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Next 5 Games
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South Carolina
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Wed 02/10 | 8:00 PM EST |
| Xavier | Sat 02/13 | 6:00 PM EST |
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Auburn
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Thu 02/18 | 7:00 PM EST |
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@
Mississippi
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Sat 02/20 | 12:00 PM EST |
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Tennessee
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Tue 02/23 | 9:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
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Mississippi St.
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Sat 02/06 | W 69 - 62 |
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Alabama
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Thu 02/04 | W 66 - 65 |
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Tennessee
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Sun 01/31 | L 60 - 61 |
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Georgia
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Wed 01/27 | W 87 - 71 |
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South Carolina
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Sat 01/23 | W 58 - 56 |
Southeastern Conference Standings
(updated 2.7.2010 at 2:21 AM EST)
| East | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Kentucky Wildcats
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7 | 1 | 22 | 1 |
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Tennessee Volunteers
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6 | 2 | 18 | 4 |
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Vanderbilt Commodores
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6 | 2 | 17 | 5 |
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Florida Gators
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6 | 3 | 17 | 6 |
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South Carolina Gamecocks
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4 | 4 | 13 | 9 |
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Georgia Bulldogs
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2 | 6 | 10 | 11 |
| West | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Arkansas Razorbacks
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5 | 3 | 12 | 11 |
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Mississippi Rebels
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5 | 4 | 17 | 6 |
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Mississippi St. Bulldogs
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4 | 4 | 16 | 7 |
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Alabama Crimson Tide
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3 | 6 | 13 | 10 |
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Auburn Tigers
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2 | 6 | 11 | 12 |
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LSU Tigers
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0 | 9 | 9 | 14 |
Can Tebow Say No To Anything?
by mlmintampa on Feb 9, 2010 4:26 PM EST
in Football
3 comments
This was the story at 5pm, Monday.
...look for Tebow to disappear from the headlines for a while. That was the word from his agent, Jimmy Sexton, on Monday.
Sexton, the Memphis-based agent, said Tebow has no more engagements of any kind lined up between now and the start of the NFL Combine on Feb. 24 in Indianapolis.
"It’s going to be nothing but football between now the Combine," Sexton said.
Former Florida QB Tim Tebow will be a grand marshal for the Daytona qualifying races Thursday.
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Tebow's appearance is in conjunction with Gatorade, which sponsors those two races Thurs.
I'm glad that Tim Tebow is partnered with our beloved Gatorade. But, doesn't he have a throwing motion to fix? At what point does Tebow turn down someone looking to make a buck off him? The day of the Combine? The only things Tebow says no to are public education, riding a scooter with a helmet, sex before marriage, and tobacco.
3 comments | 0 recs |
The Much Maligned Addazio And Werner
by mlmintampa on Feb 9, 2010 1:40 PM EST
in Basketball
2 comments
Florida Football fans' Public Enemy Number One, Steve Addazio, has suddenly found himself some responsibility and new found respect. After spending the season as the target of our darts over the Gators' offensive production, Addazio pulled in Dominique Easley and Sharrif Floyd. Addazio also gets credit for offensive linemen Ian Silberman and Signing Day pull, Chaz Green. His work was good enough to be named Rivals' top SEC recruiter. Addazio also softened the blow of Urban Meyer's leave of absence. Many players, including Easley, said Addazio's work influenced their decision to stay with UF.
Addazio is now asked to do more behind the scenes work, finding the right guy for Florida's defense. Meyer will ultimately make the decision, but it is up to Addazio to find the right guy and remain within UF's budget. The Gainesville Sun's Robbie Andreu points at Clemson co-defensive coordinator Charlie Harbison as a likely candidate. Addazio also told the Sun's Pat Dooley that "a couple" of guys will visit with Florida staff Wednesday. Having Addazio at the controls is a long way from this season, when some of us (read: me) were thinking Addazio was something like Brutus ending the reign of Julius Caesar.
On the other side of North-South Drive, Dan Werner is not experiencing the same renaissance. You could make the case that Werner has gotten worse as a player in each of his four seasons. Since his sophomore season, Werner's points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game and field goal percentage have dropped in each season. Finally removed from the lineup in favor of Chandler Parsons, Werner seems to think the problem is fat guys on message boards and bloggers in their parents' basement.
"I know there’s some stuff out there. People have been saying stuff," said Werner, UF’s only remaining link to the 2007 national title team. "I don’t read it, I just hear people telling me stuff on the computer."
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"I’m sure there are people out there who like me a lot, and there are a lot of people who don’t like me," Werner said. "I can’t really control that. I know I help this team win and play well. I know my teammates appreciate me. They tell me that. That’s all that matters."
But the numbers don't lie. Werner may be a nice kid who will give you change when you make a bucket in practice or wipe off the weight bench. But he is not an SEC starter. Now that Parsons is an SEC starter, Werner will have to learn to be mature about his new station on the team. Instead of sulking or worrying what people say about him, Werner needs to be the sixth man. With Kenny Kadji officially out for the season, Werner will remain the first big off the bench. He has to stop playing like the freshman who'd pass to the nearest Oh Four and act like a senior. And that doesn't mean using game time to shoot out of a year long slump. Billy Donovan gives Werner credit for getting back on defense and understanding the Gators' offense. If that is what Werner can contribute, lovely. But when it gets close to March, UF will have problems with deep teams. Werner is going to have to get over being benched and act like a senior.
2 comments | 0 recs |
The Xavier Game Just Got Real, Son
by mlmintampa on Feb 8, 2010 3:36 PM EST
in Basketball
2 comments
A quick look at Joe Lunardi's Bracketology and you will find the SEC getting five teams, with the fifth your Florida Gators. To me, it seems Lunardi is very favorable to the Gators, putting them in the Jacksonville pod as a 10 seed. Lunardi, who is like a savant on these things, has the Gators facing a seventh seeded Xavier.
With a month remaining in the regular season, now is the right time to seriously start assessing the Gators' chances to dance. At 17-6, and 6-3 in a decent league, the next eight games will have a huge swing on what happens for UF. Defeating a frisky South Carolina on the road Wednesday will be big. But defeating Xavier, who has a better RPI than UF but is 3-5 in road games, will be just as big.
The selection committee will not judge UF's regular season finish as much as their SEC Tournament finish, since UF has to prove they can play in tournament mode. The out-of-conference games though will provide tiebreakers, especially if usual heavyweights like UConn and UNC make conference tourney runs. The Gators also have to worry about the monster Big East getting eight of 16 teams in, including the suddenly good USF Bulls.
Florida has been moving up lately, but it can still go either way. After this week, UF finishes with four of six games against likely tournament teams (at Ole Miss and UK; home vs. UT and Vandy). Losing all four of those games could kill the Gators. Winning them might clinch a dance spot. But they have to start winning now to prevent any Selection Day surprises.
2 comments | 0 recs |
Alligator Army Off-Topic: The Return Of The Peyton Manning Face!
by mlmintampa on Feb 8, 2010 12:37 AM EST
in Football
5 comments
The Peyton Manning Face became famous thanks to Bill Simmons, but Florida Gator fans knew much earlier about the half shocked/half trying to take a dump face that Pey-Pey would use in high pressure moments. The face made its triumphant return Sunday night as Tracy Porter's pick six put the New Orleans Saints up for good, winning Super Bowl XLIV 31-17 against the Indianapolis Colts. (Note: I accurately picked the score, but had the teams wrong. Also, Timmy C won a lovely sum of money in his Super Bowl boxes pool.)
In my preview, I neglected to mention another reason why Gators fans should root for the Saints; Danny Wuerffel was a Saint and is one of many saving New Orleans. (Instead of becoming the public face of a right wing political organization trying to become mainstream.) It was absolutely hilarious watching Porter take it to the house and thinking that somewhere Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier were probably smiling. Almost as nice was Da U's Reggie Wayne becoming scared of contact and turning into a bum. Wayne was targeted 11 times and only caught five passes for 46 yards.
The finale was just as hilarious; Manning running off the field, not shaking Drew Brees' or Sean Payton's hand, and showing that once you are a classless Tennessee Vol, you are always a classless Tennessee Vol. I hope Manning and Phil Fulmer can get over another loss with a few doughnuts while watching Citrus Bowl highlights. Oh, and FSU is officially giving up 12 football wins and a track National Championship. HOORAY!
5 comments | 0 recs |
Alligator Army Off-Topic: Super Bowl Pick And What I Want To See
by mlmintampa on Feb 7, 2010 9:00 AM EST
in Football
3 comments
I think I am like a lot of football fans in that I think the Colts will defeat the Saints easily, but I will be rooting hard for the Saints.
The Colts did not lose a game this season in which they tried. The Saints lost to my beloved 3-13 Buccaneers and no team that has lost to the Bucs has won a Super Bowl in that same season. The Colts have Peyton Manning, who'd take a sack over throwing into traffic. The Saints are here because of Brett Favre, who thinks it is no big deal to roll right and throw across the middle. (I love Percy Harvin, but I was ecstatic when Favre threw that pick. My hatred for Favre runs deep.)
As much as I like Manning as a quarterback, he is still in orange and white in my mind. The Sports Illustrated cover of him wrestling an alligator, in addition to the covers of Danny Wuerffel after defeating Manning and this season preview cover, made him Public Enemy Number One for this young Gator fan. Looking at Sunday, Manning faces Bobby McCray, whose years in Gainesville overlapped with mine. Plus, how can I root against the guy who made it his personal mission to take out Favre? (Favre will always be a Packer to me. I never understood how a Bucs fan could root for him. I justify rooting for the Saints because division rivals Falcons and Panthers are so trashy they make Saints fans look like the Kennedys.)
For me, it goes beyond a Florida-Tennessee connection, or even rooting for the NFC over the AFC. I am a huge sucker for New Orleans. An ex-girlfriend's family was from New Orleans and when I visited in 2006, I fell in love with the town. I own a New Orleans Breakers USFL shirt and my primary fantasy football team has been the New Orleans "blank" since 2005. (The name is always a connection to post-Katrina; Refugees, Revival, Rebirths, Renewal, Recovery.) New Orleans is not for everyone. If you're one of those people who constantly worries about dark shadows or does not drink in dingy bars, it's not for you.
New Orleans is also one of the most important cities in American history. Its place on the Mississippi River made it the crown jewel of the Louisiana Purchase and one of the most important cities of the new United States. When the British tried to invade New Orleans at the close of the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson rallied the city's whites and blacks to join the outnumbered US Army and repel the British. It was a base for the slave trade, but was not destroyed by the Union Army in the Civil War, unlike other major Southern cities. It has always struggled with race relations and they only killed Jim Crow so they could get the NFL. It was the birthplace of Louis Armstrong's jazz and Tennessee Williams' writing. The music inspired by New Orleans, in every decade, has been fantastic.
New Orleans, for good and bad, moves at its own pace. That's the reason for their corruption and terrible roads and schools. But that pace is what inspired their culture and forged the personalities of the natives. A lot of Southern cities have had their heritage ruined by Sun Belt growth and cookie cutter homes like in Atlanta, Houston and Tampa. New Orleans remains in a water surrounded bubble, with the River, the Lake and the Gulf keeping in the culture and keeping out a whitewash.
All that history, triumph, tragedy, and not one athletic championship of worth. It was only Saturday when they got their first Hall of Famer. Maybe that all changes today, and sometimes the Super Bowl gives us incredible upsets. But, more often, it gives us blowouts.
The pick: Indianapolis Colts 31 - New Orleans Saints 17
What I want to see: New Orleans Saints 30 - Indianapolis Colts 24 (overtime)
As for our boy Timothy, he will be in your television a few times Sunday. I just hope his advocacy work helps his draft stock. He's going to need a big NFL salary to fund his foundation.
3 comments | 0 recs |
Vernon Macklin Becomes A Gator; Florida Defeats Mississippi St. 69-62
by mlmintampa on Feb 6, 2010 4:40 PM EST
in Basketball
4 comments
The Florida Gators defeated Mississippi State Saturday afternoon, 69-62. After starting the second half down two points, Vernon Macklin took over, scoring the next ten Gator points, finishing with 20 and six rebounds. It was probably Macklin's best game as a Gator.
Macklin was also active on defense. While Miss State's Jarvis Varnado got 16 points, it was on 6-16 shooting, as Macklin did a very good job of harassing Varnado into poor shots. Varnado could have made the difference for the Bulldogs (16-7, 4-4 SEC), but he got no help outside of guards Ravern Johnson (20pts) and Barry Stewart (12pts). The rest of State scored a combined 14 points.
The Gators (17-6, 6-3) once again outrebounded their opponents, as they have done in all of their SEC victories. Chandler Parsons again showed he is the most reliable player for the Gators, pulling a double-double (18pts, 12reb, 6ast). Macklin and Parsons were desperately needed as Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker and Alex Tyus shot a combined 7-35 from the field. The 10 bench points were a huge help and might have provided the difference. Both teams looked fatigued, especially near the end of each half.
Florida's next game is Wednesday at South Carolina.
4 comments | 0 recs |
Gator Basketball vs. Mississippi State
by mlmintampa on Feb 6, 2010 1:42 AM EST
in Basketball
0 comments
Florida has to win the games they are supposed to win. Their nail biter Thursday at Alabama was one of those, even if it took more last second heroics. Saturday is another game the Gators (16-6, 5-3 SEC) are supposed to win, as Mississippi State (16-6, 4-3) comes to Gainesville.
Miss State has been exactly that lately, missing shots. In seven SEC games, the Bulldogs are shooting 38%. In their 75-72 loss at Vandy on Wednesday, they shot an incredible 9-34 from three-point range. Miss State gets credit for a late second half surge to make it a game, but it followed a six minute stretch with only two buckets. The Bulldogs are still led by Jarvis Varnado (13ppg, 11rpg), but this is not the team that was ranked to start the season. They have also lost their last three road games.
The Gators have won five of six games after starting the SEC season. Chandler Parsons and the backcourt of Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker have been impressive over this stretch. But Alex Tyus has also been playing well, averaging 16 points in the last six games. Tyus rebounding has gotten better in SEC play, despite the presence of Vernon Macklin. If there is one huge disappointment this season, it has been the stagnation of Macklin's growth. 22 games is enough time to shake off the rust of missing a year. But Tyus still benefits, because Macklin's presence means Tyus can step out for a jumper or rebound against the opponent's power forward, not center.
Saturday's game sets up an interesting week for the Gators. Mississippi State is no slouch, but they are 3-4 in road games this season. On Wednesday, UF faces South Carolina in Columbia, where the mighty John Walls lost. After that, it's home for Xavier. Miss State is a game UF is supposed to win and the other two are games that NCAA tournament teams win.
0 comments | 0 recs |
Dominique Easley On Tape
by mlmintampa on Feb 5, 2010 4:10 PM EST
in Football
2 comments
First, a highlight package courtesy of the Under Armour All-America Game. However, no clip of him saying, "In ninth grade I realized I liked hitting people."
From National Signing Day, a very good interview with Easley from SNY.
2 comments | 0 recs |
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