By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:
SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY
Forget the stupid foul on the 3-point shooter with 19.5 seconds left. Forget also how the Gators squandered away the final 19.5 seconds and settled for a poor shot when they only needed two to win and Colin Castleton didn’t even sniff the basketball. Yes, those are factors in Florida’s 56-55 loss at the hands of Texas A&M (16-10, 5-8 SEC) in College Station, but when it comes right down to it, this game was lost in a first half that saw the Gators score only six points in the game’s first 6:03 and then go scoreless until Colin Castleton was freed up for a dunk with 6:35 to go.
Prior to Castleton’s dunk, the Gators were 3-19 from the field. In the final 6:53, they were 4-13 including a pair of 3-pointers. Florida was 7-32 overall from the field and 2-15 from the 3-point line in the first half. Complicating matters were 10 Florida turnovers in the first half that the Aggies converted into 17 points as they took a 27-20 lead at the intermission.
There is the game, right there. The foul by Fleming and his missed shot didn’t lose the game although they did contribute.
“We didn’t lose the game because of one of those couple plays,” Florida coach Mike White said. “There were 50 things we could have done better.”
And most of what could have been done better was on the offensive end of the floor. Defensively, the Gators were exceptional. They held the Aggies to 33.9 percent shooting overall and just 2-18 (11.1 percent) from the 3-point line. When you hold a team to 56 points and that kind of miserable shooting night, you should win the game if you get anything at all on the offensive end.
Offensively, the Gators broke out of their funk down the stretch when they rallied from a 12-point deficit (43-31) in the game’s final 10:45, sparked by, of all people, Niels Lane, who scored all six of his points in the second half and contributed three very timely assists including two that led to dunks by Castleton and the third that got Tyree Appleby his only 3-pointer of the game that gave UF a 52-51 lead with 2:31 to go.
Fleming hit a 3-ball with 1:44 left that gave UF a 55-51 lead but UF wouldn’t score again as the Aggies scored the final five points to pick up the win.
This is a game Florida had no business losing. A lot of folks will point fingers at White but he wasn’t the one who turning the ball over or missing first half layups and he’s not the one who, on so many trips down the floor, failed to get the ball into Castleton, who had a warrior’s game – 15 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. In the first half, whenever the Gators got the ball to Castleton he was swarmed by two and three Aggies every touch. He was banged around plenty although he only got to the foul line five times (made all five). When he got the ball out to the perimeter to open shooters, they couldn’t deliver. In the second half, the ball worked its way into Castleton more often, but in the final 19.5 seconds, he didn’t get a touch. The way the Aggies were trying to stop him, there is a chance he could have found someone a far better shot than Fleming took if an entry pass had been made.
The loss puts the Gators in a most precarious position. They’ve got No. 1 Auburn coming to Gainesville Saturday and a third straight loss might put UF in position to at least make the SEC Tournament semifinals to get into the NCAA.
SEC Basketball
Tuesday’s scores: Texas A&M (16-10, 5-8 SEC) 56, FLORIDA (16-10, 6-7 SEC) 56; South Carolina (15-10, 6-7 SEC) 77, Ole Miss (12-14, 3-10 SEC) 74, OT; No. 23 Arkansas (20-6, 9-4 SEC) 76, Missouri (10-15, 4-8 SEC) 57; No. 16 Tennessee (19-6, 10-3 SEC) , No. 4 Kentucky (21-5, 10-3 SEC)
Wednesday’s games: Georgia (6-19, 1-11 SEC) at LSU (18-7, 6-6 SEC); Mississippi State (14-10, 5-6 SEC) at Alabama (16-9, 6-6 SEC); Vanderbilt (13-11, 5-7 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (23-2, 11-1 SEC)
PRE-SPRING POSITION REVIEW: RUNNING BACKS
In 2021, with a quarterback-centric running game, the Florida Gators rushed for 2,713 yards and 26 touchdowns in 13 games, averaging 5.48 per carry. Emory Jones carried the ball 43 times more than Dameon Pierce, who averaged 5.74 yards per carry on 100 carries for 13 touchdowns. Over in Lafayette, Billy Napier’s Louisiana Rajin Cajuns ran for 2716 yards in 14 games, averaging 4.81 per carry. The Cajuns were a running back-centric rushing game as three backs all had more carries and more yards than Pierce.
You can be sure that Billy Napier is committed to running the football and that he likes fresh legs in the game. What you won’t see will be a back of Pierce’s caliber standing on the sideline several series every single game. Pierce only had two games – the win over Florida State and the loss to UCF in the bowl game – when he had at least 10 carries. Pierce only had nine games in which he had 10 or more carries his entire Florida career.
Napier inherits three very talented running backs plus he brought Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Montrell Johnson with him from Louisiana. If Nay’Quan Wright is sufficiently healed from the broken leg he suffered against FSU, then Napier will have all four available in the spring when he installs an offense that forces opponents to load up the box to stop the run.
Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 205, RJR): He had an extraordinary spring in 2021 but couldn’t sniff the field for some reason in the fall. He was a 5-star recruit who signed with Miami but had to battle through injuries. At Florida he’s gotten only 16 carries for 75 yards. He likely would not have remained with the program unless he had some assurances that he’ll get a fair shot this year.
Nay’Quan Wright (5-9, 201, RSO): He broke his leg against Florida State in the final regular season game of 2021 and his status for the spring is unknown at this point. If you saw how he lifted the Gators in the second quarter when they came back against Alabama, then you know he’s a hard runner with make-you-miss qualities and a dynamic receiver out of the backfield. So why didn’t he get more than 76 carries (326 yards) and 14 receptions in 2021? Will he be the feature back? Will he stick around? Some think he’s going to be leaving in May.
Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 183, SO): A former 5-star who signed with Clemson out of high school, Bowman has go the distance speed any time he touches the ball. He had limited carries at UF last fall, picking up 81 yards on 14 carries. He is the type of runner who, if he gets the ball in space can change a game.
Montrell Johnson (5-11, 210, SO): He was the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after running for 838 yards and 12 touchdowns for Billy Napier and the Rajin Cajuns in 2021. He had a 99-yard run against Arkansas State and had a four TD game against Ohio U. He’s a between the tackles runner, who has speed to bounce it outside.
Assessment: Bowman and Lingard are former 5-star recruits who should have very fresh legs in that they have barely touched the football for the last two years. Both have sprinter’s speed and they should excel in this offense. Wright is an X-factor due to health and the hints on Twitter that he might not be happy. If he’s healthy and committed to the Gators, he’s shown enough with the ball in his hands that he can be very effective both in the running and passing game. Johnson knows the offense and if he’s healthy, he’s going to get the football in his hands. I think Napier would be very happy to have three backs he can rotate in the game. I’m also convinced that his rotation will make a whole lot more sense than what we saw out of running backs coach Greg Knox three of the previous four years.
SOFTBALL: UF 39, EVERYBODY ELSE 2
Tim Walton did a bit of juggling with his lineup Tuesday night, inserting freshman Kendra Falby in the leadoff spot and moving everybody one spot down. The result was a 13-hit effort that produced a 13-1 run-rule road win over Jacksonville as the 3rd-ranked Gators moved to 5-0 on the season.
Falby, who went 6-11 at the plate with four stolen bases in Florida’s first four games, went 2-3 as the leadoff hitter, scoring three runs and adding her fifth stolen base of the season. Charla Echols, 1-16 down in Tampa over the weekend while hitting in the three spot, moved to cleanup and delivered three hits and three RBI. Freshman Reagan Walsh dropped to fifth in the order and came through with a monster game – three hits including a 2-run single and a grand slam. Sophomore Avery Goelz moved down to ninth in the order and came through with two hits including a 2-run homer.
Natalie Lugo got the win for the Gators, giving up three hits while striking out four in four shutout innings.
The Gators, who have outscored their five opponents 39-2, will face JU at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium at 6 p.m. tonight (SEC Network+).
SWIMMING AND OTHER SPORTS
The 5th-ranked Florida men find themselves in sixth place one day into the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships in Knoxville while the 17th-ranked Florida women are in seventh. The UF men got winning relay performances in the 200 medley and 800 freestyle.
Day 1 men’s standings: 1. Texas A&M 156; 2. Tennessee 139; 3. Kentucky 153; 4. LSU 139; 5. Alabama 137; 6. FLORIDA 133; 7. Missouri 122; 8. Georgia 114; 9. South Carolina 105; 10. Auburn 90.
Day 1 women’s standings: 1. Texas A&M 155; 2. LSU 150; 3. Kentucky 148; 4. Tennessee 145; 5. (tie) South Carolina and Georgia 139; 7. FLORIDA 130; 8. Alabama 114; 9. Auburn 107; 10. Missouri 97; 11. Arkansas 78; 12. Vanderbilt 60
Florida’s 7th-ranked lacrosse team won an exhibition match with the Scotland national team, 32-10.
Leanne Wong was named SEC Gymnast of the Week after capturing the all-around title with a 39.65 in 2nd-ranked Florida’s 198.150-197.825 win over 5th-ranked LSU. For her perfect 10 on floor, Nya Reed was named SEC Specialist of the Week.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco wrote an open letter to college football Monday. Without actually saying so in the letter, Aresco called Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips a know-nothing bozo. Am I being a little harsh? Okay, he knows something, but Phillips is still a bozo. Would you like to know why?
Phillips is the commissioner of a league that has a rotten media contract with ESPN that (a) isn’t set to expire until 2036 and (b) ESPN isn’t in any mood to renegotiate. Most of his top tier schools have to recruit head-to-head with the SEC, which landed 13 (only 14 schools in the SEC) of the top 30 recruiting classes for 2022. The ACC had four, highest ranked Clemson at No. 10. Better players mean better ball games, which is why ESPN is willing to bet the farm on its SEC package and won’t renegotiate with the ACC. The SEC just distributed $56.4 million. The ACC is going to come in at less than $34 million and this is BEFORE the new ESPN contract kicks in and BEFORE Texas and Oklahoma join the league.
Phillips, especially, is standing in the way of the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams under the terms of the proposal put forth by Greg Sankey, Bob Bowlsby, Craig Thompson and Jack Swarbrick last summer. Phillips thinks expansion should wait until 2026 and he’s proposing an 8-team playoff. Aresco wants the original proposal to kick in by 2023 if possible, 2024 at the latest.
A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:
SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY
Forget the stupid foul on the 3-point shooter with 19.5 seconds left. Forget also how the Gators squandered away the final 19.5 seconds and settled for a poor shot when they only needed two to win and Colin Castleton didn’t even sniff the basketball. Yes, those are factors in Florida’s 56-55 loss at the hands of Texas A&M (16-10, 5-8 SEC) in College Station, but when it comes right down to it, this game was lost in a first half that saw the Gators score only six points in the game’s first 6:03 and then go scoreless until Colin Castleton was freed up for a dunk with 6:35 to go.
Prior to Castleton’s dunk, the Gators were 3-19 from the field. In the final 6:53, they were 4-13 including a pair of 3-pointers. Florida was 7-32 overall from the field and 2-15 from the 3-point line in the first half. Complicating matters were 10 Florida turnovers in the first half that the Aggies converted into 17 points as they took a 27-20 lead at the intermission.
There is the game, right there. The foul by Fleming and his missed shot didn’t lose the game although they did contribute.
“We didn’t lose the game because of one of those couple plays,” Florida coach Mike White said. “There were 50 things we could have done better.”
And most of what could have been done better was on the offensive end of the floor. Defensively, the Gators were exceptional. They held the Aggies to 33.9 percent shooting overall and just 2-18 (11.1 percent) from the 3-point line. When you hold a team to 56 points and that kind of miserable shooting night, you should win the game if you get anything at all on the offensive end.
Offensively, the Gators broke out of their funk down the stretch when they rallied from a 12-point deficit (43-31) in the game’s final 10:45, sparked by, of all people, Niels Lane, who scored all six of his points in the second half and contributed three very timely assists including two that led to dunks by Castleton and the third that got Tyree Appleby his only 3-pointer of the game that gave UF a 52-51 lead with 2:31 to go.
Fleming hit a 3-ball with 1:44 left that gave UF a 55-51 lead but UF wouldn’t score again as the Aggies scored the final five points to pick up the win.
This is a game Florida had no business losing. A lot of folks will point fingers at White but he wasn’t the one who turning the ball over or missing first half layups and he’s not the one who, on so many trips down the floor, failed to get the ball into Castleton, who had a warrior’s game – 15 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. In the first half, whenever the Gators got the ball to Castleton he was swarmed by two and three Aggies every touch. He was banged around plenty although he only got to the foul line five times (made all five). When he got the ball out to the perimeter to open shooters, they couldn’t deliver. In the second half, the ball worked its way into Castleton more often, but in the final 19.5 seconds, he didn’t get a touch. The way the Aggies were trying to stop him, there is a chance he could have found someone a far better shot than Fleming took if an entry pass had been made.
The loss puts the Gators in a most precarious position. They’ve got No. 1 Auburn coming to Gainesville Saturday and a third straight loss might put UF in position to at least make the SEC Tournament semifinals to get into the NCAA.
SEC Basketball
Tuesday’s scores: Texas A&M (16-10, 5-8 SEC) 56, FLORIDA (16-10, 6-7 SEC) 56; South Carolina (15-10, 6-7 SEC) 77, Ole Miss (12-14, 3-10 SEC) 74, OT; No. 23 Arkansas (20-6, 9-4 SEC) 76, Missouri (10-15, 4-8 SEC) 57; No. 16 Tennessee (19-6, 10-3 SEC) , No. 4 Kentucky (21-5, 10-3 SEC)
Wednesday’s games: Georgia (6-19, 1-11 SEC) at LSU (18-7, 6-6 SEC); Mississippi State (14-10, 5-6 SEC) at Alabama (16-9, 6-6 SEC); Vanderbilt (13-11, 5-7 SEC) at No. 1 Auburn (23-2, 11-1 SEC)
PRE-SPRING POSITION REVIEW: RUNNING BACKS
In 2021, with a quarterback-centric running game, the Florida Gators rushed for 2,713 yards and 26 touchdowns in 13 games, averaging 5.48 per carry. Emory Jones carried the ball 43 times more than Dameon Pierce, who averaged 5.74 yards per carry on 100 carries for 13 touchdowns. Over in Lafayette, Billy Napier’s Louisiana Rajin Cajuns ran for 2716 yards in 14 games, averaging 4.81 per carry. The Cajuns were a running back-centric rushing game as three backs all had more carries and more yards than Pierce.
You can be sure that Billy Napier is committed to running the football and that he likes fresh legs in the game. What you won’t see will be a back of Pierce’s caliber standing on the sideline several series every single game. Pierce only had two games – the win over Florida State and the loss to UCF in the bowl game – when he had at least 10 carries. Pierce only had nine games in which he had 10 or more carries his entire Florida career.
Napier inherits three very talented running backs plus he brought Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Montrell Johnson with him from Louisiana. If Nay’Quan Wright is sufficiently healed from the broken leg he suffered against FSU, then Napier will have all four available in the spring when he installs an offense that forces opponents to load up the box to stop the run.
Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 205, RJR): He had an extraordinary spring in 2021 but couldn’t sniff the field for some reason in the fall. He was a 5-star recruit who signed with Miami but had to battle through injuries. At Florida he’s gotten only 16 carries for 75 yards. He likely would not have remained with the program unless he had some assurances that he’ll get a fair shot this year.
Nay’Quan Wright (5-9, 201, RSO): He broke his leg against Florida State in the final regular season game of 2021 and his status for the spring is unknown at this point. If you saw how he lifted the Gators in the second quarter when they came back against Alabama, then you know he’s a hard runner with make-you-miss qualities and a dynamic receiver out of the backfield. So why didn’t he get more than 76 carries (326 yards) and 14 receptions in 2021? Will he be the feature back? Will he stick around? Some think he’s going to be leaving in May.
Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 183, SO): A former 5-star who signed with Clemson out of high school, Bowman has go the distance speed any time he touches the ball. He had limited carries at UF last fall, picking up 81 yards on 14 carries. He is the type of runner who, if he gets the ball in space can change a game.
Montrell Johnson (5-11, 210, SO): He was the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after running for 838 yards and 12 touchdowns for Billy Napier and the Rajin Cajuns in 2021. He had a 99-yard run against Arkansas State and had a four TD game against Ohio U. He’s a between the tackles runner, who has speed to bounce it outside.
Assessment: Bowman and Lingard are former 5-star recruits who should have very fresh legs in that they have barely touched the football for the last two years. Both have sprinter’s speed and they should excel in this offense. Wright is an X-factor due to health and the hints on Twitter that he might not be happy. If he’s healthy and committed to the Gators, he’s shown enough with the ball in his hands that he can be very effective both in the running and passing game. Johnson knows the offense and if he’s healthy, he’s going to get the football in his hands. I think Napier would be very happy to have three backs he can rotate in the game. I’m also convinced that his rotation will make a whole lot more sense than what we saw out of running backs coach Greg Knox three of the previous four years.
SOFTBALL: UF 39, EVERYBODY ELSE 2
Tim Walton did a bit of juggling with his lineup Tuesday night, inserting freshman Kendra Falby in the leadoff spot and moving everybody one spot down. The result was a 13-hit effort that produced a 13-1 run-rule road win over Jacksonville as the 3rd-ranked Gators moved to 5-0 on the season.
Falby, who went 6-11 at the plate with four stolen bases in Florida’s first four games, went 2-3 as the leadoff hitter, scoring three runs and adding her fifth stolen base of the season. Charla Echols, 1-16 down in Tampa over the weekend while hitting in the three spot, moved to cleanup and delivered three hits and three RBI. Freshman Reagan Walsh dropped to fifth in the order and came through with a monster game – three hits including a 2-run single and a grand slam. Sophomore Avery Goelz moved down to ninth in the order and came through with two hits including a 2-run homer.
Natalie Lugo got the win for the Gators, giving up three hits while striking out four in four shutout innings.
The Gators, who have outscored their five opponents 39-2, will face JU at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium at 6 p.m. tonight (SEC Network+).
SWIMMING AND OTHER SPORTS
The 5th-ranked Florida men find themselves in sixth place one day into the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships in Knoxville while the 17th-ranked Florida women are in seventh. The UF men got winning relay performances in the 200 medley and 800 freestyle.
Day 1 men’s standings: 1. Texas A&M 156; 2. Tennessee 139; 3. Kentucky 153; 4. LSU 139; 5. Alabama 137; 6. FLORIDA 133; 7. Missouri 122; 8. Georgia 114; 9. South Carolina 105; 10. Auburn 90.
Day 1 women’s standings: 1. Texas A&M 155; 2. LSU 150; 3. Kentucky 148; 4. Tennessee 145; 5. (tie) South Carolina and Georgia 139; 7. FLORIDA 130; 8. Alabama 114; 9. Auburn 107; 10. Missouri 97; 11. Arkansas 78; 12. Vanderbilt 60
Florida’s 7th-ranked lacrosse team won an exhibition match with the Scotland national team, 32-10.
Leanne Wong was named SEC Gymnast of the Week after capturing the all-around title with a 39.65 in 2nd-ranked Florida’s 198.150-197.825 win over 5th-ranked LSU. For her perfect 10 on floor, Nya Reed was named SEC Specialist of the Week.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco wrote an open letter to college football Monday. Without actually saying so in the letter, Aresco called Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips a know-nothing bozo. Am I being a little harsh? Okay, he knows something, but Phillips is still a bozo. Would you like to know why?
Phillips is the commissioner of a league that has a rotten media contract with ESPN that (a) isn’t set to expire until 2036 and (b) ESPN isn’t in any mood to renegotiate. Most of his top tier schools have to recruit head-to-head with the SEC, which landed 13 (only 14 schools in the SEC) of the top 30 recruiting classes for 2022. The ACC had four, highest ranked Clemson at No. 10. Better players mean better ball games, which is why ESPN is willing to bet the farm on its SEC package and won’t renegotiate with the ACC. The SEC just distributed $56.4 million. The ACC is going to come in at less than $34 million and this is BEFORE the new ESPN contract kicks in and BEFORE Texas and Oklahoma join the league.
Phillips, especially, is standing in the way of the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams under the terms of the proposal put forth by Greg Sankey, Bob Bowlsby, Craig Thompson and Jack Swarbrick last summer. Phillips thinks expansion should wait until 2026 and he’s proposing an 8-team playoff. Aresco wants the original proposal to kick in by 2023 if possible, 2024 at the latest.
