Sports - The Independent Florida Alligator

Guard KeVaughn Allen dropped a team-high 19 points in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night and led the Gators to a 66-56 win over West Virginia.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Gators avoid another late collapse, hold off Razorbacks in Arkansas

By Alanis Thames | Jan. 9, 2019

The Gators had been here before.

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal is averaging 27 points per game with 5.8 rebounds per game and 5.8 assists per game since John Wall went down with a heel injury on Dec. 26.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Gators in the NBA: Jersey swaps, retirements and breakups

By Victor Prieto | Jan. 8, 2019

It was an exciting week for former Gators in the NBA with many holding multiple headlines throughout.

SPORTS | COLUMNS

Clemson and Alabama have collectively ruined college football

By Mark Stine | Jan. 8, 2019

The original premise of this article was going to be “Why Nick Saban ruined college football,” because, full disclosure, I expected Alabama to win Monday night.

Gators guard Kiara Smith led the team in scoring during UF's 64-56 loss to Auburn on Sunday. She scored 15 points against the Tigers and went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Where can UF turn when its leading scorers are playing inconsistently?

By Sam Campisano Sports Writer | Jan. 8, 2019

Sunday’s 64-56 loss at the hands of Auburn raises an interesting question about the Florida Gators women’s basketball team: Who can the team turn to when its two leading scorers, Funda Nakkasoglu and Delicia Washington, aren’t at the top of their games?

Florida is coming off a last second loss to South Carolina on Saturday where it lead for the majority of the game. "Sometimes you feel like ... you feel like you're dragging these guys a little bit," White said.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

White demanding more toughness as Gators travel to Arkansas

By Alanis Thames | Jan. 8, 2019

No one was more disappointed in Florida’s recent loss to South Carolina than coach Mike White.

The Week 15 AP Poll for college football featured eight SEC teams in the Top 25, three of which were in the top 10 (No. 1 Alabama, No. 6 Georgia, No. 10 Florida).

SPORTS | COLUMNS

SEC bias? Nope, just dominance

By Kyle Wood | Jan. 6, 2019

The Southeastern Conference is the best conference in college football, and it’s not particularly close. Those who disagree with that sentiment, apart from not knowing college football, would likely label it “SEC bias.” This is a term often used by fans of teams from other conferences that feel spurned by ESPN, the College Football Playoff Committee, AP Voters or anyone else that they can point a finger at in defiance instead of realizing that the SEC is simply better than the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12 (I shouldn’t even have to say that at this point) and yes, the American as well.

Coach Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators currently have the nation's No. 11 recruiting class according to 247Sports. The incoming class is the fifth-highest in the Southeastern Conference.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Gators gather sneaky-good incoming recruiting class

By Mark Stine | Jan. 6, 2019

Coach Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators ended 2018 on a sweet note with a decisive victory over Michigan at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, but they welcomed 2019 with an equally chipper attitude toward their incoming recruiting class.

SPORTS | COLUMNS

Introducing the Spring 2019 Alligator sports staff

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 6, 2019

The confetti has fallen. The stands are empty.

A last-second, full-court heave to South Carolina forward Chris Silva helped the Gamecocks earn a 71-69 win over the Gators on Saturday at the O'Connell Center.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Loss to South Carolina highlights Florida’s shortcomings

By Tyler Nettuno | Jan. 6, 2019

The Gators men’s basketball team finished its non-conference schedule in a respectable manner. UF squandered an opportunity to upset No. 8 Michigan State, but it took care of business against Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast before manhandling Butler on Dec. 29.

Trey Burton played in every game of the season, racking up 54 receptions for 569 yards and six touchdowns.

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

Gators in the NFL: 2018 Season Review

By Bryan Matamoros | Jan. 6, 2019

A total of 45 former Gators were on 24 NFL teams by the end of the 2018 regular season.

Sophomore Alyssa Baumann earned First-Team All-America and All-SEC honors in her freshman campaign with the Gators.

SPORTS | GYMNASTICS

National title aspirations no stretch heading into UF’s 2019 campaign

By River Wells | Jan. 6, 2019

Since UF gymnastics took home the NCAA title three years in a row from 2013-2015, it has made repeated trips deep into the postseason, reaching the Super Six twice.

“You have to learn that in the SEC when you get punched you can’t flinch, you can’t falter,” said Gators women's basketball coach Cam Newbauer. “We just kinda flinched a little bit at the wrong time and got away from what our game plan was.”

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Florida falls to Auburn in second-straight conference loss

By Sam Campisano | Jan. 6, 2019

The Florida women’s basketball team needed big performances from its two leading-scorers in Funda Nakkasoglu and Delicia Washington to win on Sunday. They didn’t deliver.

Florida missed eight shots in the final seven minutes of its 69-71 loss to South Carolina, including a missed jumper and layup from freshman guard Keyontae Johnson.

SPORTS | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Gators falter down the stretch, lose to Gamecocks in final seconds

By Jake Dreilinger | Jan. 5, 2019

The game looked as if it was going to overtime.

Sophomore Taylor Ault finished third in the 500-yard freestyle during Day 1 of the Georgia Tech Invitational. She posted a time of 4:42.08.

SPORTS | OTHER SPORTS SWIM AND DIVE

Gators successful at home, lead Ohio State and Kentucky after Day 1

By Evan Lepak | Jan. 5, 2019

The UF swimming team started 2019 in style on Friday, ending Day 1 of the two-day meet at the O'Connell Center in first place.

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Florida blows lead, drops first SEC matchup

By Dylan Rudolph | Jan. 3, 2019

The Gators had finally gotten back in the game. They had blown their early 20-point lead but now had the game tied again with momentum on their side.

Guard Funda Nakkasoglu led the Gators in scoring with 43 points through the first two games. She's the only UF player shooting over 50.0 percent from the field (57.1).

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Nakkasoglu, Gators topple Charleston Southern in final non-conference game

By Dylan Rudolph and Dylan Rudolph Sports Writer | Dec. 30, 2018

Guard Funda Nakkasoglu found her deep shot at the right time. She rose up without hesitation and made back-to-back threes, the ball slicing through the net and giving the Gators the lead late in the third quarter.