AJ Ogilvey is an Overgrown, Clutzy, Bully

I’m convinced AJ Ogilvey is nothing more than an overgrown, clutzy, bully. At 7-feet tall, he is two or three inches taller than the tallest Gators, yet Ogilvey spent all afternoon flailing his arms and body-checking guys in the lane. He bowled people over and then continually looked to the referees, pouty-faced, expecting a foul. Shrink Ogilvey down a few inches and he’s just your average (but tall) Australia and definitely not a basketball player.

Ogilvey pushing Speights as he makes a move to the basket.

Werner Sports a New Do

Not sure you can call this a ‘do’ as there’s nothing to be ‘done’ with it. Maybe that makes it an undo. Werner came out for pregame warm ups today and I didn’t know who he was until I got a look at the name on his jersey. Someone rub his head and let’s get some good luck going!

Vandy Edges the Gators at Home

I spent the afternoon in Nashville for the game and was pleasantly surprised the Gators even came close in this one. The game was phenomenal; an emotional roller coaster careening at unsafe speeds all afternoon through the Memorial Gym. It was a tidal wave back and forth as Vandy took the lead, then Florida came back and went back on top.

First Impressions

Florida’s defense was better, but not great. We still gave up several open looks at the basket. Vanderbilt made two 3-pointers right out of the gate. On both plays it looked like Dan Werner was standing in the lane guarding air. We forced 13 turnovers to our 10. We out-rebounded the ‘Dores 34 to 31.

Key Numbers:

1… The number of fouls Vanderbilt was charged with in the first half.

2… The number of fouls Vanderbilt had 30 minutes into the game (more on this later).

1… The Gator’s made one 3-pointer the entire game. One! Werner was 1-6 and continues to put up bricks. Werner needs to develop his inside shot and stop putting up prayers. He is barely making 1 of 4 shots from behind the arc, and is costing points.

11… Florida’s leading scorers, Calathes and Speights, had only 11 points. Walter Hodge also had 10 points. Unless our bench is averaging 9 points a peice, that’s not going to win ball games with the way the defense has been. It is amazing we stayed in the ballgame with this kind of production from the offense. We did make 11-13 free throws, which was encouraging. Speights was 5-6 from the line.

Final Score: 58-61

Alex Gordon sinking the game-winning free throw.

Gators Add A Running Backs Coach

The newest family member of Gator Nation is…

Kenny Carter joined the Gator Staff officially today as the Running Backs Coach, replacing Stan Drayton who left for Tennessee in January. Carter graduated from the Citadel in 1990 and his resume includes stops at his alma mater, Furman, LSU, Pittsburgh, Penn State, before spending four years at Vandy as Running Backs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.

Carter will emphasize ball security with Gator RBs, as the past few have given up costly fumbles in big games, including last year’s loss to eventual BCS Champion LSU. It’s unfortunate this addition did not come earlier to assist in the recruitment of Running Backs in the 2008 class.

Tennessee Looks Uncatchable in the SEC East

After throttling a veteran Arkansas squad tonight and moving to 9-1 in the SEC, Florida losing to LSU, and Kentucky getting flat out embarrassed at Vandy last night, it’s not looking like anyone is going to catch Tennessee in the SEC race. There are six games less to go, and Tennessee would have to lose at least two more games if Kentucky wins out. That’s not likely to happen after how the Wildcats played last night. They may have to drop to Division III to beat anybody after the hit their collective psyche must have taken.

Tennessee has been unbeatable at home, so we have to turn to the road schedule to figure any possible losses. The Vols have three road conference games remaining, plus a date with the undefeated Memphis Tigers in Memphis’ Fed Ex Forum February 23rd. Georgia should be an easy win, but Vandy and Florida may present a challenge. Florida was able to run with Tennessee for a half, but wore down quickly in the second half. With a little boost from the crowd, the Gators may stand a better chance. Right now though, if Tennessee is going to lose another conference game it will probably be at Vanderbilt February 26th.

My prediction is the Vols finish 28-3 or 27-4 with losses to Memphis and possibly Vanderbilt (or Florida… but not both).

Florida Loses to LS-Who?

The Gators weren’t impressive in their 10-point win against UGA this past weekend and the hangover carried through to tonight’s game against LSU. This is only Florida’s second loss in the O-Dome this season, but this one stings. LSU was 8-14 overall and at the bottom of the SEC West at 1-7 coming into the night. The Tigers got 22-, 20-, and 19-point performances from Randolph, Thornton, and Johnson respectively that vaulted them to an 85-73 victory over the Gators.

Florida has now dropped three of their last four and four of their last eight games. The Gators follow tonight’s loss with a tough game on the road at Vanderbilt. The ‘Dores are undefeated at home this season and fresh off a 41-point spanking of Kentucky. After the way Florida has played the last two weeks, I shudder to think what may happen this weekend at Vandy… Is it too late to sell my tickets on Ebay? I saw Vanderbilt take a sound beating at the hands of the Gators in the O-Dome three weeks ago, but get the feeling this game might be the polar opposite of that game.

If the Gators lose to Vandy this weekend, they need to win out and get a couple big wins in the SEC tourney to pad their resume for the NCAA Tournament. Right now, they are in danger of playing their way out altogether.

My prediction for Saturday’s game: Vandy 85, Florida 73

Purdue Upsets Michigan State

Purdue has surged to the top of the Big Ten, upsetting Wisconsin this past weekend and Michigan State last night. The Boilermakers got 24 points from Robbie Hummel as they held off the Spartans 60-54 in West Lafayette. Drew Neitzel was held to 6 points on 1 of 7 from the field. Freshmen Guard Kalin Lucas gave Michigan State 30 minutes and 20 points off the bench, but it wasn’t enough to take down a hot-handed Purdue team. Michigan State will make another trip to Indiana to take on #12 Indiana (20-4, 9-2) this Saturday while Purdue visits Northwestern (7-14, 0-10). Purdue has now won ten straight while MSU has dropped two of their last three after winning five in a row.

Kentucky Beaten Like a Red-Headed, Freckled Step-Child

Last night, Kentucky suffered its worst defeat since 1989, losing by 41 points to Vanderbilt in Nashville. Kentucky scored 14 points in the first half. 14 points! I’m not sure what happened there… How do you look yourself in the mirror after a performance like that?!
Hopefully, Vandy got that out of their system before my Gators come to town this weekend… OUCH!

Georgetown Gets Controversial Win

With the game tied and less than a second on the clock, Villanova got called for a very questionable foul, sending Jonathan Wallace to the line for Georgetown. Wallace hit the two free throws to seal the 55-53 victory over ‘Nova. I guess that’s the way the calls go when you’re ranked #8.

College Hoops Power Rankings: Fresh Off a KU Upset

1. Memphis  (23-0)

2. Duke (21-1)

3. Tennessee (21-2)

4. Kansas (23-2)

5. North Carolina (22-2)

6. UCLA (21-3)

7. Stanford (20-3)

8. Michigan State (20-3)

9. Butler (21-2)

10. Georgetown (20-3)