By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:
CAN THE GATORS GET A FOURTH STRAIGHT AT OLE MISS TONIGHT?
In the second half Saturday, the Vanderbilt Commodores made only three of their 22 shots from the field. They were 0-9 from the three-point line and the only place they scored in the game’s final 10:47 was from the foul line. It was a miserable shooting night for sure, but the Florida Gators had plenty to do with the Commodores’ bad day at the office.
“You guys are seeing what we are capable of,” Brandon McKissic said after the Gators (12-6, 3-3 SEC) evened up their SEC record with a third straight win, 61-42, before an announced crowd of 10,345 at the O-Dome. “We’ve been really looking at our identity the past few games and that’s what we’ve been emphasizing in the locker room – be us, be us to the fullest – and max out. That’s what we’re working towards … that’s what we are, a defensive team.”
Florida’s defense, even without shot blocker Colin Castleton for the second straight game and for the foreseeable future, has been impressive and it has been a collective effort. To compensate for Castleton’s ability to protect the rim, the Gators have kept the bodies rotating in to stay fresh on the defensive end. The only size is 6-11, 285-pound Jason Jitoboh, who isn’t a threat to block shots the way Castleton did, but who eats space in the paint and moves his feet. Jitoboh played 27 minutes against Vandy. He scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds blocked a shot and had a steal, but he was able to wall up against the Vandy bigs in the paint and they couldn’t get past him.
Jitoboh was a big part of Florida’s defense, but it was, indeed, a collective effort shared by the entire team.
“When we’re just locked in like that, we’re not even thinking about whether our shots are going in or out, we’re just getting back on defense and we’re working hard,” McKissic said. “We just guarded. Regardless of what happened on the offensive end, we just guarded.”
Can the Gators win a third straight game without Castleton tonight (7 p.m., SEC Network +) when they face Ole Miss in a makeup game for the COVID postponed game of December 29? To do it will take another collective effort on the defensive end. The Gators aren’t going to win any shooting contests, but defense does travel and it keeps you in games when made shots are hard to come by.
“WE ARE ENOUGH” – KELLY RAE FINLEY
That’s what Florida’s interim women’s basketball coach said Sunday afternoon after the Gators (15-5, 5-2 SEC) scored their fifth straight SEC win and third win in the last five over a ranked opponent, taking down No. 11 LSU (17-3, 5-2 SEC), 73-72 at the O-Dome. The Gators weren’t the biggest team on the floor and they probably couldn’t match up to the talent level of some of Kim Mulkey’s Tigers, but when you add everything Finley has transformed the Gators into, they are indeed enough.
On the offensive end, they make extra passes to find open shooters. They remember to box out when a shot goes up at either end of the floor, which had a lot to do with just a seven-rebound deficit to a much taller team. Defensively, whenever LSU tried to get a pass into the low blocks, the Gators were like a school of piranhas the way they surrounded the LSU bigs and yet when the ball was passed out to the perimeter, UF was quick enough to close out on shooters. So much so, that LSU only squeezed off nine three-pointers the entire game (made one, 11.1 percent).
“I think we really did a good job on scout,” forward Jordyn Merritt (16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 4 steals) said. “That was one of the things we really focused on. We knew going in that they had those bigs and we knew that if our bigs need help we had to be able to rotate and trust each other. I just think that’s what it was. We just all trusted that the help was going to be there so that whenever it did go in we were able to rotate in and when it kicked back out our guards are quick enough to get back out there.”
Florida guards KiKi Smith (23 points, 10-13 free throws), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals) and Zippy Broughton (14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals) were indeed quick enough and their pressure and ability to score in transition helped UF score 22 points off LSU turnovers.
Finley explained it, “Night in and night out, a belief that we are enough and when you operate from that space everything becomes a lot easier.”
Denying Kim Mulkey the 650th win of her storied coaching career wasn’t easy, but the Gators were indeed enough. They have been for some time now and that’s a good reason why athletic director Scott Stricklin ought to give serious thought to removing the interim tag on Finley, the sooner the better.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING AND BILLY NAPIER IS ON A ROLL
There was only one commitment from Florida’s football visit weekend – 3-star tight end Hayden Hanson (6-6, 255, Weatherford, TX) – but this seems like the calm before an all hell breaks loose storm that will take place one week from Wednesday. If the rave reviews the Gators are getting from recruits who have been in Gainesville the last two official visit weekends are a fair indicator of things to come, then Billy Napier is on the verge of pulling off one of the great recruiting comebacks in recent memory.
The Gators have gone from off-the-charts bad in the days before Napier became Florida’s head coach to a combined ranking for high school/juco recruits and transfers of 17th as of Sunday night. Currently, the Gators have 13 high school recruits either signed or committed with five transfers already enrolled. It’s likely Napier will add another seven high school recruits and then save as many as seven spots for transfers.
SEC BASKETBALL
Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SEC): Alabama rallied from a 10-point second half deficit to knock off Missouri, 86-76. It helped that the zebra crew headed by Pat Adams sent Alabama to the line for 29 free throws while Mizzou got to the line for six … Alabama launches more three-pointers than any team in the league (534, 28 per game) but the Tide hits only 31.1 percent. Tuesday’s game: at Georgia (5-14, 0-6 SEC)
Arkansas (14-5, 4-3 SEC): After starting 0-3 out the game in SEC play, the Hogs have won four in a row including Saturday night’s overtime win over the Aggies. Wednesday’s game: at Ole Miss (9-9, 1-5 SEC)
No. 2 Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC): The Tigers have won 15 in a row. Was their 9-point win over No. 12 Kentucky enough to push them past Gonzaga for the first No. 1 basketball ranking in school history? … Walker Kessler ranks second in the nation in blocked shots at 4.16 per game. Tuesday’s game: at Missouri (8-10, 2-4 SEC)
Georgia (5-14, 0-6 SEC): Georgia led South Carolina by six at the half Saturday but lost by 17 when the Bulldogs were outscored 47-24 in the second half … Tom Crean is probably going to be feeling the heat if he can’t get at least a few SEC wins. Crean is 46-63 for his tenure at Georgia, 14-46 in SEC play. Tuesday’s game: Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SEC)
No. 12 Kentucky (15-4, 5-2 SEC): Kentucky’s chances to beat Auburn went down the drain when stud freshman point guard TyTy Washington had to leave the game with an ankle injury. Washington is day-to-day and could be back for Tuesday, but almost certainly for the Wildcats’ Big 12/SEC Challenge game with Kansas … Oscar Tschweibwe leads the nation in rebounding at 14.83 per game. Kentucky outrebounds opponents by 14.67 rebounds per game. Tuesday’s game: vs. Mississippi State (13-5, 4-2 SEC)
No. 13 LSU (15-4, 3-4 SEC): Since SEC play began, the Tigers are shooting only 40.9 percent from the field, which led Will Wade to hint that lineup changes are likely this week … The Tigers are holding opponents to 26 percent from the three-point line. Wednesday’s game: vs. Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2 SEC)
Mississippi State (13-5, 4-2 SEC): Tolu Smith, the Bulldogs’ 6-11 starting center, has a partially dislocated knee but there is no structural damage. He is listed week-to-week ... With 20 points in the win over Ole Miss Saturday Iverson Molinar became the 41st player in Mississippi State history to score 1,000 or more points. Tuesday’s game: at Kentucky (15-4, 5-2 SEC)
Missouri (8-10, 2-4 SEC): Redshirt freshman Sean Durugordon, a 6-7 forward, has put his name in the transfer portal. Tuesday’s game: vs. Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC)
Ole Miss (9-9, 1-5 SEC): After shooting a sizzling 61.5 percent from the field in the first half, the Rebels shot only 33 percent in the second half when they scored only 19 points to fall to Mississippi State, 78-60. Monday’s game: vs. FLORIDA (12-6, 3-3 SEC); Wednesday’s game: vs. Arkansas (14-5, 4-3 SEC)
South Carolina (11-7, 2-4 SEC): Jermain Couisinard and Keyshawn Bryant combined to hit 11-15 shots for 24 points in the second half to lead the Gamecocks to an 83-66 win over Georgia Saturday night. Bryant finished the game with 19 points while Cousinard had 15. Wednesday’s game: at Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC)
No. 24 Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC): John Fulkerson, who has struggled since he tested positive for COVID back in December, was replaced in the lineup by Uros Plavsic in the Vols’ 64-50 win over No. 13 LSU. Plavsic responded with 12 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot. Wednesday’s game: vs. FLORIDA (12-6, 3-3 SEC)
Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2 SEC): After back-to-back losses, the Aggies have dropped down to a No. 60 NCAA Net Ranking … In the Aggies loss to Arkansas, freshman Wade Taylor IV came off the bench to score 25 points. Wednesday’s game: at LSU (15-4, 3-4 SEC)
Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC): Despite going 1-10 from the field and scoring only six points against Florida, Scotty Pippen Jr. still leads the SEC in scoring at 18.1 points per game. Wednesday’s game: vs. South Carolina (11-7, 2-4 SEC)
SEC FOOTBALL
Alabama: Jermaine Burton, who caught 26 passes for 497 yards and five touchdowns during Georgia’s run to the national championship, is transferring to Alabama.
Arkansas: Former Georgia starting safety Lativious Brini is transferring to Arkansas. He had 38 tackles and eight pass breakups for Georgia in 2021.
Auburn: Former Auburn linebacker Romello Height is transferring to Southern Cal. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Mississippi State: Backup QB Jack Abraham, who transferred in from Southern Miss but never played in 2021 due to an injury, is in the transfer portal.
Ole Miss: Defensive back MJ Daniels has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal just 24 hours after he put his name in the portal.
Vanderbilt: Linebacker Brayden Devault-Smith is leaving as a graduate transfer who will get a “super senior” sixth season due to the 2020 COVID year.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: If you have a few minutes to spare over the next few days, find John Underwood’s Sports Illustrated piece, “The NCAA Splits Its Decision” from January 23, 1978 in which he talks about when the NCAA formed Division I and Division I-AA for football. There were doubts that college football would survive the split, but it has and is actually more popular today than it was back then. Now we have arrived at another crossroads only this time it’s not just football but all collegiate sports that need to be re-organized. I think there are too many Division I football schools (130) and too many schools in Division I (350) regardless of whether they have a football team or not. I wonder if it is possible to get meaningful change in this era when it seems everything is so polarized? I think collegiate sports will survive but I believe that if we can’t get some common sense injected we won’t recognize them five years from now.
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