Another week has finally come to an end and last night kicked off four-days worth of Florida Gators sports, featuring four different programs starting with the Lady Gators basketball team on Thursday night. So without further ado, let us get down to business.
The bad news today is that the women’s basketball team dropped its fifth-straight game last night on the road with the No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks, 84-80, in a hard-fought matchup that they simply fell short in. Sophomore guard Lavender Briggs dropped a career-high 41 points in the losing effort — the most scored by a Lady Gator since Ronni Williams notched 43 in January 2017 and the fourth-highest single-game total in program history.
Tonight, the top-ranked Gators gymnastics squad hosts rivals the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs in the O’Connell Center for Florida’s 2021 home opener. UF’s junior duet of Nya Reed and Trinity Thomas claimed SEC Weekly honors after their performances in the 2021 opener and will be looking to add more hardware to their collection. Both teams won their season openers and will vie for an edge on the Southeastern Conference competition when events start at 6:46 p.m. EST.
Tomorrow, the men’s tennis team enters its 2021 opener against the Florida Atlantic Owls ranked No. 9 in the preseason polls; first serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST at the Alfred E. Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville. Men’s basketball will also be in action Saturday, traveling to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs with tip off scheduled for 4 p.m. EST. Florida will be looking to build on its previous win on Tuesday at home over the Ole Miss Rebels.
On Sunday, the women’s basketball team hosts the Auburn Tigers hoping to finally earn its first SEC win after losing its first five — four against ranked opponents — in conference play; tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST. The men’s tennis team will also be back in action, this time hosting the USF Bulls, with first serve also scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.
Finally, the SEC announced its schedule for the upcoming softball season. Florida scheduled to face Kentucky on SEC Opening Weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium March 12-14. The conference’s schedule has each school playing eight SEC opponents in the traditional three-game series format.
Around the Swamp
- The Gators are a bubble team in the latest ESPN Bracketology: According to Joe Lunardi’s latest edition of Bracketology for ESPN, UF is squarely on the bubble at this point in the season.
- How to break up Nick Saban’s monopoly at Alabama to improve college football: Sitting behind a microphone after winning another national championship, coach Nick Saban faced the news media Monday night and looked a little bored.
- Jacksonville Jaguars hire former Florida coach Urban Meyer for first NFL job: Meyer, 56 and venturing into the NFL for the first time, won national titles in 2006 and 2008 with the Gators and 2014 with the Buckeyes.
- Here’s where Sports Illustrated has the Gators ranked in 2021: The Gators landed near the middle of the pack to start the 2021 schedule.
- Could this Florida back have a breakout season in 2021?: Heading into 2021, Pierce is one of the most experienced returning players on offense.
- This former four-star recruit committed to the Gators as a transfer: Former Auburn defensive tackle DaQuan Newkirk has committed to play for the Florida Gators in 2021 as a grad transfer.
- You won’t believe how far Florida fell in ESPN’s final power rankings: The 2020 college football season is officially and it is now time to take one last look at the landscape left behind by the coronavirus-altered campaign.
It’s great to be a Florida Gator!
Make sure to follow these top ranked 🐊 this year:@GatorsGym@GatorsSwimDv@GatorsGolf#GoGators || @FLBlue pic.twitter.com/TWVnVEHgGW
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) January 14, 2021
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