Florida Gators Baits & Bits: UF’s March Madness, Andre Debose Altercation, and Weekend Review
By Brett Kaplan
Mar 16, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Florida Gators center Patric Young (4) and forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) react as time expires and they defeat the Kentucky Wildcats in the championship game for the SEC college basketball tournament at Georgia Dome. Florida defeated Kentucky 61-60. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to Bait & Bits, a series on Hail Florida Hail that will feature one “bait” about an opposing school and some bits about the Gators. Have any links that you want on Bait & Bits? Tweet it at us @HailFloridaHail or @BrettKaplan13 or email it to us at BrettKaplanHFH@gmail.com.
Bait
Every Other SEC Team. Florida capped off an unblemished conference record during the regular season with three straight wins for the SEC Tournament crown. The Gators are the first team to win 18 games SEC history and their 21 wins versus league teams this year will forever be a record. As Billy Donovan said, it might be tied, but it will never be broken.
Bits
SEC Tournament Championship in Words. This is a really cool montage of quotes, video, and social media posts from all Gators, past and present. It’s great to see that the previous greatest class in UF history, the Oh-Fours, showed a lot of love for the Oh-Tens. Good stuff and well worth the read. (Adam Silverstein, Only Gators)
Florida’s Opening Odds For National Title. The Gators open up a 4-1 favorite to win the NCAA Tournament. The next three favorites are 4-seed Michigan State (9-2), 1-seed Arizona (6-1), and 2-seed Kansas (8-1). Defending champs 4-seed Louisville come in at 15-1 odds.
Get Your Printable Brackets Here. We got your filled-in NCAA Tournament brackets and your blank brackets if you’re old school. We also have the NIT bracket and CBI bracket as well. Enjoy and good luck. Just know I’m going to win the $1 billion. (FanSided)
Andre Debose Defenestrated. This is such a weird story. Gainesville Police Department stated that Andre Debose threw a man through a window Saturday night. Not good news for the sixth year senior, who just gained eligibility this upcoming season. But it came out Sunday that Debose was actually the throwee not the thrower. Debose was trying to break up a fight between to men. After Debose went through the window, gunfire erupted. No one was injured, including Debose who’s coming off ACL surgery. (Stu White, Fansided)
Men & Women’s Track & Field Finishes 3rd at NCAA Indoors. Both the Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams were ranked number one heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They both left finishing third as teams. (GatorZone)
Gymnastics Finishes Regular Season with Impressive Night. What more can we say about Kytra Hunter and Bridget Sloan. Hunter was perfect again on the Floor, scoring a 10.0 for the sixth time this season. Sloan tied a school record in the All-Around with 39.825. Sloan is the reigning NCAA All-Around Champion. Florida beat Missouri 198.20 to 194.30. With that score, the Gators should move into the number one ranking for collegiate gymnastics. (GatorZone)
FLax Falls Short at Syracuse. Florida faced a stiff test when they traveled to No. 2/3 Syracuse, but they certainly put up a fight. The Gators rallied, but eventually fell 17-12 to the Orange. Nora Barry caused a school-record five caused turnovers, Lauren Lea tied a UF-record with four assists, and Shannon Gilroy moved into third place on the all-time goals scored list in the loss. Florida’s only blemishes on the season are to the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels and the No. 2 Syracuse Orange, both away from Gainesville. (GatorZone)
Women’s Tennis Loses First SEC Match. Florida came into Sunday’s match the number three team in the nation. They faced the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, and dropped their first match, 4-2. The Gators are now 12-3 and 4-1 in SEC play. (GatorZone)
Men’s Tennis Beat By Georgia. Unfortunately, men’s tennis suffered the same fate as the women. In a hard-fought match, No. 16 Georgia bested Florida, 4-3. The men are now 7-6 on the season, including a 2-2 conference record. (GatorZone)
Gators Finish 8th at SunTrust Invitational. Florida’s women’s golf team hosted the 2014 SunTrust Invitational and the 16th-ranked Gators finished 8th overall. UF’s best finisher was Camilla Hedberg, who finished tied for fifth at +6. No. 11 Arizona took the title. (GatorZone)
Oh yeah, Happy St. Patty’s Day! If you’re going out tonight, make sure to drive safely. If you’re drinking, have a designated driver. I’m going to have some green beer and corned beef and cabbage, all homemade. What are your plans?
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