Tag: omar payne

5 potential Franck Kepnang replacements the Oregon Ducks should pursue via transfer portal

The Oregon Ducks could use a fourth big man to replace Franck Kepnang. Here are five names in the NCAA transfer portal who could be good fits.

The Oregon Ducks have seen more players depart via the transfer portal this offseason than they have brought in — a trend that Dana Altman is no doubt trying to rectify over the phone this month.

The latest loss, sophomore center Franck Kepnang, is a big one, not just in stature but in role. Kepnang may have only averaged 14.5 minutes per game last season, but he was a vital piece to the team on both offense and defense, and losing him leaves a big hole around the rim.

N’Faly Dante, Nate Bittle and five-star prospect Kel’el Ware is definitely an excellent trio of frontcourt stars, but this team is lacking a fourth big who can protect the rim, snare some rebounds and bring some energy and bravado to the second unit.

While no one can quite replace the unique personality Kepnang brings, there are more than a handful of standout big men in the transfer portal for Altman to reach out to.

Here are five who could fill a role similar to Kepnang’s — and a few would exceed it — should Altman find a way to work his magic and bring them to Eugene:

This former Florida big man is headed to Illinois via the transfer portal

Florida’s backup center entered the transfer portal last week. Now he’s found a new home with the Illinois Fighting Illini.

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The first of the Gators’ six departing players has found his new home. Center Omar Payne, who entered his name into the transfer portal last week, announced via his Twitter account that he has committed to play for the Illinois Fighting Illini next season.

Payne, a high end four-star player from the 2019 recruiting class, played in Gainesville for two seasons. He seemed like a coup at the time – he was the best big man Florida had managed to reel in from the high school ranks in some time. Reality wasn’t quite so kind to Payne, who struggled to score or play effective defense in Florida’s system, which was never a good fit for his style of play.

In his two years as a Gator, Payne averaged 3.8 points in approximately 15 minutes of play per game. That clearly isn’t living up to his billing as a top 50 recruit, and he’s an obvious candidate to benefit from a coaching change. It also can’t hurt to take a small step down in the level of competition he’ll be facing on a regular basis.

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The Illini are taking on a project by rostering Payne, but it’s not a particularly risky choice on their part. Illinois’ offense is safe in the hands of center Kofi Cockburn, whose skills are sufficient to be a monster in the college game but haven’t quite propelled him into serious NBA consideration. Payne is poised to fill a backup role to Cockburn, hoping to learn from and mirror the fellow big man’s emergence on the NCAA scene.

There’s still plenty of time for the former Gator. With three years of eligibility remaining, he’s putty in the hands of the Illinois coaching staff. He just needs to allow himself to be molded.

We here at Gators Wire offer Payne a big thank you for his contributions to the program and wish him the best in his future with Illinois.

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These are the players departing the Florida Gators mens’ basketball team

The Gators are losing a number of players after a difficult season, headlined by Tre Mann and including four who filed to transfer.

In light of all they had to face in the 2020-21 season, it’s tough not to think of the Gators as a success after managing a not-too-shabby 15-10 record and getting to the second round of both the SEC and NCAA tournaments. However, despite their accomplishments, the program is witnessing something of a mass exodus of talent, extending to both the players and the coaching staff.

Because of the unusually large number of players departing for other teams, let’s take a look at each. Of course, there could be more bad news for the team coming down the pipe, but so far only these players have declared their intent to find new homes. Additionally, those who have entered the transfer portal could remove their names from the market and return to Gainesville if they have a change of heart.

Florida basketball has another player enter transfer portal

Florida Gators forward Omar Payne is entering the transfer portal, becoming the fourth UF player to do so this offseason.

Last week wasn’t a good one for Mike White and his Florida Gators basketball team, losing Tre Mann to the NBA Draft, Colin Castleton testing the draft waters and three others transferring elsewhere.

Now, White and his program have seen another player enter the transfer portal.

Per 247Sports, Florida forward Omar Payne entered the transfer portal on Tuesday morning, becoming the fourth Gators player to do so this year. The move comes just over a week since the Gators’ lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and now some roster re-construction is at the forefront for White and his staff.

But what’s interesting about Payne is that Swamp247 is reporting that he was one of five players that told White last week he’s planning on returning for another season:

A report from a Florida team reporter on Thursday indicated that Payne was one of five players who had told coach Mike White he would return for the 2021-22 season. Players who enter the NCAA transfer portal can still return to their current program, but it allows other schools to contact the player about a transfer.

As a sophomore, Payne averaged 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Gators while playing in 15.7 minutes per game.

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To play or not to play? That is the question for Florida’s Payne and Appleby

No decision at this point has been made regarding Payne (suspension) and Appleby (head). They’re considered game-time decisions against ORU.

Florida caught a break on Friday as No. 15 seeded Oral Roberts upset No. 2 Ohio State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, after its win over Virginia Tech, seventh-seeded UF draws the Golden Eagles instead of the Buckeyes in the Round of 32.

The Gators likely would have been severe underdogs against OSU, but they’re now the biggest favorite of Sunday’s games (the line is currently 8.5 points according to BetMGM). But they may be without two of their key players, as the status of guard Tyree Appleby and forward Omar Payne are still uncertain.

Appleby exited the victory over Virginia Tech after taking an elbow-shot to the forehead, which caused him to start bleeding. He was taken to the locker room to receive stitches before returning to the sideline, apparently with the possibility of returning, according to Florida basketball SID Denver Parler.

He didn’t re-enter the game, though, and according to a report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Sunday morning, he’s a game-time decision for the Second Round contest. Considering he returned to the sideline with the potential of coming back into the game, it’s fair to assume he cleared the initial concussion protocol on Friday. But further testing this weekend would have been required to confirm a diagnosis, which is likely contributing to the uncertainty.

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It seems likely that the mystery is an attempt at subterfuge and Appleby will play, given how the injury was handled during Friday’s game. But we may not know for sure until shortly before tip-off.

Rothstein also reported that Omar Payne is a “coach’s decision” on Sunday. Payne was ejected from Florida’s losing effort against Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals after drawing a flagrant 2 foul when he elbowed Volunteers’ forward John Fulkerson in the head, ending his SEC Tournament.

Though no action was taken against Payne by either the SEC or NCAA, coach Mike White made the decision to hold him out of the first game of the tournament. According to Rothstein, a decision on whether that team suspension will carry over another game is “unlikely” to be made before game time.

Florida’s interior defense struggled tremendously without Payne, and if he’s not able to go against Oral Roberts, it will present a layer of complication to what should (on paper) be a relatively easy victory.

Brackets. Are. BACK.

It’s that time again – when dunks, brackets and buzzer-beaters inspire widespread incidents of March Madness. Get the jump on your friends by filling out your selections now!

In between all the games, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.

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Here’s what the Gators need to do to defeat Georgia on the road

The Gators are tipping off against the ‘Dawgs this afternoon – here’s what they need to do to turn their win over Tennessee into a streak.

The Florida Gators are slated to tip off against the Georgia Bulldogs in a Saturday afternoon matchup. The teams are both 2-of-5 in their recent games against SEC opponents, with Georgia defeating Kentucky on a buzzer-beater and the Gators coming off a shocking blowout of Tennessee in their last game, respectively.

Without a doubt, Florida has been the better team this season despite their seemingly endless string of setbacks. The expert consensus seems to be that the Gators will come out on top in this game. BetMGM gives Florida a 4.5 point advantage, and other sportsbooks echo that sentiment with similar spreads across the board. The ESPN Basketball Power Index puts UF’s chances of victory at 74.6 percent, which is nearly the highest it’s been since the team entered conference play.

Almost nothing has come easily to this team, though, and the Gators need to stay locked in if they’re going to turn their win over Tennessee into a streak. Here are three keys to a Florida win over the Bulldogs.

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs. Georgia, per BetMGM

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball at Georgia

Here are three keys to victory against Vanderbilt without Keyontae Johnson

It would mean a lot for the Gators to come out of their long layoff with a win against the Commodores. Here’s how they can make it happen.

Wednesday evening, the Florida Gators are scheduled to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores for their first game in over two weeks. The obvious narrative filling the airwaves during the game will be the conspicuous lack of the best player on Florida’s roster. Keyontae Johnson has progressed past the need for concern about his survival, but he’s not returned to the team and there is no public information about when he may do so.

Regardless, the Gators have the advantage against their SEC rivals in this game, given a 73 percent chance of victory by the ESPN Basketball Power Index. The Commodores haven’t broken easily so far this year, though, and have gone 4-2 so far on the young season.

In terms of experience, Vandy has a nicely balanced roster this year. They’ve been able to get a significant amount of production out of their youthful talent, as three of their five players with the most minutes are underclassmen. It seems to work just fine; in their four victories, the Commodores have outscored their opponents by 21.8 points, although they haven’t played the thorniest schedule.

Of course, the Gators can’t pull any punches if they’re going to win this game. The Mike White era has been a mostly successful one, but his teams have a bad habit of playing down to the competition. Florida can’t afford to do that on Wednesday, instead, here are three things that need to happen for a victory against Vandy.