Rueben Chinyelu (9) scores over Kadin Shedrick (UAA Photo) There was a rather redemptive quality to No. 5 Florida’s 84-60 blowout win over Texas (12-6, 1-4 SEC) at the sold-out O-Dome Saturday afternoon. Sure, it was only the fifth of an 18-game Southeastern Conference slate, but after the way the Gators (16-2, 3-2 SEC) were outplayed in their Tuesday loss to Missouri, this was a game Florida not only had to win, but needed to win in dominant fashion.   “W e just cannot allow it to happen where a team comes in here and plays harder than us, and to the credit of our players and our staff, I thought we played incredibly hard,” Florida coach Todd Golden said.   Missouri played harder than the Gators and for the first time all season, Golden lamented that another team had won the battle of physicality. Four days later, Florida played like a team on a mission to prove the Missouri game was a fluke.   The Florida team that blew the doors off Texas bore slim resemblance to the team that spent the entire Missouri game in a catch-up mode. Although the Gators had a solid game at the offensive end, it was their defense and rebounding that were the dominating forces against the Longhorns.   Texas, which lives and dies at the 3-point line, died. The Gators consistently ran the Longhorns off the 3-point line. They took only 16 threes, made four and struggled to get clean looks at the basket. That’s fewer 3-pointers as a team that Missouri’s Caleb Grill made (6) all by himself. Jordan Pope, who came into the game averaging 13.3 points and hitting 39.3 percent of his 3-pointers, was held to two points, both free throws. He was 0-7 overall and 0-3 from the 3-point line. Leading scorer Tre Johnson, a likely first rounder when the NBA drafts in the summer, went 1-5 from the 3-point line. He’s normally a 41.1 percent 3-point shooter.   One result of active hands in the passing lanes was Texas consistently forced to take bad shots deep into the shot clock. The Longhorns couldn’t get open shots whether in front of or behind the 3-point line. Texas made 16-39 from 2-point range, 36.4 percent overall. Florida forced 14 turnovers which were converted into 12 points.   The Gators struggled to score in the paint against Missouri, but they owned the inside game against Texas. The Gators outscored the Longhorns by 24 in the paint and won the rebounding battle by eight.   “We knew they had some shooters, elite shot makers and stuff like that so we just wanted to limit that and that’s what we did today,” Alijah Martin said. “We we came out and we limited them to tough shots and it worked out.”   Martin and Denzel Aberdeen drew the defensive assignment on Pope. Will Richard, who had three of Florida’s 10 steals, took on Johnson, the SEC’s leading scorer, who scored 16 points, but only five in the second half.   The Gators outscored Texas 44-20 in the paint, their eighth game this season in which they’ve scored 40 or more inside. Florida grabbed 41 rebounds including 13 on the offensive end. Alex Condon, who was scoreless in the first half, posted his third double-double in the last four games with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He finished the game with three assists, four steals and a blocked shot. Condon knocked down a 3-pointer in the second half with 11:56 to go, scoring after a behind-the-back pass from Aberdeen at the top of the key.   “Our goal is generally to be plus-10 on the glass,” Golden said. “We were plus-eight. We can live with that in a game like this. You know, that's a really good job against an athletic front court. But again, like, we are a team, you know, for us to be an elite team, we have to win in the margins as well, and we did that tonight. We took care of the ball, only eight turnovers. Won the rebounding battle by eight. And you know, we track kills as a team in games, kills equate to three stops in a row. We had eight of them tonight, so all three of those areas, we achieved our standard.”   The first few minutes of the game made it seem like the Gators were still hung over from the Missouri game. The Gators started the game 1-10 from the field, falling behind 12-6 in the first six minutes. The Gators trailed 18-13 when things began to click at both ends of the court. Following a pair of free throws by Martin, Condon blocked an attempted dunk by Ze’rik Onyema. Richard emerged from a pack with the ball and whipped it forward to Martin who finished at the other end to cut the Texas lead to 18-17 with 11:26 left in the half.   That play seemed to spark one of those Florida scoring frenzies that Golden calls spurtability. Over the next 3:33 the Gators outscored the Longhorns 11-0. Florida finished the first half on a 24-12 run for a 37-30 lead at the intermission.   The Gators never lost control of the game in the second half although it wasn’t until the final 8:24 when they put the Longhorns out of their misery. The Gators held a 61-54 lead when Walter Clayton nailed a 3-pointer that sparked another Florida scoring frenzy. Martin scored 10 points and Condon added six as the Gators closed out on a 23-6 run.   “They got us early in the first half, and then we were able to sustain it and then get a lead going into halftime,” Golden said. “Really happy with the way we came out of halftime. We won that first mini game, mini game being the first four minutes of the half.”   Martin finished with a game-high 22 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Clayton scored 19 to go with four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Richard had nine points, five rebounds, one assist, one blocked shot and three steals. Off the bench, Aberdeen had five points, two rebounds and two assists.   Martin made 3-7 from the 3-point line, but the bulk of his points came off drives to the rack.   “He's a great finisher through contact,” Golden said. “I think he had two or three and-one's today that were really tough shots that he was able to kind of get his body back in position and finish. And listen, he, Walt, Will, they're all confident guys. And if they see something they like, you gotta let them play and let them make those decisions and live with it. It's a lot better than having guys that you feel like you have to coach and put in certain specific spots for them to always be successful. And Mart is a winner, man. He's a winner. I thought he competed really well, 22 points, six rebounds, four assists, only one turnover. That's a heck of a line right there. And he's been a huge, huge plus for us all year."   The Gators will return to action Wednesday night in Columbia when they face South Carolina (10-8, 0-5 SEC), an 82-62 loser to Oklahoma Saturday.   Game notes: Clayton hit a 3-pointer for the 41st straight game, which ties  Michael Frazier II for the school record ... After Florida’s 1-10 start from the field, the Gators hit 32-57 shots from the field ... The Gators went 8-20 from the 3-point line ... The Gators limited their turnovers to eight ... The Gators moved up to No. 5 in the kenpom.com analytics. The top five are 1. Duke; 2. Auburn; 3. Houston; 4. Iowa State and 5. Florida. ESPN basketball analyst Tom Crean, the former head coach at Marquette, Indiana and Georgia was at the game. Impressed with the Gators, Crean explained, "What they really have is eight starters (Clayton, Martin, Richard, Condon, Chinyelu, Aberdeen, Thomas Haugh, Sam Alexis) who every one would start or else be the sixth man for nearly every team in the SEC. This is a well put together team, a very dangerous team that can beat anybody."   SEC BASKETBALL Saturday’s scores No. 5 FLORIDA (16-2, 3-2 SEC) 84, Texas (12-6, 1-4 SEC) 60 No. 1 Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC) 70, No. 23 Georgia (14-4, 2-3 SEC) 68 No. 4 Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC) 102, No. 8 Kentucky (14-4, 3-2 SEC) 97 Vanderbilt (15-3, 3-2 SEC) 76, No. 6 Tennessee (16-2, 3-2 SEC) 75 No. 11 Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2 SEC) 68, LSU (12-6, 1-4 SEC) 57 No. 15 Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2 SEC) 84, No. 21 Ole Miss (15-3, 4-1 SEC) 81, OT Missouri (15-3, 4-1 SEC) 83, Arkansas (11-7, 0-5 SEC) 65 Oklahoma (14-4, 1-4 SEC) 82, South Carolina (10-8, 0-5 SEC) 62   Tuesday’s games Vanderbilt (15-3, 3-2 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC) No. 15 Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2 SEC) at No. 6 Tennessee (16-2, 3-2 SEC) Missouri (15-3, 4-1 SEC) at Texas (12-6, 1-4 SEC)   Wednesday’s games No. 5 FLORIDA (16-2, 3-2 SEC) at South Carolina (10-8, 0-5 SEC) No. 11 Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2 SEC) at No. 21 Ole Miss (15-3, 4-1 SEC) No. 23 Georgia (14-4, 2-3 SEC) at Arkansas (11-7, 0-5 SEC)

The guys on the Florida bench get it (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: In the highly cannibalistic world that is Southeastern Conference basketball, it seems unrealistic to think that any team is going to make it through the league with fewer than three losses. There is no conference in the country with better teams from top to bottom. Joe Lunardi of ESPN projects 12 SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament field while Jerry Palm of CBS projects 13.   The Lunardi projections: No. 1 seeds: Auburn (South); Tennessee (West) No. 2 seeds: Kentucky (South); Florida (East); Alabama (Midwest) No. 4 seed: Texas A&M (East) No. 5 seeds: Mississippi State (West); Ole Miss (Midwest) No. 7 seed: Georgia (West) No. 8 seed: Missouri (Midwest) No. 10 seed: Oklahoma (East) No. 11 seed: Texas (Midwest)   The Palm projections: No. 1 seeds: Auburn (South); Tennessee (West) No. 2 seeds: Alabama (East) Kentucky (Midwest) No. 3 seeds: Florida (West); Ole Miss (South) No. 4 seeds: Texas A&M (East); Mississippi State (Midwest) No. 6 seed: Missouri (East) No. 7 seed: Georgia (West) No. 8 seed: Oklahoma (Midwest) No. 11 seeds: Texas (Midwest); Vanderbilt (South)   Florida’s schedule is conducive to a top four seed. This week the Gators are at South Carolina, winless in SEC play, and home against Georgia, which lost twice to ranked teams last week. That gets the Gators through the month of January, likely with a 5-2 record in league play.   Then comes a very difficult four-game stretch of that includes roadies with Tennessee, Auburn and Mississippi State. That will be followed by homers with South Carolina and Oklahoma and a roadie to LSU. The final four-game stretch will be as difficult as there is in the SEC: at Georgia, Texas A&M, at Alabama, and Ole Miss.   A 12-6 SEC record should be good enough for a top four seed. Should the Gators go 13-5 or even 14-4, they should not only be in the hunt for a one or two, but for the regular season SEC title.   SEC BASKETBALL GAME No. 4 Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC): Alabama was shocked in Tuscaloosa by Mississippi State, but the Tide rebounded by taking out Kentucky at Rupp. Alabama is No. 7 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 8 in kenpom.com .   Arkansas (11-7, 0-5 SEC): So far the expected transformation of Arkansas basketball under John Calipari hasn’t taken place. The 0-5 start in SEC play is the first time since his first year as the head coach at UMass that Cal has started with five straight losses. The Razorbacks are No. 53 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 56 at kenpom.com .   No. 1 Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC): Even without Johni Broome, the Tigers won two games against ranked opponents (No. 15 Mississippi State; No. 23 Georgia). The Tigers are No.1 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 2 on kenpom.com .   No. 5 FLORIDA (16-2, 3-2 SEC): The Gators bounced back from a surprising loss to Mizzou with a dominant win over Texas. The Gators are now No. 5 at both the NCAA NET rankings and kenpom.com .   No. 23 Georgia (14-4, 2-3 SEC): As soon as the Bulldogs broke into the AP top 25 they promptly had an 0-2 week, falling to Tennessee and Auburn. All four of Georgia’s losses are to teams ranked in the top 25. The Bulldogs are No. 27 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 35 at kenpom.com .   No. 8 Kentucky (14-4, 3-2 SEC): LSU (12-6, 1-4 SEC): The Tigers picked up their first SEC win during the week over Arkansas in Baton Rouge. The Tigers are No. 69 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 68 at kenpom.com .   Missouri (15-3, 4-1 SEC): Missouri is certain to break into the AP top 25 rankings after beating Florida on the road and then blowing out Arkansas. The Tigers moved up to No. 24 in the NCAA NET rankings and to No. 28 at kenpom.com .   No. 15 Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2 SEC): Former Gator Riley Kugel scored 21 points and made key plays in the Bulldogs’ overtime win over No. 23 Ole Miss. The Bulldogs are No. 16 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 22 in kenpom.com .   Oklahoma (14-4, 1-4 SEC): The Sooners finally got their first SEC win in school history when they beat South Carolina in Columbia. The Sooners are No. 49 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 45 in kenpom.com .   No. 21 Ole Miss (15-3, 4-1 SEC): The Rebels went 1-1 on the road against ranked teams, beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa then losing to Mississippi State in Starkville. Ole Miss is No. 13 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 17 at kenpom.com .   South Carolina (10-8, 0-5 SEC): The Gamecocks went down in flames twice on the road (Vanderbilt; Oklahoma). Their next seven games are against ranked teams starting Tuesday night in Columbia against No. 5 Florida. The Gamecocks are No. 91 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 89 at kenpom.com .   No. 6 Tennessee (16-2, 3-2 SEC): The Vols scored nine straight points in the last 2:46 but came up one point short at Vanderbilt when Chaz Lanier missed the second of two free throws with 2.8 seconds to go. The Vols are No. 4 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 6 in kenpom.com .   Texas (12-6, 1-4 SEC): The Longhorns got their first SEC win in school history at Oklahoma, but got blown out at No. 5 Florida. Texas is No. 40 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 42 at kenpom.com .   No. 11 Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2 SEC): Back after missing two weeks with an injury, Wade Taylor IV had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals to help the Aggies past LSU. Texas A&M is No. 20 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 19 in the kenpom.com .   Vanderbilt (15-3, 3-2 SEC): The Commodores won two home games by a combined four points (by 3 over South Carolina, by 1 over Tennessee). They could break into the AP top 25. The Commodores are No. 37 in the NCAA NET rankings, No. 48 at kenpom.com .   Tuesday’s games Vanderbilt (15-3, 3-2 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC) No. 15 Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2 SEC) at No. 6 Tennessee (16-2, 3-2 SEC) Missouri (15-3, 4-1 SEC) at Texas (12-6, 1-4 SEC)   Wednesday’s games No. 5 FLORIDA (16-2, 3-2 SEC) at South Carolina (10-8, 0-5 SEC) No. 11 Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2 SEC) at No. 21 Ole Miss (15-3, 4-1 SEC) No. 23 Georgia (14-4, 2-3 SEC) at Arkansas (11-7, 0-5 SEC)   Saturday’s games No. 23 Georgia (14-4, 2-3 SEC) at No. 5 FLORIDA (16-2, 3-2 SEC) No. 6 Tennessee (16-2, 3-2 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC) LSU (12-6, 1-4 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC) No. 8 Kentucky (14-4, 3-2 SEC) at Vanderbilt (15-3, 3-2 SEC) No. 11 Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2 SEC) at Texas (12-6, 1-4 SEC) No. 15 Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2 SEC) at South Carolina (10-8, 0-5 SEC) No. 21 Ole Miss (15-3, 4-1 SEC) at Missouri (15-3, 4-1 SEC) Oklahoma (14-4, 1-4 SEC) at Arkansas (11-7, 0-5 SEC)   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The college football season concludes tonight in Atlanta with Ohio State (13-2) favored by 8.5 points to beat Notre Dame for the national championship. On paper, the Buckeyes certainly look the part of favorites and champions, quite a contrast from the team that was ground to a standstill by Michigan. The Buckeyes have a great running game, NFL receivers and a defense that gets after the quarterback with astonishing ease. They also have a strong Florida connection in head coach Ryan Day, Mickey Marotti (strength and conditioning) and general manager Mark Pantoni. All three were part of the Urban Meyer regime at UF.   So why is it I’m struggling to get the warm and fuzzies about the Buckeyes? Why is it I keep thinking Notre Dame is going to do to the Buckeyes what Michigan did while generating just enough offense to win the game?   I genuinely believe Ohio State has better personnel on both sides of the football but that’s pretty much the case no matter who lines up against the Buckeyes. Mark Pantoni is as good as it gets when it comes to identifying the talent it takes to fill out a championship roster. I’m a firm believer that Billy Napier needs to spend whatever is necessary to bring Pantoni and wife (both Gator grads) back to Gainesville.   Despite all that, I can’t bring myself to pick the Buckeyes to beat Notre Dame. I loathe the idea of listening to Domers boasting non-stop, which I know they are going to do if they spring the upset and win the national championship. I have no idea how Notre Dame is going to run the ball against the Buckeyes and I wonder out loud how Riley Leonard is going to escape that ferocious pass rush. I know the Irish don’t have the explosive players on offense. I am not at all sure they can put the pressure on Will Howard, turning him into the ineffective quarterback he was against Michigan. I damn sure can’t figure out how the Irish are going to keep Jeremiah Smith from turning this game into a track meet. I have watched at least seven Notre Dame games and I haven’t seen a corner capable of sticking with Ohio State’s electric freshman receiver.   And yet here I am on Sunday night trying to tell myself that it’s pure folly to pick Notre Dame to win this game. But, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Don’t ask me for a score. I just think Notre Dame is going to score at least one more point than the Buckeyes. I think Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has a team that believes in him, believes in each other and believes there isn’t a team on the planet that is going to beat them. Nothing against Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. I like Ryan, Pantoni and Mickey enormously. Common sense tells me they’ll be happy campers Monday night.   Something inside tells me I’m going to be listening to the Domers explaining to me that without Notre Dame there is no such thing as college football for an entire year.   ***   When the clock at Mercedes-Benz Stadium flatlines at zero, the first 12-team playoff will have concluded successfully but not without problems that have to be addressed. Is a 12-team playoff best or should the playoff expand to 16 teams? Should ESPN monopolize the playoffs or should college football go to an NFL model which includes multiple networks for the playoff with the Super Bowl (championship game) rotated among the networks?  Should conference champions take a back seat to the 12 top teams even though that might eliminate the best team from the group of five? Should there be two national championships: One for the top 70-80 teams in Division I, the other for the group of five, which could expand to include some of the better D1AA conferences such as the Missouri Valley and Big Sky?   There are bigger issues than just the playoff, but unfortunately, I can’t see any haste to tackle them. The NCAA has taken the approach to let Congress do something, which figures when you consider academics run the NCAA. College football is a business and it should be run as a business by business people. The sooner that happens, the healthier college football will become.   The best way to ensure the health and survival of college football is to start a new organization with its own set of rules and a commissioner with unmatched integrity and the iron hand to enforce the rules effectively. The NCAA has completely outlived its usefulness and the longer college football is tied to that NCAA, it will be a matter of time before the problems are insurmountable.

Left tackle Austin Barber (58) should be a candidate for all-star honors in 2025 (Photo by Chris Spears) With the transfer of Southern Miss safety Micheal Carraway Jr. on Friday, the Florida Gators currently have 82 on scholarship. That leaves the Gators three under the limit provided, of course, that the SEC doesn’t change its mind when the new scholarship limits (105) go into effect in May. The new limits are part of a settlement with Congress to avoid anti-trust legislation against college football. As of November, the SEC was holding to the 85-limit through the 2025 season, but that definitely could change. SEC commish Greg Sankey isn’t the type to allow another league to gain a competitive advantage, so think of the scholarship limits as in a holding pattern at the moment.   Florida will have an experienced roster returning from an 8-5 2025 that saw four straight wins at the end of the season. The Gators lost only 12 players to the transfer portal. Billy Napier has proceeded cautiously in the portal, bringing in only four so far. Napier is likely to sign a quarterback, a corner and defensive lineman from the portal, either in the next few days or in May.   ROSTER THROUGH JANUARY 17 (Potential all-starts in bold face)   QUARTERBACKS (3): Clay Millen (6-3, 193, RSR); DJ Lagway (6-3, 239, SO);  Tramell Jones (6-0, 195, FR)   Lagway is the unquestioned starter and already on everyone’s too early Heisman Trophy list. Walk-on Adrian Warner (6-3, 206, RSO) started a game when both Graham Mertz and Lagway were injured. Clay Millen was a starter at Colorado State but he didn’t play at all last year. Tramell Jones was highly recruited out of Jacksonville Mandarin. The Gators are seriously considering signing Harrison Barnes, a former 4-star QB who started his career at Tennessee and was at Louisville last year.   RUNNING  BACKS (7): Ja’Kobi Jackson (5-11, 209, RSR); Treyaun Webb (5-11, 211, RSO); Jadam Baugh (6-1, 227, SO);  KD Daniels (6-0, 197, RFR); Waltez Clark (6-1, 190, FR); Byron Louis (5-11, 205, FR); Chad Gaspar (5-11, 195, FR)   Baugh (673 yards, 7 touchdowns) and Jackson (509 yards, 7 TDs) will be as good a 1-2 punch as there is in the SEC next year. Webb (93 yards, 1 TD) has serious talent, but is coming off an injury that limited him to four games. Daniels (77 yards, 1 TD) is said to have as much talent as any of the backs. All three freshmen will probably redshirt.   WIDE RECEIVERS (10): J. Michael Sturdivant (6-4, 185, RSR); Kahleil Jackson (6-3, 215, RJR); Eugene Wilson III (5-10, 183, JR); Aidan Mizell (6-2, 186, RSO); Tank Hawkins (5-10, 176, SO); TJ Abrams (5-10, 197, RFR); Dallas Wilson (6-3, 193, FR); Vernell Brown III (5-11, 173, FR); Naeshaun Montgomery (6-1, 165, FR); Muizz Tounkara (6-3, 195, FR)   Despite losing Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike to the NFL, this should be a position of strength for the Gators, who landed UCLA transfer J. Michael Sturdivant in the portal. Sturdivant has 123 catches for 1,667 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career. Tre Wilson played only four games before a season-ending injury but he had 19 catches for 266 yards and a TD before the injury (80-804, 7 TDs career). Aidan Mizell (17-202, 2 TDs) saw a lot of PT after the Wilson injury. He has blazing speed, same for Tank Hawkins and TJ Abrams. The freshman recruits of Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown III and Naeshaun Montgomery are one of the best groups in the country.   TIGHT ENDS (5): Hayden Hansen (6-8, 267, RJR);  Tony Livingston (6-5, 254, JR); Amir Jackson (6-5, 228, RFR); Micah Jones (6-4, 250, FR); Cameron Kossman (6-6, 240, FR)   Hansen is a tremendous blocker who became a legitimate receiving option (15-207, 1 TD). Tony Livingston opened eyes in the bowl win over Tulane (4-58, 1 TD) and figures to be in the regular rotation. Amir Jackson has speed and great potential. Both freshmen could play at least on special teams.   O-LINE (17): Austin Barber (6-6, 314, RSR);  Damieon George Jr. (6-6, 345, RSR); Jake Slaughter (6-5, 308, RSR);  Kamryn Waites (6-8, 343, RSR); Devon Manuel (6-7, 319, RJR); Knijeah Harris (6-3, 321, JR); Caden Jones (6-8, 327, RSO); Roderick Kearney (6-4, 305, RSO); Bryce Lovett (6-5. 317, RSO); Fletcher Westphal (6-8, 321, RFR); Marcus Mascoll (6-5, 306, RFR); Jason Zandamela (6-3, 313, RFR); Enoch Wangoy (6-7; 330, RFR); Noel Portnjagin (6-5, 314, RFR); Tavaris Dice (6-4, 295, FR); Jahari Medlock (6-5. 275); Daniel Pierre Louis (6-4, 290, FR)   Led by first team All-America center Jake Slaughter (21 career starts), Florida’s offensive line figures to be one of the best in the Southeastern Conference, maybe one of the best in the country. Austin Barber (26 career starts) returns as a 2-year starter at left tackle and Damieon George Jr. (25 career starts) returns after a year as the starter at right tackle and last year as the right guard. Knijeah Harris started all 13 games at left guard. Bryce Lovett (3 career starts) could start at either guard. Kamryn Waites (5 career starts) has started at both tackles and right guard. Devon Manuel missed all but three games but he has great potential as a pass blocker. Coaches are high on the potential of Fletcher Westphal and Caden Jones, who will be given a shot to earn the right tackle job in the spring. The Gators could be in the market if there is an experienced right tackle in the portal after the spring.   D-LINE (8): Caleb Banks (6-6, 325, RSR); Brien Taylor (6-5, 274, SR); Jamari Lyons (6-4, 304, RSO); Michael Boireau (6-5, 351, SO); D’Ante Robinson (6-3, 307, SO); Joseph Mbatchou (6-5, 280, FR); Jeramiah McCloud (6-3, 285, FR); Stephon Stivers (6-5, 380, FR)   If there is a position of concern this is it. The five returning players all have talent and the freshmen have potential, but depth is the real question after losing Cam Jackson to the NFL and Desmond Watson to graduation. Caleb Banks (21 tackles, 4.5 sacks) could have gone to the NFL but he’s back and expected to have a real breakout year. Jamari Lyons missed the year with an injury. If he returns to 2023 form, he will be a starter. Brien Taylor (14 tackles) can get after the passer. Michael Boireau (15 tackles) and D’Ante Robinson (17 tackles, 3 TFL) will be in the mix to start at nose tackle. The Gators will probably be looking to add one or two from the portal.   EDGE (7): Tyreak Sapp (6-3, 272, RSR);  George Gumbs (6-4, 249, RSR); Kamran James (6-6, 267, JR); Kofi Asare (6-5, 215, JR); LJ McCray (6-6, 264, SO); Jaylen Wiggins (6-5, 270, FR); Jaden Woods (6-3, 235, FR)   Despite losing Jack Pyburn, TJ Searcy and Justus Boone to the portal, the Gators will be in good shape thanks to the foursome of Tyreak Sapp (47 tackles, 7 sacks), George Gumbs Jr. (35 tackles, 5 sacks), Kamran James (28 tackles, 2 sacks) and LJ McCray (13 tackles). Kofi Asare (30 tackles, 3 sacks) was picked up out of the portal from UMass. Wiggins and Woods have tremendous potential as pass rushers.   LINEBACKERS (6): Grayson Howard (6-4, 238, JR); Jaden Robinson (6-0, 230, JR); Aaron Chiles (6-2, 234, SO); Myles Graham (6-1, 228, SO); Ty Jackson (6-1, 197, FR); Myles Johnson (6-1, 220, FR)   This is a young, but fast, physical group. Howard (37 tackles) was a fixture in the middle until he got hurt in the Texas game. Jaden Robinson (52 tackles, 3.5 sacks) had an exceptional year. Myles Graham (30 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception) and Aaron Chiles (22 tackles, 1 sack) are stars of the future. Coaches love the potential of freshmen Ty Jackson and Myles Johnson.     CORNERS (6): Devin Moore (6-3, 197, SR);  Dijon Johnson (6-1, 200, JR); Cormani McClain (6-2, 175, JR); Jameer Grimsley (6-2, 196, SO); Teddy Foster (6-1, 181, SO); Ben Hanks III (6-1, 170, FR)   Talent won’t be an issue but depth could be. When healthy Devin Moore (17 tackles, 2 interceptions) is an outstanding cover corner. Dijon Johnson (27 tackles) was very good at the end of the year when injuries forced him into the starting lineup. McClain is a former 5-star recruit who needs physical strength to stay off the injured list, but the potential is definitely there. Grimsley had ACL revision surgery which means he’s unlikely to play in 2025. Foster will be in the rotation. Ben Hanks III, a Gator legacy, is good enough to be in the rotation if not start in the fall. The Gators may sign a corner in February but they are definitely seeking someone in the portal.   SAFETIES (9): Micheal Carraway Jr. (6-1, 185, SR); Jordan Castell (6-2, 210, JR); Sharif Denson (5-11, 189, JR); Bryce Thornton (5-10, 210, JR); Aaron Gates (6-1, 196, RSO); Josiah Davis (6-1, 198, SO); Gregory Smith III (6-3, 211, SO); Lagonza Hayward (6-1, 205, FR); Hylton Stubbs (6-1, 185, FR)   Jordan Castell (55 tackles, 9 pass breakups) is a fixture as are Sharif Denson (37 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception) and Bryce Thornton (41 tackles, 3 interceptions). Aaron Gates had season-ending surgery. The Gators signed Micheal Carraway Jr. (70 career tackles) out of the portal from Southern Miss. Greg Smith may eventually grow into an outside linebacker. Hylton Stubbs figures to be in the rotation. Josiah Davis and Lagonza Hayward will have to earn their way into the rotation.     SPECIAL TEAMS (4): P Tommy Doman (6-5, 190, RSR); LS Rocco Underwood (6-3, 228, RSR); PK Trey Smack (6-1, 200, SR);  PK Evan Noel (6-2, 155, FR); P Hayden Craig (6-2, 190, FR)   Smack hit 18-21 field goals including three for more than 53 yards. He is 32-35 on field goals in his career and has scored 178 points. Evan Noel will be the backup. Tommy Doman (career 43.4 yards per punt) was signed out of Michigan. Hayden Craig will back him up. Rocco Underwood is perhaps the best long snapper in the country.

Alijah Martin gets physical in the win over Arkansas (UAA Photo) If Todd Golden has his way, the theme for 5th-ranked Florida (15-2, 2-2 SEC) from the opening tip against Texas (12-5, 1-3 SEC) this afternoon at the O-Dome (4 p.m., ESPN2) will be let’s get physical. Looking back on Tuesday night’s loss to Missouri, the one thing that truly disturbed Golden was how the Gators allowed Mizzou to win the physical battle, particularly in the first half.   “ You go back and watch on film, and what's made this team special is our consistency in that regard,” Golden said Friday aftenroon. “When the ball goes on the rim, we're flying in there. If we're on the offensive glass, trying to go get her defensively, we're cracking bodies and making sure we own the paint and grab rebounds. We were not the ones delivering the blows on Tuesday night. We were the ones receiving it. We were being reactive instead of proactive -- and just caught up with us. And I thought for the first time all year, really, we did not come out hair on fire with the way we played. And again, hard to do that every night of the season, but we simply can't allow it to happen again where we don't come out playing like the more mentally and physically tougher team. I thought Missouri did that on Tuesday night.”   Texas is a high scoring team that likes to get up and down the floor. What the Gators have to do tonight is dominate the backboards, which requires them to be the more physical team. The Gators lead the nation in rebounding (45.53 per game). They’re second in rebounding margin (12 per game) and fifth in offensive rebounds (15.35).   If there is a real weakness for Texas it is rebounding. The Longhorns are grabbing only 35.33 rebounds per game, which is tied for 206th nationally. Of course, Missouri ranks next to last in the SEC in rebounds, yet the Tigers got 11 offensive rebounds in the second half, which truly irked Golden.   “There's gonna be some games where you don't shoot it great,” Golden said. “There's gonna be some games where you might have a couple extra turnovers, whatever it is, but when you dominate the glass, you're buying yourself 10 to 12 extra possessions to play with. We were outrebounded on Tuesday night. Missouri had a slightly better offensive rebounding rate than we did. We gave ourselves no margin for error and so when Caleb Grill has the first half like he does and he goes nuclear and makes some really tough shots, you don't have that buffer, so to speak, to give yourself a little bit of room to play with. And again, on film to me, it was pretty evident. They were the team that was playing harder and more physical, and I credit them for that.”   The Longhorns feature the SEC’s leading scorer in Tre Johnson (18.73 per game) and in Arthur Kaluma, Texas has a physical inside guy (14.06 points, 7.82 rebounds). Texas shoots 49.7 percent overall from the field, 38.8 percent from the 3-point line which leads the Southeastern Conference. The Gators are holding opponents to 37.4 percent overall from the field and 27.8 percent from the 3-point line, both figures second in the SEC.   For the Gators to come away with a win, they will have to play with defensive intensity that was missing Tuesday night as well as the physical play on the backboards. That is why the Gators are ranked fifth in the country.   Golden said, “If we don't play with that intensity that makes us unique, then we are just another team and so I think our guys understand that going into tomorrow night's game."   Game notes: This is the first time the Gators have played Texas in 27 years ... Walter Clayton Jr., who has made at least one 3-pointer in 40 consecutive games (second in school history), ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring at 17.82 per game ... Here is the SEC in the NCAA NET rankings: 1. Auburn; 4. Tennessee; 6. FLORIDA; 8. Alabama; 10. Kentucky; 16. Ole Miss; 18. Mississippi State; 20. Texas A&M; 26. Missouri; 27. Georgia ; 35. Texas; 42. Vanderbilt; 51. Arkansas; 56. Oklahoma; 68. LSU; 90. South Carolina.   Anticipated starting lineups No. 5 FLORIDA (15-2, 2-2 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)   Texas (12-5, 1-3 SEC): Arthur Kaluma (6-7, 225, SR); Kadin Shedrick (6-11, 231, SR); Tre Johnson (6-6, 190, FR); Tramon Mack (6-5, 200, SR); Jordan Pope (6-2, 175, JR)   Today’s games Texas (12-5, 1-3 SEC) at No. 5 FLORIDA (15-2, 2-2 SEC) No. 1 Auburn (16-1, 4-0 SEC) at No. 23 Georgia (14-3, 2-2 SEC) No. 4 Alabama (14-3, 3-1 SEC) at No. 8 Kentucky (14-3, 3-1 SEC) No. 6 Tennessee (16-1, 3-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (14-3, 2-2 SEC) LSU (12-5, 1-3 SEC) at No. 11 Texas A&M (13-4, 2-2 SEC) No. 21 Ole Miss (15-2, 4-0 SEC) at No. 15 Mississippi State (14-3, 2-2 SEC) Arkansas (11-6, 0-4 SEC) at Missouri (14-3, 3-1 SEC) South Carolina (10-7, 0-4 SEC) at Oklahoma (13-4, 0-4 SEC)   TODD GOLDEN STATEMENT ON TAUREAN GREEN Thursday night, a story broke that Florida assistant coach Taurean Green has been accused of sexual assault in a Title IX complaint. When he met with the media Friday, head coach Todd Golden addressed the issue. Here are Golden’s opening statement, questions and his responses:   "I want to start by making a statement about the news that I'm sure everyone has read on Coach Green last night. I simply want to say that I support my staff and I would suggest people do not rush to judgment based off a headline. For me, I am just frustrated and disappointed that a Title IX mechanism that is created to protect both sides during a situation like this -- that confidentiality and privacy continues to be abused. So, as frustrating and as disappointing and as hard as it is to do, I am going to do what I think I need to do and continue to respect the process, as I have. As always, I will continue to respect and appreciate the support for my family and our program at this time.”   The perception it creates though, of your program, how troubling is that? "Yeah. I don't like it. But perception is perception. It is not reality. I am in this program every day. I see how our staff acts. I see how our players act. I am proud of what we've done since we've got here. And that's all I can do is keep my head up and keep working."   Is there anything you've done in the last three years that you've done or members of your staff have done that you've been ashamed of? “No.”   On how Florida's players stay focused when some of this stuff comes up. Does it affect them? “I think our guys do a pretty good job of staying the course and working hard. Obviously, it is not ideal, but at the same time, I think we've done a pretty good job this year of staying the course and keeping winning the main thing with the way we've played and the way we've performed. So, I believe we will continue to do that on a day to day basis.”   Will Taurean remain coaching? “Yes. Taurean will be with us.”   Would you say this doesn't really affect the culture of your basketball team? “As I said, you know, we will continue to work, push forward, practice, and play. We will let the process play out and see where it goes.”    At a previous press conference when I asked, you said it was a hard time for you and your family. Would you say it is a hard time for Taurean and his family? “I'm not going to speak for Taurean.”

Thomas Haugh dunks in the second half (UAA Photo by Maura Schaeffer) Fifth-ranked Florida was already digging a deep first half hole Tuesday night when Caleb Grill went into a shooter’s coma. During a three-minute shooting spreee Grill unloaded four 3-pointers on the Gators who came into the game third in the nation in 3-point defense. It’s not like Grill had all day to load up and launch, either.   “ Caleb Grill made some ridiculous shots, you know, and I think at least three of those four makes were relatively contested,” Florida coach Todd Golden said after the Gators (15-2, 2-2 SEC) dropped an 83-82 decision to Missouri (14-3, 3-1 SEC) at the O-Dome.   The Gators trailed 14-11 when Grill nailed his first one. It was 30-17 when he hit his fourth. By then Missouri was well on its way to a 19-point first half lead, 42-23, with 7:22 left in the half. That was as big as the lead would get. Florida would get it down to 10 (44-34) with 4:32 to go on a pair of Walter Clayton Jr. free throws, but Missouri put a halt to Florida’s surge and tacked on six more points for a 50-34 halftime lead.   Some of it had to do the 3-point shooting -- Missouri hit seven of its first 11 -- but a lot of it had to do with the way the Tigers outplayed the Gators on the inside and how they defended. Missouri was easily the more physical team and it showed on the backboards where they held a 17-15 margin at the half. The Gators, who thrive on second chance points, managed only four first half offensive rebounds that were converted into five points.   Defensively, the Tigers put the pressure on the Gators, making it very difficult to get any kind of inside-out game going. The Gators spent way too much time in the first half unable to get any entry passes down low, thwarting the return passes to open shooters on the perimeter. Missouri scored 10 first half points off eight Florida turnovers. Missouri turned the ball over only three times and the Gators failed to convert them for even one point.   Clayton scored 18 first half points and Alijah Martin added six on a pair of 3-pointers but there was very little in the way of help from anyone else. Florida’s four big guys combined for seven points and they squeezed off only two shots among them.   “They were more ready to play than we were, obviously jumped on us in the first half and we were not ready for it,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “And obviously it starts with me. I need to do a better job making sure that we’re ready to go and making sure that we understand what’s in front of us. Obviously, this is a very good team that we played tonight, 3-1 in the league, 14-3 overall.”   Missouri did show up to play at a fast pace while the Gators spend the entire first half digging a hole that they struggled to get out of in the second half. The Gators had a completely different energy level when the second half began but they never could completely erase the Missouri lead.   A fast break layup by Will Richard cut the Missouri lead to 55-46 with 15:39 to go in the game, the first time the Gators trailed by fewer than 10 points for the first time since it was 30-17 with 11:57 to go in the first half. A 4-point outburst by Rueben Chinyelu, both on offensive rebounds, narrowed the margin all the way to five but Missouri pushed the lead back to 11 with 9:05 left (65-54).   Twice Clayton got the Gators back within three -- the first time on a Clayton layup with 7:23 remaining, the second time on a 3-pointer by Clayton with 3:49 left that made it a 72-69 game with 3:41 left.   During the last three minutes, the Gators had ample opportunity to take the game over, but ugly 3-point defense reared its head again and there were a pair of unexpected misses at the foul line by Clayton. Trent Pierce hit a three for Missouri with 3:08 to go to give the Tigers a 75-70 lead. Clayton was fouled while shooting a 3-ball, but he clanged the first two shots off the rim before making the third.   Opportunity lost. Instead of closing to 75-73 it was 75-71. Grill did more damage from the 3-point line with 2:23 to go to put Missouri up 78-71. Florida’s rally wasn’t over just yet. The Gators got a layup from Clayton with 2:11 to go, a pair of free throws by Martin with 1:34 left and a bank shot coming off a curl by Marin with 38.5 seconds left that got it down to two, 79-77.   Florida nearly had a steal at midcourt but Missouri was awarded a time out with 29.5 seconds left. One more second and UF would have had a 10-second violation. Instead there was a foul that sent Mark Mitchell to the line for a pair of free throws for a 4-point lead. Florida missed a three, got two back on a layup by Alex Condon, then came a foul that sent Grill to the line. He made the first for a 4-point lead with five seconds to go making Martin’s three with a second left irrelevant.   The loss left a bitter taste in Golden’s mouth, largely because the Gators played so poorly and lacking energy in the first half. The Gators played so much better in the second half, but even so, they couldn’t dig themselves completely out of the first half hole.   “I thought our effort in the second half was way better,” Golden said. “We outscored them by 15 (48-33). We played a lot better, but too little too late. One thing that we talked about a lot with our guys is we are the team that has been able to get where nobody thought we could go. We are a team of guys that are not supposed to be at Florida, whether it's our players or our coaches. We are the underdogs, we have the chip on our shoulder and tonight was the first time all year that I did not feel that we competed with that mentality. And that's something that we gotta get back for Saturday."   Saturday, the Gators will take on Texas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) in a 4 p.m. game at the O-Dome.   Game notes: The Gators managed to outrebound Missouri 37-36 but this game was far from the domination on the backboards of the previous two games ... Despite giving up the 7-11 start from the 3-point line, Missouri was only 4-15 the rest of the way. Unfortunately the two 3-pointers down the stretch were killers ... Clayton finished with 28 points while Martin had 14. Richard finished with 12 while Chinyelu had 11 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out ... The Gators were only 21-31 from the foul line while Missouri was 18-29 ... The officiating crew of Pat Adams, James Breeding and Brian Dorsey whistled 47 fouls, 23 against the Gators, 24 against Missouri ... Clayton was 3-9 from the 3-point line. It was his 40th consecutive game with at least one 3-pointer, moving him into sole possesssion of second place for the longest 3-point streak in Florida history. If he hits a three Saturday against Texas he will tie Michael Frazier II.   SEC BASKETBALL Tuesday’s scores Missouri (14-3, 3-1 SEC) 83, No. 5 FLORIDA (15-2, 2-2 SEC) 82 No. 1 Auburn (16-1, 4-0 SEC) 88, No. 15 Mississippi State (14-3, 2-2 SEC) 66 No. 21 Ole Miss (15-2, 4-0 SEC) 74, No. 4 Alabama (14-3, 3-1 SEC) 64 No. 8 Kentucky (14-3, 3-1 SEC) 81, No. 11 Texas A&M (13-4, 2-2 SEC) 69 LSU (12-5, 1-3 SEC) 78, Arkansas (11-6, 0-4 SEC) 74   Tonight’s games No. 23 Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) at No. 6 Tennessee (15-1, 2-1 SEC) Texas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) at Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3 SEC) South Carolina (10-6, 0-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (13-3, 1-2 SEC)

Alex Condon (21) was SEC Co-Player of the Week Florida’s top five ranking in the Associated Press poll tells just how far the Gators (15-1, 2-1 SEC) have come in Todd Golden’s two-plus years on the job. The top five ranking also tells you the Gators have no place to hide.   “ We talked about it with our guys yesterday, that in real time, we're going from being the hunters to the hunted,” Golden said Monday before the Gators began final preparation for tonight’s SEC matchup (9 p.m., ESPNU) with Missouri (13-3, 2-1 SEC) at the O-Dome.   The target on Florida’s back grows larger with every win. Last week the Gators took down then No. 1 Tennessee at the O-Dome then Arkansas on the road at Bud Walton Arena. The Gators are at home both games this week, but just because the games will be in friendly confines with a pro-Gator crowd won’t make things easier.   When you’re No. 5 in the nation and in a league as competitive top to bottom as the Southeastern Conference everybody in the league wants a shot at taking you down. As big or perhaps bigger a problem is handling success. Too many teams plateau and fall off the cliff due to their inability to deal with their own success and that’s something Golden knows the Gators have to avoid.   “It's hard to be good,” Golden said. “It's not simple, and the better you get, the harder it is, and you know, so we're fighting against human nature. We're fighting against handling success and making sure that we approach our practices and our prep the same way we did before we received these type of rankings. And again, we talk about it all the time with our guys, like, our talent in our locker room is really good. We have really good talent, but I think the thing that makes the team special is our team talent, the way we play together when we're on the floor. And if we can continue to harness that and take pride in that, we will be in good shape, but the moment we start worrying about individual things, you know, accolades, or who's getting the credit, like, we're just going to be a good team. And so those are the things that we're constantly talking about and making sure that we don't allow affect us negatively.”   The Gators are more than capable of beating any team on their schedule, or in the entire country for all that matters. The Gators have the capability of scoring on anyone (86.2 per game, 9th nationally), but when they are focused at the other end of the floor, they get stops. The Gators are giving up 64.8 points per game, a 21.4-point differential which ranks third nationally.   In their last two games, the Gators have held Tennessee and Arkansas to a combined 30-116 (25.8 percent) from the field and only 7-45 (15.5 percent) from the 3-point line. Florida’s 3-point defense (27 percent) ranks third in the nation.   The Gators have given up 70 or more points just four times in 16 games. Tonight against Missouri they will be going against a team that knows how to put points on the scoreboard. The Tigers average 85.1 per game, which is tied for 15th nationally. The Tigers shoot 49.7 percent overall and a very respectable 37.2 percent from the 3-point line.   The Gators are quite familiar with senior guard Tamar Bates, who wore the Gators out in Columbia last year when he lit them up for 36 on a night when he hit only one 3-pointer.   “He had a monster game against us,” Golden said. “We had to live with that a little bit. He was making some tough midrange shots against us and making every free throw and in the context of that game, he was the only guy that was really hurting us. So, you don't want to allow him to get those but as long as this guy isn't making threes or this guy isn't getting rim twos, it's okay. But they are deeper and more well-rounded this year, so we can't allow him to have that kind of success. It will be harder to shut the water off on other guys this season also."   Four Tigers score in double figures led by Duke transfer Mark Mitchell (13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds), but three others are very capable of going off any given night. The Gators will have to be particularly aware of Caleb Grill (11.3 points), who is hitting 46.7 percent from the 3-point line, Marques Warrick (8.9 points) who hits 46.2 percent from deep. Bates (12.8 points) and Anthony Robinson II (10.6 points), both hit 37.5 percent on 3-pointers.   Game notes: The Gators are currently fifth in both the NCAA NET rankings and kenpom.com analytics ... Fourteen of the 16 SEC teams are ranked in the top 50 in the NCAA NET rankings -- 1. Auburn; 4. Tennessee; 5. Florida; 7. Alabama; 13. Kentucky; 17. Texas A&M; 18. Mississippi State; 23. Ole Miss; 26. Georgia; 34. Missouri; 39. Texas; 42. Vanderbilt; 47. Oklahoma and 49. Arkansas ... The Gators lead the nation in rebounding at 46.06 per game. The Gators are fourth nationally in offensive rebounds (15.56 per game).   Condon SEC Co-Player of the Week Sophomore Alex Condon was selected SEC Co-Player of the week after a pair of double-doubles in the wins over then No. 1 Tennessee and Arkansas. Against Tennessee, Condon had 12 points, 12 rebounds and four assists without turning the ball over. He followed that up with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots against Arkansas. In the Arkansas game, Condon once again had zero turnovers.   Anticipated starting lineups No. 5 FLORIDA (15-1, 2-1 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)   Missouri (13-3, 2-1 SEC): Mark Mitchell (6-9, 230, JR); Trent Price (6-10, 220, SO); Tamar Bates (6-5, 195, SR); Tony Perkins (6-4, 200, SR); Anthony Robinson II (6-3, 180, SO)   SEC Basketball Tonight’s games Missouri (13-3, 2-1 SEC) at No. 5 FLORIDA (15-1, 2-1 SEC) No. 15 Mississippi State (14-2, 2-1 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (15-1, 3-0 SEC) No. 21 Ole Miss (14-2, 3-0 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (14-2, 3-0 SEC) No. 11 Texas A&M (13-3, 2-1 SEC) at No. 8 Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 SEC) Arkansas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) at LSU (11-5, 0-3 SEC)   Wednesday’s games No. 23 Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) at No. 6 Tennessee (15-1, 2-1 SEC) Texas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) at Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3 SEC) South Carolina (10-6, 0-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (13-3, 1-2 SEC)   Coaches top 25: 1. Auburn 15-1; 2. Iowa State 14-1; 3. Duke 14-2; 4. FLORIDA 15-1; 5. Alabama 14-2; 6. Tennessee 14-1; 7. Marquette 14-2; 8. Houston 12-3; 9. Kentucky 13-3; 10. Kansas 12-3; 11. Texas A&M 13-3; 12. Michigan State 14-2; 13. UConn 13-4; 14. Oregon 15-2; 16. Gonzaga 14-4; 17. Memphis 13-3; 18. Mississippi State 14-2; 19. Michigan 13-3; 20. Illinois 12-4; 21. Ole Miss 14-2; 22. Utah State 16-1; 23. Georgia 14-2; 24. Baylor 11-4; 25. West Virginia 12-3   Associated Press top 25: 1. Auburn 15-1; 2. Iowa State 14-1; 3. Duke 14-2; 4. Alabama 14-2; 5. FLORIDA 15-1; 6. Tennessee 15-1; 7. Marquette 14-2; 8. Kentucky 13-3; 9. Kansas 12-3; 10. Houston 12-3; 11. Texas A&M 13-3; 12. Michigan State 14-2; 13. Oregon 15-2; 14. UConn 13-4; 15. Mississippi State 14-2; 16. Gonzaga 14-4; 17. Purdue 13-4; 18. Memphis 13-3; 19. Illinois 12-4; 20. Michigan 13-3; 21. Ole Miss 14-2; 22. Utah State 16-1; 23. Georgia 14-2; 24. Wisconsin 13-3; 25. Baylor 11-4   UF SOFTBALL RANKED NO. 1 PRESEASON With national player of the year Jocelyn Erickson returning along with All-Americans Keagan Rothrock, Korbe Otis and Reagan Walsh, the Gators earned the preseason No. 1 ranking by Softball America. Additionally, the Gators return starters Kendra Falby (Rawlings Gold Glove center fielder), Ava Brown and Mia Williams. Florida’s roster is bolstered by outstanding transfers Kenleigh Cahalan (Alabama), Rylee Holtorf (Washington) and Kara Hammock (UNC-Wilmington). Head coach Tim Walton built on last year’s No. 1 recruiting class by bringing in a freshman group that includes Katelynn Oxley, Layla Lamar, Townsen Thomas, Taylor Shumaker and Gabi Cormia.   The Gators open the season Feb. 6 against North Florida at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.    Softball America preseason top 25: 1. FLORIDA; 2. Texas; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Oklahoma State; 5. UCLA; 6. Tennessee; 7. Texas A&M; 8. Duke; 9. Texas Tech; 10. Florida State; 11. Alabama; 12. LSU; 13. Arkansas; 14. Arizona; 15. Missouri; 16. Baylor; 17. Georgia; 18. Northwestern; 19. California; 20. Liberty; 21. Nebraska; 22. Virginia Tech; 23. Michigan; 24. Virginia; 25. Penn State   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Brace yourself for these next two revelations. They are actually linked in a rather bizarre way.   1. Transfer quarterback Deshawn Purdie has asked for and been given his release to transfer somewhere not named Florida. It seems Mr. Purdie was expecting Billy Napier to hand him the No. 1 quarterback job.   2. Carson Beck, who shocked everybody last week by transferring to Miami, has allegedly signed an NIL deal worth $4 million. That is not a misprint.   Let’s start with Purdie. As a true freshman at Charlotte, he completed 50 percent of his passes, averaged 9.0 per attempt and 10 of his passes went for TDs. He threw six picks. Not a bad freshman year.   He was not recruited to Florida as a starting QB. The Gators already have a starter in DJ Lagway, who is already high on everyone’s all-too-soon Heisman Trophy candidate list. This is DJ’s team. He is the team leader and as talented a quarterback as the Gators have had since that Tebow guy. Someone obviously was filling Purdie’s head with visions of grandeur.   Rumor has it that Georgia was working Purdie hard. Considering Beck has transferred and Gunner Stockton stunk it up against Notre Dame, this is VERY believable.   On to Beck. If true that Beck will be paid $4 million to quarterback the Canes next year, then he better deliver a national championship. He’s being paid much more than Miami paid Cameron Ward, who threw for 4,313 yards and led the nation with 39 touchdown passes.   Beck’s penchant for throwing interceptions (12) and making bad decisions cratered his draft stock. Thought to be a top five pick before the 2024 season began, Beck’s stock had dipped to late second or even third day even before he suffered the elbow injury against Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game.   So someone please tell me how it is that Carson Beck is worth $4 million to play a season of college football. Jayden Daniels, who won the 2023 Heisman and has won a playoff game for the Washington Commanders has a base of only $2,510,727. Saquon Barkley’s base salary is only $2,420,000.   Anyway you slice it, at $4 million with an injured throwing arm Carson Beck is vastly overpaid. As my grandmother once quipped, “Some folks have more money than they’ve got brains.” Whoever is paying Carson Beck $4 million is living proof.

Alex Condon blocks a shot in the first half (UAA Photo) The way things started Saturday it seemed obvious the Florida Gators hit the road while leaving all semblances of functional defense back in Gainesville for a second straight weekend. Arkansas hit its first shots with such ease that the 19,200 shoehorned into Bud Walton Arena were already thinking blowout even though only 3:14 had been wiped off the clock. An 11-2 lead on the nation’s 8th-ranked team will do that for you, especially when you’re 0-2 out of the SEC blocks.   The Razorbacks had a 9-point lead and they hadn’t even broken into a sweat. Florida, meanwhile seemed to be sweating bullets. Coming off a 30-point blowout of Tennessee, the Gators were playing like a team hung over with its own success. At one end of the floor they couldn’t make a shot. At the other they couldn’t defend. Can’t shoot, can’t defend. When you’re on the road in this year’s lights out Southeastern Conference, that’s a quick way to get whomped.   As quickly as the Razorbacks heated up, however, the Gators cooled them down. The bad defense was an aberration. It took awhile for the offense to come around, but come around it did. By the time the clock flatlined at all zeroes in the second half, Florida (15-1, 2-1 SEC) had taken down the Razorbacks, 71-63.   It was anything but the prettiest of wins, but the pretty wins count the same as the ugly ones. This one was somewhere in between.   “ I think we were fighting a little bit of human nature after Tuesday night,” Florida coach Todd Golden said after keeping Arkansas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) winless in SEC play. “Great win for us, and we were a little fatigued both emotionally and physically. I was a little worried about how we would be able to respond against a team that was awfully hungry and competitive. Early on, obviously we struggled a little bit, but our guys were pretty resilient. I thought we fought. We weren’t perfect, but we competed well enough to win.”   After their 5-for-5 shooting start that included a 3-pointer, the Razorbacks struggled to find the ocean from the end of the pier. They went 4-26 the rest of the first half, missing their last five 3-pointers. It didn’t get much better in the second half. Arkansas was 9-29 from the field in the last 20 minutes, 2-10 from the 3-point line and one of those was a bank shot in the final second of a game long since decided.   In Florida’s last two games, the Gators have allowed Tennessee and Arkansas to hit a combined 30-116 (25.8 percent) overall, 7-45 (15.5 percent) from the 3-point line. You win a lot of games when you play that kind of defense.   The Gators didn’t exactly burn it up offensively. Florida led, 28-25, at halftime, the lowest first half scoring total of the season. Even with a much-improved second half it wasn’t exactly offense to write home about.   “We didn’t handle their pressure very well, but I thought we left some points out there behind the 3-point line,” Golden said. “We were 3-for-16 in the first half from three. I thought we got some really good looks that we didn’t knock down.”   After a first half when they went 11-35 (31.4 percent) from the field which included 3-16 (18.8 percent) from the 3-point line the Gators shot a very respectable 48.4 percent (14-29) overall and 5-12 (41.7 percent) from the 3-point line in the final 20 minutes.   The second half stats were bolstered by a sizzling finish. After Arkansas had closed a one-time 11-point lead to 53-50 on a parting the Red Sea thunder dunk by DJ Wagner with 6:11 to go, Alex Condon started the Gators on a 7-0 run with an offensive rebound and a kickout to Walter Clayton Jr. for a 3-pointer. Condon hit a pair of free throws then dunked on a leak-out fast break to make it a 60-50 game with 4:33 to go.   The Gators toyed with the Razorbacks for the next two-and-a-half minutes before Condon struck again. This time it was Clayton who was the set-up man. He penetrated past a Condon screen into the paint, drawing two defenders. Condon slipped behind the 3-point line, took the pass from Clayton and drilled a 3-ball with 2:02 left to put the Gators up 68-58. He followed that up with a drive to the rack that put the Gators ahead by 12, 70-58, with 1:23 left.   For all practical purposes, that made it game, set, match Florida in spite of the whistle-happy zebra crew of Joe Lindsey that fouled out Rueben Chinyelu, Alijah Martin and Thomas Haugh. Arkansas got to the foul line 15 more times than the Gators but the Razorbacks were less than lethal, converting only 22-35.   What saved the Gators was another dominant performance on the backboards. The Gators outrebounded Arkansas 49-39 with Condon yanking down 10 to go with his 12 points, four assists and four blocked shots. Florida also got outstanding efforts off the bench by big guys Thomas Haugh and Sam Alexis. Haugh had eight points, seven rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal.   Alexis contributed six points and seven rebounds, perhaps his best game against a good team this season.   “We talked about if we’re going to reach our goals of being an elite team and playing deep into March, we need different guys to step up on different nights,” Golden said. “He (Alexis) had an extended opportunity tonight with all the foul trouble we were playing through. To his credit, there was no drop-off when he was in the game. This was the first time where we’ve played a really good opponent in a big game where I thought he looked like he felt comfortable.   “He did everything we asked him to do. I thought he was super aggressive getting 50-50 rebounds. I thought he did a great job initiating our offense out of the elbow. I told him after the game, if we continue to get him playing better and better, it’s obviously going to make us pretty tough.”   Next up for the Gators is Missouri (13-3, 2-1 SEC) Tuesday night (9 p.m., ESPNU) at the O-Dome.   Game notes: Martin led the Gators with 14 points before fouling out. Scoring 12 each were Condon, Clayton and Will Richard ... The Gators shot 39.1 percent (25-64) overall from the field, 8-28 (28.6 percent) from the 3-point line ... Florida’s 49-39 rebounding advantage resulted in the Gators holding a 19-6 advantage in second chance points. The Gators had a 19-7 advantage in points off the bench ... Clayton hit two threes in the game. He has hit at least one 3-pointer in 39 consecutive games, tying Lee Humphrey for the all-time school record. Michael Frazier III holds the school record at 41 games.   SEC BASKETBALL Saturday’s scores No. 8 FLORIDA (15-1, 2-1 SEC) 71, Arkansas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) 63 No. 1 Tennessee (15-1, 2-1 SEC) 74, Texas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) 70 No. 2 Auburn (15-1, 3-0 SEC) 66, South Carolina (10-6, 0-3 SEC) 63 No. 5 Alabama (14-2, 3-0 SEC) 94, No. 10 Texas A&M (13-3, 2-1 SEC) 88 No. 6 Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 SEC) 95, No. 14 Mississippi State (14-2, 2-1 SEC) 90 Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) 72, No. 17 Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3 SEC) 62 No. 23 Ole Miss (14-2, 3-0 SEC) 77, LSU (11-5, 0-3 SEC) 65 Missouri (13-3, 2-1 SEC) 75, Vanderbilt (13-3, 1-2 SEC) 66   Tuesday’s games Missouri (13-3, 2-1 SEC) at No. 8 FLORIDA (15-1, 2-1 SEC) No. 23 Ole Miss (14-2, 3-0 SEC) at No. 5 Alabama (14-2, 3-0 SEC) No. 10 Texas A&M (13-3, 2-1 SEC) at No. 6 Kentucky (13-3, 2-1 SEC) Arkansas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) at LSU (11-5, 0-3 SEC)   Wednesday’s games Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) at No. 1 Tennessee (15-1, 2-1 SEC) Texas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) at No. 17 Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3 SEC) South Carolina (10-6, 0-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (13-3, 1-2 SEC)

Call in a priest. Time for last rites to be read over the corpse that is Southeastern Conference football. Don’t believe it? Then ask yourself how it is that there will be a national championship game for the second straight year minus a team from the Southeastern Conference. Texas put up a good fight but impaled itself in the semifinal, falling to Ohio State.   That’s not enough? Try this.  Alabama lost four games. Hasn’t happened since 2007, Nick Saban’s first year. Bama fans are rationalizing that four in year one was good enough for Nick, so it’s peachy keen for Kalen DeBoer. Uh-huh. The Easter Bunny lives and Santa does have eight tiny flying reindeer led by shiny nose Rudolph.   Georgia lost three games and rolled over and died against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. Tennessee ? Surely you jest. The same Vols that should have lost to Florida turned into possums in Columbus. Died in the road they did that night, just like a possum on State Road 40.      Texas carried the water for the SEC, but they keeled over in the fourth quarter. Give them credit for putting up a far better fight than either Georgia or the Vols. Big Ten folks with bigger mouths than brains want us to believe the SEC needs to call in a priest to read last rites. I look at it like the stock market. Sometimes we need a market correction. This is one of those times. We had one of those in 2013-14 when Florida State and Ohio State won back-to-back but the SEC won six of the next eight, Clemson winning the other two.   Since 2003, five different SEC teams have won at least one national championship. Make that six if you include Texas 2005 when the Horns were in the Big 12. Ohio State won in 2014 and Michigan won last year. The Buckeyes might win this year, but they have to beat Notre Dame first. The Irish are ironically coached by Marcus Freeman who was the Buckeyes leading tackler when Ohio State went down in flames to the Gators in 2006. Wouldn’t that be a hoot if the Buckeyes are done in by one of their own?   Anyway, the SEC will be back. Count on it, and the reason is easy to explain when you take a look at the league from top to bottom. Compare the SEC’s 16 teams to the 18 in the coast-to-coast Big Ten. Start with the Big Ten.   The Big Ten was, is and will always be dominated by Ohio State and Michigan. Sure, Oregon will make some waves thanks to Uncle Phil and all that Nike money. Penn State is always good enough to win until it really matters. Southern Cal keeps spending all that money but is anyone convinced Lincoln Riley is going to win a national championship? Washington? Really? UCLA? Oh please. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan State, Maryland or Nebraska?     I’m gagging. Someone tell me all the stud quarterbacks in the Big Ten next year.   Now on to the SEC. Because they are Alabama and Georgia, they will be in everybody’s top ten when the preseason magazines come out around Memorial Day. Just because. Neither one of them has a stud QB for next year, but they have money and money talks. Right now, as in the immortal words of Prince,  their money doesn’t matter too much. Just because Alabama and Georgia lost seven games between them, don’t think they will do it again any time soon.   Tennessee will win a lot of games even though the Vols lose a lot of studs on defense. I’m not of the opinion Nico Iamaleava will ever lead Tennessee to a championship, but he would probably be the best QB in the Big Ten next season if he were to transfer. It took Josh Heupel three years to lose his locker room at UCF. It’s just a matter of time at UT.   I am not convinced Brian Kelly will ever win one at LSU. He had the best college football player on the planet (Jayden Daniels) for two years and lost seven games. He lost four this year even with a roster loaded with NFL talent. Still, LSU will always have enough talent to win a national championship.   Good ole BK is 0-for-3 at LSU while the guy who took his place might very well win a national championship at Notre Dame.   Lane Kiffin probably had the best team in college football yet somehow Ole Miss lost to Kentucky, LSU and Florida. How the hell did that happen? He probably wins nine or ten next season, then comes on strong again in 2026. He’s loading up in the portal. Again. Consider it one of the great mysteries of life that he can go through the roster attrition every single year and still come up with a team that is going to win nine or more.   Texas A&M paid $75 million big ones to Jimbo Fisher to go away because in five of the six seasons he was at the helm of the Good Ship Aggie he lost four or more games. They celebrated paying Jimbo not to coach in Aggieland and got downright obnoxious while proclaiming Mike Elko as the reincarnation of Bear Bryant (he actually coached there) when A&M got off to a 7-1 start. They lost four of their last five, the only win over bottom feeder New Mexico State. Funny, but 8-5 Mike Elko seems to be doing a dandy impersonation of Jimbo. Even so, the Aggies are like LSU. Give them a Big Ten schedule and you could all but pencil in a minimum of nine wins.   South Carolina won nine games this year. Go figure there, but it just goes to show you how good the SEC is. At the end of the year they could have beaten anyone in the league. The Gamecocks were predicted to finish 15th out of 16 SEC teams.  Missouri won 10 games. Do you really care? Quite frankly, Mizzou belongs in the Big Ten but that’s another story for another day. Still, they’re in the SEC and let them play a Big Ten schedule and they would whomp up on everyone not named Ohio State, Michigan or Oregon.   Oklahoma has seven national championships in its history and a slew of Heisman Trophy winners. Do you really think the Sooners will stay down and out a long time? Think when not if the Sooners are back in a big way.   Kentucky is coached by Mark Stoops. There is a reason he stays at Kentucky. They think a trip to the Music City Bowl is a sure sign that they can rub elbows with the best of the SEC. As long as he keeps getting trips to such exotic bowl locales as Nashville, Memphis and Birmingham, he’ll have a job.   Vandy won seven games because of the portal. Clark Lea figured out that it’s easier to get someone into Vanderbilt who’s (a) pretty good and (b) has three years of decent grades on his transcript than a high school kid. Good players who are high school kids don’t think of going to Vanderbilt, but kids who have played three years of college football who have good grades and want to play in the SEC think Vandy and Nashville are fun places to be.   Auburn is a train wreck but the boosters have a ton of money and Hugh Freeze hasn’t forgotten how to coach. It’s a matter of when not if Hugh will win at Auburn. Arkansas survived a year without Sam Pittman divorcing offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino so the Hogs will be a threat to always win seven or eight games.   Mississippi State. Well, every league needs a homecoming opponent.   That brings us to Florida. Beware the Gators. Moses spent 40 years wandering in the desert. Billy Napier only spent two-and-a-half. The Promised Land isn’t that far away and the reason is DJ Lagway. He could win the Heisman before he is drafted top five in the NFL in May of 2027.   DJ has a supporting cast that includes all five starters on the O-line and some studs who are ready to challenge for starting jobs. Jake Slaughter is the best center in college football. Period. End of story. The UF running game with Jaden Baugh and Ja'Kobi Jackson will be the best in the SEC. Even losing Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike won’t hurt the passing game. Tre Wilson will be back and he’ll be joined by UCLA transfer Michael Sturdivant and freshman studs Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown III and Naeshaun Montgomery are players.   The defense will be good. Count on it. Even losing Shemar James to the NFL the linebacking corps will be special with Pup Howard, Myles Graham, Aaron Chiles and Jaden Robinson. EDGE guys Tyreak Sapp and George Gumbs Jr. are studs. The big guy on the D-line is Caleb Banks, who is a force. I like a secondary that has Devin Moore, Dijon Johnson, Aaron Gates, Sharif Denson and Jordan Castell.   I’m sold on Florida in a big way. I think the rest of the SEC will be, too. I think the Gators will be very much in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. I don’t think anyone should be surprised if they make it.   The teams with the best quarterbacks make it to the playoffs and DJ Lagway will be the best in the SEC and one of the two or three best in the entire country next year. In addition to Lagway, these SEC quarterbacks will be better than anything in the Big Ten next year: Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee), Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Arch Manning (Texas), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Taylen Green (Arkansas) and Marcel Reed (Texas A&M). There is no way the Big Ten can match that.   The way it stands right now, the best QB in the Big Ten next year will be Drew Allar of Penn State. Any questions?