By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
FLORIDA DEFENSE: THE TIMES THEY ARE ‘A-CHANGING
When it comes to Florida’s defense in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, there were far too many times when it seemed coordinator Todd Grantham outsmarted himself. Known for his NFL-style schemes that were diagrammed in a playbook thicker than the one Dan Mullen used for the offense, it wasn’t uncommon for the Gators to look dazed and confused. Too often, when they seemed to know what they were doing and where they were supposed to line up, they couldn’t make tackles or come up with a third down stop.
Enter co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, one of the first hires Billy Napier made when he took over as Florida’s head coach.
“The first thing that we’ve got to do is play fundamentally sound defense,” Toney said. “The number one priority is how we’re playing the game.”
Think back to the LSU game when the Tigers ran the same exact play over and over again and the Gators couldn’t stop it. LSU ran for 326 yards that day. Also think back to the 2020 SEC Championship Game against Alabama, when Mac Jones certainly didn’t look dazed and confused but the Florida defense did.
Toney’s philosophy might be explained like this: Make the opposing QB think way too much.
“First and foremost, from a defensive standpoint, we want to make the same things look different and different things look the same,” Toney said. “In today’s game the person you’ve got to make things hard on is the trigger man. You’ve got to be able to disguise and make him decide where the coverage is, where are the strengths and weaknesses and where the coverage issues are. We’re going to try to put in a defense that poses problems for the quarterback post-snap.”
“If you look at every run, there’s a run-pass option to it. What everybody is trying to do in today’s game is get the ball handed off into a positive-numbered box, so you want to show population one way, maybe, and force them to throw the football that way or maybe force them to hand the ball into a loaded-box count. The quarterback is making a decision on runs and passes every snap, not just passes.”
UF BASKETBALL: GOLDEN MAKES FIRST HIRE
Todd Golden is already in Gainesville and he’s bringing Jonathan Safir with him from his staff at San Francisco. Safir has a master’s in sports management from Columbia and he’s considered brilliant when it comes to analytics, particularly when it comes to scouting both opponents and potential recruits.
Florida assistant Akeem Miskdeen will be joining former UF coach Mike White’s Georgia staff.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS MOVE UP ONE SPOT IN THE POLLS
D1Baseball Top 25: 1. Ole Miss 15-4; 2. Texas 17-5; 3. Arkansas 16-3; 4. Vanderbilt 17-2; 5. Tennessee 19-1; 6. Oregon State 14-4; 7. Florida State 13-6; 8. FLORIDA 15-5; 9. Oklahoma State 14-6; 10. Virginia 19-1; 11. Arizona 15-4; 12. Notre Dame 12-4; 13. North Carolina 17-3; 14. Georgia Tech 15-5; 15. Liberty 14-4; 16. Texas Tech 17-4; 17. Georgia 16-4; 18. Louisville 16-4; 19. TCU 14-5; 20. Texas State 18-3; 21. LSU 15-5; 22. Maryland 16-3; 23. Gonzaga 14-4; 24. Clemson 15-4; 25. UConn 14-3
USA Today Coaches Top 25: 1. Vanderbilt 17-2; 2. Ole Miss 15-4; 3. Texas 17-5; 4. Arkansas 16-3; 5. Tennessee 19-1; 6. Oregon State 14-4; 7. FLORIDA 15-5; 8. Virginia 19-1; 9. Arizona 14-4; 10. Florida State 13-6; 11. Texas Tech 17-4; 12. North Carolina 17-3; 13. Oklahoma State 14-6; 14. Georgia 16-4; 15. Notre Dame 12-4; 16. Georgia Tech 15-5; 17. Liberty 14-4; 18. LSU 15-5; 19. TCU 14-5; 20. Maryland 16-3; 21. Texas State 18-3; 22. Louisville 16-4; 23. Clemson 15-4; 24. Stanford 9-7; 25. Gonzaga 14-4
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS FALL ONE SPOT TO NO. 6
D1Softball Top 25: 1. Oklahoma 25-0; 2. UCLA 24-3; 3. Florida State 27-2; 4. Alabama 24-4; 5. Virginia Tech 21-3; 6. FLORIDA 25-3; 7. Duke 23-4; 8. Northwestern 19-4; 9. Arkansas 19-5; 10. Oklahoma State 21-6; 11. Oregon 21-4; 12. Kentucky 20-5; 13. Michigan 17-6; 14. Tennessee 20-8; 15. Washington 20-7; 16. Texas 21-9-1; 17. Arizona State 22-5; 18. Auburn 25-2; 19. Clemson 19-8; 20. Missouri 19-9; 21. Georgia 26-4; 22. Arizona 19-6; 23. UCF 26-7; 24. Ohio State 17-5; 25. LSU 20-10
THE SWEET 16: WHO’S LEFT STANDING
East Region
3 Purdue (29-7): These guys are enormous (7-4, 6-10 up front) and they have one of the best pure point guards in the tournament in Jaden Ivey (17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists). They pound it inside and foul people out (785 free throw attempts, 2nd best in the country) but when you sag to stop the inside game, they hit 38.8 percent of their three-pointers.
4 UCLA (27-7): The Bruins know how to win. They made the Final Four a year ago and the same guys that got them there are back again. Everybody knows you have to stop Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. from scoring, but the guy who makes them go is point guard Tyger Campbell (11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 41.5 percent on threes). Whoever beats the Bruins has to start by neutralizing Campbell, who can score but is at his best setting up his buds.
8 North Carolina (26-9): Here is everything you need to know about why North Carolina is in the Sweet 16. In two games, the Tar Heels have assisted on 51 of 62 made shots. They are the most unselfish team remaining in the tournament and they are the best passing team. If they pass like that the next two games they’ll be in the Final Four.
15 Saint Peter’s (21-11): These guys are playing with house money. They didn’t win the regular season in their conference (Iona did) and had to win their conference tournament. To get to the Sweet 16 they’ve knocked off No. 2 Kentucky and No. 7 Murray State. They don’t score a lot, don’t defend all that well and they aren’t a great rebounding team. But they’re here and they win.
Friday’s games: 15 Saint Peter’s vs. Purdue; 8 North Carolina vs. UCLA
I like: Purdue and North Carolina
Midwest Region
1 Kansas (30-6): The Jayhawks have the easiest path to the Final Four. Wouldn’t Kansas making the Final Four be a slap in the face of the NCAA, which has hit Kansas with a serious Notice of Allegations? KU is standing by its man (Bill Self). Not the most talented team Self has had but good enough to get to the Final Four and maybe good enough to win it all if David McCormack can stay out of foul trouble.
4 Providence (27-5): Providence defense (54 points per game) is like hand-to-hand combat. The Friars aren’t a great shooting team but they compensate by grinding teams into the ground with their defense and they’re terrific rebounders. Nate Watson (13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds) has to play well for Providence to advance.
10 Miami (25-10): There are two secrets for Miami’s success: (1) The Hurricanes take care of the basketball (9.25 turnovers per game) and (2) they’re the oldest team in the field, average age of the starters 23 years old. Point guard Charlie Moore (12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists) is playing at his fourth school (Cal, Kansas and DePaul are the others).
11 Iowa State (22-12): The Cyclones got into the tournament by the skin of their teeth (three straight losses to end the regular season) but they’ve scored two white knuckles wins over LSU and Wisconsin to make it to the Sweet 16. The Cyclones don’t score a lot, but neither do the teams they play. Boring, but so far it’s worked.
Friday’s games: Kansas vs. Providence; Miami vs. Iowa State
I like: Kansas and Iowa State
South Region
1 Arizona (33-3): It took overtime against TCU and some whistles being swallowed by the zebras for Zona to get to the Sweet 16. Zona starts two 7-footers and brings another one off the bench. They are a ferocious rebounding team that makes up for a lack of outside shooting with tons of second chance points. Whoever beats the Wildcats has to at least stay even on rebounding.
2 Villanova (28-7): Collin Gillespie (16 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 41.5 percent on 3-pointers) is the best player on the best coached team still standing. This is a typical Jay Wright team. They rarely turn the ball over (10 per game), don’t miss free throws (team 82.3 percent) and they get after people defensively (62.9 points per game). Someone is going to have to beat Villanova, because Villanova won’t beat itself with silly mistakes.
4 Houston (31-5): Houston’s defensive strategy is classic. The Cougars wall up the paint and make it as close to impossible as it gets scoring inside, then they dare you to beat them with 3-pointers. Houston allows only 59 points a game and 37.48 percent from the field. The Cougars are also the best offensive rebounding team remaining in the tournament.
11 Michigan (19-14): I still don’t think Michigan should have gotten in, but here are the Wolverines one of two Big Ten teams still standing. If 7-1 Hunter Dickinson plays as well as he did against Tennessee (27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3-5 on 3-pointers), the Wolverines can make it to the Elite Eight.
Thursday’s games: 11 Michigan vs. 2 Villanova; 5 Houston vs. 1 Arizona
I like: Villanova and Houston
West Region
1 Gonzaga (28-3): If it’s a fast game with both teams committed to running the floor, it’s next to impossible to beat the Zags. Slow them down and make them play half court and they struggle. Drew Timme can score on anyone but the glue guy is point guard Andrew Nembhard, who is the best point remaining in this tournament, bar none. He plays defense, he doesn’t turn the ball over, he finds the open guy and he makes shots, whether it’s beyond the arc or at the foul line. The later in the game the more lethal he is.
2 Duke (30-6): No pressure on these guys. Nooooo. Coach K is calling it a career so every game could be his last. Would you want to be on the team that didn’t send Coach K off without a national championship?
3 Texas Tech (27-9): These guys defend. It’s in your face for 94 feet and they are relentless. If they’re hitting shots, they can beat anyone in the country. If they aren’t making shots, they’re still in the game because of their defense but they’re beatable.
4 Arkansas (27-8): For Arkansas to make it out of the region and into the Final Four, the Hogs will have to play the way they played at home in beating Kentucky and Auburn. If they play like they did in barely beating New Mexico State, they’ll be back home in Fayette Nam watching the Final Four on TV.
Thursday’s games: 1 Gonzaga vs. 4 Arkansas; 2 Duke vs. 3 Texas Tech
I like: Gonzaga and Texas Tech
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Matt McMahon is LSU’s new basketball coach. He could have had any one of several vacancies out there that would have paid substantially more than the $575,000 he was making at Murray State, but instead he picked LSU, which is a bit strange. It’s strange because LSU basketball – and perhaps football – is headed toward the equivalent of nuclear winter because the coach he’s replacing (Will Wade) got hit with seven Level I (NCAA’s most severe) violations. Folks in Baton Rouge seem to think that LSU will be very fortunate if the basketball program is allowed participate in the postseason anytime before 2025. It makes you wonder how McMahon is going to recruit and how much LSU is going to pay him. His otherwise sparkling coaching record could be swimming with the bacteria on the bottom of the septic tank.
Complicating matters are the football violations, one of which involves a football booster who allegedly embezzled $180,000 from a hospital to pay the father of an LSU player. LSU tried to keep the basketball and football violations separate by self-imposing sanctions for football, but when the NCAA included both football and basketball in its NOA, it meant the self-imposed sanctions were not enough.
LSU will get hit with lack of institutional control, which means any violation in any sport, no matter how tacky or small, will rise to Level I. It’s not just football and basketball that are getting hammered, it’s the entire program. A lot of folks think it’s righteous and about time.
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
FLORIDA DEFENSE: THE TIMES THEY ARE ‘A-CHANGING
When it comes to Florida’s defense in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, there were far too many times when it seemed coordinator Todd Grantham outsmarted himself. Known for his NFL-style schemes that were diagrammed in a playbook thicker than the one Dan Mullen used for the offense, it wasn’t uncommon for the Gators to look dazed and confused. Too often, when they seemed to know what they were doing and where they were supposed to line up, they couldn’t make tackles or come up with a third down stop.
Enter co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, one of the first hires Billy Napier made when he took over as Florida’s head coach.
“The first thing that we’ve got to do is play fundamentally sound defense,” Toney said. “The number one priority is how we’re playing the game.”
Think back to the LSU game when the Tigers ran the same exact play over and over again and the Gators couldn’t stop it. LSU ran for 326 yards that day. Also think back to the 2020 SEC Championship Game against Alabama, when Mac Jones certainly didn’t look dazed and confused but the Florida defense did.
Toney’s philosophy might be explained like this: Make the opposing QB think way too much.
“First and foremost, from a defensive standpoint, we want to make the same things look different and different things look the same,” Toney said. “In today’s game the person you’ve got to make things hard on is the trigger man. You’ve got to be able to disguise and make him decide where the coverage is, where are the strengths and weaknesses and where the coverage issues are. We’re going to try to put in a defense that poses problems for the quarterback post-snap.”
“If you look at every run, there’s a run-pass option to it. What everybody is trying to do in today’s game is get the ball handed off into a positive-numbered box, so you want to show population one way, maybe, and force them to throw the football that way or maybe force them to hand the ball into a loaded-box count. The quarterback is making a decision on runs and passes every snap, not just passes.”
UF BASKETBALL: GOLDEN MAKES FIRST HIRE
Todd Golden is already in Gainesville and he’s bringing Jonathan Safir with him from his staff at San Francisco. Safir has a master’s in sports management from Columbia and he’s considered brilliant when it comes to analytics, particularly when it comes to scouting both opponents and potential recruits.
Florida assistant Akeem Miskdeen will be joining former UF coach Mike White’s Georgia staff.
UF BASEBALL: GATORS MOVE UP ONE SPOT IN THE POLLS
D1Baseball Top 25: 1. Ole Miss 15-4; 2. Texas 17-5; 3. Arkansas 16-3; 4. Vanderbilt 17-2; 5. Tennessee 19-1; 6. Oregon State 14-4; 7. Florida State 13-6; 8. FLORIDA 15-5; 9. Oklahoma State 14-6; 10. Virginia 19-1; 11. Arizona 15-4; 12. Notre Dame 12-4; 13. North Carolina 17-3; 14. Georgia Tech 15-5; 15. Liberty 14-4; 16. Texas Tech 17-4; 17. Georgia 16-4; 18. Louisville 16-4; 19. TCU 14-5; 20. Texas State 18-3; 21. LSU 15-5; 22. Maryland 16-3; 23. Gonzaga 14-4; 24. Clemson 15-4; 25. UConn 14-3
USA Today Coaches Top 25: 1. Vanderbilt 17-2; 2. Ole Miss 15-4; 3. Texas 17-5; 4. Arkansas 16-3; 5. Tennessee 19-1; 6. Oregon State 14-4; 7. FLORIDA 15-5; 8. Virginia 19-1; 9. Arizona 14-4; 10. Florida State 13-6; 11. Texas Tech 17-4; 12. North Carolina 17-3; 13. Oklahoma State 14-6; 14. Georgia 16-4; 15. Notre Dame 12-4; 16. Georgia Tech 15-5; 17. Liberty 14-4; 18. LSU 15-5; 19. TCU 14-5; 20. Maryland 16-3; 21. Texas State 18-3; 22. Louisville 16-4; 23. Clemson 15-4; 24. Stanford 9-7; 25. Gonzaga 14-4
UF SOFTBALL: GATORS FALL ONE SPOT TO NO. 6
D1Softball Top 25: 1. Oklahoma 25-0; 2. UCLA 24-3; 3. Florida State 27-2; 4. Alabama 24-4; 5. Virginia Tech 21-3; 6. FLORIDA 25-3; 7. Duke 23-4; 8. Northwestern 19-4; 9. Arkansas 19-5; 10. Oklahoma State 21-6; 11. Oregon 21-4; 12. Kentucky 20-5; 13. Michigan 17-6; 14. Tennessee 20-8; 15. Washington 20-7; 16. Texas 21-9-1; 17. Arizona State 22-5; 18. Auburn 25-2; 19. Clemson 19-8; 20. Missouri 19-9; 21. Georgia 26-4; 22. Arizona 19-6; 23. UCF 26-7; 24. Ohio State 17-5; 25. LSU 20-10
THE SWEET 16: WHO’S LEFT STANDING
East Region
3 Purdue (29-7): These guys are enormous (7-4, 6-10 up front) and they have one of the best pure point guards in the tournament in Jaden Ivey (17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists). They pound it inside and foul people out (785 free throw attempts, 2nd best in the country) but when you sag to stop the inside game, they hit 38.8 percent of their three-pointers.
4 UCLA (27-7): The Bruins know how to win. They made the Final Four a year ago and the same guys that got them there are back again. Everybody knows you have to stop Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. from scoring, but the guy who makes them go is point guard Tyger Campbell (11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 41.5 percent on threes). Whoever beats the Bruins has to start by neutralizing Campbell, who can score but is at his best setting up his buds.
8 North Carolina (26-9): Here is everything you need to know about why North Carolina is in the Sweet 16. In two games, the Tar Heels have assisted on 51 of 62 made shots. They are the most unselfish team remaining in the tournament and they are the best passing team. If they pass like that the next two games they’ll be in the Final Four.
15 Saint Peter’s (21-11): These guys are playing with house money. They didn’t win the regular season in their conference (Iona did) and had to win their conference tournament. To get to the Sweet 16 they’ve knocked off No. 2 Kentucky and No. 7 Murray State. They don’t score a lot, don’t defend all that well and they aren’t a great rebounding team. But they’re here and they win.
Friday’s games: 15 Saint Peter’s vs. Purdue; 8 North Carolina vs. UCLA
I like: Purdue and North Carolina
Midwest Region
1 Kansas (30-6): The Jayhawks have the easiest path to the Final Four. Wouldn’t Kansas making the Final Four be a slap in the face of the NCAA, which has hit Kansas with a serious Notice of Allegations? KU is standing by its man (Bill Self). Not the most talented team Self has had but good enough to get to the Final Four and maybe good enough to win it all if David McCormack can stay out of foul trouble.
4 Providence (27-5): Providence defense (54 points per game) is like hand-to-hand combat. The Friars aren’t a great shooting team but they compensate by grinding teams into the ground with their defense and they’re terrific rebounders. Nate Watson (13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds) has to play well for Providence to advance.
10 Miami (25-10): There are two secrets for Miami’s success: (1) The Hurricanes take care of the basketball (9.25 turnovers per game) and (2) they’re the oldest team in the field, average age of the starters 23 years old. Point guard Charlie Moore (12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists) is playing at his fourth school (Cal, Kansas and DePaul are the others).
11 Iowa State (22-12): The Cyclones got into the tournament by the skin of their teeth (three straight losses to end the regular season) but they’ve scored two white knuckles wins over LSU and Wisconsin to make it to the Sweet 16. The Cyclones don’t score a lot, but neither do the teams they play. Boring, but so far it’s worked.
Friday’s games: Kansas vs. Providence; Miami vs. Iowa State
I like: Kansas and Iowa State
South Region
1 Arizona (33-3): It took overtime against TCU and some whistles being swallowed by the zebras for Zona to get to the Sweet 16. Zona starts two 7-footers and brings another one off the bench. They are a ferocious rebounding team that makes up for a lack of outside shooting with tons of second chance points. Whoever beats the Wildcats has to at least stay even on rebounding.
2 Villanova (28-7): Collin Gillespie (16 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 41.5 percent on 3-pointers) is the best player on the best coached team still standing. This is a typical Jay Wright team. They rarely turn the ball over (10 per game), don’t miss free throws (team 82.3 percent) and they get after people defensively (62.9 points per game). Someone is going to have to beat Villanova, because Villanova won’t beat itself with silly mistakes.
4 Houston (31-5): Houston’s defensive strategy is classic. The Cougars wall up the paint and make it as close to impossible as it gets scoring inside, then they dare you to beat them with 3-pointers. Houston allows only 59 points a game and 37.48 percent from the field. The Cougars are also the best offensive rebounding team remaining in the tournament.
11 Michigan (19-14): I still don’t think Michigan should have gotten in, but here are the Wolverines one of two Big Ten teams still standing. If 7-1 Hunter Dickinson plays as well as he did against Tennessee (27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3-5 on 3-pointers), the Wolverines can make it to the Elite Eight.
Thursday’s games: 11 Michigan vs. 2 Villanova; 5 Houston vs. 1 Arizona
I like: Villanova and Houston
West Region
1 Gonzaga (28-3): If it’s a fast game with both teams committed to running the floor, it’s next to impossible to beat the Zags. Slow them down and make them play half court and they struggle. Drew Timme can score on anyone but the glue guy is point guard Andrew Nembhard, who is the best point remaining in this tournament, bar none. He plays defense, he doesn’t turn the ball over, he finds the open guy and he makes shots, whether it’s beyond the arc or at the foul line. The later in the game the more lethal he is.
2 Duke (30-6): No pressure on these guys. Nooooo. Coach K is calling it a career so every game could be his last. Would you want to be on the team that didn’t send Coach K off without a national championship?
3 Texas Tech (27-9): These guys defend. It’s in your face for 94 feet and they are relentless. If they’re hitting shots, they can beat anyone in the country. If they aren’t making shots, they’re still in the game because of their defense but they’re beatable.
4 Arkansas (27-8): For Arkansas to make it out of the region and into the Final Four, the Hogs will have to play the way they played at home in beating Kentucky and Auburn. If they play like they did in barely beating New Mexico State, they’ll be back home in Fayette Nam watching the Final Four on TV.
Thursday’s games: 1 Gonzaga vs. 4 Arkansas; 2 Duke vs. 3 Texas Tech
I like: Gonzaga and Texas Tech
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Matt McMahon is LSU’s new basketball coach. He could have had any one of several vacancies out there that would have paid substantially more than the $575,000 he was making at Murray State, but instead he picked LSU, which is a bit strange. It’s strange because LSU basketball – and perhaps football – is headed toward the equivalent of nuclear winter because the coach he’s replacing (Will Wade) got hit with seven Level I (NCAA’s most severe) violations. Folks in Baton Rouge seem to think that LSU will be very fortunate if the basketball program is allowed participate in the postseason anytime before 2025. It makes you wonder how McMahon is going to recruit and how much LSU is going to pay him. His otherwise sparkling coaching record could be swimming with the bacteria on the bottom of the septic tank.
Complicating matters are the football violations, one of which involves a football booster who allegedly embezzled $180,000 from a hospital to pay the father of an LSU player. LSU tried to keep the basketball and football violations separate by self-imposing sanctions for football, but when the NCAA included both football and basketball in its NOA, it meant the self-imposed sanctions were not enough.
LSU will get hit with lack of institutional control, which means any violation in any sport, no matter how tacky or small, will rise to Level I. It’s not just football and basketball that are getting hammered, it’s the entire program. A lot of folks think it’s righteous and about time.
