Tag: usa today sports

Florida a USA TODAY Sports ‘loser’ due to South Carolina loss

Follow an action-packed weekend, USA TODAY Sports’ Eddie Timanus penned up his winners and losers column.

Florida basketball once again failed to close out a game in the final quarter of play on Saturday, this time at the South Carolina Gamecocks. While the Gators have escaped with a win in past games, they simply did not have enough to prevail against their Southeastern Conference foes.

Follow an action-packed weekend, USA TODAY Sports’ Eddie Timanus penned up his winners and losers column. In it, he included the Orange and Blue among the latter category.

“The Gators’ loss to South Carolina was by no means fatal, but it did damage their chances for a top-four spot and double bye in the SEC tournament,” Timanus begins. “It also raised questions about where their points might come from when facing defense-first teams, which they’re sure to encounter in the Big Dance.”

These are very fair points that also echo the concerns of the Gator Nation. Additionally, the loss represented yet another missed chance to take things to the next level. Unfortunately, much like the one-point road loss at the Texas A&M Aggies last month, Florida has struggled to close the door on its opponents.

The Gators return home for a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday, March 5, inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Gators still a 6-seed in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology

Florida is sitting pretty in the NCAA Tournament projections with just three regular-season games remaining.

Winner of nine of its last 11 games, Florida basketball’s stock has been quickly rising over the past month-and-a-half as the Gators have turned a sluggish start to Southeastern Conference play into a team that looks prepared for the SEC Tournament.

Todd Golden’s gang has not only been moving up as far as the conference tournament seeding is concerned, but also in the NCAA Tournament projections. Once upon a time, the Orange and Blue were a postseason afterthought but the team has hit another gear when it counted the most.

Following the win over Vanderbilt, USA TODAY Sports kept Florida up at a No. 6 seed, but this time moving from the Midwest Region to the East Region. There, the Gators are grouped with the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks, No. 11 Akron Zips and one of either the No. 11 Wake Forest Demon Deacons or Providence Friars in Omaha, Nebraska.

It is worth noting that Wake Forest beat Florida in Winston-Salem earlier this season, but that was a long time ago on the college basketball schedule.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the No. 1 seed in the West Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3, South), Auburn Tigers (No. 5, South), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 5, Midwest), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 6, Midwest) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 8, East).

The Texas A&M Aggies are among the first four out of the tournament.

Florida hits the road to take on South Carolinas on Saturday, March 2, in the first of the final three games of the season. Tipoff is scheduled for noon ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Florida moves up again in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology projections

Florida took care of business at home against Vanderbilt and jumped up to a No. 6 seed in the latest USA TODAY bracketology update.

Florida basketball continued its strong 2023-24 campaign with a 77-64 win over Vanderbilt at home on Saturday. The Gators have won eight of their last 10, and they are trending upward on most bracketology updates.

Following the win over Vanderbilt, USA TODAY Sports moved Florida up to a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region. It is grouped with the No. 11 Providence Friars, No. 3 Duke Blue Devils and No. 14 College of Charleston Cougars in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the No. 1 seed in the West Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama (No. 3, South), Auburn Tigers (No. 5, Midwest), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 5, East), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 7, West) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 9, South) and Texas A&M Aggies (No. 9, East). The Ole Miss Rebels are among the first four out of the tournament.

The Gators are back at the O’Connell Center on Wednesday, Feb. 28 to host the Missouri Tigers. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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USA TODAY Sports identifies Duke as an upward mover in latest Bracketology

After five straight wins, Duke basketball is moving higher and higher in the latest USA TODAY Sports bracket projections. How far can they go?

Duke has won its past five games and 16 of its past 18, and that recent form is starting to turn a lot of national heads.

USA TODAY Sports released its latest bracket projections on Friday, and the site earmarked the Blue Devils as a team to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

The projections currently have Duke as a 3-seed in the East, but writers Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus said the Blue Devils could get as high as a No. 2 seed with a strong finish to the season.

As of now, the Blue Devils would play the College of Charleston in the opening round with a second-round matchup against either Kentucky or Seton Hall. The top two seeds in the East are Connecticut and Kansas.

North Carolina, who is tied atop the ACC standings with Duke, is also a No. 3 seed. The Tar Heels are in the Midwest region behind Purdue and Iowa State with a first-round matchup against High Point.

Clemson (No. 7 seed) and Virginia (No. 9 seed) are both in the South region, and Wake Forest remains one of the first four out despite a good recent win over Pittsburgh.

Florida moves up a seed in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology update

Despite the OT road load the Gators gained some ground in UA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology update.

Florida basketball has been storming along this month having won seven of its last nine to catapult the Gators into the thick of the NCAA Tournament discussion. Despite dropping the last game to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Todd Golden’s gang is still in business.

Following the road loss at Alabama, USAT moved Florida up to a No. 8 seed in the South Region, now grouped with the No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers — who beat the Gators earlier this season on a neutral court and represent their opening opponent — along with the No. 1 Houston Cougars and No. 16 Sam Houston State Bearkats in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 5), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 6), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 8), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 9) and Texas A&M Aggies (No. 10). The Ole Miss Rebels are also among the first four out of the tournament.

The Gators return home on Saturday, Feb. 24, to host the Vanderbilt Commodores inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Despite Struggles, Oklahoma Men’s Basketball team is far from the NCAA tournament bubble

Despite recent struggles, the Oklahoma Sooners are still in good shape to make the NCAA tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team has had an up-and-down go of it during Big 12 play. As things stand right now ahead of Saturday’s final conference Bedlam matchup, the Sooners are 18-8 overall and 6-7 in Big 12 play.

They’ve had opportunities to be better than their sub-.500 record. But such is life in the Big 12. Up 11 on Kansas one minute, suffering another disappointing loss the next.

And yet, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an improved basketball team from a year ago when they finished 5-13 in conference play and in last place. And despite the roller coaster ride they’ve been on in the toughest basketball conference in the country, Oklahoma is still on solid footing for to make the NCAA tournament for the first time under Porter Moser.

Even if they finish the season on a sour note, their strength of schedule will be enough for the Oklahoma Sooners to make the tournament. But let’s check in with where Oklahoma’s at in the latest NET ratings, RPI, and bracketologies from around the world of college hoops.

Duke in East Region of newest USA TODAY Sports bracket projection after national shakeup

Despite a handful of losses by top-10 teams over the previous 72 hours, the Blue Devils couldn’t work farther up the latest USA TODAY Sports bracket projection.

The NCAA released its current top 16 teams over the weekend, but the list grew outdated within just a few days.

USA TODAY Sports released an updated bracket projection on Tuesday, and the Blue Devils were named a 4-seed in the East region.

Duke’s first-round matchup would be against South Florida in Charlotte. Texas Tech or Appalachian State would await in the next game should Duke make it past the Bulls.

Defending national champion Connecticut, the unanimous No. 1 team in the country according to the last USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, owns the top seed in the East region. Iowa State slotted in as the second seed with Illinois behind them as the third.

Iowa State took a big conference loss on Monday, as did Marquette and Purdue. The Cyclones did so in the least embarrassing fashion, falling to potential No. 1 seed Houston by eight points, but Marquette lost to defending national champion Connecticut by nearly 30 points and the Boilermakers lost to unranked Ohio State on the road.

Purdue, contending for the top overall seed in the bracket, remained a No. 1 seed in the Midwest region despite the upset. Marquette remained a 2-seed in the South region.

Despite being one of the committee’s No. 2 seeds in the bracket preview, USA TODAY Sports had North Carolina as the 3-seed in the Midwest. Virginia (No. 7 seed, West) and Clemson (No. 8 seed, South) were the only other ACC teams present, with Wake Forest one of the first four out.

Gators switch regions in USA TODAY Sports bracketology update

Florida’s seeding is unchanged but Todd Golden’s team is now in the East Region.

The Florida basketball program has come a long way since its early 2024 struggles, now having won seven of the past eight games — and three in a row — and entering the Associated Press Poll’s top 25 for the first time since Todd Golden took over.

The success over the past month has catapulted the Gators from standing on the outside looking in on the NCAA Tournament to being right in the thick of things with less than a month to go before Selection Sunday. While the Orange and Blue did not gain any ground in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology since the last update, things are still trending well in Gainesville.

Following the road win over the Georgia Bulldogs, USAT still has Florida as a No. 9 seed but has moved it over from the West Region to the East Region. The Gators are now grouped with the No. 8 Brigham Young Cougars — who represent their opening opponent — along with the No. 1 UConn Huskies and No. 16 Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Brooklyn, New York.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 5), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 5), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 7), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 9), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 10) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 12). Ole Miss is also among the last four in the tournament.

Florida travels to Tuscaloosa for its next matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 21, against Alabama. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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Florida basketball a USA TODAY Sports ‘winner’ this weekend

There’s no doubt about it — the Gators were truly a winner this past weekend.

Florida basketball is on a roll of late, having won its last three and seven of the last eight games played stretching. Following a weak start to the calendar year for the Gators, Todd Golden’s team has been hitting on all cylinders for the past month.

The latest victory over the Georgia Bulldogs on the road was not quite as impressive as a couple of others, but it was still enough for Florida to catch the eye of USA TODAY Sports writer Jordan Mendoza, who has the Orange and Blue at the top of his list of bubble watch winners from last weekend.

“Don’t look now, but Florida is getting hot, going on the road to beat Georgia for its seventh win in its last eight while picking up a Quad 2 victory,” Mendoza begins. “The Bulldogs ambushed Florida offensively in the first half, leading by as much as 11 in the first frame, but the Gators defense clamped down in the second half to hold Georgia to shooting 37% in the final 20 minutes. The backcourt duo of Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin is also taking this team to success, averaging a combined 34.4 points per game in the last eight contests.”

He continues, noting how the team has turned the table on what was once a floundering effort against Southeastern Conference competition.

“The Gators have turned around a 1-3 start in conference play with wins at Kentucky and a blowout win at home against Auburn in recent weeks, and while not pretty, the best thing they can say about its seven losses this season is they all came against Quad 1 opponents. Florida will have a chance to boost its resume and possibly get toward a 7-seed projection on the road against Alabama next week.”

Florida travels to Tuscaloosa for its next matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 21, against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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Florida stands pat in USA TODAY Sports bracketology ahead of UGA

Here’s where the Gators landed in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology update ahead of the Georgia rematch.

Florida basketball has won six of its last seven games — all against Southeastern Conference competition — and has subsequently shot up the NCAA Tournament bracketologies. Once stranded on the outside of the Big Dance bubble, the Gators are now in the thick of things.

In the latest bracketology update from USA TODAY Sports put together by Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus, Todd Golden’s gang remained a No. 9 seed in West Region, starting off in Salt Lake City, Utah, along with the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats, No. 8 Michigan State Spartans and No. 16 Merrimack Warriors.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 4), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 5), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 7), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 8) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 10). Ole Miss is also among the last four in the tournament.

Golden and the Gators next travel to Athens for a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 17. Tipoff is slated for an early 1 p.m. start and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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