Tag: The Athletic

Where Florida stands in The Athletic’s college basketball tiers

Florida basketball is far from a blue-blood program these days.

It is closing in on two decades since the high water mark for Florida’s men’s basketball program when Billy Donovan led his Oh-Fours to two straight national championships. At the time, there was no question that the O’Connell Center was the navel of the college basketball universe.

Since then, the Gators have experienced some ups and downs — mostly downs — as the Orange and Blue struggles to return to the promised land. In between Billy D and current head coach Todd Golden was Mike White, who left plenty to be desired but also made it to the Big Dance in four of his six years at the helm.

Nonetheless, he simply was not successful enough for the Gator Nation, which ostensibly ran him out of Gainesville to his current job in Athens.

The mixed results of recent years beg the question: “Are Florida fans justified in their lofty expectations?” According to The Athletic’s staff, which put together college basketball program tiers, the answer appears to be a resounding “No.”

In the article, the authors ranked all of the Power 6 teams — plus any outside of that group that ranked in the top 80 of KenPom — into six tiers in search of the true collegiate blue-bloods. Florida landed in Tier 4 along with a few other Southeastern Conference teams.

“This one has nine Final Fours and a title (over the last 10 NCAA Tournaments),” it begins. “There are some new money college basketball programs in this group like Auburn, Texas Tech, Baylor and VCU, some historically solid programs that either haven’t reached the Final Four ever or anytime soon and then a program like Houston that was college basketball royalty in the early ’80s, spent years in a coma and resurrected itself to become one of the most consistent top programs in the country under Kelvin Sampson.”

While the conclusion might be harsh for Gators fans, it is also pretty fair as well. It has been a long while since Florida was a relevant top-10 team and the program has been in a perpetual state of rebuilding since COVID. If it is any consolation, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers and Missouri Tigers are also in Tier 4.

The Georgia Bulldogs are in the sixth and final tier.

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Bills’ Josh Allen sets another new NFL record, only player in history with this many TDs

#Bills’ Josh Allen sets another new NFL record, only player in history with this many TDs:

We know Josh Allen is good.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback will break a record one week and then break another record another week.

And against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday evening – yes, Allen broke another record.

Against the Chargers, Allen set a new record by being the only player in NFL history with four consecutive seasons with 40 or more total touchdowns:

The Bills’ 24-22 win over the Chargers featured two scores from Allen. He rushed two in on the ground and the other was a 57-yard pass to receiver Gabe Davis.

Allen has two more games remaining against the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, respectively, to continue adding to his season totals.

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Michigan State football P Ryan Eckley named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic

Michigan State punter Ryan Eckley named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic

Michigan State football might as well start their official rebrand to ‘Punter U.’ The Spartans have started to become known for having some amazing punters, and that trend is continuing with the stellar play of freshman Ryan Eckley.

On Monday, The Athletic named Eckley to their Freshman All-American team after he averaged 46.8 yards per punt in the 2023 season.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Report: OKC Thunder show interest in Isaiah Stewart

Report: OKC Thunder shown interest in Isaiah Stewart.

More than a quarter into the 2023-24 regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best teams in the league.

OKC ranks in the top seven in net rating, offensive rating and defensive rating. The Thunder are in second place in the Western Conference standings with a 16-8 record.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be one of the best players in the league as he strengthens his MVP case. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are off to successful seasons.

If the Thunder continue to play at the level they’ve shown through two months of the season, they’ll likely be viewed as buyers at the upcoming trade deadline as they’re set to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

One area in need of improvement is rebounding. OKC ranks 29th in rebounding rate at 47.1%. They’re 26th in total rebounds per game at 41.1.

One possible upgrade resides with the lowly Detroit Pistons, who’ve lost an astonishing 23 games in a row. According to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III, the Thunder are one of three teams showing great interest in Isaiah Stewart. The other two are the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.

Stewart has averaged 10.2 points on 45.5% shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25 games this season. He’s also shooting 36.7% from 3 on 3.6 attempts.

If the Thunder acquire Stewart, it would be a long-term commitment. The 22-year-old is in the final year of his rookie deal and is set to begin a four-year, $60 million extension next season.

It’s unknown what the Pistons would ask for, but the minimum would likely be a bundle of draft picks. They’re likely to finish with top-three lottery odds in the 2024 NBA draft.

If the Celtics and Mavericks are the only two other teams pushing hard for Stewart, the Thunder could easily beat any package of draft compensation they might offer.

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Former Gators running back, EDGE among The Athletic’s top transfers

It’s pretty clear that the Gators are losing some top talent to the transfer portal this year.

A handful of former Florida Gators have entered the college football transfer portal with a few still looking to find their new homes. Some of these players are among the top available athletes in this year’s edition of the sport’s de facto free agency system.

The Athletic’s Max Olson put together a ranked list of the top 25 student-athletes in the portal which included a pair of ex-Orange and Blue players in the top 10. First on the list is running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag], who was Florida’s second-most productive offensive backfield player in 2023.

“Etienne lived up to the hype as an instant difference-maker for the Gators, with 1,710 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns in his first two seasons,” Olson begins. “The younger brother of Jaguars star Travis Etienne Jr. has forced 70 missed tackles as a rusher and gained 987 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Georgia is the reported frontrunner for Etienne as the missing piece their offense needed this season,” he continued. “Whether Etienne goes to Athens or anywhere else, he can be as impactful as anybody in this cycle.”

Also included on the list was edge defender [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] who came in at No. 8 on the list and recently committed to the Ole Miss Rebels.

“The 6-foot-4 1/2, 255-pound edge defender developed into a two-year starter for the Gators and was one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the SEC this season with 46 pressures, 11.5 TFLs and seven sacks according to PFF. Umanmielen has one more season of eligibility, and Ole Miss has reportedly emerged as a frontrunner for his pledge.”

It seems Olson’s prediction came to fruition on Umanmielen’s destination. Hopefully, the noted projection for Etienne is way off base… for the sake of the Gator Nation.

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Florida’s 2024 Week 12 matchup best in SEC, per The Athletic

The Florida-LSU matchup in Week 12 is as good as it gets according to The Athletic.

The 2024 college football schedule looks to be another tough one for Florida football, especially with the addition of the Texas Longhorns (and Oklahoma Sooners) to the Southeastern Conference. On the bright side, the 16-school league has a plethora of top matchups on the slate for next fall.

The Athletic’s Seth Emerson and Kennington Smith III recently put together their list of top games on the SEC schedule next season, which had the Gators hosting the LSU Tigers as the top game in Week 12. The Nov. 16 faceoff between two long-time conference rivals beat out three other top games, including one marquee matchup.

“LSU has dominated Florida lately — the Tigers haven’t lost to the Gators since 2018 — but the past five matchups in Gainesville have been decided by an average of 5 points,” the entry begins. “This game falls in the middle of Florida’s unbelievable stretch of Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State.

“How will the Gators respond? Tennessee at Georgia is a rivalry game, and the Longhorns going to Arkansas to renew their storied rivalry provides another game of note.”

Not mentioned is Missouri Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks, which does not jump off the page but should prove to be a good game.

The Orange and Blue kick off the 2024 season on Aug. 31 against the Miami Hurricanes inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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Gators EDGE makes The Athletic’s Freshman All-American Team

Kelby Collins nabbed his second freshman honor on Thursday.

Florida football’s greenhorn edge defender Kelby Collins was named to The Athletic’s Freshman All-American Second Team, which was released on Thursday. The honor came right after being named to the Coaches Freshman All-SEC Team along with three other teammates

Playing in all 12 games this season, the 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pound defender totaled 23 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and sacks, four quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a forced fumble in his debut in the Orange and Blue. According to Pro Football Focus, Collins was the fourth-highest-graded Gator defensive lineman in terms of pass rush in 2023 (62.4) and the third-highest in terms of run defense (70.7).

Take a look below at The Athletic’s full Freshman All-American Second Team roster.

Keldric Faulk, DL – Auburn
TJ Bush, DL – Liberty
Kelby Collins, DL – Florida
Princewill Umanmielen, DL – Nebraska
Ben Roberts, LB – Texas Tech
Javante Mackey, LB – Arkansas State
Kam Robinson, LB – Virginia
Michael Richard, CB – Louisiana Tech
Caden Jenkins, CB – Baylor
Khalil Barnes, S – Clemson
Kamari Ramsey, S – UCLA

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Florida’s standout sophomore wing among The Athletic’s 20 best

Florida’s Riley Kugel is among the top 15 wings in college basketball this season, per The Athletic.

This season’s Florida basketball team is chock full of talent but there is one particular player who stands out from the rest.

Sophomore guard Riley Kugel out of Orlando is one of the more coveted players in college basketball this season based sheerly on his athleticism — but he also has an extra gear on the court that separates him from the pack.

As such, he was mentioned in The Athletic’s top 20 college basketball wings for 2023-24 put together by Sam Vecenie. The talented 6-foot-5-inch, 207-pound wing earned the No. 12 spot on the list.

“Kugel is one of the higher upside swings in this college basketball season,” Vecenie begins. “On one hand, he has all of the tools to be among the best scorers in the country… When you watch him, you say to yourself that he just moves like an NBA scoring guard moves, with grace blended with real force and explosiveness.

“Those tools came together nicely after Colin Castleton got injured to finish last season, as Kugel averaged 17.3 points on 49.6% from the field and 39.6% from the three-point line over his final 10 games,” he continued.

“The problem is that Florida lost seven of those 10, and Kugel often did things a bit more on his terms as opposed to the team’s at times. That was a necessity; the team needed someone to step up and be a legitimate scorer. But it also raised some questions about how exactly it’ll look on a Florida team that seems primed to take a big step forward in Todd Golden’s second season.

“Kugel will be paired with Walter Clayton Jr. (whom the buzz is palpable about in Gainesville right now) and Zyon Pullin, in addition to a deep frontcourt and talented wing Will Richard.

“Can Kugel get better at playing within himself when the time calls for it, as well as just making the right reads consistently in terms of passing and creating for others?” Vecenie ponders. “That’s the key to Florida’s season. If Kugel takes a leap in terms of his feel for the game and the way he reads the court, this has potential to be a legitimate top-25 team. If he doesn’t, things could get a bit clunky on offense,” Vecenie notes.

“I’m betting on the talent here by ranking Kugel this high. I’m betting he averages over 15 points per game and makes at least second-team All-SEC.”

So far this season he has played in all eight games, averaging 13.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game, shooting 43.3% from the floor (36.8% from beyond the arc) and just 64.8% from the charity stripe.

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Florida football’s final regular-season ranking per The Athletic

Florida slips in The Athletic’s final regular-season rankings but you might be surprised who is on top.

Florida football’s 2023 season came to an unceremonious close a couple of weekends ago when the Florida State Seminoles outlasted the Gators in the Swamp, 24-15, in what was a brutally ugly affair. However, life goes on in college football as many other programs continue to compete.

With the conference championships now in the rearview mirror, along with the announcement of the final College Football Playoff picture, The Athletic published its own rankings for the 133 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. In it, the Orange and Blue slipped five spots to No. 57 despite not taking the field.

The top spot is occupied by the Washington Huskies, followed by the Michigan Wolverines, Texas Longhorns, Florida State Seminoles and Alabama Crimson Tide in the top five. The Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Ole Miss Rebels and Missouri Tigers round out the top 10, respectively.

The Gator Nation will have to wait until the Orange and Blue game to see the team back in action. That intrasquad exhibition will take place inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium sometime this coming spring with a date and time yet to be announced.

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Report: ‘Zero chance’ Bills will fire head coach Sean McDermott

Report: ‘Zero chance’ #Bills will fire head coach Sean McDermott:

Hoping for the Buffalo Bills to potentially make a move from head coach Sean McDermott?

A report from The Athletic says don’t.

According to the outlet, there is “zero chance” Bills co-owner Terry Pegula wants to fire McDermott despite the current 6-6 record for the team heading into their bye weekend. After their most-recent loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo is not in the current playoff picture. 

The update states:

Asked if there was any chance Pegula would fire McDermott, two of the sources replied “Zero.” The other two sources said they would be shocked if Pegula made such a move. All four sources have intimate knowledge of the Pegula-McDermott relationship.

McDermott not on the verge of being fired makes perfect sense, too. The coach, along with general manager Brandon Beane, signed contract extensions through the 2027 season.

With the ink barely dry on those deals, it never felt likely.

But the update doesn’t state how “hot” the seat could be. That still might be the case.

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