From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. When stories like these fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» Though President Barack Obama‘s official 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket will be released on Wednesday at 9 a.m. on ESPN, the network released his Final Four late Tuesday night. President Obama chose the Florida Gators to win the South Region and also has Louisville, Indiana and Ohio State advancing to the Final Four.

» Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah had a hellacious experience during his team’s game on Monday evening. With 5.7 seconds left in overtime and Chicago trailing Denver by a single point, Noah got in perfect position underneath the basket and tipped in what otherwise would have been a missed shot. Though Noah scored the apparent game-winner and the referees did not call interference on the play, they checked the replay and eventually reversed their decision. The problem? Referees are only allowed to use replay to review on-court calls of interference, not to check on non-calls. Take a look at the video below to see what transpired on Monday.

Read 14 more interesting bites of Florida Gators news…after the break!
Continue Reading » 16 Gator Bites for Wednesday, March 20

Tags: Allie Kiick, Barack Obama, baseball, Billy Donovan, Bridget Sloan, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Browns, Cornelius Ingram, Duke Dawson, Final Four, Georgia Bulldogs, gymnastics, Joakim Noah, Joe Haden, Keanu Neal, Keiwan Ratliff, Kentucky Wildcats, Kytra Hunter, lacrosse, Lauren Haeger, Marcell Harris, Matt Elam, McKethan Stadium, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, New York Jets, NFL, North Florida Ospreys, Oregon Ducks, Percy Harvin, Ryan Lochte, Seattle Seahawks, SEC, SEC Championships, softball, Stetson Hatters, swimming, Tennessee Volunteers, tennis, Tim Tebow

1 » Hosting the Nike Volleyball Big Four Classic at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL, over the weekend, No. 4 Florida Gators volleyball squared off against two of the best teams in the country – the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 5 Texas Longhorns. The Gators (6-1) were able to split their two games, falling 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-14, 25-23) to the Nittany Lions (7-0) but winning 3-2 (25-11, 27-25, 16-25, 20-25, 16-14) against the Longhorns.

In the two matches, junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy posted a total of 27 kills, 37 assists and 20 digs, earning her a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Joining her on the team was senior outside hitter Callie Rivers, who posted 16 kills and 16 digs combined in the two matches. The schedule does not get any easier for Florida, which will take on No. 16 Kentucky to begin Southeastern Conference play on Friday.

2 » Just behind volleyball rankings-wise is No. 6 Gators soccer (6-0), which utilized an overtime victory to top the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles (4-2) 2-1 on Friday at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, FL. Well into the second half, Florida sophomore midfielder/forward Erika Tymrak gave the Gators an early lead with a deflected goal at 62’. Things were looking bleak for FSU until Janie Cayman knocked one through at 89’ just before regulation time expired. However, UF redshirt sophomore MF McKenzie Barney obviously had somewhere important to be, because it only took her 15 seconds into the overtime period to turn a serve from senior defender Nicky Kit into a golden goal for the Gators.

Extra BIT » President Barack Obama may be doing a Gator Chomp on Monday as Florida’s 2009-10 NCAA National Championship-winning men’s track and field and women’s swimming and diving teams will be recognized for their accomplishments at the White House. The Gators will be joined by 31 other NCAA title teams who will have the opportunity to honored by the President on the White House lawn.

Tags: All-Tournament, Barack Obama, Big Four Classic, Callie Rivers, diving, Erika Tymrak, field, Florida State Seminoles, Gator Chomp, Janie Cayman, Kelly Murphy, McKenzie Barney, National Championship, NCAA, Nicky Kit, O'Connell Center, Penn State Nittany Lions, Seminole Soccer Complex, soccer, swimming, Texas Longhorns, track, volleyball, White House

1 » Former Florida Gators center Joakim Noah had a coming out party of sorts for the Chicago Bulls in his third NBA season, averaging career highs in points (10.7), rebounds (11.0) and assists (2.1). After a busy offseason and free agency period, Chicago is now looking to sign Noah to a long-term deal, according to ESPNChicago.com. Apparently Noah’s agent Donald Dell is already in talks with the Bulls, and the two sides are relatively close to an agreement. “I’m not really worried about it. I think everything’s going to happen with time and at the end of the day, I’m really excited about the upcoming season,” Noah said.

2 » In the meantime, Noah had the opportunity to play basketball with none other than President Barack Obama (and a few other NBA All-Stars) in an effort to entertain wounded troops in Washington, D.C. over the weekend (see picture above).

3 » Back in May, OGGOA looked at what some college basketball experts had to say about Florida entering the 2010-11 season ranked in the top 10 in preseason polls. The result? All three agreed that the Gators would hold such a distinction when the season began. And while that may be the case, two Florida players realize that is all talk. “Obviously, we like that people are showing us attention, ranking us high, but we also know that none of that stuff matters, senior forward Chandler Parsons said last week. “Really it feels the same way,” sophomore guard Kenny Boynton said about the upcoming season.. “We haven’t accomplished anything this year. It’s basically just people talking right now. My expectations definitely are a way better record than what we had last year. We want to definitely get deep in the tournament. Overall, I think we should be a much better team.”

4 » Augie Greiner, a former player and friend of Florida basketball, passed away this past weekend. OGGOA did our best to pay tribute to his contributions to the Gators, but in a special to FOXSports Florida, Bill Koss does perhaps an even better job. Do yourself a favor and learn a little bit more about Greiner, a man who has had a greater impact on the University of Florida basketball program than you know.

Photo Credit: White House

Tags: Augie Greiner, Barack Obama, Chandler Parsons, Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah, Kenny Boynton, NBA, University of Florida

Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow was honored as a guest of President Barack Obama at the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. Not only did Tebow attend the event, he was invited by Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to give the closing prayer. A video of Tebow’s prayer can be seen below:

Tags: Barack Obama, Johnny Isakson, National Prayer Breakfast, Tim Tebow

No. 1 Florida Gators players and coaches have spoken with the media extensively over the last two days regarding the 2009 SEC Championship game on Saturday against the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide. You can find choice quotes and notes from the press conferences and interviews in no particular order after the break…
Continue Reading » Quotes & notes from UF on SEC Championship

Tags: Ahmad Black, Alabama Crimson Tide, Barack Obama, Charlie Strong, Heisman Trophy, Joe Haden, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Mark Ingram, Mike Pouncey, Omar Hunter, Riley Cooper, Ryan Stamper, SEC Championship, Steve Addazio, Terrence Cody, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

1 » Florida Gators student-athletes get plenty of respect but not much is ever written about their parents who, in some cases, are truly amazing people in their own right. Sure, some are ex-football or basketball stars, but there are others like right tackle redshirt junior Marcus Gilbert’s father Jeff who is a Secret Service agent for President Barack Obama. One of these such parents is freshman left tackle Xavier Nixon’s mother Fotini, a United States soldier in training to acquire the rank of E-9. After learning her son was earning his first start in the Orange and Blue, Fotini cried. But it was Xavier who had reason to be emotional just a few weeks prior when he heard about the shootings at Fort Hood, where his mother is stationed as she trains in the Sergeant Major Academy. “Thank God she was safe,” he said.

2 » Redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe was named South Regional Female Athlete of the Year while head coach Todd Morgan was named South Regional Women’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association on Wednesday. Lowe, a standout for the No. 5 Gators, won the 2009 NCAA South Region Championship and 2009 Southeastern Conference individual title this season, leading the third-ranked Florida team to their third regional title in the program’s history. She was also named the 2009 SEC Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year last week. She will try to continue her hot streak as the Gators compete in the NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, IN.

News on Reggie Nelson, baseball, softball, swimming and diving after the jump…
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Nixon’s mom at Fort Hood, Lowe & Morgan honored, Nelson struggling, new commits

Tags: Alana Pezevic, Alicia Mathieu, All-Rookie Team, Barack Obama, baseball, cross country, diving, Elizabeth Beisel, Hannah Rogers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacob Tillotson, Julia Treible, Kaitlin Frehling, Marcus Gilbert, NCAA Championships, NFL, Rebecca Lowe, Reggie Nelson, SEC, softball, Stephen Lichtner, swimming, Todd Morgan, track & field, Trish Regan, Xavier Nixon