The first overtime was pretty slow, both teams only scored 6 points in five minutes of play… forcing a second overtime. BYU got out in the second overtime fast, hitting 3 pointers like it’s nobody’s business. The Gators never stood a chance at that point. On one hand I am just proud of the Gators for making the tournament, but on the other hand this is a tough loss to swallow given the amount of chances they had to knock BYU out. We had the looks, just couldn’t hit the shots.

Kenny Boynton led the Gators with 27 points and was key in lighting the fire under the Gators in the second half. Boynton shot 50% from the 3-point line and was 6-7 from the free throw line. Chandler Parsons also had a good game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. We really missed Alex Tyus today… don’t know what happened to him. He was only 3-11 in field goals and never made it to the foul line – he also missed several easy put ins. Erving Walker also killed the Gators with his early turnovers, he had 7 for the game.

I’ve got a couple of pictures from the game, some are good and some make you want to puke.

Today was a big day for the University of Florida and its children. The Tim Tebow story, Joe Haden proving himself on his home field, the start of a new era of Florida Gator football, Urban Meyer returning from his LOA, as well as countless other storylines were in the spotlight on the day of the Pro Day and first day of spring practice.

As Tim Tebow took off his jacket to begin warming up, the crowd cheered in support. Tebow 2.0 was on display in the Swamp. And he impressed NFL coaches and scouts with his most improved footwork. But reports were that his throwing motion was improved slightly and sped up, yet Tim would still dip the ball a little when putting more velocity on his throws. However, his improvements even impressed quite possibly his toughest critic in Todd McShay, who in an interview with Mike Mayock, expressed his fascination in how much Tim has changed in just a few short weeks. McShay implied that Tebow certainly helped his draft stock, and showed just how coachable he is to all 32 NFL teams in attendance. In watching Tim throw, I could tell that his mobility and being able to throw on the run with accuracy had improved a great deal. Tim threw crisp, and tight deep balls to Cooper, Hernandez, and David Nelson in showing off his greatest strength, in my opinion. A few tosses here and there were low or high, but stayed tight spirals because of his improved dropback and release. T2 helped himself today in the best way he could, by showing how coachable he is and how quickly he improves. He has possibly moved himself into a late first round or early second round pick.

Field conditions in the Swamp were hardly ideal for running 40’s and shuttle drills, due to rain the night before. The drill cones had to be moved constantly to prevent players from slipping on the torn up grass. Though the tough conditions were hardly a factor for Aaron Hernandez, who impressed the scouts with clean route running and clearly impressive shuttle drills. Hernandez ran an unofficial 40 time of 4.61, and benched a very impressive 30 reps of 225 lbs. Cornerback Joe Haden greatly improved his 40-yard dash time to reported unofficial times of anywhere from 4.39 to 4.46. His time at the NFL scouting combine was 4.57. Reports were that Haden accomplished what he set out to accomplish, and even though his time wasn’t as fast as he would’ve liked, he brought himself back to the realm of a first round draft pick. Brandon Spikes was disappointing at the Pro Day posting an unofficial 40 time of 5.0 seconds. David Nelson was also on display in the Swamp, hoping to impress. Running clean routes, and catching balls from Tebow. Nelson posted an unofficial 4.4 second 40-yard dash. But, because of the tough field conditions, scouts may deduct up to 0.05 seconds off of recorded 40-yard dash times. Also of noticeable improvement was Carlos Dunlap. Dunlap improved his bench press reps to 22 of 225 lbs, a 4.58 40-yard dash, and his performance in position drills. Players put on quite a show today for fans and NFL scouts alike. Children on field trips were able to see and talk to their favorite Gator players and even get a few autographs and pictures. And Tebow even made his famous lap around the Swamp to greet fans, and show his appreciation. Success was the overall story in the Swamp today, in my opinion.

Now, to a new era of Florida Gator Football. The return of Urban Meyer and the start of Johnny Brantley’s term as starting QB. Brantley and freshman QB Trey Burton were the first two players on the practice field, starting to warm up with quarterback’s coach Scot Loeffler. The rest of the first team offensive line and running back Emmanuel Moody joined in and Johnny assumed the leadership role, yelling and directing the offense along with clear-cut team leader, center Mike Pouncey. Due to Jeff Demps still training with the track & field team and Chris Rainey moving to slot receiver, RB Moody got the first carries of the day. Just simple running back dives and draws. Freshman strong safety Matt Elam appeared in a very sacred numbered jersey, #22(Emmitt Smith). Hopefully, he does the number justice. Andre Debose also appeared dressed out and jogging to the field. But he was not participating in full speed drills, as he is still in the rehabilitation stages with his hamstrings. And Chris Rainey started working out as return man, along with a few other second team players, as the special teams work out began. Last on the field was the head man himself, Urban Meyer. Casually walking onto the practice field, enjoying the sights and sounds of spring football. It was clear to me that even though Meyer was there as the head coach, Steve Addazio was still kind of running the show for the first part of the practice. As I was not able to see the entire practice, I cannot say exactly how the day progressed. However, I will be making a trip back to Gainesville hopefully next week to catch more of spring practice, and report the action for GatorEnvy.com. Spring football is in the air folks. I’m excited, and I know you are too.

If you would like to catch the Gators in spring practice at Sanders practice fields these next few weeks, the spring schedule is as follows. It is open to the public, and free of admission. Be reminded that photography(still or video) is not permitted.

Friday, March 19 – 3:45-5:45 p.m.
Saturday, March 20 – 10:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Monday, March 22 – 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 24 – 3:45-5:45 p.m.
Friday, March 26 – 3:45-5:45 p.m.
Saturday, March 27 – 10:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Monday, March 29 – 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 31 – 3:45-5:45 p.m.
Friday, April 2 – 3:45-5:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 – 10:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Monday, April 5 – 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 7 – 3:45-5:45 p.m.
Friday, April 9 – 3:45-5:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, 1 p.m. – Orange and Blue Debut

p.s. Check out GatorZone.com for the latest practice schedule updates.

The Pro Day is important because it gives players a chance to add to or improve on what they did at the NFL Combine. Joe Haden is one player that desperately needs a good Pro Day showing. He ran a very slow time at the Combine (like a 4.57 40) and it really hurt his draft potential. If he can come out and run like a 4.45 then he could boost back up into the Top 10 or Top 15 of the draft. The way a player handles their performance on Pro Day can make or break them… just ask Mark Sanchez.

The Pro Day starts at 10:00 am and is open to the public.

Those fans who just love Gator Football and don’t really care about the NFL will be excited to the kickoff of Spring Practice today. Johnny Brantley will run out of the locker room and onto the field as a starting quarterback. He’ll be expected to lead the team this year but might be given a small pass because he is a first year starter.

Other interesting spring practice matchups to watch out:
- The running back battle between Rainey and Demps
- Who will emerge as the No. 1 wide receiver
- Who will take over Haden’s spot at CB
- How will the pass rush look

Practice today is from 3:45-5:45 p.m. and is open to the public – just no cameras!

For most Gators on the team, this will be their first trip to the NCAA Tourney… I think Tyus, Werner and possibly Macklin (as a member of Georgetown) are the only three with experience.

“We’re very, very excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “I’m more excited for our players having a chance to experience this, for most of them this is something they haven’t been through yet. They’ve worked so hard from day one, and it’s great to see them rewarded.”

Once the Gators beat Auburn, I thought it was a pretty good chance that they would be in. Some people were saying Miss. State was a play in game, but I didn’t buy it. The Gators had 20+ wins and several very good victories over teams like Michigan State, FSU and Vanderbilt. “It was a stressful 48 hours not knowing if we were in or out,” Florida junior forward Chandler Parsons said. “We’re really excited to be a part of it. For most of us, it’s our first experience with the NCAA Tournament. We just don’t want to go and play one game, we want to prove we’re deserving of being there.”

First Round Gator Tickets are going for as low as $79, or as high as $1,000, a piece on StubHub. You better buy them up quickly, because they won’t last.

The Gators had big games last night from Alex Tyus (24 points) and Chandler Parsons (21 points, 6 rebounds). The announcers did a great job bringing awareness to the audience about the develop of Parsons over the year. He has turned into a hell of a starter and big time outside shooter for the Gators this year. I think even Kentucky’s coach Calipari said Parsons was the most improved player in the SEC this year – or maybe it was Bruce Pearl?

Another cool note from last night’s game – Dan Werner notched his 105th win as a Florida Gator, moving him into 3rd all-time. Werner has not been a fan favorite lately, but he did hit a big three last night and it’s pretty incredible that he has been part of so many wins.

It’s always tough for a team to play back to back games, especially when their opponent has had several days rest. The Gators will have their work cut out for them tonight against Mississippi State. They need to dominate the boards and shoot well from the free throw line. If they can keep the pace of the game down a little, I like their chances to advance.

The University of Florida has three SEC Tournament titles, all coming during a three-year run from 2005-07. They haven’t been as fortunate in the last two year where they were first round exits in 2008 and second round exists in 2009. Depending on what other teams around the NCAA do this week, the Gators may only need one win in the SEC Tournament or they might need two. The Gators have a few key signature wins this year, including victories over Michigan State, Florida State and Tennessee. Those should help give them an edge even if their RPI is in the 50s.

The Gators may have lost three SEC games in a row to close out the regular season, but there were actually some positives in those games. Several players showed key improvements on offense. Vernon Macklin has shown tremendous offensive improvement in recent weeks and has been in double figures in five of the last seven games, including a career-high 22 points at Ole Miss on Feb. 20. Chandler Parsons has been in double figures in seven of the last nine games including a career-high 29 against Georgia on Feb. 27… Parsons had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first meeting with Auburn.

Also, despite losing against the SEC’s top two teams in their last two outings, UF has out-rebounded both, including 19.5 offensive rebounds per game in those two outings. The Gators are a lot bigger than Auburn and should be able to dominate in the low post and on the rebounds. The Tigers only have one starter over 6′8″, while the Gators have three – Tyus, Macklin and Parsons.

In a must-win situation these Gators haven’t always come away with the win in the past few years, but I really have to believe Billy will have them ready to play tonight and they will defeat Auburn. If the Gators win, they will play Mississippi State tomorrow night.

The Gators got down big in the first half – trailing by as much as 18 points. But they were able to bring the deficit down to 10 points at halftime and made a great comeback in the second half. With about 4-5 minutes left in the game, the Gators were down only 2 points… but they were never able to take the lead. By the closing minutes the Gators got desperate and Kentucky pulled away.

Alex Tyus led the team in scoring with 12 points, followed by Kenny Boynton who had 11. Can you believe our leading rebounder was not someone by the name of Macklin, Tyus or Chandler? But by someone who is like 5′8″ – Erving Walker, who had 8 boards.

The Gators are slated to take on Auburn at 7:30 p.m. (ET) in the first round of the SEC Tournament and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network. We have a lot of work to do if the Gators want to advance in the SEC Tournament. It won’t come easy – even against Auburn.

Last week, the Tebow show moved it’s cameras to Indy and the NFL scouting combine. Tebow did fairly well at the combine, despite not throwing because of his throwing motion and mechanics being under reconstruction. Tebow posted a 4.72 40-yard dash(4th among quarterbacks, and beating Colt McCoy’s 4.79), a vertical jump of 38.5 inches(tying the record for quarterbacks set by Josh McCown, and beating Michael Vick’s score by ½ an inch), a broad jump of 9ft. 7in., and a 3-cone drill of 6.66 seconds. And even though Tim did well by combine standards for a quarterback, the criticism of him all together never stopped to breathe. His athletic ability even raised thoughts of playing another position in the NFL such as tight end or fullback. It seems to me that the NFL analysts, reporters, and writers are never going to give any kind of chance to Tim because he is not the prototypical NFL quarterback(immobile and a pure passer). Timmy is still set to premier his new throwing motion and footwork at the Gator’s Pro Day on Saint Patrick’s Day in Gainesville. Which will be open to the public.

Other former Gators showing off their skills at the combine did not overly impress. Joe Haden posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.57. We all know he is faster than that. But that’s not stopping the media from claiming that Florida’s 40 board is absolutely bogus. He will have a chance to redeem himself at the pro day, hopefully posting a 4.4 or better. Haden threw down a 10ft. 5in. broad jump, a 35 inch vertical leap, and bench pressed 18 reps of 225lbs. Riley Cooper also ran at the combine, showing a 4.52 40. He, however, did not participate in other drills. Former Gator safety Major Wright ran the fastest of Gator 40’s at this year’s combine, posting a 4.48. Third among participating safeties. Brandon Spikes, and Carlos Dunlap participated as well, Dunlap being most impressive out of the two. Dunlap posted a vertical leap of 31.5inches, two and ½ inches better than Spikes. And a broad jump of 9ft. 3in., 1 inch better than Spikes. Dunlap also ran a 40 time of 4.71, and threw up 225lbs 21 times. Spikes did not participate in those drills. After all of this, I expect the pro day to be a media circus. With Joe Haden trying to improve his 40 time, Tim Tebow 2.0 premiering, and other Gators trying to improve on things they were unhappy with at the combine. I personally will be attending the pro day. And I will tell you all how I think things went for our beloved Gators.

Now, to basketball. With the back to back losses to Georgia in Athens, and Vanderbilt at home, Billy Donavon’s Gators are in trouble of not making the tournament. The game against Vanderbilt marked the first time this year that the Gators have lost after leading at the 5 minute mark. Which was on senior day for Dan Werner, who contributed 8 points on 3-6 shooting. In my opinion, with the win over Tennessee, the Gators clinched a spot in the dance. But with the recent heartbreakers, they will have to be impressive this Sunday against Kentucky, and get at least a win in the SEC tournament to be considered in the NCAA tourney. This unpredictable team could very well go into Rupp Arena and upset the Wildcats. But they will have to bring their A+ game, and have some luck as well. I would look for a close loss this Sunday. The Gators should be playing a mid to low-tier team in the first round of the SEC tournament. A team like Alabama, or Auburn. Should the Gators lose in the first round to one of those type teams, they do not deserve a spot in the tourney, in my opinion. But we have seen that they can get inspired when truly needed, and I think that the Gators will earn a spot in the big dance. Should they not, they will have missed the tournament for 3 years straight. A first under Billy Donavon. The game against Kentucky will air on Sunday, March 7th at noon on CBS.

Until next time, be well Gator Nation.

p.s. I know its a little late, but I just ordered my UF Football Vault and I am so excited. Any of you have it? and if so, what do you think??

Hard to believe the Winter Olympics are already over; aside from the pre-opening ceremonies tragedy involving the luger from Georgia (Nodar Kumaritashvili) being killed on a training run, Vancouver deserves to be highly commended on a job well done. Based on the fact that the United States and Canada brought in the lion’s share of the total medals as well as staged impressive championship hockey games, albeit with Team USA settling for silver medals in both the men’s and women’s finals, they could very well be called “North America’s Games”.  Though Canada was on a mission to “own the podium” and came away with the most gold medals (14 total) the USA prevailed in the overall total medal count with a record and best-ever 37. We won’t see another Winter Games take place until 2014 when they’ll be in Sochi, Russia; I hope that the immature behavior of Russian athletes Evgeni Plushenko and Alex Ovechkin at these games aren’t a sign of things to come. If anything, the Russians should aim for a “coming-out party” on the same scale China did when they successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. All said, congrats to Team USA for a performance well beyond expectations – and a special congrats and Gator Chomp to former UF decathlete Steve Mesler for being part of the USA1 “Night Train” crew piloted by Steve Holcomb that won gold in the 4-man bobsled competition and ended an American drought in the event that went all the way back to 1948!!

Sounds like Tim Tebow’s making quite the impression at the NFL Scouting Combine going on right now up in Indianapolis; maybe now the critics will finally give credit where credit is due as far as his potential to succeed in the pros goes as well as get off Urban Meyer’s back about his supposedly “not having prepared him for the next level” (which IMO is an absurd statement as it is; Coach Meyer’s primary responsibility as Florida’s head coach is to have his team  as a whole -  not individual players – prepared for gameday, to win games and ultimately win championships.) Based on what I’ve read today, Joe Haden is attracting interest from the Cleveland Browns as well. Compared to recent years, Florida’s NFL draft class should be much stronger this year and we’ll likely see one or maybe two of our Gator alums off the boards in the first round.
(On a side note, it’s good to hear that Urban and Shelley Meyer were all right after being evacuated from where they were staying in Hawai’i during their recent vacation; it was a precaution taken due to fears of a possible tsunami hitting the islands following the recent earthquake in Chile. Can’t wait to see Urban back on the sidelines for the start of spring football coming up in two weeks!)

It’s been like a roller-coaster for Billy Ball lately; we achieved a “signature” win, for lack of a better word, over Bruce Pearl’s Tennessee Vol team but blew it in Athens against Georgia; the aftermath of which some Gator fans were calling for Dan Werner’s head due to a costly last-minute error he made. At first I didn’t think they had a chance of being invited to the Big Dance, but if they can beat Vandy and do well in the SEC tourney they still have a chance. If anything, Billy Donovan’s squad is composed of late-bloomers, especially with the likes of Vernon Macklin proving it was worth his transferring to UF from Georgetown, and they seem to be saving their best performances for when it really counts. An invite to the NCAA tourney this year instead of another consecutive NIT appearance will be an accomplishment in itself for this team.

Now that the Olympics have come and gone until the 2012 Summer Games in London, I can get back to just focusing on Gator sports….and how is YOUR week going so far?

Despite the loss, there were still some positives to come out of the game. The Gators did score a lot of points – junior Chandler Parsons and freshman Kenny Boynton scored 29 and 22 points, respectively. Macklin also added 10 points.

Missing from the box sheet is Alex Tyus, usually one of the Gators top scorers. He was ineffective against the Bulldogs, which resulted in Dan Werner getting more playing time than usual. Werner is probably the least liked Gator player in the history of Gator basketball. This guy rarely ever does anything right – and Saturday we saw another example. With Florida down by two, Werner passed up an open 16-footer and attempted to get the ball to a wide-open Vernon Macklin by the basket, but Georgia forward Albert Jackson deflected it out of bounds with 0.1 seconds to go.

Even his own teammates weren’t happy. “You tell [Werner] to keep his head up, but he should’ve shot that one,” freshman guard Kenny Boynton said. “At least we could’ve got a shot up to get a chance. But we didn’t even get a shot up.” But of course, Billy was there to defend him. “If Dan Werner makes the pass, and it gets through, and Vernon Macklin dunks the ball, you’re talking about how smart Dan Werner is today,” UF coach Billy Donovan said. “If Dan could have the play back, knowing what the result was, he would’ve shot the ball because it would’ve given us a chance.”

If the Gators would have won that game they’d be a lock for the NCAA Tourney. Now they have to finish the regular season against Vandy and Kentucky – which could give them 3 straight losses to end the season. If that happens, they’ll have to make a run in the SEC Tourney.