar performance that we had on Saturday to win at Starkville on Tuesday,” Golden said. “I know that’s hard for some people to wrap their arms around – Auburn was No. 1 – but Mississippi State is a very good team. Mississippi State is very good at home. They’re a top 25 team. this will not be an easier game. They’re going to be playing really well, they’re going to be fired up. I assume we’ll be top five going into this game. We have a target on our back. Our guys are learning that, especially after Saturday. We’re going to have to perform really, really well on the road Tuesday night to win.”   Game notes: Florida’s No. 3 ranking is the highest for the Gators since 2014 when they were ranked No. 1 … Freshman Urban Klavjar has come off the bench to go 5-5 from the 3-point line in the last two games, 2-2 against Vandy, 3-3 against Auburn … Second-leading scorer Alijah Martin, who missed the Auburn game with a hip pointer, is expected to be back in the lineup at Mississippi State … In Todd Golden’s two-plus years on the Florida job, the Gators have scored 90 or more points 20 times. Every other Florida coach to score 90 or more 20 times needed at least seven seasons to do it.   Condon SEC Player of the Week: Alex Condon, who had 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot in Florida’s win over Auburn was selected Southeastern Conference Player of the Week. Earlier in the week in the Gators’ win over Vanderbilt, Condon had 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot. Condon was 14-16 shooting in the two games. Condon is just the eighth Gator to win multiple SEC Player of the Week awards.   Anticipated starting lineups No. 3 FLORIDA (20-3, 7-3 SEC): Alex Condon (6-11, 230, 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, SR)   No. 22 Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC): Cameron Matthews (6-7, 235, SR); Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245, SO); RJ Melendez (6-7, 210, SR); Claudel Harris (6-4, 200, SR); Josh Hubbard (5-11, 190, SO)   Coaches top 25: 1. Alabama 20-3; 2. Auburn 21-2; 3. FLORIDA 20-3; 4. Tennessee 20-4; 5. Duke 20-3; 6. Houston 19-4; 7. Purdue 19-5; 8. St. John’s 21-3; 9. Texas A&M 18-5; 10. Iowa State 18-5; 11. Michigan State 19-4; 12. Texas Tech 18-5; 13. Arizona 17-6; 14. Memphis 20-4; 15. Wisconsin 19-5; 16. Marquette 18-6; 17. Michigan 18-5; 18. Kentucky 16-7; 19. Clemson 19-5; 20. Kansas 16-7; 21. Creighton 18-6; 22. Missouri 17-6; 23. Ole Miss 18-6; 24. UConn 16-7; 25. Maryland 18-6   Associated Press top 25: 1. Auburn 21-2; 2. Alabama 20-3; 3. (TIE) FLORIDA 20-3 and Duke 20-3; 5. Tennessee 20-4; 6. Houston 19-4; 7. Purdue 19-5; 8. Texas A&M 18-5; 9. St. John’s 21-3; 10. Iowa State 18-5; 11. Michigan State 19-4; 12. Texas Tech 18-5; 13. Arizona 17-6; 14. Memphis 20-4; 15. Kentucky 16-7; 16. Wisconsin 19-5; 17. Kansas 16-7; 18. Marquette 18-6; 19. Ole Miss 18-6; 20. Michigan 18-5; 21. Missouri 17-6; 22. Mississippi State 17-6; 23. Clemson 19-5; 24. Creighton 18-6; 25. Maryland 18-6 UF FOOTBALL: GATORS ADD TWO TO FRONT OFFICE The Gators added a pair of front office veterans to the staff Monday. Taking on the role of Associate Athletic Director/Football General Manager is Nick Polk while Benjamin Eisner will be the Director of Football Strategy.   Polk, who spent the last 17 years as the Director of Football Administration and Director of Football Operations for the NFL Atlanta Falcons, will be in charge of r evenue share and NIL allocation, student-athlete contract negotiations, football budgets, roster management and work with football personnel. Eisner served as Chief of Staff of The 33rd, a football analysis program. His job will be working with salary cap and contracts while also improving use of analytics and artificial intelligence.   UF SOFTBALL: GATORS NO. 1 IN SOFTBALL AMERICA POLL The Gators remained No. 1 in the Softball America poll after outscoring all six of their opponents last week by a 53-8 margin. The Gators play Jacksonville at Katie Seashole Presley Stadium tonight (6 p.m., SEC Network+) and Stetson Wednesday (6 p.m., SEC Network+). The Gators will host Boston College, Providence, Binghamtom and 16th-ranked Duke this weekend at the Bubly Invitational at KSP starting Thursday.   Shumaker SEC Player of the Week: Freshman Taylor Shumaker, who hit five home runs in her first week as a collegian, was named SEC Player of the Week. Shumaker hit .500 with two doubles, five homers and 11 RBI while playing a flawless right field.   Softball America top 25: 1. FLORIDA 6-0; 2. Texas 6-0; 3. Oklahoma 6-0; 4. UCLA 5-0; 5. Texas A&M 6-0; 6. Tennessee 5-1; 7. Florida State 4-1; 8. Texas Tech 5-1; 9. Oklahoma State 2-2; 10. LSU 5-0; 11. Arizona 4-1; 12. Alabama 4-1; 13. Arkansas 5-0; 14. Georgia 5-0; 15. Missouri 4-1; 16. Duke 3-2; 17. Nebraska 3-2; 18. Virginia Tech 5-0; 19. Florida Atlantic 6-0; 20. Liberty 5-0; 21. Mississippi State 4-1; 22. Oregon 5-0; 23. Northwestern 3-2; 24. Baylor 3-2; 25. South Carolina 5-0   UF GYMNASTICS: GATORS DIP TO NO. 3 Florida’s meltdown on the balance beam at Arkansas last Friday night, cost the Gators one spot in the Road to Nationals ranking. The Gators dipped to third, trailing Oklahoma and LSU. All nine SEC schools are ranked in the top 15. The Gators return to action Friday night at the O-Dome against 12th-ranked Auburn (8:15 p.m., SEC Network) in the annual Link to Pink meet.   Top 25: 1. Oklahoma; 2. LSU; 3. FLORIDA; 4. Utah; 5. UCLA; 6. Michigan State; 7. California; 8. Kentucky; 9. Missouri; 10. Oregon State; 11. Georgia; 12. Auburn; 13. Stanford; 14. Alabama; 15. Arkansas; 16. (TIE) Michigan and Minnesota; 18. Arizona; 19. North Carolina State; 20. Ohio State; 21. Denver; 22. North Carolina; 23. Nebraska; 24. Arizona State; 25. Penn State   UF LACROSSE: GATORS REMAIN NO. 5 The Gators remained No. 5 nationally in the Inside Lacrosse top 25 after scoring wins over 10th-ranked Johns Hopkins and Kennesaw State to open the season. The Gators play host to 3rd-ranked North Carolina Saturday at Donald Dizney Stadium.   Inside Lacrosse top 25:  1. Boston College 2-0; 2. Northwestern 2-0; 3. North Carolina 2-0; 4. Michigan 1-0; 5. FLORIDA 2-0; 6. Syracuse 1-0; 7. Maryland 0-0; 8. Yale 0-0; 9. Virginia 1-0; 10. Johns Hopkins 0-1; 11. Notre Dame 1-1; 12. Penn 0-0; 13. Stony Brook 0-0; 14. Navy 1-0; 15. Stanford 1-0; 16. Loyola 0-1; 17. Princeton 0-0; 18. Clemson 1-0; 19. Duke 2-0; 20. (TIE) Richmond 1-0 and Colorado 0-0; 22. James Madison 0-1; 23. Army 1-0; 24. Ohio State 1-0; 24. UConn 1-0

Urban Klavzar launches a 3-pointer against Auburn (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:   For the second straight game Saturday, the Florida Gators were one man down. At a place like Duke, that means a former 5-star recruit steps in to replace the injured former 5-star recruit. At Florida, it meant Alijah Martin of Summit, Mississippi, who spent the first four years of his college basketball life at Florida Atlantic, was replaced in the starting lineup by Denzel Aberdeen, three years into the Florida program and a former 3-star recruit out of Orlando’s Dr. Phillips. Denzel also got the start back on Tuesday, this time for Walter Clayton Jr., who played for Rick Pitino at Iona before transferring to Florida. Walter was considered a better football prospect than basketball. He was a 3-star guy also.   Aberdeen had 13 points and no turnovers while replacing Clayton in the lineup against Vanderbilt, 10 points in helping the Gators past No. 1 Auburn Saturday. Clayton came back with a vengeance, scoring 19 to go with six rebounds, nine assists, a steal and a blocked shot as Florida’s collection of mere blips on the recruiting radar had a statement win, 90-81, on the road at Auburn.   In both the wins last week, the Gators got a lift off the bench from Urban Klavzar. He’s from Slovenia. Zero stars for him, but he’s got a 5-star jumper that nailed two threes against Vandy and three more against Auburn. Sam Alexis, who spent his first two seasons at Chattanooga, came off the bench in both games to hit a critical three.   Will Richard, whose career began at Belmont, was in a 22-point shooter’s coma against Vanderbilt. He scored 12 against Auburn including a 3-pointer when the Gators took the game over after a rotten start.   And then there are the big kids. Alex Condon of Perth, Australia had 19 points and nine rebounds against Vandy, 17 and 10 against Auburn. Tommy Haugh, who was going to go to Richmond before Todd Golden became the Florida coach, hustled his way to eight points and nine rebounds against Vandy, 16 points and nine more rebounds against Auburn.   The message of these two wins: It’s not about the number of 5-star recruits but about five guys who can elevate their level of play. This is a 5-star team that plays with a chip on its shoulder.   Here’s what Florida coach Todd Golden had to say about that after the 6th-ranked Gators (20-3, 7-3 SEC) bushwhacked Auburn:   “We kind of think of ourselves from top to bottom, from myself down to the last man on our team, as kind of being a team that has to play with a chip on their shoulder at all times. You know, being not necessarily underrated, but maybe, you know, underappreciated a little bit. We've been a good team all year. You know, a lot of our guys were for lack better term, underrecruited. We don't have a lot of five-star guys on our team, I don't think we have one actually. You know, we have a lot of mid-to-low major transfers, a lot of guys that weren't recruited by other teams in our league. And, you know, that's something we talk about and think about a lot, you know, is just playing with that chip on our shoulder and make sure we're the harder playing team. And, you know, without trying to take anything away from Auburn, I thought we were, you know, we executed that today. We played really, really hard."   And when the Gators are playing as hard as they did in both wins last week, they’re as good or better than any team in the country.   SEC BASKETBALL No. 3 Alabama (20-3, 9-1 SEC): Alabama could find itself No. 1 in the polls when they come out today … After Tuesday’s game at Texas, the Crimson Tide will play seven straight games against ranked SEC opponents. NCAA NET ranking No. 6.   Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC): The NIT is realistic, but if the Razorbacks can figure out a way to win four more games before the SEC Tournament, they will have a legitimate chance to make the NCAA Tournament. NCAA NET ranking No. 43.   No. 1 Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC): The Tigers’ bounce-back abilities will be tested this week with roadies to Vanderbilt and Alabama. Win them both and Auburn probably goes on to win the SEC regular season title. NCAA NET ranking No. 1.   No. 6 FLORIDA (20-3, 7-3 SEC): If the Gators are able to play their remaining eight SEC games with the same level of intensity they showed in wins over Vanderbilt and No. 1 Auburn last week, they could be a No. 1 seed when the NCAA reveals its tournament brackets in March. NCAA NET ranking No. 5.   Georgia (16-8, 4-7 SEC): Georgia’s NCAA hopes have taken a hit with five losses in their last seven games. The next three games are No. 15 Missouri, (at) No. 1 Auburn and No. 6 Florida. The Bulldogs need to go 4-3 minimum the rest of the way to make the NCAA Tournament. NCAA NET ranking No. 34.   No. 14 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5 SEC): The Wildcats are a mortal lock to make the NCAA Tournament as long as they get to eight SEC wins in the regular season. They could enhance their resume in a big way Tuesday night if they can knock off No. 4 Tennessee at Rupp Arena. NCAA NET ranking No. 17.   LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC): The Tigers have lost six in a row and they might be fortunate if they can somehow walk away with one more win in the regular season. Matt McMahon isn’t likely to get the axe this year, but his seat will be blowtorch hot next year. The Tigers are No. 80 in the NCAA NET rankings. NCAA NET ranking No. 80.   No. 22 Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC): The next three are No. 6 Florida, No. 25 Ole Miss and No. 10 Texas A&M. After that four of the last five are against unranked teams. A 20-21 win season seems inevitable. NCAA NET ranking No. 29.   No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC): The Tigers had an 0-2 week, losing to No. 4 Tennessee and No. 10 Texas A&M by a combined seven points. It’s a get well week for Mizzou with Oklahoma and a roadie to Georgia. NCAA NET ranking No. 23. Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC): The question has to be asked. Is Porter Moser in danger of getting canned if the Sooners can’t make the NCAA Tournament? The Sooners have been blown out by Auburn and Tennessee in their last two games. Six of the final eight are against ranked teams. Moser is 69-51 since taking the OU job after a great run at Loyola. NCAA NET ranking No. 44.   No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC): The Rebels are virtual shoo-ins for the NCAA Tournament but they need to win three of the last seven to be seeded somewhere between five and seven. NCAA NET ranking No. 22.   South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC): The Gamecocks have played everybody close at home, then get their doors blown off on the road. This week they get No. 23 Ole Miss in Columbia before traveling to Gainesville to face No. 6 Florida on Saturday. NCAA NET ranking No. 90.   No. 4 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC): When the Vols play the way they have the past three (Florida, Missouri and Oklahoma) there isn’t a team in the country they can’t beat. Tuesday night at Kentucky will tell us if the Vols can stay in the hunt for a top four NCAA seed. NCAA NET ranking No. 4.   Texas (15-9, 4-7 SEC): The Longhorns get No. 3 Alabama and No. 14 Kentucky at home this week. After that, four of the remaining five games are against unranked teams. Twenty regular season wins should get the Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament, which should keep Rodney Terry gainfully employed for one more year. NCAA NET ranking No. 31.   No. 10 Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 SEC): The Aggies have won five of their last six and this week they are home against Georgia and Arkansas. Four wins in their last eight should get the Aggies a No. 5 or higher seed in the NCAA Tournament. NCAA NET ranking No. 13.   Vanderbilt (17-6, 5-5 SEC): The next six games are against ranked teams, starting with Tuesday’s matchup with No. 1 Auburn in Nashville. An 8-10 SEC record probably gets the Commodores in the NCAA Tournament. A 9-9 record and it’s a no-brainer. NCAA NET ranking No. 42.   Tuesday’s games No. 6 FLORIDA (20-3, 7-3 SEC) at No. 22 Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (17-6, 5-5 SEC) No. 3 Alabama (20-3, 9-1 SEC) at Texas (15-9, 4-7 SEC) No. 4 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC) at No. 14 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5 SEC) Georgia (16-8, 4-7 SEC) at No. 10 Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 SEC)   Wednesday’s games Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC) at No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC) No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC) at South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) at Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC)   Saturday’s games South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) at No. 6 FLORIDA (20-3, 7-3 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC) at No. 3 Alabama (20-3, 9-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (17-6, 6-6 SEC) No. 4 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC) Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC) at No. 10 Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 SEC) No. 14 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5 SEC) at Texas (15-9, 4-7 SEC) No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC) at Georgia (16-8, 4-7 SEC) No. 22 Mississippi State (17-6, 6-6 SEC) at No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC) LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC)   UF SOFTBALL: GATORS 53, EVERYBODY ELSE 8 Four days and six games into the 2025 Florida softball schedule we have total carnage. The Gators are 6-0 with four run-rule games. The Gators have outscored opponents, 53-8. The team batting average is .392. Seven Gators have hit a combined 13 home runs. Team ERA is 1.80.   After a season opening run-rule win over North Florida, the Gators spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Tampa where they ran roughshod through Illinois State, Delaware, 22nd-ranked Michigan, Georgia Southern and host South Florida in the USF-Rawlings Invitational. It was brutal. The Gators dominated in every phase, but especially at the plate where they showed they can win with small ball or gorilla ball. Tim Walton has a roster that can win with speed and singles or turning stadiums into launching pads.   Freshman Taylor Shumaker, who homered in her first collegiate at bat against North Florida, hit four more in Tampa, two in the 8-0 run-rule win over host South Florida. Through six games, Shumaker is hitting .500 with two doubles, five homers and 11 RBI.   Sophomore Mia Williams, who struggled at the plate as a freshman, is off to a .588 start with three doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI. Korbe Otis is off to a .429 start with two homers and seven RBI. Reagan Walsh has hit two doubles, two homers and has nine RBI.   In the circle, Keagan Rothrock is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and Ava Brown is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA.   The Gators are home against Jacksonville Tuesday, Stetson on Wednesday and then home Thursday through Sunday for the annual Bubly Invitational. Boston College, Providence, Binghamton and 7th-ranked Duke will provide the opposition for six games.   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: I watched the Super Bowl halftime show. That is 10 minutes of my life I can’t get back.

Alex Condon (21) flies in for a dunk along the baseline (UAA Photo) The first sign that things were about to change came a little more than six minutes into the first half Saturday at Auburn’s Neville Arena, a place they call “The Jungle” because Tiger fans tend to take leave of their sanity for about two hours. When the Tigers get it going, who’s more intimidating: Bruce Pearl’s collection of NBA clones or 9,101 crazies, many of whom arrive at the arena semi-greased from one too many adult beverages?  Auburn spent the first few minutes looking every bit the No. 1 team in the country. The Tigers seemingly couldn’t miss a shot, Florida couldn’t throw it in the ocean from the end of the pier and the fans were about to heave up a lung they were yelling so loud. It was 15-5 when the Gators showed real signs of life.  It started with a pass from Denzel Aberdeen to Alex Condon at the foul line. Three dribbles to his left and Condon was on the wing, taking Dylan Cardwell with him. Tommy Haugh was at the top of the key, guarded by Chaney Johnson, who left Haugh to double up on Condon.  Major mistake.  Condon pivoted and Haugh went back door, taking Condon’s bounce pass in stride. He elevated and threw down a 2-handed dunk. The Gators were still down by eight, but the entire demeanor of the team seemed to change on that play.  A couple of minutes later, there was another dunk by the Gators, this one by Condon on an alley-oop from Aberdeen. That made it 20-13 and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to measure momentum that was shifting in Florida’s favor. On Florida’s next possession, Auburn tried to double team Walter Clayton Jr. deep against the sideline. Clayton spotted freshman Urban Klavzar cross court, jumped over the impending double team and rifled a pass to Klavzar for the first of three 3-pointers he would hit in the game. The net hardly rippled as Auburn’s lead shriveled down to 20-16. With 9:41 left in the half, Klavzar showed he’s more than just a lights out shooter. He found Sam Alexis at the top of the key and the 6-9 junior nailed a three. That was followed up by a Will Richard 3-pointer for Florida’s first lead at 23-22 with 8:38 left in the first half. The No. 1 team in the nation was wilting. The No. 6 team in the nation, the one that looked like it had been run over by a truck a week ago in Knoxville, was taking on the look of a Final Four team. In the final 5:40 of the half Clayton scored 13 of Florida’s final 21 points to send the Gators into the locker room with a 48-38 lead. From that 20-point turnaround in the first half to a second half when the Gators led by as many as 21 points, this was a statement game for both teams. For Florida (20-3, 7-3 SEC) this 90-81 win was proof that when the Gators zone out distractions such as a wild and crazy crowd, make a few shots and rebound the basketball, they are as good as any team in the entire country. For Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC), it was a wakeup call, proof that the Tigers can’t bring anything less than their A-game if they intend to win that elusive national championship, one of the few things remaining on Bruce Pearl’s basketball bucket list. “Give Florida credit,” Pearl said after the Tigers dropped their first SEC game of the season. “… I don’t know that I made our team understand how important this game was to Florida in the sense that it could be a Final Four team. If they lose this game, they’re four behind us in the league. All right, now they’re only two … They just came in here like they had to win it. That’s how they played every possession and so they just played hard, they just played better, they played more desperately than we did. “We did not look like the number one team in the country. We didn’t act like the number one team in the country. We didn’t prepare like it and as a result we got beat.” The Tigers were beaten by a Florida team that was down a starter for the second straight game. The Gators beat Vanderbilt by 11 back on Tuesday when Clayton had to miss the game while recovering from an ankle sprained against Tennessee. Saturday, second-leading scorer and best defender Alijah Martin was relegated to riding the pine in his civvies due to the lingering effects of a hip pointer suffered in the Vanderbilt win earlier in the week. In Martin’s absence, the Gators reveled in sharing the basketball. Five Gators scored in double figures – Clayton 19, Condon 17, Haugh 16, Richard 12 and Aberdeen 10. Klavzar hit all three of his 3-point shots for nine.  The Gators finished with 22 assists on 31 made baskets with Clayton finishing with nine, Condon four and Haugh three. “The ball was definitely moving around great today,” Clayton said. “Guys were just hitting shots. Urb [Klavzar] was hitting shots. Zel [Aberdeen] was hitting shots. Will [Richard] was hitting shots. Condo [Condon] and the bigs were hitting shots. That’s good execution on our part, and that’s where a lot of the assists came from.” Pearl admitted post game that the Auburn defensive strategy was to take Clayton out of the game, strategy that backfired in a very big way. When the Gators needed scoring in the first half, Clayton lit Auburn up for 16, hitting 5-6 shots overall and 3-4 from the 3-point line. Auburn tightened things up in the second half and made it more difficult for Clayton to squeeze off shots. Clayton took only four second half shots, made one, a 3-pointer. Instead of launching shots, however, Clayton involved teammates with seven assists. “Our game plan was to try to get the ball out of his hands and after the first couple of possessions you would never know that was our game plan,” Pearl said. Once past those first few possessions, this was the Florida team that can beat any team in the country. The Gators played with focus, intensity and unselfishness. It showed in execution at both ends of the court.  It also showed in Florida’s ability to zone out the crowd. A week ago against Tennessee, it was clear early on that Vol fans got under the skin of the Gators. Not so against Auburn, even though the crowd was whipped into a frenzy when the Tigers jumped out to big leads early that had the fan base anticipating a blowout. “The crowd is just insane,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “You make one mistake and the place is going nuts. Again, I think the biggest key was the mental toughness of our team. We just executed for 37 minutes. ” Auburn is the second No. 1 team the Gators have taken out this season. They beat Tennessee by 30 at the O-Dome back on January 7. The win against Auburn marked the first time Florida has beaten a No. 1 team on the road. Two wins against No. 1 teams, one of which is on the road, should help the Gators when the NCAA seeds its 64-team field in March. “It’s a huge win for us,” Golden said. “It’s a really big win for us. Obviously, it’s a needle-mover in terms of NCAA seeding. It’s a needle-mover in terms of where we finish in the SEC. I’d be hard-pressed to believe there’s going to be another club that’s going to be able to come in here in conference play and get a win.” Game notes: Condon had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go with four assists and a steal. Haugh just missed a double-double. He finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and a steal … Clayton finished with 19 points, six rebounds, nine assists, one blocked shot and one steal … The Gators went 13-33 from the 3-point line (39.4 percent) and 48.4 percent overall (31-64) ... Auburn's Johni Broome, the leading candidate for Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, had 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots ... The Gators held Chad Baker-Mazara, who came into the game averaging 13 a game, to six points. SEC Basketball Saturday’s scores No. 6 FLORIDA (20-3, 7-3 SEC) 90, No. 1 Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC) 80 No. 3 Alabama (20-3, 9-1 SEC) 85, Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC) 81 No. 4 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC) 70, Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC) 52 No. 10 Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 SEC) 67, No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC) 64 No. 14 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5 SEC) 80, South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) 57 No. 22 Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC) 76, Georgia (16-8, 4-7 SEC) 75 No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC) 72, LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) 70 Vanderbilt (17-6, 5-5 SEC) 86, Texas (15-9, 3-7 SEC) 78   Tuesday’s games No. 6 FLORIDA (20-3, 7-3 SEC) at No. 22 Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (17-6, 5-5 SEC) No. 3 Alabama (20-3, 9-1 SEC) at Texas (15-9, 4-7 SEC) No. 4 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC) at No. 14 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5 SEC) Georgia (16-8, 4-7 SEC) at No. 10 Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 SEC)   Wednesday’s games Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC) at No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC) No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC) at South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) at Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC)   Saturday, February 15 South Carolina (10-13, 0-10 SEC) at No. 6 FLORIDA (20-3, 7-3 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (21-2, 9-1 SEC) at No. 3 Alabama (20-3, 9-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (17-6, 6-6 SEC) No. 4 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC) Arkansas (14-9, 3-7 SEC) at No. 10 Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 SEC) No. 14 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5 SEC) at Texas (15-9, 4-7 SEC) No. 15 Missouri (17-6, 6-4 SEC) at Georgia (16-8, 4-7 SEC) No. 22 Mississippi State (17-6, 6-6 SEC) at No. 25 Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 SEC) LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7 SEC)

Quick turnaround spelled disaster as Florida gymnastics lost to Arkansas 196.550-197.175. Florida went into Fayetteville with an all time record of 54-3, last losing in 2011. That 2011 loss was also the last time the Gators had a 5-day span between road meets.

Leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. (1) will return to the lineup against Auburn (Photo by Chris Spears) The problem starts with Johni Broome but it doesn’t end there. Broome is a lock for Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and first team All-America, but he isn’t No. 1 Auburn’s only stud. The Tigers (21-1, 9-0 SEC) have four other senior starters, every one of them a challenge to defend.   It would be so much simpler if Florida coach Todd Golden only had to devise a game plan to neutralize Broome but Auburn comes at opponents in waves. Beyond the five starters the 6th-ranked Gators have to contend with today (4 p.m., ESPN2), there is a deep and talented bench not to mention a loud, intimidating crowd at Neville Arena.    “They are number one in offensive efficiency right now,” Golden said Friday. “They have Johni who is playing like the best player in America right now. They are so big and long everywhere. Denver Jones is playing point guard for them and he's 6-4 with great length. (Chad) Baker-Mazara is super long and a really good athlete. They have another really long good athlete in Miles Kelly, who is an elite shooter. They just have NBA caliber studs across the board.  (Tahaad) Pettiford would be the one guy they have that is a little undersized for his position, but everybody else they play is super long and athletic.   “They play really, really hard. They are very physical. I think they are very disruptive defensively. They do an incredible job on the offensive glass. They are just really good in all facets. That's why they are the No. 1 team in America. I guess the one thing you could say is they are like 12th or 13th defensively in the country right now, which, you know, is also really dang good, but again, going on the road on their floor, this is a great opportunity for us. Let's see if we can minimize their offensive efficiency a little bit. We'll see if we can keep them off the glass. We've got to turn them over a little bit and create some transition opportunities. We have to play really, really well, obviously, to go in there and find a way to get it done."   Whereas Auburn is playing so well that many college basketball experts see the Tigers as a legitimate threat to run the SEC table (18-0), the Gators have the personnel to spring the upset if everything goes well. For one thing, Walter Clayton Jr. will be back in the lineup. Clayton sprained an ankle in the first half last Saturday at Tennessee, tweaked it late in the second half and then sat out Tuesday’s win over Vanderbilt. Clayton (17.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists) is such a threat to take over a game that the Gators are capable of beating anyone in the country when he heats it up.   Clayton could have played against Vanderbilt, but seeing what’s ahead on Florida’s schedule, Golden elected to sit him.   “In that moment, also knowing we have No. 1 on the road Saturday and then we go to Mississippi State next Tuesday, we’re in really difficult part of our schedule,” Golden said. “So Tuesday was really, really important and really proud of our guys stepping up and finding a way to win that game and giving Walt an extra few days to get back close to 100%. He’s right there. I think you'll see Walt at his best tomorrow. ”   Others may be required to pick up the slack against Auburn, not for Clayton but for Alijah Martin. Martin suffered a hip pointer in the first half against Vanderbilt. He went to the locker room for a few minutes but came back, scoring eight critical points in the second half when the Gators turned a white knuckler into a comfortable lead.   Martin was unable to practice Wednesday and Thursday. Golden anticipates that Martin will be ready to answer the bell against Auburn, but if he is limited or unable to go the Gators do have options. Denzel Aberdeen, who scored 13 points and played 35 minutes without turning the ball over in Clayton’s absence, is a proven commodity off the bench. Against Vandy, freshman Urban Klavzar drilled a pair of 3-pointers that helped fuel the run the Gators made to separate. "I think Alijah will be out there, I do,” Golden said. “Now, if he has a bad reaction today in practice today or something, then we'll adjust and we'll figure it out. Fortunately, I thought Denzel did a wonderful job on Tuesday stepping up when we needed somebody to. And I think he'd be capable of doing it again if we needed him too, but I think we'll be pretty much full strength going into this game."   Besides containing Broome (18.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists per game) the Gators are going to have to find a way to contain Chad Baker-Mazara (13 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists), Denver Jones (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, Miles Kelly (10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds per game) and Tahaad Pettiford (11.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists) off the bench.   Kelly is a particular concern. He is a 41.2 percent shooter from the 3-point line who is capable of games when everything he throws up at the rim finds the bottom of the net.   "For him, I think the key is just limiting his 3-point opportunities,” Golden said. “He is an elite NBA shooter and he's got great size and a high release. To be honest, what I see from Auburn now from when I worked there, I think they run really good stuff to take advantage of their personnel. And they've done a good job finding ways to get Miles to a lot of threes. And he's a guy that's shooting 47 from two and 42 from three, so obviously you want to get him inside the arc when you can and make a finish over your length at the rim. But he's a special shooter, and he can make off balance shots coming off screens. If we walk out of that game and he only made one three, we'll probably have been able to compete a little bit. If we walk out of there, and he's made four or five, it's probably not gonna be a good sign for us. But I'd say that's one of the many factors on the defensive side of the ball that if we can just limit his opportunities and make him play inside the three, that'll increase our odds, for sure."   Game notes: Clayton is two points away from 1,000 in his Florida career. He scored 778 in two years at Iona and 998 at Florida, an average of 14.6 for 121 career games … Clayton has made at least one 3-pointer in 44 consecutive games, a Florida record … Martin is averaging 15.4 points per game while Will Richard is scoring at a 13.4 clip. Alex Condon averaged 10.8 points and a team-leading 8.0 rebounds per game … The Gators are No. 5 in both the NCAA NET rankings and kenpom.com analytics. Auburn is No. 1 in both … The Gators are tied for third nationally in 3-point defense (28 percent), fourth in fast break points (17.5 per game), fourth in average scoring margin (17.6 per game), third in rebounding (43.5 per game) and fifth in offensive rebounding (14.77 per game).   Anticipated starting lineups No. 6 FLORIDA (19-3, 6-3 SEC): Alex Condon (6-11, 230, 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, SR)   No. 1 Auburn (21-1, 9-0 SEC): Johni Broome (6-10, 240, SR); Dylan Cardwell (6-11, 255, SR); Chad Baker-Mazara (6-7, 180, SR); Miles Kelly (6-6, 190, SR); Denver Jones (6-4, 205, SR)

Denzel Aberdeen (11) scored 13 with zero turnovers (UAA Photo) It was Will Richard that got Florida’s offense going in the second half. A 3-pointer, a dunk finish after he put the ball on the deck and another three with 13:41 left in the game that gave the Gators a 49-48 lead over Vanderbilt. When Richard goes into a shooter’s coma just about anything he heaves at the basket tends to go in, which tends to send O-Dome crowds into a frenzy and distributes some very positive vibes throughout his teammates.   Tuesday night at the O-Dome, when Richard got blowtorch hot, it carried over to a couple of unexpected sources. First, Sam Alexis rained down a 3-from the left side of the key that gave the 6th-ranked Gators (19-3, 6-3 SEC) the lead for good at 52-50 with 11:54 left in the game. Richard followed with his third 3-ball of the half 38 seconds later. Alexis got a layup and drew a foul with 10:16 to go.   It was 57-54 when freshman Urban Klavzar got into the act. He hit a 3-pointer with 8:47 left with Alexis picking up the assist. After a Vandy miss and a Thomas Haugh rebound, Klavzar drilled a second straight three with 8:13 to go.   Just like that, the Gators were up nine, 63-54. For good measure, Alexis blocked a shot down at the other end. The Gators never looked back, taking a very comfortable 86-75 win over the Commodores on an all hands on deck night to make up for the absence of leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr., who sprained an ankle in last Saturday’s loss to Tennessee. It wasn’t until the shootaround before the Gators went through their normal pre-game drills that the decision was made for Clayton to sit this one out.   “We didn't really know until probably, you know, 90 minutes before game time, whatever it was,” Golden said. “He tested it out this morning, and again at shootaround, and honestly, looked pretty good, but you could just tell he wasn't all the way confident and comfortable with it … It was a calculated decision that we had to make as a program. Obviously, we would always prefer to have him out there, you know, but we have a lot of season left, and the great thing is, you know, we feel like, with where our program’s at, that we can absorb a game like this where we don't have him, and I don't think we would have said that last year. I don't think we definitely couldn’t have said that in year one.   “So to be in a position where, you know, as a staff, we can say, all right, we're obviously going to lose a lot by not having him, but these other guys, you know, we think they can step up and still be enough to help us win the game.”   With Clayton in civvies on the bench, it was Denzel Aberdeen’s job to run the team. Aberdeen was a steady hand at the controls, finishing with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists . His big number, however, was zero, as in zero turnovers in 35 minutes of playing time.   It was the zero turnovers that impressed Golden the most.   “ I thought Denzel was fantastic, 35 minutes tonight, no turnovers, did an incredible job controlling the game,” Golden said.    Richard has had big games during his three years in a UF uniform, but never was he needed quite like Tuesday against Vandy. Clayton was out and second leading scorer Alijah Martin, had to sit part of the first half with an injured hip. So, after a rather modest first half (5 points) Richard took it upon himself to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the scoring load.   Richard hit all four of his second half 3-pointers, finished with 21 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. For the game he was 8-11 overall and 5-7 from the 3-point line. Like Aberdeen, didn’t turn the ball over. It was sweet redemption for Richard who squeezed off only two shots and scored just two points in Florida’s dismal, 20-point hosing at the hands of Tennessee last Saturday.   “For him to come back and have a game like this on a night where we needed him the most was absolutely huge for us,” Golden said.    Alex Condon, who also struggled at Tennessee, came back with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. He also didn’t turn the ball over.   Tommy Haugh had eight points, nine rebounds, four assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Alijah Martin, who had to leave the game with an injured hip in the first half, scored eight in the second half when he also had four assists. Klavzar had six, Alexis five and freshman Isaiah Brown, in his most extended role this season (7 minutes) had two points and two rebounds.   Not a bad game for a team missing its leader.   “ Honestly, I'm as proud of this win as I am of any of the others this season due to circumstances,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “Vanderbilt's very good team. They're really, really hard to guard, and we stepped up and had a really nice second half."   The Gators weren’t terrible in the first half, but it was quite obvious they missed Clayton. They turned the ball over eight times, which Vanderbilt converted into 11 points. The Gators left points on the foul line, hitting just 6-11. They went into the halftime locker trailing by one, 36-35, but they should have led by at least 10. In some respects they were fortunate the deficit was only that single point.   In the second half, Florida scored 51 points while connecting on 18-28 shots from the field including 7-11 from the 3-point line.  The Gators looked very much like a top ten team in the second half. The lack of consistency and continuity in the first half made it seem like there was some hangover from the loss to Tennessee.     In the final 20 minutes, Aberdeen looked far more comfortable running the team, which has a lot to do with the way the Gators began moving the ball and hitting just about anything they threw up at the rack.    “I thought he handled it fantastic,” Golden said. “You know, no turnovers again, controlled the game. (Tyler) Tanner is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country, and he didn't allow him to force any turnovers on him. And again, he just commanded the game in the second half … We had him start, and a lot of the high-ball screen action, they were putting two on the ball, and he's strong with it, and he did everything we asked him to do and more tonight.”   Golden on Klavjar’s breakout game "We talked to him before the game, and just made sure he understood he's going to be in the rotation. I feel like I'm a pretty good coach to play for when you're a shooter. I told him if you don't shoot when you're open, you're going to come out of the game. I thought he passed up one in the first half in front of the bench, he drove the baseline, took a tough floater. I was like, dude, you got to shoot that three. You were open. You’re one of the best shooters I've seen, let it fly. He did in the second half, and once he made that first three, I was pretty confident the second was going to go in. You could tell he felt it a little bit, got a little confidence and just let it rip – and nothing but net on both of them. Those were huge, huge shots for us. And I'm very proud of him." "... I'm happy for him, as he has exhibited great patience and has been a great teammate all year. You can see how great of a teammate he's been by the reaction of his teammates when he made those shots. They were sprinting out to half court to show him some love."   SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s scores No. 6 FLORIDA (19-3, 6-3 SEC) 86, Vanderbilt (16-6, 4-5 SEC) 74 No. 1 Auburn (21-1, 9-0 SEC) 98, Oklahoma (16-6, 3-6 SEC) 70 No. 25 Ole Miss (17-6, 6-4 SEC) 98, No. 14 Kentucky (15-7, 4-5 SEC) 84   Today’s games No. 15 Missouri (17-4, 6-2 SEC) at No. 4 Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC) Arkansas (13-8, 2-6 SEC) at Texas (15-7, 4-5 SEC) LSU (12-9, 1-7 SEC) at Georgia (15-7, 3-6 SEC)   Saturday’s games No. 5 FLORIDA (19-3, 6-3 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (21-1, 9-0 SEC) No. 3 Alabama (19-3, 8-1 SEC) at Arkansas (13-8, 2-6 SEC) No. 4 Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-6, 3-6 SEC) South Carolina (10-12, 0-9 SEC) at No. 14 Kentucky (15-7, 4-5 SEC) No. 10 Texas A&M (17-5, 6-3 SEC) at No. 15 Missouri (17-4, 6-2 SEC) No. 22 Mississippi State (16-6, 4-5 SEC) at Georgia (15-7, 3-6 SEC) No. 25 Ole Miss (17-6, 5-4 SEC) at LSU (12-9, 1-7 SEC) Texas (15-7, 4-5 SEC) at Vanderbilt (16-6, 4-6 SEC)