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The Back Nine comes at you after a chilly weekend that included a rare sighting of a character who elicited a buzz throughout the O-Dome on Saturday.
10. No, not Colin Castleton – although for more on him keep reading – but instead a burly man who could barely fit into his prime seat. Yes, that was me in the stands, two rows up and loving it, thanks to my buddy Chris Conner who took me to the game. It was my first time sitting at the level I used to watch every game at on press row. Anyway, it was so great to be around people and cheer and watch the Gators win, but the best part of it was watching Mike White coach because you can hear everything. I know there are fans out there who would want White fired if the Gators were in the Final Four, but the guy is interesting to watch and to get this team with all it has been through to this point, well, there is something to be said for that.
11. It was very cool to see Castleton running out with the team and the buzz in the wine-and-cheese section (I still haven’t found the cheese although someone there was cutting some if you get my drift) was palpable. Then, when he was introduced as the final player in the starting lineup, it was quite a roar. There was so much non-news about Castleton that we didn’t know if he was going to play at all this season and instead undergo surgery. But there he was getting 17 points and seven rebounds against a team that throws two physical centers at you, sometimes together. “It felt great being able to just hoop,” Castleton said. “Just hooping is what I love. So, just being able to be out there with my teammates, my brothers felt great. I was definitely tired, but shoot, that’s just what comes with it, so I’ve got to keep building that stamina up.” His return gives the Gators hope to make the tournament. Speaking of that …
12. This NET Ranking which is supposed to be used as a tool for the committee reminds me of the saying by my friend Heath Cline about computer rankings – “Garbage in, garbage out.” For example, Auburn won on the road Saturday and dropped three spots. I decided to look at teams ranked ahead of Florida who have only one Quad 1 win, which seems to be the be-all and end-call:
* No. 22 – Iowa, 14-7, 1 Quad 1 win, 3 Quad 2s.
* No. 29 – Wyoming, 17-3, 1 Q1, 4 Q2s.
* No. 30 – Loyola Chicago, 16-4, 1 Q1, 2 Q2s
* No. 36 — Washington St., 14-7, 0 Q1s, 2Q2s.
I could keep going because there are five more teams with similar resumes to Florida ranked ahead of the Gators, who are 44th with 1 Q1 and three Q2s. And Houston, with only one Quad 1 win, is one of them ranked third in the country by the NET. Eh, quit worrying. It will all work itself out.
13. Kind of like you know that no matter what the NET is for the women, any team who has an eight-game stretch like Florida’s is going to be dancing. What’s more, no team is going to want to draw these Gators. I was thinking today about which story is more unbelievable – the sudden fall of Dan Mullen or the sudden rise of Kelly Rae Finley. They are both amazing stories, especially the way there is a buzz about Finley being the SEC coach of the year.
14. The thing is – she gets it. She knows how to make these players go hard and that’s one-third of the coaching formula. Have a plan, get good players to execute that plan and make sure they are giving everything they can. I know there are a lot of people screaming that Florida should go ahead and give her the job permanently. Here’s my take – why take the edge of this team? If they are playing this hard for their coach, why change anything until the end of the season? That’s my theory. It will be interesting to see how this team handles a second and third straight road game which will mean three road games in nine days.
15. Are you ready for some softball? It starts this weekend. And baseball next weekend. It’s about to get crazy busy around here and in some ways it’s the best time to live in Gainesville. Unless you don’t like sports. And if you don’t, why are you reading this?
16. That includes a huge gymnastics meet on Friday with two top five teams hitting the floor when LSU comes to town. I would expect another sellout.
17. Well, we made it through the week before the week of the Super Bowl and did the NFL ever have some fun. Wheee doggie! Lawsuits and congressional inquiries and more white head coaches. Oh my. But it is time to get to the important stuff because this is Dr. Football’s last pick of the year after a very good season picking against the spread. You coulda made some money, Just sayin’. The Rams are 4.5-point favorites in the battle of SEC quarterbacks (and let’s face it, one of them will be the MVP although there will be more impactful players on the field). I’m going to take the Bengals, who kind of remind me of last year’s Braves because every postseason win is celebrated louder and with a special can-you-believe it? feeling of joy. Who Dey?
18. Let’s wrap it up with a very special playlist and I say that because I couldn’t think of a good way to introduce these very different songs:
* “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” by Townes Van Zandt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjGOxo0KDMs
* ”Whiskey In The Jar” by Thin Lizzy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WDSY8Kaf6o
* And for a really old one, “Harper Valley P.T.A.” by Jeannie C. Riley.
