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By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
CASTLETON MAKES USA TODAY NETWORK SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Florida’s Colin Castleton was named second team All-SEC by the USA Today Network on Monday. Castleton, who averages 16.4 points (8th in the SEC) and 9.1 rebounds (3rd) per game, missed five SEC games and Florida’s win over Oklahoma State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Castleton is hitting 54.3 percent of his shots from the field (3rd) and 70.7 percent from the foul line. He is second in the league in blocked shots (2.44 per game).

All-SEC
First team: Walker Kessler, Auburn; JD Notae, Arkansas; Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt; Jabari Smith, Auburn; Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Second team: Colin Castleton, Florida; Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee; Tari Eason, LSU; Iverson Molinar, Mississippi State; Jaden Shackleford, Alabama
Awards
Player of the Year: Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Newcomer of the Year: Smith, Auburn
Defensive Player of the Year: Kessler, Auburn

Pre-SEC Tournament Thoughts
Alabama (19-12, 9-9 SEC): A loss on Thursday and Alabama will have a losing record in SEC play. Bama still makes the tournament easily thanks to those wins over Gonzaga, Houston, Baylor, Arkansas and Tennessee. Jerry Palm has Alabama a No. 5 in the West while The Athletic has the Tide a No. 6 in the East.

No. 15 Arkansas (23-7, 13-5 SEC): The Hogs have won 15 of their last 17. If they make the semifinals they will be a four or better in the NCAA. The Athletic and CBS both have Arkansas a No. 4 in the West.

No. 4 Auburn (27-4, 15-3 SEC): Does Bruce Pearl sort of tank it in the SEC Tournament to get the extra rest for the NCAA or does he go all-out to win it and ensure a No. 1 seed for the Big Dance? Jerry Palm of CBS has Auburn as a No. 1 in the Midwest while Brian Bennett of The Athletic has the Tigers No. 1 in the East.

FLORIDA (19-12, 9-9 SEC): The Gators play everybody including the best teams tough. Hence the problem. You have to win more of those games than you lose and you need more than two wins against SEC teams that have a winning record. That’s why the Gators probably need two wins in Tampa. The Athletic and CBS Sports both have the Gators listed on their First Four Out line. If true, one win could get them in, but two – considering the second would be over Auburn – will get the job done.

Georgia (6-25, 1-17 SEC): The only question for Georgia is will Tom Crean still have a job Thursday morning?

No. 5 Kentucky (25-6, 14-4 SEC): Cal wants a two seed in the Big Dance and the way to ensure that he gets one is to win the SEC Tournament. CBS places Kentucky No. 2 in the East while The Athletic has the Wildcats No. 2 in the Midwest.

LSU (21-10, 9-9 SEC): The Tigers have three wins over ranked teams which certainly helps their NCAA resume. They get the winner of Missouri and Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament so it’s pretty much a free pass to the quarterfinals and a rematch with Arkansas. Both CBS and The Athletic have LSU a No. 5 in the Midwest.

Mississippi State (17-14, 8-10 SEC): Talent says the Bulldogs should be sitting pretty. Results say otherwise. How can a team with Iverson Molinar, Garrison Brooks and D.J. Jeffries have a negative record in SEC play and 14 losses overall?

Missouri (11-20, 5-13 SEC): The Countdown to Firing Day clock is rapidly heading toward a flatline. Cuonzo Martin shouldn’t be investing long term in real estate in Columbia.

Ole Miss (13-18, 4-14 SEC): Kermit the Frog’s job is safe even if the Rebels are going nowhere.

South Carolina (18-12, 9-9 SEC): Frank Martin and the Chickens only have two wins against SEC teams that posted winning records, no wins against ranked teams and a weak non-conference schedule. They probably need to make the SEC Tournament championship game to get into the Big Dance.

No. 9 Tennessee (23-7, 14-4 SEC): The Vols are scary good at home. The SEC Tournament is in Tampa. We’ll find out quickly how good they are. Both The Athletic and CBS have the Vols No. 2 in the South.

Texas A&M (20-11, 9-9 SEC): The Aggies lost eight straight SEC games and yet they’re 9-9 in league play. One of life’s great mysteries.

Vanderbilt (15-15, 7-11 SEC): If the SEC coaches don’t vote Jerry Stackhouse coach of the year then the voting is rigged. Vanderbilt was, by far, the single most improved team in the league and one of those teams that nobody wanted to play by season’s end.

Associated Press Top 25: 1. Gonzaga 24-3; 2. Arizona 28-3; 3. Baylor 26-5; 4. Auburn 27-4; 5. Kentucky 25-6; 6. Kansas 25-6; 7. Duke 26-5; 8. Villanova 23-7; 9. (Tie) Tennessee 23-7 and Purdue 25-6; 11. Providence 24-4; 12. Wisconsin 24-6; 13. UCLA 23-6; 14. Texas Tech 23-8; 15. Arkansas 24-7; 16. Illinois 22-8; 17. Saint Mary’s 24-6; 18. Houston 26-5; 19. Murray State 30-2; 20. UConn 22-8; 21. Southern Cal 25-6; 22. Texas 21-10; 23. Colorado State 24-4; 24. Iowa 22-9; 25. North Carolina 23-8
Coaches Top 25: 1. Gonzaga 24-3; 2. Arizona 28-3; 3. Baylor 26-5; 4. Auburn 27-4; 5. Kentucky 25-6; 6. Kansas 25-6; 7. Duke 26-5; 8. Villanova 23-7; 9. Purdue 25-6; 10. Providence 24-4; 11. Tennessee 24-7; 12. Wisconsin 24-6; 13. UCLA 23-6; 14. Texas Tech 23-8; 15. Illinois 22-8; 16. Arkansas 24-7; 17. Saint Mary’s 24-6; 18. Houston 26-5; 19. Murray State 30-2; 20. UConn 22-8; 21. Southern Cal 25-6; 22. Texas 21-10; 23. Iowa 22-9; 24. Colorado State 24-4; 25. Ohio State 19-10

SPROAT SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Brandon Sproat, who dominated Miami Saturday, was selected SEC Pitcher of the Week. Sproat gave up pitched 6-1/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits while striking out eight. During the week he also pitched two shutout innings against North Florida.

Last week the Gators (10-3) were 4-1, winning two of three against then No. 22 Miami to move up in the polls that were released Monday. The Gators advanced to No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches poll and No. 11 in the D1Baseball poll.
The Gators, who rank second nationally with 27 home runs, are at home tonight and Wednesday to face Jacksonville (8-4). Both games are set for 6 p.m. at the Florida Ballpark.

D1Baseball top 25: 1. Texas 11-1; 2. Ole Miss 10-1; 3. Arkansas 7-3; 4. Vanderbilt 10-2; 5. Stanford 8-3; 6. Oklahoma State 6-4; 7. Oregon State 9-1; 8. Florida State 7-4; 9. Notre Dame 8-1; 10. Tennessee 10-1; 11. FLORIDA 10-3; 12. LSU 9-3; 13. Georgia Tech 10-2; 14. Liberty 10-1; 15. North Carolina 11-1; 16. Arizona 9-3; 17. Texas Tech 10-2; 18. Tulane 10-2; 19. Clemson 11-0; 20. Georgia 9-2; 21. TCU 8-3; 22. North Carolina State 8-4; 23. Mississippi State 6-6; 24. Maryland 9-2; 25. Gonzaga 8-2
USA TODAY Top 25: 1. Texas 11-1; 2. Vanderbilt 10-2; 3. Ole Miss 10-1; 4. Tennessee 10-1; 5. Stanford 8-3; 6. Oregon State 9-1; 7. Arkansas 7-3; 8. Notre Dame 8-1; 9. LSU 9-3; 10. FLORIDA 10-3; 11. Texas Tech 10-2; 12. Oklahoma State 6-4; 13. Georgia Tech 10-2; 14. Arizona 9-3; 14. Arizona 9-3; 15. Georgia 9-2; 16. Liberty 10-1; 17. Florida State 7-4; 18. North Carolina 11-1; 19. Virginia 11-0; 20. TCU 8-3; 21. Clemson 11-0; 22. North Carolina State 8-4; 23. Maryland 9-2; 24. Tulane 10-2; 25. UCLA 8-4

SOFTBALL: GATORS REMAIN NO. 3 IN D1SOFTBALL POLL
The Gators bounced back from their first loss of the season over the weekend with five straight wins in the Bubly Invitational, which kept them at No. 4 in the D1Softball poll, trailing unbeatens Oklahoma and Alabama. The Gators are idle until Saturday when they open the Southeastern Conference portion of their schedule with Mississippi State at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

A year ago, the Gators stole 56 bases in 59 attempts in 56 games. Through 22 games, the Gators have stolen a nation-leading 64 bases in 70 attempts, led by Kendra Falby and Skylar Wallace, who are tied for the national lead with 20 each. Falby and Wallace have each scored 29 runs, which is also tops in the country … Charla Echols ranks fourth nationally with 28 RBI … The Gators rank 3rd nationally in on-base percentage (.455) and batting average (.372).

D1Softball Top 25: 1. Oklahoma 16-0; 2. Alabama 20-0; 3. FLORIDA 21-1; 4. Florida State 19-1; 5. UCLA 17-3; 6. Virginia Tech 14-3; 7. Duke 16-3; 8. Arkansas 14-4; 9. Northwestern 15-4; 10. Missouri 16-4; 11. Washington 15-5; 12. Oklahoma State 12-5; 13. Oregon 16-3; 14. Kentucky 16-2; 15. Michigan 12-6; 16. Tennessee 15-6; 17. Clemson 12-6; 18. Georgia 19-2; 19. Auburn 21-1; 20. Arizona 15-4; 21. LSU 17-6; 22. South Florida 17-3; 23. Oregon State 18-3; 24. Charlotte 18-3; 25. Arizona State 13-5

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Awhile back I wrote that for Florida to have a chance at elbowing its way back into the consistent top 25/NCAA Sweet 16 conversation on a consistent basis that it would take a greater commitment of resources including facilities and staff upgrades. Some people agreed and others went off on tangents that the only thing that was needed was a new coach. I’m going to point out a huge difference in allocation of resources and maybe some of you will conclude that if UF wants to upgrade the basketball program devote the resources to significantly close the gap that exists and will continue to grow.

Saturday, the buses bringing Kentucky from its team hotel to the O-Dome arrived. I say buses. Not bus. Buses. Two of them. One of the buses held players and coaches. The second bus was filled (every single seat) with analysts, training and support staff, and managers. Pre-game shootaround there were more than a dozen team managers on the floor, each of them with an assignment. Some of them retrieved errant shots. Some of them were designated passers. Others were getting in the face of shooters so that there were few uncontested warmup shots or making the guards protect the ball on the bounce. There were several from the training staff stretching players and putting them through their paces to get ready. Analysts, who would later sit behind the UK bench charting every single play, were charting every single shot taken by the Wildcats pre-game.

That might seem trivial to some of you, but this is just one example of why – in addition to tradition – Kentucky is consistently in the national championship picture. They spare no expense to make sure John Calipari has everything necessary to produce championship level teams and it definitely influences recruits. Look also at what is going on at Alabama and Tennessee. Since they made the decision to devote more resources to basketball, both programs are recruiting better than ever before. I know a lot of folks will say Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee are only good because they have turned cheating into an art form, but look at how they’re spending on staff and other resources (Alabama is going to build a brand new arena, by the way).

I am not going to get in the coach debate with anyone here. Everybody has an opinion about the coach, but whether you opine that UF has the right coach or needs a new one, we should all agree on one thing: Other schools in the SEC are devoting more money than ever before to basketball and it shows in facility upgrades, more analysts and other staff upgrades. No matter who is Florida’s coach this or in years to come, until there is a commitment to devote greater resources to the basketball program, it will be more and more difficult to compete at the level all of us would like to see.

and other former eastern blocs need Blinken/American approval to send Ukraine fighter jets? This makes no sense.

I was getting a bit pissed watching Ukrainians get pissed about American jets not coming to their rescue. But I guess I now understand their thinking.

BTW, nothing would please me more than to see A-10's, Apache's and F-35's lighting up Russian convoys in light of what is happening to the civilian population in Ukraine...if not for a seemingly unstable asshat with his finger on the button running the Russian military. But the fact of the matter is...it's not our fight and the potential cost FAR outweighs the potential gain.

I expect to see Florida in his Top 5 especially after visiting this past weekend. The Gators have really put themselves in a good spot for the 6’7” 325 offensive tackle out of Orlando.

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A shout out to a great Gator, Billy Horschel who came in second at Bay Hill yesterday. Such a gritty, grinding performance....but that is Billy Horschel. (He has played great in 2022, 7/7 cuts made, two top ten finishes, 68.9 scoring average and has already won almost $1.7 million this year!) And he is PROUD to be a GATOR! Florida born, raised, educated...constantly brags about the Gators.
6 PGA tour wins and one Fed Ex cup win. He is a great ambassador for UF, he was asked several times to lead the cheer as "Mr Two Bits" in the swamp but deferred saying there were more worthy candidates. He finally relented in Oct 2019 when he and his wife Brittany led the cheer preceding the # 10 Gator upset of # 7 Auburn.
(If you are not a PGA fan you should tune in one day just to watch Billy. It is worth it just to watch him "sneak up" on his putts.)

while she sure enjoys the high life though while her dumb as rocks district continues to vote for her.
She must have found Boeing's first green energy airplane or she sure enjoys the benefits of fossil fuel.

The Florida Gators return to Florida Ballpark on Tuesday night to kickoff a two-game midweek series versus the Jacksonville Dolphins. JU comes into Gainesville with a 8-4 record after taking two out of three last weekend versus Butler. In my opinion, Jacksonville will be Florida's toughest test this week.

Actually milk is up 110% locally. Gas is up 105%.

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Alabama is the latest state to ban Russian liquor.

Critical thinkers, where is this heading? Remember with the dems, it's always about setting the PRECEDENT for FUTURE actions.

Ban Russian products now. Most people will have no issue with this cause we are told Russia is the bad guy here.

But now the precedent has been set. Any time any country in the world does anything disagreeable to the US, ban their products. Then they retaliate, and prices skyrocket.

And the poorest Americans are crippled.

The dots are starting to connect, and it's not a pretty picture.

Payton Kirkland covers his weekend visit to Florida.

Not sure what she makes salary wise BUT whatever it is...it isn't enough! LOL

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Matt Luke resigned Monday saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

The 45-year-old Luke is a former head coach at Mississippi. He spent the last two seasons working for Georgia coach Kirby Smart, helping the Bulldogs win their first national championship since 1980.

Makes you wonder who his replacement will be & how it will effect OL recruiting & coaching at UGA.

https://sports.yahoo.com/uga-assistant-luke-steps-down-224014454.html

Hardy had a great visit with Florida. He's shaping his five official visits.

The Florida Gators are now ranked #11 in the country after going 4-1 last week. The Gators move up three spots and knocks Miami out of the Top 25.

Man, I LOVE this guy. He is so spot on!

https://www.scribd.com/document/563...Ukrainian-Crisis-Vigano-Mar-7-2022#from_embed

In a nutshell:

If we look at what is happening in Ukraine, without being misled by the gross falsifications of the mainstream media, we realize that respect for each other’s rights has been completely ignored; indeed, we have the impression that the Biden Administration, NATO and the European Union deliberately want to maintain a situation of obvious imbalance, precisely to make impossible any attempt at a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, provoking the Russian Federation to trigger a conflict…

…It should not surprise us that pluralism and freedom of speech, so praised in countries that claim to be democratic, are daily disavowed by censorship and intolerance towards opinions not aligned with the official narrative. Manipulations of this kind have become the norm during the so-called pandemic, to the detriment of doctors, scientists and dissenting journalists, who have been discredited and ostracized for the mere fact of daring to question the effectiveness of experimental serums. Two years later, the truth about the adverse effects and the unfortunate management of the health emergency has proven them right, but the truth is stubbornly ignored because it does not correspond to what the system wanted and still wants today.

If the world media have so far been able to lie shamelessly on a matter of strict scientific relevance, spreading lies and hiding reality, we should ask ourselves why, in the present situation, they should suddenly rediscover that intellectual honesty and respect for the code of ethics widely denied with Covid.

But if this colossal fraud has been supported and disseminated by the media, it must be recognized that national and international health institutions, governments, magistrates, law enforcement agencies and the Catholic Hierarchy itself all share responsibility for the disaster – each in its own sphere by actively supporting or failing to oppose the narrative – a disaster that has affected billions of people in their health, their property, the exercise of their individual rights and even their very lives. Even in this case, it is difficult to imagine that those who have been guilty of such crimes in support of a pandemic that was intended and maliciously amplified could suddenly have a jolt of dignity and show solicitude for their citizens and their homeland when a war threatens their security and their economy…

…NATO has failed to keep its commitments to Russia, or has at least forced the situation at a very delicate moment for geopolitical balances. We should ask ourselves why the United States – or rather the American deep state which regained power after the electoral fraud that brought Joe Biden to the White House – wants to create tensions with Russia and involve its European partners in the conflict, with all the consequences we can imagine.

We lose seven seniors (7) because of using transfers, and players leaving the program. Without a true point guard committed for next season, we will be in a total rebuild, with the players that are coming back. I don't believe we used the portal to our advantage, or we would not be on the NCAA bubble, with with this many seniors, what do you all think?

FloridaGators.com

All of the content is missing except the banner at the top with the Gator head logo. I've tried with three different browsers (Chrome, Firefox & Edge). The mobile site seems to be okay when I view it on my phone.