Tag: Florida Gators

These college basketball stars are playing in 2024 March Madness after hitting the transfer portal

Caleb Love, Hunter Dickinson and Harrison Ingram are familiar names in fresh places.

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Now that we’ve reached March Madness, it’s a great time to look at the impact of the transfer portal in NCAA men’s college basketball.

Although it’s undeniable that roster continuity matters when it comes to constructing a championship contender, it’s also imperative for a modern team to successfully manage the portal as well.

Before the season began, we knew that many big names were transferring to new programs. With postseason play right around the corner, though, we can finally see which players have settled in as the best fits in their new homes.

Here are some notable names who made the tournament last season, changed schools and have made the tournament again:

  1. Shahada Wells (TCU → McNeese State)
  2. Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona → Florida)
  3. Max Abmas (Oral Roberts → Texas)
  4. Keshad Johnson (San Diego State → Arizona)
  5. Steven Ashworth (Utah State → Creighton)

A few other names that fit this category include Great Osobor (Utah State), Darrion Williams (Texas Tech), Kadin Shedrick (Texas) and DJ Horne (NC State).

Additionally, there are some fascinating players who did not make the tournament last season. These are some transfers who will have a chance to carve their place in history on their new teams in this tournament:

  1. Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado → Tennessee)
  2. Cam Spencer (Rutgers → UConn)
  3. Caleb Love (North Carolina → Arizona)
  4. Hunter Dickinson (Michigan → Kansas)
  5. Harrison Ingram  (Stanford → North Carolina)

Other players like this include Tyrese Samuel (Florida), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State), Isaac Jones (Washington State) and Grant Nelson (Alabama).

It’s an exciting time for these players who can show the world who they’ve become at their new

SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?

 Prospects with NBA range

Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

March Madness gives college basketball players an opportunity to turn themselves into legends.

One way that many of these athletes are able to do that is with 3-point shooting and in the modern game, those around the NCAA are continuing to shoot the ball from farther and farther. Both men’s and women’s college basketball players shoot from the international 3-point line, which is 22 feet and 1.75 inches.

We were given access to the database at CBB Analytics, which tracks how many field goals players have made from at least 25 feet away from the basket. For comparison, it is also beyond the NBA distance, which is 23 feet and 9 inches at the top of the key.

This list highlights those who are both regularly (and accurately) shooting from at least more than few feet behind the NCAA’s 3-point line. Here are 20 players in March Madness with incredible shooting range.

Shootaround

Coley Cleary / USA TODAY Sports Images

— HoopsHype’s aggregate mock draft: Zaccharie Risacher, Nikola Topic, Cody Williams, and Reed Sheppard are rising

— Mics caught LeBron James saying the funniest 6-word NSFW reaction to the Lakers-Warriors malfunctioning shot clock

— The Magic posted (and deleted) a suggestive Gradey Dick jersey swap post-game photo

— Kelly Oubre Jr. reacts to Sixers bringing in Kai Jones on a 10-day

No. 4 Texas A&M baseball team loses its first SEC series of the season at No. 8 Florida after 17-0 start

After starting the season unbeaten after 17, the Aggies have lost 2-of-3 contests and dropped the first SEC series of the season at Florida.

After starting the 2024 season unbeaten after 17 games, the Texas A&M baseball team has lost two of its last three contests and dropped the first SEC series of the season at Florida this weekend in Gainesville.

The No. 8 Gators (12-7, 1-2) defeated the No. 4 Aggies (18-2, 1-2) by a final score of 4-2 on Sunday afternoon at Condron Ballpark. Florida ended Texas A&M’s undefeated streak on Friday night with an 8-6 win. The Aggies bounced back for a 10-6 victory on Saturday.

Texas A&M struck first in the series finale, scoring an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Graduate student outfielder Hayden Schott reached base after a throwing error by sophomore second baseman Cade Kurland to score sophomore OF Jace LaViolette, who has now reached safely in all 20 games. The Gators responded in the bottom of the second frame and tied the conference matchup.

Junior OF Braden Montgomery reclaimed the advantage for the Aggies in the fifth with a solo shot to left field, which was his second homer of the weekend and ninth of the campaign. Florida hit a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game again and added a 2-run jack in the eighth to ultimately win 4-2.

Texas A&M has now lost three consecutive series against the Gators. The Aggies are 2-2 versus ranked opposition, including their blowout of Texas in Austin on March 5.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin started on the bump and tossed the first 4.2 frames and allowed 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks & 2 hit by pitch with 5 strikeouts on 88 pitches. Senior sidewinding righty Brock Peery threw the next two innings for a new season-best without allowing a hit with 1 K on 23 pitches. Junior RHP Josh Stewart (1-1) took the loss after recording only 1 out and giving up 2 hits & 1 run on 7 pitches.

Florida junior RHP Brandon Neely (1-0) earned his first win after tossing the seventh & eight innings in relief, allowing 2 walks & 1 HBP with 4 punchouts on 41 pitches. Freshman RHP Luke McNeillie (1) got the save after pitching a scoreless ninth giving up 1 hit with 1 strikeout on 17 pitches.

Texas A&M begins an eight-game homestand at Blue Bell Park on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Prairie View A&M.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

How to buy Florida Gators 2024 NCAA Tournament tickets

Get your hands on Florida Gators NCAA Tournament tickets when they take on the winner of Wednesday’s First Four matchup between Colorado and Boise State.

The best time of the year is finally here. With the release of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, March Madness has officially begun.

Florida earned a No. 7 seed in the South region and with it a Round of 64 matchup against the winner of Wednesday’s First Four battle between No. 10 Colorado and No. 10 Boise State.

The Round of 64 game will be played in Indianapolis on Friday, March 22.

SHOP: Florida Gators NCAA Tournament tickets

Tickets to this Round of 64 contest are still available, as a part of an all-weekend pass for as little as $392.

Weekend passes include all the Round of 64 and Round of 32 games in Indianapolis.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Florida Gators NCAA Tournament tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/XZjev8q”]

BRACKET GAME: Join the free USA TODAY bracket challenge for your chance at $1,000,000

How to buy Florida Gators 2024 NCAA Tournament tickets

Get your hands on Florida Gators NCAA Tournament tickets when they take on the winner of Wednesday’s First Four matchup between Colorado and Boise State.

The best time of the year is finally here. With the release of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, March Madness has officially begun.

Florida earned a No. 7 seed in the South region and with it a Round of 64 matchup against the winner of Wednesday’s First Four battle between No. 10 Colorado and No. 10 Boise State.

The Round of 64 game will be played in Indianapolis on Friday, March 22.

SHOP: Florida Gators NCAA Tournament tickets

Tickets to this Round of 64 contest are still available, as a part of an all-weekend pass for as little as $392.

Weekend passes include all the Round of 64 and Round of 32 games in Indianapolis.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Florida Gators NCAA Tournament tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/XZjev8q”]

BRACKET GAME: Join the free USA TODAY bracket challenge for your chance at $1,000,000

Best Photos: Texas A&M’s 95-90 loss to Florida – SEC Tournament – Semifinals

Photos: Here are some of the best photos from Saturday’s game against Florida.

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team ran out of team letting a sizable lead slip away in their loss to Florida on Saturday afternoon.

For the first time in three seasons, the Aggies will not be in the SEC Championship game. They had a strong showing over the last six games with the team playing some of the best basketball we have seen this year.

Wade Taylor is rounding back into All-SEC form reached a milestone of 1,500 points. Solomon Washington and Manny Obaseki have stepped up as well over the past month giving them much more needed offense that’s been missing most of the year.

The Aggies will now have to wait until Sunday to see if they did enough to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

 

Texas A&M guards Hayden Hefner & Jace Carter explain second half woes vs. Florida in SEC semifinals

Texas A&M was eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals following a 95-90 loss against Florida. After the game, the media spoke to Aggies guards, senior Hayden Hefner and junior Jace Carter. The Gators outscored …

Texas A&M was eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals following a 95-90 loss against Florida.

After the game, the media spoke to Aggies guards, senior Hayden Hefner and junior Jace Carter.

The Gators outscored Texas A&M in the second half 53-40 and Carter was asked by TexAgs about what was different in the final 20 minutes.

“I don’t think anything changed, I think our recipe is our recipe. I don’t think we changed up the way we were playing at that time in the game. I think they just made a lot of shots down the stretch,” Carter explained. “I don’t think it was an offensive problem, we scored 90 points. We just didn’t get stops, had a low amount of turkeys and they shot 50% from three, it was our defense.”

The Eagle asked Hefner about the Aggies’ stagnation in the second half versus Florida.

“When the whistle is getting blown a lot, it’s just hard maintaining a flow with what we’re trying to accomplish,” Hefner said. “We always try to reiterate to one another and the coaching staff is always talking to us about just staying in the moment and not letting that affect what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams discusses defense after loss to Florida in semifinals of SEC Tournament

“Our defense is wired to not give up points at the rim, not to allow the ball to get to the paint,” he said. “We were slow on the contest.”

Texas A&M men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams spoke to the media after a 95-90 loss against Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and discussed his team’s defensive effort.

“We did a good job in their secondary and transition. It was similar to what we did in College Station when we played them,” Williams said. “I think you have to make a decision on are you going to let them score at the rim or try to be in position to contest the three? They shot 26% of their shots at the rim.

“Our defense is wired to not give up points at the rim, not to allow the ball to get to the paint. We were slow on the contest and I thought they did a good job when it came out of the post. If we mustered getting it to the next guy, the guy that’s in the double is the one who has to get it to the next guy.

“That’s where we were hurt the most.”

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Aggies baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle tallies 100th overall win at Texas A&M vs. Florida

Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle tallied his 100th overall victory in College Station on Saturday in Gainesville with a 10-6 win at Florida.

Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle tallied his 100th victory in College Station on Saturday night in Gainesville with a 10-6 win at Florida.

Earlier this year, Schlossnagle earned his 900th overall victory. The No. 4 Aggies (17-1) are off to a red-hot start to the season and will be going for the series win on Sunday afternoon at Condron Ballpark against the Gators after suffering their first loss on Friday evening.

Before arriving in Aggieland, he was head coach at TCU in Abilene from 2003-21, where he reached the College World Series five total times and in four straight seasons from 2014-17.

Schlossnagle reached the CWS in his first year at Texas A&M in 2022 but fell short in the NCAA Regional last season. The Aggies manager is 100-48 thus far in College Station and 911-441 (.674) overall.

While with the Horned Frogs, Schlossnagle won Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year seven times in 2003 & 2006-11. He earned Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2015 and Baseball America National Coach of the Year in 2016. Before taking over at TCU, Schlossnagle was an assistant coach at Elon (1990-92), Clemson (1993) and Tulane (1994-2001).

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

No. 4 Texas A&M baseball team earns redemption versus Florida to tie SEC series

After suffering their first loss of the season on Friday, the Aggies earned revenge versus Florida with a win on Saturday to tie the series.

After suffering its first loss of the season on Friday night in Gainesville, the Texas A&M baseball team earned redemption against Florida with a victory to tie the series.

The Aggies (17-1 SEC) defeated the Gators (11-7, 1-1) by a final score of 10-6 on Saturday evening in Game 2 of the three-game set at Condron Ballpark. With the win, Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle tallied his 100th victory in Aggieland, a few weeks after racking up his 900th overall win.

Junior right fielder Braden Montgomery got the Aggies off to a hot start with a 3-run homer to right field in the top of the first inning. Florida tied the contest in the bottom half of the frame.

Texas A&M scored 5 runs in the top of the third, kick-started by 2 solo home runs to left from underclassmen dynamic duo, freshman third baseman Gavin Grahovac and sophomore center fielder Jace LaViolette. The Gators avoided a shutdown inning by tallying 2 runs in the bottom half but still trailed 8-5 after three innings.

In the top of the ninth, junior shortstop Ali Camarillo hit a 2-run single to right giving the Aggies some insurance. Florida scored once in the bottom half of the inning and ultimately lost 10-6.

Junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Jones started on the bump and got roughed up. He tallied 2.1 innings pitched, 5 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks and 1 hit by pitch with 2 strikeouts on 50 pitches.

Senior left-handed pitcher Evan Aschenbeck (3-0) took over in relief for Jones and earned the victory by dealing. He tossed 4.0 scoreless frames and allowed 4 hits & 1 walk with 6 Ks on 68 pitches. Sophomore LHP Shane Sdao threw the final 1.2 innings to pick up his first save of 2024.

The SEC rivals will battle for the series win on Sunday with first pitch set for 12 p.m. CST.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Texas A&M men’s basketball team blows 18-point lead vs. Florida in semifinals of SEC Tournament

The Aggies will not be advancing to the finals of the SEC Tournament for the third year in a row after blowing a 18-point first half lead.

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team will not be advancing to the finals of the SEC Tournament for the third year in a row after blowing an 18-point first half lead against Florida.

The Aggies (20-14) were defeated 95-90 by the Gators (24-10) on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Five Florida players scored at least 15 points, led by sophomore guard Denzel Aberdeen with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-9 field goal attempts, 4-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Aberdeen was the difference this weekend after scoring only 2 points during the Gators‘ 67-66 loss at Reed Arena on Feb. 3.

Aggies junior point guard Wade Taylor IV came out on a mission Saturday after tallying 32 points Friday during a victory versus Kentucky. Taylor scored 11-of-15 Texas A&M points to start the game against Florida on 4-of-5 shots and 3-of-3 from downtown.

At halftime, the Aggies led 50-42 and had 40 of their points come from three guards: Taylor (20), junior Manny Obaseki (12) and senior Tyrece “Boots” Radford (8).

Texas A&M’s floor general finished with a game-high 30 points (10-23 FG, 6-12 3PT, 4-4 FT). Eight-two points is the most scored in the SEC Tournament since Collin Sexton with Alabama in 2018.

The Gators went on a 24-8 run in the second half to take their first lead of the game at 72-70 with 7:37 left. Coach Buzz Williams joked with ESPN sideline reporter Marty Smith at intermission about getting him to suit up since most of the key Aggies were in foul trouble, which ultimately sparked Florida’s scoring streak.

The Gators will play Auburn on Sunday at 11 a.m. in the SEC Championship game on ESPN. Texas A&M will now await its NCAA Tournament fate, which will be revealed on Sunday night.

With two victories in a competitive conference tourney, the Aggies have likely locked up a March Madness berth.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.