This is not a happy mascot.

Welp. The Gators were trounced by the Wolverines today, which means the national champion in basketball won’t come from the SEC this year, as there are no teams from the conference left in the tourney.

Michigan 79, Florida 59

This was probably not how the Gators envisioned their time in the Big Dance ending. After coming from behind to beat FGCU on Friday, UF couldn’t work that same magic against the Wolverines. UM went on a 13-0 run to start the game, and the Gators didn’t score until the 16:30 mark.

Florida had repeated multi-minute stretches where they didn’t make any baskets, but the Wolverines did, which made it pretty tough for them to cut into Michigan’s lead. Midway through the first half, the Wolverines were up 25-8, and they led by as many as 24 points before taking a 47-30 lead into the locker room.

Things temporarily got a tiny bit better for UF in the second half. They went on an 8-3 run to start the half, which pulled them to within 11 points. Both teams went through some lengthy scoreless stretches, but UM had built up a big enough lead that the Gators still didn’t pose much of a threat. The Wolverines were back on top by 20 points midway through the half, and Florida couldn’t get themselves much closer than that for the remainder of the game.

Will Yeguete led the Gators with 13 points, seven rebounds, and a steal. Nik Stauskas had 22 points and three assists to lead the Wolverines. UF was outshot 46.2 percent to 41.1 percent and both teams had 34 rebounds.

Florida finishes the season 29-8 overall and they went 14-4 in conference play. Michigan improves to 30-7 overall and was 12-6 in the Big Ten.

The third-seeded Gators put an end to the 15th-seeded Eagles’ unlikely run in the NCAA Tournament with a come-from-behind win Friday night. UF is the only remaining SEC school in the tourney.

Florida 62, Florida Gulf Coast 50

The Eagles got off to a hot start against the Gators, and were leading by eight points at the 14:36 mark in the first half and up by double digits halfway through the period. UF flipped a switch, though, and suddenly got right back in the game.

Mike Rosario and the Gators were too much for the Eagles to handle.

The Gators went on a 24-9 run in the second 10 minutes of the half, and the Eagles scored just two points in the final five minutes (and they came with 43 seconds left in the half). Florida took the lead with 1:43 left on the clock and they were up 30-26 heading into the locker room.

The Gators opened up the second half by going on a 7-0 run and were quickly up by double digits. Florida Gulf Coast never had a lead in the second half, and they couldn’t pull within fewer than seven points of Florida.

The Eagles didn’t do themselves any favors, either, as they missed too many free throws and rebounds. The Gators led by as many as 13 points, and it became clear as time ticked by that FGCU was simply overmatched.

Chase Fieler led the Eagles with 12 points, six rebounds, an assist, two steals, and a block. Mike Rosario had 15 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a steal to lead the Gators. UF was outshot 45.5 percent to 38.6 percent, but they outrebounded FGCU 30-27.

Florida is now 29-7 overall and they went 14-4 in conference play. Florida Gulf Coast finishes at 26-11 overall and 13-5 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Gators will play fourth-seeded Michigan (who pulled off an upset over top-seeded Kansas) on Sunday at 2:20 ET. The game will be shown on CBS.

It was a mixed bag for the SEC in the NCAA Tournament today, as the Gators beat Minnesota to advance, while the Rebels fell to the Explorers.

Florida 78, Minnesota 64

The third-seeded Gators kept their postseason – and championship hopes – alive with a solid win over the Golden Gophers, an 11-seed.

Florida’s Mike Rosario had his game face on all night.

Minnesota never had a lead in this game, though they kept things close for the seven minutes or so. UF took a double digit lead at the 12:43 mark in the first half, and then led by as many as 23. The Gophers went on long scoreless stretches, some lasting three or four minutes, while the Gators almost couldn’t miss the basket and took a 48-27 lead into the locker rooms.

Things didn’t get any better for Minnesota in the second half. They did pull to within seven points with around 12 minutes remaining, but Florida widened the gap again and the Golden Gophers went through more lengthy stretches without a basket, so they simply couldn’t catch up.

Andre Hollins led Minnesota with 25 points, five rebounds, an assist, and two steals. Mike Rosario, with very similar stats, had 25 points, two rebounds, an assist, and two steals to lead Florida. The Gators outshot the Gophers 56.8 percent to 40 percent, but they were outrebounded 27-24.

Florida is now 28-7 overall and they went 14-4 in conference play. Minnesota finishes at 21-13 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten. The Gators will play another team from their state, Florida Gulf Coast, on Friday at 10:07 ET. The game will be shown on TBS.

LaSalle 76, Ole Miss 74

Tyrone Garland and his coach, John Giannini, celebrate after the victory.

In a battle of teams who got this far thanks to pulling off an upset, the 13th-seeded Explorers did just enough to beat the Rebels, a 12-seed, and keep themselves in the tournament.

Both teams were pretty close in points for the first half, trading leads and ties. Though LaSalle was on top more often, they could never quite pull away fully. They led by as many as seven points, but went into the locker room up just two, 40-38.

The second half was much the same, with the Explorers leading but only by a basket or two. The Rebs regained the lead, 56-55, at the halfway point of the period, but they were never up by more than four points. Then it was LaSalle’s turn to go back on top, where they stayed until Ole Miss retook the lead with under three minutes to go. The teams spent the final minute tied at 74-74, until Tyrone Garland’s layup with three seconds left put the Explorers on top for good.

Murphy Holloway led Ole Miss with 14 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, and a block. Ramon Galloway had 24 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block to lead LaSalle. Interestingly, both guys were former members of the South Carolina basketball team (this Gamecocks fan can’t help but think of what could have been…). The Explorers outshot the Rebels 49.1 percent to 47.6 percent, but the Rebs outrebounded them 32-24.

Ole Miss is now 27-8 overall and they went 12-6 in conference play. Wisconsin finishes at 23-12 overall and 12-6 in the Big Ten. The Rebels will play another team that pulled off an upset victory, LaSalle, on Sunday at 7:40 ET. The game will be shown on TruTv.

Both the Rebels and the Gators won their match-ups today, keeping the SEC in the NCAA Tournament for another round.

Henderson (mid-jump) was a man on a mission in the second half.

Ole Miss 57, Wisconsin 46

The 12th-seeded Rebels won their first tournament game in over a decade today, and they did by upsetting the Badgers, a five-seed.

The first half saw the score stay pretty close, as the teams alternated between swapping leads and tying things up. Wisconsin clung to a slim lead for the final four and a half minutes, and took a 25-22 score into the locker room.

They never led by more than six points in the second half, and with eight and a half minutes left, the Rebs were back on top. Ole Miss didn’t relinquish their lead for the rest of the game, and instead pulled away as time wound down.

Marshall Henderson had a cold first half, but came alive in the second, which certainly helped the Rebels’ cause. The Badgers didn’t do themselves any favors, though, as they allowed the Rebels to go on a 7-0 run in the final two minutes.

Sam Dekker led Wisconsin with 14 points, three rebounds, and a steal. Murphy Holloway had 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block to lead Ole Miss. The Rebs outshot the Badgers 38.6 percent to 25.4 percent and outrebounded them 40-38.

Ole Miss is now 27-8 overall and they went 12-6 in conference play. Wisconsin finishes at 23-12 overall and 12-6 in the Big Ten. The Rebels will play another team that pulled off an upset victory, LaSalle, on Sunday at 7:40 ET. The game will be shown on TruTv.

Florida 79, Northwestern State 47

Unlike some other highly-seeded teams (looking at you, Georgetown), the Gators, a three-seed easily beat their lower-seeded opponent, the 14th-seeded Demons.

UF held the lead for the entire first half, save for a momentary tie, but Northwestern State was never too far behind, as they trailed by no more than eight points. They went into the locker room down 40-32, but they couldn’t do enough in the second half to catch up.

The Demons went scoreless for three minutes early in the half, and with just over 14 minutes remaining, they were down by double digits. The Gators led by as many as 32 points, and they went on a 9-0 run in the final four and a half minutes. Northwestern State didn’t even score half as many points in the second half as they did in the first, and the Demons spent the bulk of the period looking overmatched.

DeQuan Hicks led Northwestern State with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Erik Murphy had 18 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and two steals to lead UF. The Gators outshot the Demons 47.5 percent to 36 percent and outrebounded them by almost double, 40-21.

Florida is now 27-7 overall and they went 14-4 in conference play. Northwestern State finishes 23-9 overall and 15-3 in the Southland. The Gators will take on Minnesota on Sunday at 6:10 ET. The game will be shown on TNT.

The Rebels kept their season alive – and punched their ticket to the Big Dance – by beating the Gators in the championship game of the SEC Tournament Sunday.

Ole Miss 66, (13) Florida 63

Things didn’t look promising for Ole Miss in the first half, as they never held a lead and trailed UF by as many as 14 points. They went into the half down 38-26 and scored just once in the final two and a half minutes of the period.

The Rebs fought back in the second half, though, and with just over 13 and a half minutes left in the game, they’d tied things up at 43-43. Ole Miss took their first lead about a minute and a half later, as Marshall Henderson made three straight free throws to put his team on top 48-46. The Rebels never relinquished their lead, though they never managed to really pull away, either, as the Gators were never down by more than six points.

Florida trailed just 66-63 with eight seconds left and had an opportunity to make things really interesting and force free basketball, but two missed free throws and a missed three-pointer in the final four seconds doomed their chances of that.

Mike Rosario had 18 points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a steal to lead the Gators. Murphy Holloway led the Rebels with 23 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, three steals, and two blocks. Ole Miss outshot UF 47.4 percent to 37.3 percent and the Rebs outrebounded the Gators 37-30.

Despite their loss today, Florida will still be dancing. Both teams will await the announcements of their seeds and match-ups in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2013 SEC men’s hoops tournament title match-up is set, and it will feature the regular season champion, Florida, against the semi-Cinderella team from Ole Miss.

(13) Florida 61, Alabama 51

The Tide were held scoreless for the first three minutes of the game, but they kept things close for the entire first half. Bama even took the lead with less than a minute left in the period, and they were up 28-25 heading into the locker rooms.

Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, the Gators’ Kenny Boynton turned something on in the second half and scored 10 straight points in almost three minutes, while Alabama scored zero during the same time span. Even after Boynton’s run was done, the Tide went more than two minutes more without scoring. Alabama pulled to within two, but then they watched as Florida widened the gap and secured the victory.

Nick Jacobs had 11 points and four rebounds to lead the Tide. Patric Young led the Gators with 13 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and a block. Bama outshot UF 45.2 percent to 44.2 percent, but the Gators outrebounded the Crimson Tide 28-25.

Alabama drops to 21-12 overall and was 12-6 in regular season SEC play. Florida is now 26-6 overall and went 14-4 in conference play.

Ole Miss 64, Vanderbilt 52

The Rebels found a way to keep their season – and their Big Dance hopes – alive this afternoon against the Commodores. Vandy led for the entire first half, the final five seconds when Ole Miss tied things up at 26-26. Though the Rebs trailed by as many as eight points in the first 20 minutes, they were never really out of the game.

The two teams were close for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but then Ole Miss began to pull away. They were up by double digits with seven minutes remaining in the game, and by the time there were only three minutes left, the Rebels were up by 18, their largest lead of the day. The Commodores had lengthy stretches, including one of about four minutes, where they didn’t make a single basket, which obviously didn’t help them get back in the game.

Kedron Johnson had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists, and a steal to lead Vandy. Reginald Buckner led Ole Miss with 15 points, nine rebounds, an assist, two steals, and a block. The Rebs outshot the ‘Dores 44 percent to 33.9 percent and outrebounded them 37-35.

Vanderbilt falls to 16-17 overall and was 8-10 in regular season SEC play. Ole Miss is now 25-8 overall and went 12-6 in conference play.

The Gators and Rebels will face off in the title game on Sunday at 1 ET. The contest will be televised on ABC.

The match-ups for the semifinals of the SEC men’s basketball tournament are set, and they’ll feature two teams from each conference division. Three of the teams that lost today (Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri) were – and still are – on the bubble, and they’ll have to sweat it out for a few more days until the NCAA Tournament teams are announced.

(13) Florida 80, LSU 58

After squeaking by Georgia in the second round of the tourney, the Tigers couldn’t do the same against the powerful Gators in the quarterfinals, as they lost their lead less than two minutes into the game and never regained it. LSU kept things close for the first quarter of the game or so, but UF brought their A-game and led 43-28 at the half.

Things didn’t get any better for the Tigers in the second 20 minutes of play. They trailed by as many as 35 points and allowed the Gators to pretty much do whatever they pleased. With less than a minute to go and down by more than 20 points, LSU missed a jumper, two rebounds, and two attempts at a tip-in. That pretty much sums up how well – or, not well – things went for them all day.

Erik Murphy had a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Gators. Charles Carmouche led the Tigers with 14 points, 2 rebounds, three assists, and a steal. UF outshot LSU 50.9 percent to 33.3 percent and outrebounded them 42-26.

LSU falls to 19-12 overall and was 9-9 in regular season SEC play. Florida is now 25-6 overall and went 14-4 in conference play. They’ll face off against Alabama Saturday at 1 ET. The game will be televised on ABC.

Alabama 58, Tennessee 48

The Tide may still be on the Big Dance bubble, but they kept their season alive for at least one more day as they found a way to contain the Vols both offensively and defensively. The first half of the game was close, but after going on a 9-0 run early in the period, UT did not hold a lead for the final six and a half minutes. They went into the half trailing just 31-27, though, so they were by no means out of the game.

Unfortunately for the guys from Rocky Top, they never held a lead in the entire second half, either. The Volunteers did pull within three points midway through the half, but two different attempts at a game-tying shot missed. After scoring six unanswered points, the Crimson Tide did go three minutes without scoring, but Tennessee wasn’t able to close the gap (and then went on a three minute scoreless streak of their own).

Josh Richardson had 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals to lead the Tigers. Nick Jacobs led the Tide with six points, 12 rebounds, an assist, and three blocks. Bama outshot UT 41.3 percent to 32.1 percent and both teams had 35 rebounds.

Tennesee drops to 20-12 overall and was 11-7 in regular season SEC play. Alabama is now 21-11 overall and went 12-6 in conference play. They’ll face off against No. 13 Florida Saturday at 1 ET. The game will be televised on ABC.

» Continue reading “Two Teams Each From East & West Advance To SEC Tournament Semifinals”

Well, SEC fans, this is it. Football season has come and gone for another year, so it’s time for a final SEC summary. The conference is again home to the BCS national champion (for the seventh year in a row) and can also claim this year’s Heisman winner, Johnny Manziel. The SEC sent nine teams to bowls and came away with a record of 6-3. Five teams didn’t make it to the postseason: Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Auburn. Of those five, Missouri is the only one who won’t have a new coach next season. None of them finished with more than two wins in the conference or more than five wins overall, and both Auburn and Kentucky went winless in SEC play.

Vanderbilt 38, North Carolina State 24

The Commodores capped off a fantastic season by topping the Wolfpack in the 2012 Music City Bowl. Vandy got the scoring started in the first quarter, as QB Jordan Rodgers hit Chris Boyd with a 5-yard TD pass just over five minutes into the game. The ‘Dores took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, when Zac Stacy ran six yards to the end zone, but NC State got on the board with a touchdown of their own with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter. Vanderbilt went back up by two scores on their next possession, but then the Wolfpack’s Tobais Palmer took a kickoff 94 yards to cut the lead. Rodgers found Jordan Matthews for an 18-yard TD with less than a minute remaining in the half, though, to put the Commodores up 28-14 heading into the locker rooms. The Commodores tacked on a field goal in the third quarter before NC State added one of their own to open the fourth quarter. Each team scored once more, both touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough for the Wolfpack to overcome the deficit.

Rodgers went 16-of-25 for 108 yards and two touchdowns. NC State QB Mike Glennon was 35-of-53 for 383 yards, a TD, and three interceptions. Stacy had 25 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown and Matthews had seven catches for 61 yards and a TD to lead the Commodores. Creecy had nine carries for 43 yards and a touchdown and Palmer had eight receptions for 111 yards to lead the Wolfpack. NCSU racked up 24 first downs compared to Vandy’s 17 and outgained the ‘Dores 424-225 in total yardage, but managed only 41 yards on the ground and turned the ball over five times.

Vanderbilt finishes the season 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. North Carolina State finishes 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Bowl Game/2012 Wrap Up Edition”

Though it feels like we just got started, the final week of the regular season has now come and gone. Of the 14 SEC teams, there are three who have only one loss overall and in the conference (Alabama, Georgia, and Florida) and two who went winless in the SEC (Auburn and Kentucky). Nine teams are bowl eligible, with the two 0-fer teams plus Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee failing to reach the necessary number of wins. Three coaches are out, too, as Joker Phillips of Kentucky, Derek Dooley of Tennessee, and Gene Chizik of Auburn, have coached their last game at those schools. Read on for recaps of all the action from the final games of the regular season.

(7) LSU 20, Arkansas 13

It was closer than the Tigers would have liked, but they managed to do just enough to beat the Razorbacks Friday afternoon. LSU put up a first quarter field goal and a second quarter TD on a 22-yard pass from Zach Mettenberger to Jarvis Jones to take a 10-0 lead at the half, but Arkansas had three chances to score themselves in the first half. Their first opportunity came on the game’s opening drive, when they got all the way down the field before Dennis Johnson fumbled at the goal line. Kicker Zach Hocker also missed two field goals. The Hogs finally got on the board early in the third quarter, when John Henson hit a 25-yard field goal. The Tigers answered with a TD a minute and a half later, but Arkansas found the end zone themselves before the quarter was over to pull within one score. Each team scored once, both, more field
goals, in the fourth quarter. LSU’s came with just a minute and a half left, and though the Razorbacks tried to rally in the final seconds of the game, Wilson’s pass fell incomplete as time expired.

Mettenberger finished the day 16-of-29 for 217 yards and a touchdown. Wilson went 31-of-52 for 359 yards, a TD, and an interception. Jeremy Hill had 17 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown and Odell Beckham had four receptions for 112 yards to lead the Tigers. Wilson had 38 yards on nine carries and Cobi Hamilton had 10 catches for 98 yards to lead the Hogs. Arkansas turned the ball over twice (LSU didn’t do it at all), but the Razorbacks also had more first downs (24) than the Tigers (16), allowed them only 89 yards on the ground, and outgained them in total yardage 462-306.

LSU finishes the regular season 10-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play. They will await a bowl bid. Arkansas finishes 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the SEC. They will not be eligible for a bowl game.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Thirteen”

It’s hard to believe how quickly this season has passed. With only one week left of the regular season, there were a few conference match-ups taking place, while most teams took time off from SEC competition this week. There are still three one-loss teams in the conference (Alabama, Georgia, and Florida), and eight teams are currently bowl eligible. Ole Miss and Missouri must win next week to become bowl eligible, while Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky will not be going to bowls this year. Georgia is still waiting to find out who they’ll play – either Alabama or LSU – in the SEC title game in Atlanta. Read on for recaps of this weekend’s football action.

(4) Alabama 49, Western Carolina 0

After being handed their first loss against Texas A& last week, the Tide took out their frustrations on the visiting Catamounts Saturday afternoon. Bama got the scoring started early, taking a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in when Eddie Lacy scored his first TD of the day. T.J. Yeldon found the end zone four minutes later, then Lacy scored again with just over four minutes left in the quarter to give the Crimson Tide a 21-0 lead after just one quarter. They added three more touchdowns in the second quarter, including another from Lacy and one on a Deion Blue 57-yard fumble return. Alabama tacked on one more score in the third quarter, this time on a run by backup QB Blake Sims. Western Carolina had a chance to finally get on the board in the third quarter, but they were stopped on fourth down and came away empty-handed.

Tide starting QB AJ McCarron finished the day 6-of-6 for 133 yards and a TD and Sims was 2-of-6 for 27 yards, plus 70 yards rushing and his touchdown. Their WCU counterparts, Eddie Sullivan and Troy Mitchell, combined to go 8-of-20 for 93 yards. Lacy had 10 carries for 99 yards and three touchdowns and Amari Cooper had two catches for 50 yards to lead Bama. Sullivan had 28 yards on four carries and Jamil James had one reception for 30 yards to lead the Catamounts. The Crimson Tide had 22 first downs, almost tripling Western Carolina’s total (8). WCU didn’t get 100 yards on the ground or through the air, and were outgained 460-163 in total yardage.

Alabama is now 10-1 overall and 6-1 in conference play. They’ll be on the road against Auburn next weekend. Western Carolina’s season is over. They finish 1-10 overall and 0-8 in the Southern Conference.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Twelve”