By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning:
FLORIDA BASEBALL …
As the Gators open a new baseball season with the opportunity for the beautiful Florida Ballpark to be filled to capacity, I’m reminded of the words of James Earl Jones playing the role of Terence Mann in the movie Field of Dreams:
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh ... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”
There is something truly enduring about baseball at the collegiate level. Players come and players go, but the game goes on and now Florida fans, after a year of limited capacity due to COVID, have a chance to enjoy a team that enters the season ranked anywhere from sixth to ninth nationally, depending on which poll you prefer. The Gators, who open their season tonight (7 p.m., SEC Network+) with Liberty, have become one of the perennial powers in all of college baseball under Kevin O’Sullivan. In O’Sullivan’s 14 years on the job at UF, the Gators have won a national championship (2017), made it to the College World Series seven times, the NCAA Tournament 13 times and they’ve claimed five Southeastern Conference championships.
The Gators will go with three lefty starters this weekend, opening tonight with ace Hunter Barco (10-3 in 2021), sophomore Timmy Manning (0-0 in 2021) on Saturday (4 p.m.) and freshman Pierce Coppola Sunday (12 noon).
WOMEN’S HOOPS: GATORS MOVE INTO TIE FOR SECOND IN SEC
Not only did the Gators get their 20th overall win and 10th SEC win of the season Thursday night at the O-Dome when they took down Arkansas (16-9, 6-6 SEC) 76-67, but combined with Tennessee’s stunning loss to Alabama, UF finds itself in a three-way tie for second place in the SEC.
This is Florida’s first 20-win season since the 2015-16 season, also the first time the Gators have won 10 SEC games since that year. Kelly Rae Finley has four games to equal or better the school record 11 SEC wins set by the 2000-01 Gators coached by Carol Ross. The Gators also have a chance to equal or better the school record for wins in a season (24) set by Ross (in 1998 and 2001) and Butler (2016).
In beating Arkansas, the Gators placed four in double figures led by Kiki Smith, whose stat line read 19 points, seven rebounds five assists and a steal. Manu de Oliveira added 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while Zippy Broughton had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block and Nina Rickards had 10 points.
The Gators travel to No. 11 LSU on Sunday.
Thursday’s scores: NO. 17 FLORIDA (20-6, 10-3 SEC) 76, Arkansas (16-9, 6-6 SEC) 67; Alabama (13-11, 4-9 SEC) 74, No. 12 Tennessee (21-5, 10-3 SEC) 64; No. 1 South Carolina (24-1, 12-1 SEC) 75, Auburn (9-15, 1-12 SEC) 38; No. 21 Georgia (18-7, 7-6 SEC 74), Missouri (16-10, 5-8 SEC) 49; Kentucky (11-11, 4-8 SEC) 69, Vanderbilt (12-14, 3-9 SEC) 65; No. 11 LSU (22-4, 10-3 SEC) 71, Mississippi State (15-10, 6-7 SEC) 59; Ole Miss (19-6, 7-5 SEC) 74, Texas A&M (14-11, 4-9 SEC) 54
Sunday’s games: NO. 17 FLORIDA (20-6, 10-3 SEC) at No. 11 LSU (22-4, 10-3 SEC); Alabama (13-11, 4-9 SEC) at Texas A&M (14-11, 4-9 SEC); No. 12 Tennessee (21-5, 10-3 SEC) at No. 1 South Carolina (24-1, 12-1 SEC); No. 21 Georgia (18-7, 7-6 SEC) at Auburn (9-15, 1-12 SEC); Kentucky (11-11, 4-8 SEC) at Arkansas (16-9, 6-6 SEC); Ole Miss (19-6, 7-5 SEC) at Vanderbilt (12-14, 3-9 SEC); Mississippi State (15-10, 6-7 SEC) at Missouri (16-10, 5-8 SEC)
CAN THE GATORS TAKE DOWN NO. 1 AUBURN?
Florida can rectify a couple of losses in games that should have been won Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN) if they can score an upset over No. 2 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC) at the O-Dome. This will be the second meeting of the two teams. At Auburn, the Tigers went on a 22-10 spurt in the game’s final seven minutes to take an 85-73 win.
Florida comes into the game on the heels of a 2-game losing skid that has dropped their NCAA Net Ranking down to No. 54. Auburn is ranked No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches polls and has a No. 7 NCAA Net Ranking.
Saturday’s games: No. 2 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC) at FLORIDA (16-10, 6-7 SEC); No. 25 Alabama (17-9, 7-6 SEC) at No. 4 Kentucky (21-5, 10-3 SEC); Ole Miss (12-14, 3-10 SEC) at Georgia (6-20, 1-12 SEC); LSU (19-7, 7-6 SEC) at South Carolina (15-10, 6-7 SEC); No. 16 Tennessee (19-6, 10-3 SEC) at No. 23 Arkansas (20-6, 9-4 SEC); Texas A&M (16-10, 5-8 SEC) at Vanderbilt (13-12, 5-8 SEC)
SOFTBALL: GATORS HOST T-MOBILE TOURNAMENT
The competition toughens up a bit for Florida’s 4th-ranked softball team this weekend. The Gators (6-0), who have outscored their six opponents 47-2, host the T-Mobile Tournament, opening with 14th-ranked Duke (4-1) tonight at 6 p.m. The Gators will play two on Saturday, facing Villanova (2-3) at 11:30 a.m. followed by Louisville (4-1) at 2 p.m. Sunday, the Gators finish off the tournament with Florida A&M (1-3) at 2 p.m.
The Gators have a 0.18 team ERA, led by freshman Lexi Delbrey (2-0, 0.00 ERA), Natalie Lugo (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Elizabeth Hightower (3-0, 0.49 ERA). Freshman Kendra Falby leads the team in hitting at .529 with a homer and 7-7 on stolen bases. Cheyenne Lindsey and Reagan Walsh both have grand slams and eight RBI.
SEC SWIMMING: UF MEN INCREASE LEAD; UF WOMEN MOVE INTO THIRD
Kieran Smith’s gold medal 3:39.33 swim in the 400 IM was the highlight for the 5th-ranked Florida men as they continued to zero in on their 10th straight SEC Swimming and Diving Championship, stretching their lead through three days to 248 points over second place Georgia. Florida’s 17th-ranked women, in fifth place when the day began, finished strong to move up to third place, just 17 points behind second place Georgia.
Day 3 men’s standings: 1. FLORIDA 744; 2. Georgia 496; 3. Tennessee 483.5; 4. Alabama 481; 5. Texas A&M 457.5; 6. Auburn 414.5; 7. Missouri 344; 8. Kentucky 322; 9. LSU 305; 10. South Carolina 221.5
Day 3 women’s standings: 1. Tennessee 758.5; 2. Georgia 537; 3. FLORIDA 520; 4. Kentucky 496; 5. Alabama 485; 6. Texas A&M 363; 7. LSU 314; 8. South Carolina 272; 9. Missouri 271.5; 10. Auburn 258; 11. Arkansas 170; 12. Vanderbilt 90
PRE-SPRING POSITION REVIEW: TIGHT ENDS
Tight end and spring football is like a trip through uncharted waters. There are four tight ends who will be available for spring practice, but only one – Keon Zipperer Gamble (career 25 catches, 309 yards, 3 touchdowns) has ever caught a pass. In Billy Napier’s offense, tight ends will see the football, but rarely as the featured receiver. Napier likes a 60-40 run/pass ratio so he’s fond of tight ends who function like a third tackle. Of the four on the roster, none are that huge guy on the end of the line.
Keon Zipperer (6-3, 234, JR): He’s spent as much time in the slot and flanked out wide as he has in a traditional tight end stance. Can he handle the blocking? Will he be moved to slot or function as an H-back.
Jonathan Odom (6-5, 245, SO): The son of Gator All-American offensive tackle Jason Odom, he doesn’t have dad’s size but he has a frame that could add the pounds. He played in seven games last year, mostly on special teams.
Nick Elksnis (6-6, 232, RFR): He early enrolled last spring and drew rave reviews, but in the fall played in only four games and took a redshirt. He’s supposed to have great hands and athleticism to be a serious threat in the middle of the field.
Gage Wilcox (6-4, 241, RFR): He took a redshirt and played in only one game in 2021. He’s added 20 pounds since arriving at UF. Turned down Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State to come to UF.
Assessment: It’s anybody’s guess how Napier is going to use these guys. Zipperer and Elksnis seem better suited for H-back or slot. Odom and Wilcox need to add some weight and strength if they’re going to play the traditional hand in the ground role. Napier signed three tight ends who will arrive in the summer, two of which have prototypical tight end size.
NICK SABAN ON ALABAMA’S LOSS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Nick Saban didn’t call out players by name Thursday but he made it perfectly clear that three underperforming wide receivers didn’t get the job done in the national championship loss to Georgia. With John Metchie III out with a knee injury suffered in the SEC Championship win over Georgia and Jameson Williams going down in the second quarter of the national championship game, it was up to some of the younger wide receivers to pick up the slack but their inability to get open stymied the Alabama offense. At the Alabama Football Coaches Association meetings, Saban made it perfectly clear that he holds the younger wide receivers accountable for their lack of a consistent work ethic during the regular season:
“Now, we were playing with guys that typically didn’t have to play at those positions. The lesson to be learned is there were three guys, and I’m not calling out any names, that basically didn’t do the things they needed to do throughout the season because they were frustrated with their circumstance … They’re frustrated with their circumstance because they’re not playing as much as they want to. They’re outcome oriented, they want to worry about how many balls they catch or how much playing time they get or whatever it is. So they don’t focus every day on being a complete player at their position, and they don’t work in practice and prepare for the games because they say to themselves, ‘Why should I do this? I’m not gonna play anyway.’
“So, we had three guys, they all had a significant role in the national championship game, and not one of them, not one, could take advantage of the opportunity that they had, because they never ground through it. They never made themselves the best player they could be. When they got the opportunity, they couldn’t do it. That’s a lesson for everybody. What comes first? Playing time? Or making sure that you’re ready to play and create value for yourself when you get the opportunity?”
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: ESPN basketball analyst/commentator Jay Bilas, who is also a member of the NCAA Basketball Competition Committee, has a serious issue with officiating in the college game. To put it mildly, Bilas thinks officiating sucks this year and he says it’s only getting worse the farther we get into the season. He won’t get any argument from me.
Bilas writes, “Turn on any major conference game, and you will see arm bars on ball handlers not in the post, handchecking, bumping and chucking of cutters, illegally riding cutters and screeners off of their paths, and overt physicality in the post area, including a lack of enforcement of verticality on shooters. Whatever you see on the floor in major conferences this season is not basketball and would not be allowed in the NBA or FIBA. Hell, it would not be allowed in the NFL on wide receivers. It is wrong and needs to be seriously addressed.”
Bilas points out several times that foul calls are at an all-time low but the game is more physical than it has been in years. In the four games since he returned from his shoulder injury, Colin Castleton has been to the foul line 16 times (made 13), an average of four times a game. There are people doing hard time in Raiford for less than what Castleton has had to endure in the paint. He gets pounded and should have been at the foul line at least 10 times every single game.
What bothers me most – and I’m not just talking Florida basketball here but college basketball in general – is that a post guy like Castleton can get pounded and there is no call, yet those same zebras will call a touch foul. It’s beyond weird. It’s disgusting.
Some of this is the fault of bad officials, which the SEC seems to have an abundance of. Coaches don’t mind a game called by Doug Shows, Doug Sirmons or Ted Valentine because they know they’ll get a consistently called game. That’s not true of most of the officials in the league, however. Joe Lindsay, Pat Adams, Ron Groover and a few others keep getting worse. Tony Green? His sell-by date expired 10 years ago. Nice guy but too long in the tooth and no longer quick enough to handle the game.
