GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida forward Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed during a game in December 2020 and hasn’t practiced or played since, entered the NCAA transfer portal Sunday with hopes of resuming his college career.
Dick Vitale smiled. “Hey, ring that bell baby,” he said. “Ring that bell.”
This time, Vitale wasn't calling a big dunk or a clutch play by another college basketball star. It was his own victory, his own Big Dance in April.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — New Florida coach Todd Golden rounded out his staff Friday by hiring UNLV assistant Carlin Hartman.
Hartman joins Mississippi State’s Korey McCray and Richmond’s Kevin Hovde on Florida's bench, helping form a staff Golden called “a grand slam.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida hired San Francisco's Todd Golden as its basketball coach Friday, turning to the 36-year-old former Auburn assistant to revitalize a program that had grown stale under Mike White.
Georgia lured Mike White away from Southeastern Conference rival Florida on Sunday, a surprising hire by the Bulldogs' moribund basketball program only three days after Tom Crean was fired.
White's hiring was approved by Georgia's athletic association's executive board in a conference call that was held just as the NCAA Tournament men's selections were being announced.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hassan Diarra drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 0.4 seconds left in overtime to give Texas A&M an 83-80 win over Florida in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida forward Keyontae Johnson dribbled the ball several times near midcourt, handed it to an official and started hugging everyone around him, even his opponents. He then dropped to the court in a push-up pose and kissed the giant Gators logo — all while being overwhelmed by a standing ovation.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — When Florida scored the first five points of the second half, Kentucky coach John Calipari immediately called timeout. He had one message for his seventh-ranked Wildcats: Throw Oscar Tshiebwe the ball.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Colin Castleton scored 19 points, and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. made a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left as Florida scored the last nine points of the game to beat Vanderbilt 82-78 on Tuesday night.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Nolan Richardson, Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman were on the floor for Arkansas' last victory at Florida. The Razorbacks had made 14 consecutive trips to Gainesville since without tasting another one.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tyree Appleby scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, Colin Castleton added 19 and Florida rallied to beat No. 2 Auburn 63-62 on Saturday to extend its home dominance in the series.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tyree Appleby found himself swarmed by students, fans and teammates at midcourt. It was the first time a scene like that unfolded at the O'Connell Center in more than 30 years.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Oscar Tsbiebwe seemingly hasn't been distracted by his candidacy for National Player of the Year honors, considering the Kentucky standout continues to go about his business on the court.
A look at the weekend action around the Southeastern Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
No. 5 Kentucky (20-4, 9-2) rides a five-game winning streak into a game against similarly hot Florida (16-8.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Myreon Jones had 18 points and five 3-pointers, Tyree Appleby scored all 17 of his points in the second half and Florida beat Missouri 66-65 on Wednesday in a game moved ahead six hours due to a winter storm.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Already-thin Florida will be without center Jason Jitoboh for the remainder of the season following eye surgery Friday.
Jitoboh, a 285-pound junior who lost more than 50 pounds in the offseason, took a finger to his left eye late in the first half Wednesday night at Tennessee.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — After 35 years in the coaching business, Tennessee's Rick Barnes has just about seen it all.
But when the 18th-ranked Volunteers went through a five-minute stretch in the first half in which they didn't attempt a shot and committed seven turnovers — and still beat Florida, 78-71 — it left Barnes shaking his head.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Darius Days was mostly miserable during his last two trips home to play in front of friends and family members. He struggled, and LSU lost.
He tried to relax a little more this time around and ended up giving dozens of his fans who made the short trip north plenty of reason to cheer.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 24 points and eighth-ranked Duke hit 13 straight shots to blow it open after halftime and beat Wake Forest 76-64 on Wednesday night with Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski sidelined by illness.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — K.D. Johnson scored 23 points and No. 9 Auburn extended its winning streak to 11 with a 85-73 victory over Florida on Saturday night.
Auburn held off a big second-half surge by Florida (9-5, 0-2 Southeastern Conference), which was led by Colin Castleton’s 22 points and 10 rebounds.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Alabama coach Nate Oats challenged his guys at halftime to be better “with the blue-collar stuff.” He didn't need to be more specific. They knew he meant rebounds, blocks, steals, deflections and loose balls.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jahvon Quinerly scored 18 points and Noah Gurley added a season-high 15 to help No. 19 Alabama beat 14th-ranked Tennessee 73-68 on Wednesday night in the SEC opener for both teams.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Colin Castleton scored 12 points with 11 rebounds, his fifth double-double, and Florida held off South Florida 66-55 at the the Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday.
Castleton scored nine in the second half, including a putback that showcased Florida's transition game.
WACO, Texas (AP) — James Akinjo had 16 points with seven rebounds and second-ranked Baylor defensively dominated No. 6 Villanova 57-36 on Sunday, a victory that’s likely to put the defending national champion Bears in the top spot in the new poll.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donta Scott scored on a leaning shot in the post with 16.8 seconds left, No. 20 Florida missed its final-play 3-pointer, and Maryland beat the Gators 70-68 on Sunday night in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Colin Castleton barely slept after Florida's humbling loss to Texas Southern. He couldn't stop thinking about everything the Gators did wrong — turnovers, defensive lapses, less-than-ideal shots.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Johnny Jones got a wet welcome in the visiting locker room at the O'Connell Center. It was a celebration decades in the making.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Jabri Abdur-Rahim’s 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes remaining gave Georgia the lead, and the Bulldogs snapped their four-game losing streak by beating No. 18 Memphis 82-79 on Wednesday night.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — As Oklahoma football fans tried to recover from Lincoln Riley’s sudden decision to leave for USC earlier in the week, the basketball team stepped in and gave them something to cheer about.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is off to its best start in coach Mike White's seven seasons.
Myreon Jones and Tyree Appleby scored 12 points apiece, and the 23rd-ranked Gators remained unbeaten with a 84-45 victory over Troy on Sunday.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Tyree Appleby hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and No. 23 Florida beat Ohio State 71-68 in the Fort Myers Tip-Off championship game on Wednesday night.
The entire Gators bench stormed on the court for a wild celebration after Appleby's shot went in.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Colin Castleton scored 16 points, Tyree Appleby added 15 and No. 23 Florida handled California 80-60 in an opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday night.
Myreon Jones added 13 points and Phlandrous Fleming Jr.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Jack Nunge had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Paul Scruggs also scored 14 points and Xavier led wire to wire in knocking off No. 19 Ohio State 71-65 on Thursday night.
Jamari Wheeler hit a 3-pointer to get Ohio State within two points with 17 seconds left, the closest the Buckeyes had been all evening.