By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:
THE GANG THAT COULDN’T SHOOT STRAIGHT …
The numbers from Wednesday night are appalling to say the least. The Gators (9-6, 0-3 SEC) were almost gift-wrapped a win over the No. 12 team in the country but because they couldn’t make free throws (11-22) and couldn’t throw a three-ball in the ocean if they were standing on the end of a very long pier at high tide (7-31), they lost 64-58 to LSU at the O-Dome.
The Gators had everything going for them including the zebras, who called it very tight on the visiting Tigers, who saw 7-0 Efton Reid and 6-8 Tari Eason, their leading scorer, foul out early in the second half. Despite having to play small and most of the game with a makeshift lineup, LSU never lost the lead, which was as much as 14 points in the second half. It wasn’t like the Gators didn’t have opportunities. There were shots to be had, but other than Colin Castleton (7-10 from the field, 5-6 from the foul line) nobody could hit the big shot when the Gators needed it most.
“I’m not sure we’ve gotten better looks all year and what’s disheartening was this was against the No. 1 defensive team in the country,” Florida coach Mike White said.
The Gators trailed 54-51 with 7:51 to go in the game but missed a couple of free throws that would have closed the gap to one. With 6:08, Castleton tipped in a miss to make it 54-53, but after UF got a defensive stop, Myreon Jones missed a three. When it was 56-53, Brandon McKissic missed a three and Jones made only 1-2 from the foul line. That was with 4:06 to go.
Castleton again brought the Gators within two (58-56) with 3:38 to go but LSU countered to make it a four-point deficit again at the 3:04 mark. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. and Jones both missed threes and McKissic went 0-2 at the foul line with 2:29 to go.
Here are some numbers to digest: Jones, who came into the game having hit just 10 of his last 46 three-pointers, was 2-9. A 71.4 percent free throw shooter coming into the game, Jones went 3-6. McKissic, who came into the game having hit five of his last 19 threes, was 1-7 and he was 0-2 at the foul line. He was 63.6 percent heading into the game. The Gators held Eason and Reid to a combined eight points, 16 below their average, and yet the Gators were outscored 42-25 in the paint by a smaller lineup. The Gators forced 16 LSU turnovers and converted them to 19 points while LSU managed only six points on 14 Florida free throws and yet the Gators lost.
This was not a case of Florida lacking chances to win the game. The chances were there, but Florida lacked the ability to step up and make big plays when they were needed.
White pointed out the obvious postgame when he said the Gators are soft at times. That has something to do with a third straight loss to a ranked SEC team in which the Gators have dug themselves deep holes from which they were never able to come back.
Can the Gators recover from this 0-3 start? It’s not totally hopeless. At least yet. Just a couple of weeks into the SEC portion of the schedule, 4th-ranked Auburn (15-1, 4-0 SEC) is the only team in the league that hasn’t taken a conference loss on the chin so it’s not like Florida can’t string some wins together and get back into the race to avoid the dreaded Wednesday games when the SEC Tournament begins in March.
But, to stage a comeback, the Gators have to find the kind of mental and physical toughness they put on display when they started the season 6-0 (3-6 in the nine games since).
“Mental toughness, confidence, swagger, whatever you want to call it, it’s got to improve with this group” White said. “As a staff we’ve got to figure out ways to help these guys step up.”
It needs to be soon because the schedule isn’t going to get much easier.
Castleton led the Gators with 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Fleming was the only other Gator in double figures, finishing with 11 while hitting 3-8 from the three-point line.
SEC BASKETBALL
Wednesday’s games: LSU (15-1, 3-1 SEC) 64, FLORIDA (9-6, 0-3 SEC) 58; Arkansas (11-5, 1-3 SEC) 87, Missouri (7-8, 1-2 SEC) 43; Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1 SEC) 88, Georgia (5-11, 0-3 SEC) 72
Saturday’s games: FLORIDA (9-6, 0-3 SEC) at South Carolina (10-5, 1-2 SEC); No. 22 Tennessee (11-4, 2-2 SEC) at No. 18 Kentucky (13-3, 3-1 SEC); Arkansas (11-5, 1-3 SEC) at No. 12 LSU (15-1, 3-1 SEC); Texas A&M (14-2, 3-0 SEC) at Missouri (7-8, 1-2 SEC); No. 24 Alabama (11-5, 202 SEC) at Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1 SEC); Vanderbilt (9-6, 1-2 SEC) at Georgia (5-11, 0-3 SEC); No. 4 Auburn (15-1, 4-0 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-6, 1-2 SEC)
NAPIER ADDS CHESTON BLACKSHEAR TO GROWING STAFF
Another of the 1996 national championship Gators is coming home. Cheston Blackshear, who lettered four years on the offensive line after prepping at Ed White in Jacksonville, has been added by Billy Napier as a quality control coach for the offensive line. Blackshear spent the previous five seasons working for former Gator assistant Buddy Teevins at Dartmouth where he was the offensive line coach. Blackshear also has worked previously at Columbia, Georgetown, Nevada and New Mexico.
Napier has a Friday morning press conference in which it is expected he will announce his full coaching staff. One name that won’t be on the staff is former Minnesota Vikings corners coach Karl Scott, who is expected to take the corners job at Alabama, where he worked from 2018-20.
Kemore Gamble in the portal: Tight end Kemore Gamble, who has a super senior season at his disposal (he played in 2020), has elected to go into the transfer portal instead of declaring for the National Football League. Gamble, who was recruited to Florida in 2017 by Jim McElwain, finishes his UF career with 48 receptions for 632 yards and seven touchdowns. He was Florida’s third-leading receiver in 2021 with a career high 31 catches for 414 yards and four touchdowns.
Former UF coaches moving on: Wesley McGriff, who coached safeties at Florida in 2021, is the new co-defensive coordinator for Jeff Satterfield at Louisville. Jules Montinar, who coached Florida’s corners, will coach defensive backs for new Temple coach Stan Drayton, who coached running backs on Urban Meyer’s Florida staff from 2005-07 and again in 2010.
SEC FOOTBALL
Alabama: CB Josh Jobe is off for the NFL as is defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis … Football players transferring out are TE Jahleel Billingsley, backup QB Paul Tyson (Bear Bryant’s grandson), OL Tommy Brown, LB Drew Sanders and LB King Mwikuta … Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is getting interest from the NFL for both head coach and offensive coordinator openings … O-line coach Doug Marrone is not expected to return.
Arkansas: DB Joe Foucha, the team’s fourth leading tackler, is transferring to LSU. Foucha had 75 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 5.0 pass breakups and an interception.
Auburn: WR Kobe Hudson, who led the Tigers in receiving in 2021, is transferring to UCF. Hudson had 44 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns … DL Daniel Foster Allen, a 3-star recruit in 2020, is in the transfer portal … Edge rusher Eke Leota, who had seven sacks in 2021, is returning for the 2022 season.
Georgia: WR Jaylen Johnson, a former 4-star recruit who had two catches in 2021, is in the transfer portal as is DB Jalen Kimber, a 4-star recruit in the 2020 class ... Running back James Cook who ran for 728 yards and four touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns in 2021, is off to the NFL.
Kentucky: Starting offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal, who transferred in from LSU back in August, has declared for the NFL … Safety Zahquan Frazier, the No. 10 juco player in the nation who signed with Kentucky back in December, says he will enroll someplace else instead.
LSU: Corner Mekhi Gardner, who made third team All-Sun Belt for Billy Napier at Louisiana, is transferring to LSU … WR Alex Adams is transferring to Akron.
Mississippi State: Wide receiver Jordan Mosely, who caught one pass at Northwestern in 2021, is transferring to MSU. He is a former 4-star recruit who was the top signee in Northwestern’s 2021 class … DB Jackie Matthews, who had one interception and 42 tackles for West Virginia, is transferring to MSU. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Missouri: Special teams coordinator Erik Link has added tight ends to his responsibilities. D.J. Smith, who coaches linebackers, is now the recruiting coordinator … Missouri has added Louisiana Tech to its 2022 schedule to replace Middle Tennessee State.
Ole Miss: LB Troy Brown, who recorded 212 tackles and five interceptions in four years at Central Michigan, will play his senior season at Ole Miss. In 2021, Brown had 66 tackles including seven for loss and a sack to go with one interception ... DB Tylan Knight, who had 37 tackles and a sack in 2021, is transferring out … Former Southern Cal quarterback Jaxson Dart is expected to visit Ole Miss this weekend. Dart threw for 1,353 yards and nine TDs in six games in 2021. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
South Carolina: RB Christian Beal-Smith, who ran for 1,871 yards and 21 touchdowns during his Wake Forest career, is transferring to South Carolina … Spring practice will begin on March 15.
Tennessee: K’rohn Tolbert, who started five games at RT two seasons ago, is in the transfer portal. Also in the portal is WR Addison Coby who caught one pass in 2021. They are the second and third players to transfer out since January 1.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel makes a pretty strong case for why the “alliance” of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC stands in the way of College Football Playoff expansion even though it will be better for their leagues. A 12-team playoff will be beneficial to the “alliance” not only from a financial standpoint, but also in reversing the way the Southeastern Conference is siphoning talent from around the country to play in the league that has produced 12 of the last 16 national champions. Wetzel points out that the SEC is 12-3 against non-SEC teams in the playoff since 2014 with the last six wins by an average of 23.5 points.
You would think the “alliance” would be begging for expansion. Here is why Wetzel says it isn’t happening:
“The Pac-12 wants to protect the Rose Bowl’s television slot. The Big Ten is hung up on whether the six automatic bids should go to the six highest-rated conference champions or the so-called Power Five leagues plus the best of the rest (a distinction with hardly any practical difference. The ACC is trying to bully Notre Dame into becoming a full-time member so it can then renegotiate its horrific long-term TV contract … In other words, fiddling while the sport burns.”
Kevin Warren (Big Ten), George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) and Jim Phillips (ACC) only think they can strongarm the rest of college football into doing things their way. The only thing they’re doing is further empowering the SEC and Greg Sankey. There can be no playoff without full participation of the SEC. There could be a playoff without the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC, however. The sooner the geniuses in the “alliance” figure that out, the sooner they will have a chance to slow down the freight train that is the Southeastern Conference.
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