Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
No Notre Dame players.
ACC teams are about to get to the middle of December. Full-time conference play isn’t here yet, but it’s creeping closer. Now is the time for all teams to get their mistakes out of the way before the games really start to count. For now though, here are the players atop the major statistical leaderboards:
With nearly every starter expected to return next season, there are still holes in Texas A&M’s roster, and the transfer portal presents plenty of intriguing options
Texas A&M finished off the 2022-2023 season with a memorable 25-10 record, a 15-3 finish in the SEC, a second consecutive appearance in the SEC Tournament Championship game, and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2017.
Even though the Aggies fell to Penn State in the opening round of the tournament, Head coach Buzz Williams has continued to check boxes in his last two seasons, and the program has not been in better shape since he arrived in 2019.
From a roster perspective, three starters including Henry Coleman III, Julius Marble, and Wade Taylor IV, are slated to return, former Wichita State transfer Dexter Dennis will depart after one incredible season with the maroon and white, and his defensive presence will be sorely missed. Senior guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford also has the opportunity to return for a final season, yet his decision is still in flux, opening up a starting spot in the backcourt in need of added depth no matter how his decision plays out.
Referring back to Aggies Wire writer Pete Hernandez’s article detailing who Texas A&M should target in the transfer portal, perimeter shooting and an athletic wing defenders made up a majority of the list, and man oh man, are there some fascinating options in one of the more talented portals in quite some time.
This week, 247Sports writer Travis Branham ranked the Top 50 transfer portal players before the portal officially closes on May 11th, and for the Aggies to finally take the next step in competing for a championship next season, an “immediate impact” signing is needed to complete the roster and push Texas A&M towards contender status. With that, here are five players from Branham’s rankings that are realistic options for the Aggies in the next two months.
As expected, another Gators basketball player is seeking greener pastures after a subpar season.
Florida’s men’s basketball program got some bad news on Monday afternoon when it learned that center [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] plans on exploring his options in the NCAA transfer portal, multiple sources told Swamp247’s Jacob Rudner.
The departure of the big man makes it three players who have already signaled their intent since the Gators were knocked out of the NIT by UCF last Wednesday, joining guards [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] and [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] who made their announcements on Thursday.
Jitoboh’s performance this year was clearly hampered by an eye injury he sustained last season that required four surgeries so far — with one more remaining — which still resulted in significantly impaired vision in the affected eye. His path to recovery has been a harrowing one, according to assistant coach Carlin Hartman.
“Some of the things in which he had to deal with in his recovery are things I would never want to wish on my worst enemy,” Hartman told Swamp247. “He’s having to sleep with his face down in a hole in a certain part of his bed ‘cause he couldn’t sleep on his sides. Little things like that where you just don’t think about in terms of dealing with the eye pressure he was facing. Then, he had to withdraw from his classes in the spring, and so he’s having to take all these classes in the summertime all the way up until we just started fall semester.”
It is unclear where the 6-foot-11-inch, 300-pound center from Abuja, Nigeria, will land next season but he did manage to average 5.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in his seven starts after Colin Castleton was sidelined with an injury. Hopefully, he finds a program that fits him perfectly so he can finish up his collegiate eligibility in style.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1365]
[mm-video type=video id=01gvzvfvn741gqkry43r playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvzvfvn741gqkry43r/01gvzvfvn741gqkry43r-f1cd280a63bbe0477da3d4141d771a09.jpg]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Kowacie Reeves isn’t the only Gator hitting the transfer portal. Guard Niels Lane is also leaving the team in search of brighter pastures.
After news broke of [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] departing the Florida Gators on Thursday, Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun is reporting that guard [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] is also on his way out of the program.
Lane is the second Gator to enter the NCAA transfer portal just a day after UF fell to UCF in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. The departure was relatively expected by fans after Lane appeared in just 14 of Florida’s 33 games this season. He finished the season averaging 2.4 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game while playing just under nine minutes a game.
This season served as a major step back for Lane after he carved out a role as a defensive specialist under Mike White during his junior year. Todd Golden never seemed to be interested in making the most of Lane and it showed in him getting a third of the playing time he did last year.
With the departures of Lane and Reeves, Florida is running thin on players for the 2023-24 season. [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] are all out of eligibility, and [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] are both wrapping up their fourth year with the program. A COVID waiver could extend their college careers, but the offseason should still see plenty of turnover.
Lane will get a chance to prove himself elsewhere as a senior. He never really lived up to his four-star status in Gainesville, but things could be different after a fresh start.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1365]
[mm-video type=video id=01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v-ce81f56192edd4f52d0b1f3b0a471855.jpg]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
The Gators are losing one of their young talented wings to the NCAA transfer portal.
Florida basketball’s 2022-23 campaign came to a close less than 24 hours ago and already one player has signaled his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. According to Swamp247, guard [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] is set to depart after the Gators stumbled to a losing record in Todd Golden’s debut as head coach.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 192-pound wing out of Macon, Georgia, was a mercurial presence on the Orange and Blue’s roster the past two seasons, at times demonstrating why he earned a four-star rating coming out of high school but at others appearing completely lost or pressing too hard while out on the floor. His inconsistency made things difficult for Golden when it came to allocating playing time to the young athlete, and subsequently, the sophomore’s decision to seek greener pastures elsewhere comes as little surprise.
“Last year, I never felt safe when I was in the game,” he told Swamp247 earlier this month. “That’s why it was hard for me to make plays. I was worried I was coming out and thought if I did any little thing wrong, I wasn’t going to get back into the game.”
Reeves appeared in 29 games last year and 31 games for the Gators this season, averaging seven points along with 2.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per contest during his tenure in Gainesville. His collegiate high came last year against the Texas A&M Aggies in an overtime loss that knocked Florida out of the SEC Tournament in which he dropped 21 points; he scored a season-high 20 against the Ohio Bobcats back in December.
[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1365]
[mm-video type=video id=01gvkhva6frhgktccc5g playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvkhva6frhgktccc5g/01gvkhva6frhgktccc5g-ae09f55d49f5529fa45213c034d5de24.jpg]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Here are the highlights from Florida’s SEC Tournament-exiting loss to MSU.
Florida basketball dropped its lonely matchup in the 2023 Southeastern Conference Tournament with a 69-68 overtime loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Game 3 of the second round of play. The Gators fought valiantly without its star center [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], but in the end, MSU had just a little bit more in the tank.
The Orange and Blue was led by [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag]’s 14 points along with his six rebounds and two assists. [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] — the latter of whom made some clutch shots down the stretch — both finished with 11 points apiece. Tolu Smith led the Bulldogs with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Take a look below at the best highlights from Florida’s brief appearance in the 2023 SEC Tournament against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Take a look at some highlights from Florida’s hard-fought loss at home against Kentucky.
Florida basketball showed some tenacity inside the O’Connell Center against the visiting Kentucky Wildcats but ultimately came up short, taking its second loss in a row by a score of 82-74.
[autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] led the Gators’ attack with 24 points on 7-for-11 shooting overall and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, also adding two rebounds and two assists. [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] was the only other member of [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s squad to notch double-digit points with 16 on 6-for-9 shooting overall and 2-for-5 from deep, notching three rebounds and an assist as well.
Take a look below at highlights from Florida’s home loss to Kentucky on Wednesday night as the 2022-23 campaign wanes down.
Myreon Jones has been outstanding for Florida recently, and Todd Golden made sure to give him and Kyle Lofton credit after Wednesday’s win over South Carolina.
Most coaches would be ready to praise their squad endlessly in the moments immediately after a 21-point win, but [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] managed to open his post-game press conference with some criticism of the Florida Gators after an 81-60 throttling of South Carolina.
“I thought we did a nice job,” Golden led before jumping into what the team could have done better. “We still didn’t shoot it great, so if we can look at one thing to improve upon (it’s) that and getting on the glass — we didn’t do a good enough job defensively on the glass.
“But, a lot of great things, and what I’m most proud about is just the way we’ve continued to be unselfish and share the ball. You know, we had 21 assists and six turnovers tonight. It’s really hard to do at this level, especially when you only make seven threes.”
In one of Florida’s best wins of the year (and the fifth over the last six conference matchups), the Gators looked elite on the court, leading by as much as 30 points at one point. Unlike the Mississippi State game, there was no second-half collapse and Florida finished off a convincing victory.
[autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] led the team with 18 points and [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] trailed him with 15, but the real story was [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag]’ triple-double bid that saw him fall just short of double digits in each category (nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists).
Jones has seen more minutes lately after proving to be an effective second ball-handler for the Gators with point guard [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] on the court. The duo has spent a good chunk of time together in the same lineup and the results speak for themselves.
“Him (Jones) and Kyle (Lofton) have just played really well off each other and complimented each other really well,” Golden said. “I think over the past two games they are 22 assists and zero turnovers or something like that. It’s insane. But, when you have senior leadership out there, guys that have been through it a little bit, they are Batman and Robin in the backcourt a little bit running our team.
“They can both play the ball screens, both shoot the ball and they’re heady, IQ players that have made us really, really good over the past couple of weeks. But, really happy for Myreon because obviously he struggled at the beginning of the year. He couldn’t really get comfortable, but I felt like in that Auburn game, even though we lost, he kind of broke out and felt like he got back to himself and has played really, really well all through league play.”
Golden wouldn’t go as far as to say that Jones had to remake himself but instead pointed to the process of trying out different rotations and lineups as what was holding him back. Getting him on the court with Lofton seemed to make everything click. Golden also pointed out that Jones is more relaxed on the court, knowing that he has a defined role on the team.
Seeing it all come together on Wednesday was the cherry on top for a Gators team that is working hard to live up to its full potential. Let’s not forget that Florida is down two of its “bigger” players right now, forwards [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] (concussion) and [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] (away from team).
“It’s a great feeling for our guys to have kind of gotten through some tough times early and now see winning five out of six, and see multiple guys –– nearly almost had six guys in double figures tonight. It’s just a really complete effort from the team, and I thought our guys on the bench did a good job picking up for Alex being out tonight.”
Still, Golden isn’t calling this the perfect win. A lack of aggressiveness in the second half led to a worse performance on the boards, and that’s the kind of thing he’ll have the team focus on as a matchup with No. 5 Kansas State draws near.
Golden is slowly figuring out what works for this team, but February will be a big prove-it month for Florida.
[mm-video type=video id=01gq6jranptegagbdtcp playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gq6jranptegagbdtcp/01gq6jranptegagbdtcp-9224ff8624ad4dd0dda9dbea3f721bcc.jpg]
[lawrence-related id=100283,100281,100279,100227,100223]
[listicle id=100205]
[listicle id=100245]
[listicle id=100178]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
Here are some of the best photos from Florida’s Wednesday night win.
Florida basketball made it two in a row in Southeastern Conference competition with a win on Wednesday night at home inside the O’Connell Center against the South Carolina Gamecocks, 81-60. [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s gang appeared to be in control of this one from the start and ended up cruising to their twelfth win of the season.
[autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] led the Gators with 18 points along with three rebounds and three assists, while [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] added 15 points and four rebounds, [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] chipped in 14 points, and [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richards[/autotag] added 10 apiece as well to round out Florida players who scored in double-digits.
Take a look below at some of the best photos from UF’s big home victory over the visiting Gamecocks to move to 12-8 on the season as well as 5-3 in Southeastern Conference play.
It wasn’t easy, but Florida finally has a Quadrant 1 win after holding off a strong comeback bid from Mississippi State.
Florida (4-3) climbed back above the .500 mark in SEC play with a 61-59 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday night.
At one point, Florida led by 16 points, but Mississippi State mounted a monster comeback with an extended run that tied things up with 12 minutes left to play. The Gators outlasted the Bulldogs in the end, but it wasn’t the clean win that it should have been.
[autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] had a rough night. He led all scorers with 13 points but shot just 35.7% from the field and wasn’t as effective on the glass or on defense as he usually is. [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] stepped up in the second half, though, draining a pair of crucial three-pointers that shifted the momentum slightly back in favor of Florida.
Three-point shooting was a strong point for the Gators tonight. Will Richard, in particular, was on fire in the first half, and the team finished the night shooting above 40% from beyond the arc. Without that kind of success, Florida would have dropped this game, and they simply can’t afford that after losing to Texas A&M twice.
The victory puts Florida back in the driver’s seat as conference play continues, but it’s hard to be optimistic about the team’s chances in the coming weeks. The Gators have games against Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee coming up, and a shaky win is hardly convincing enough to make them the betting favorites.
Still, it’s Florida’s first Quadrant 1 win of the season, and that will help come NCAA Tournament selection time. Even if Mississippi State ends up as a Quadrant 2 opponent at the end of the year, Florida lacks quality wins of any sort and will take what it can get right now.
Here are five takeaways from tonight’s game.
