In the second round of the 2009 Southeastern Conference Tournament, the Auburn Tigers thrashed the Florida Gators’ NCAA Tournament dreams, defeating them 61-58 in Tampa, FL. The Gators may have gotten some retribution against the Tigers with a 78-70 win on Feb. 18 in Gainesville, FL, but their chance for true redemption will come Thursday in Nashville, TN.

Florida (20-10, 9-6 SEC), the No. 4 seed in the East, will take on Auburn (15-16, 6-10 SEC), the No. 5 seed in the West, in game three of the first round of the 2010 SEC Tournament on March 11 at 7:30 p.m. The game will air live on the SEC Network – check your local listings.

The winner of the contest will move on to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs in round two on Fri., March 12 at 7:30 p.m. The Gators will need at least one SEC Tournament victory to have a chance at avoiding the NIT for the first time in three seasons. (Unless, of course, they defeat the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday).

1 » After suffering their first loss of the season against No. 6/3 Florida State in the inaugural Florida Four tournament, the No. 5/6 Florida Gators traveled to Coral Gables, FL, for a three-game series against the No. 16/11 Miami Hurricanes. OGGOA will wrap-up the series on Sunday, but on Friday, the Gators (6-1) took down the Hurricanes (6-2) 7-1 in the series’ first game. Sophomore starter Alex Pantelidois (3-0) held Miami hitless into the fifth inning and registered a career-high eight strikeouts. Fellow sophomore Nick Mardone earned his first career save by striking out seven over 3.1 innings without giving up a hit or run. Three Gators acquired two RBI in the contest.

Five more BITS including a softball doubleheader, gymnastics triangular meet and SEC openers for men’s and women’s tennis…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS Baseball, softball, gymnastics, tennis win

Five-star shooting guard recruit Austin Rivers (Winter Park, FL), a Florida Gators commitment for over a year, spoke to The Gainesville Sun about his commitment status after his team won the semifinals of the FHSAA Class 6A state tournament Friday night.

Rivers, who has also been entertaining an offer from the Duke Blue Devils, claims that his recent trip to Durham, NC, was mostly for due diligence.

“Right now, if I had to [sign] somewhere, it would be Florida,” Rivers said. “I went up there to see stuff. It’s always been Florida, Florida, Florida. I went on a visit to see [somewhere different].”

Already settled with the Gators is his sister, Callie Rivers, currently a junior outside hitter on Florida’s volleyball team. Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, Austin’s father, has spoken highly of Gators head coach Billy Donovan and the Florida basketball program on numerous occasions.

Rumors have swirled over the last few months that Rivers was planning to drop the Gators and commit to the Blue Devils instead. This was fueled by the relative success of each team. However, he suggests that is not the case whatsoever.

“I haven’t told anybody I’ve decommitted from Florida,” Rivers said. “I don’t think [fans] should be worried. At the end of the day, I’ll do what’s best.”

1 » Though he has told the media and his players that he plans to return to the Florida Gators on March 17 for the beginning of spring practice, head coach Urban Meyer will not be speaking at a Gator Gathering in Jacksonville, FL, on April 21. Instead, interim head coach and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio will fill in. Over the last few years, Meyer made an exuberant number of Gator Gathering stops throughout the state of Florida during the offseason. Curtailing those appearances is a step in the right direction in limiting his travel and responsibilities. UPDATE: Addazio will also take Meyer’s place at the same event on April 30 in Atlanta, GA.

2 » In his latest Big Board, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. dropped former Gators cornerback Joe Haden seven spots from No. 5 to No. 12 overall. Kiper still lists Maurkice Pouncey, who he calls an “athletic, versatile interior lineman [who is] rising quickly,” at No. 18 – the top center/guard on his board.

Extra Bit » Reports have the Washington Redskins showing a strong level of interest in former Florida quarterback Rex Grossman. OGGOA will update.

1 » Florida Gators sophomore offensive tackle Matt Patchan has had a tough time getting on the field since his arrival in Gainesville, FL. Suffering a gunshot in his shoulder before donning the Orange and Blue, Patchan also dealt with a bout of mono, right shoulder surgery and a torn left pectoral muscle early in his career. Then, he injured his knee after falling off of a scooter and pulled a hamstring. It looked like he would finally be healthy for the 2009 season, and he was until tearing his ACL after the fourth game of the season. Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Patchan is doing well and should be able to return to action this year even though he will not be participating in spring practice beginning March 17. “He just needs to get better,” his father Matt Patchan, Sr. told Fowler. “After that, everything will take care of itself and he can act naturally on the field. But we’re very pleased with how the knee has responded.”

2 » In order to reduce the gray area in the “indisputable video evidence” clause in the NCAA rulebook, the Southeastern Conference has decided to add high definition televisions to its instant replay booths beginning with the 2010 college football season. The Big Ten and Big 12 have joined the SEC in adding HDTVs, while the ACC is still considering it. “I think it’s a good move,” said national coordinator of football officials David Perry. “Sometimes a guy at home with high definition was getting a better view of the replay than the guy in the stadium at the booth.”

1 » Former Florida Gators golfers tore up the first round of The Honda Classic at the PGA National Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Thursday. Camilo Villegas was T3 on Thursday with a -4 66, Matt Every followed at T19 with a -1 69 and Chris Couch brought up the rear at T43 with a +1 71. All three have begun the second round hot with Villegas, as of press time, tied for the lead.

2 » Lacrosse (3-1) continues to roll in its inaugural season, picking up a decisive 22-11 win over the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (0-2) Thursday night at Donald R. Dizney Stadium in Gainesville, FL. Freshman attackers Ashley Bruns and Julie Schindel scored five and four goals, respectively, as the Gators cruised to victory. The team is up for some stiff competition when the No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas come to town Tuesday.

Extra Bit » Before the match, Florida freshman midfielder Brittany Dashiell was named the American Lacrosse Conference Co-Rookie of the Week after scoring six combined goals against La Salle and No. 4 North Carolins last week.

Former Florida Gators guard/forward Corey Brewer had a great game Wednesday for the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring 24 points and grabbing seven rebounds in a 112-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Unfortunately, though Mavericks’ guard Jason Terry did win the game, he also suffered a broken orbital bone when Brewer’s elbow and forearm hit him in the face.

After being attended to by team trainers, Terry returned to the court to score seven of his 26 total points. However, his eye was swollen shut after the game and surgery will keep him out of action for at least a week, maybe longer.

1 » ESPN college football analyst Joe Schad took some time out to compile a 2010 Top 100 College Football Stars list featuring names you need to know going into next season. Among his 100, Schad listed four Florida Gators: redshirt sophomore quarterback John Brantley (19), freshman wide receiver Andre Debose (54), sophomore cornerback Janoris Jenkins (77) and redshirt sophomore running back Chris Rainey (88). Brantley was his eighth of 29 QBs, Debose was his eighth of 15 WRs, Jenkins was seventh of 10 DBs and Rainey was 19th of 21 RBs.

2 » Also from ESPN, bracketology expert Joe Lunardi has released his latest edition, and Florida remains a part of the projection. Lunardi has the Gators even after a close home loss to the No. 13/19 Vanderbilt Commodores Tuesday. He lists Florida as a No. 11 seed squaring off against the No. 6-seed Baylor Bears in first-round action in Buffalo, NY.

3 » Competing in 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament first-round action Thursday, the No. 7-seed Gators women’s basketball team (14-16) fell 74-61 to the No. 10-seed Auburn Tigers (15-15). Senior guard Steffi Sorensen led the team with 14 points (12 in the first half), while senior forward Sharielle Smith contributed 11 points.

4 » Three members of Florida’s women’s track and field team were awarded end-of-season honors from the SEC Thursday. Head coach Mike Holloway was named Women’s Coach of the Year, senior jumper Shara Proctor won Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and sprinter Lanie Whittaker shared Women’s Freshman Runner of the Year. The ladies won the 2010 SEC Indoor Championship on Feb. 28.

Bubble Watch » Richmond (23-7), which beat the Gators 56-53 on Dec. 19, took down Dayton (19-10) 60-56. Dayton was on bubble and is now considered out of the running.