Vernon Macklin, a 6′ 9″, 230 lb. sophomore, sat on the bench behind Roy Hibbert at Georgetown. After a visit to Gainesville and extensive talks with Billy Donovan, now he’s a Gator. From Fox Sports:

“It’s a great decision because it gives Vernon a chance to sit out and work on some things,” said Macklin’s former prep school coach, Kevin Keatts, of Hargrave Military Academy. “He’s learned a lot in the last two years under John (Thompson III), but going to Florida will give him a chance to re-charge his battery a little bit.”

Macklin made the decision during a Friday visit to Gainesville.

Now, is this a big deal? It may very well be. Macklin is a former high school basketball star and earned both Parade and McDonald’s All-American honors. While Florida’s then-unlegendary ’04s were getting settled into their roles in the 2005 team, Vernon Macklin was being gushed over by the various recruiting services, who rated him thus:

Scout.com: #17
Rivals.com: #37
Prepstars.com: #12

And Prepstars had this to say about Macklin in ‘05:
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Eloy Vargas and Kenny Kadji share more in common than they might realize. Both were snubbed for the McDonalds and Jordan All-America games. Both stand a lanky 6-10.

And both have moved down on the recruiting food chain. In the latest Rivals250 rankings, Vargas (American Heritage) slipped from 3rd to 9th in PF rankings. Kadji (Pendleton) went from 3rd to 5th. The worst part: both were demoted from five stars to four. But might this be a blessing in disguise?

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We are smack dab in the heart of March Madness.  The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games await us this weekend and all of corporate America will soon be eyeing the brackets to determine who still has a chance to capture their local cash pot.  It’s time to talk college basketball and as such I’d like to add my thoughts regarding the SEC Conference and the Florida Gators.  First, I’ll start with the SEC.

(UPDATE - Major apologies to all O&BHue readers.  While editing a picture I unwittingly deleted a few sentences in the last section regarding tournament ratings.  I apologize for not catching what turned into a confusing slew of gibberish once the beginning of the topic was lost. - KG)
 
SEC BASKETBALL
 
Prior to the season the consensus of thought ran that it would be a down year in the conference.  Of course we had heard similar thoughts back in 2005/2006 when an SEC team won the National Championship (UF), the SEC had two teams in the Final Four (UF and LSU) and another SEC team won the NIT Championship (South Carolina).  Many self-proclaimed experts found themselves looking foolish making those early predictions.  The SEC WAS in fact a “young conference” (Both LSU and UF were upstart teams led by underclassmen) but talent overtook any lack of experience. 
 
The 2007/2008 season began with largely the same scenario.  Only one team looked to return a top caliber and experienced squad (Tennessee) while most other teams would be relying on newcomers or underclassmen as their focal points.  While the talent of the league might have been as good as ever, this season turned out far differently than two seasons prior.  The SEC was a weak league in basketball.  Kentucky struggled to get to .500 in the preseason yet won at a 75% clip in conference, Vanderbilt struggled to win away from Memorial Gymnasium and Arkansas seemed to consistently underachieve all season long.
 

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After an entire season of witnessing talented freshman like Vandy’s A.J. Ogilvy, the polling results are in. (Drum roll, please!) And your SEC Freshman of the year is:

No, it’s a tie! Nick Calathes and Patrick Patterson split the vote!

In a season filled with somewhat greater conference parity, given our championship roster’s massive departure, it’s fitting that more than one guy won the award. The pair are as different as night and day. One is a point forward accumulating solid all-around stats, the other a power forward who can score and rebound on anyone, anytime. One was offered a scholarship as a high school sophomore, the other was engaged in a vicious recruiting debate. One had a big man to pass the ball to, the other was indeed the big man.

Do not underestimate what happened; the event is dripping with symbolism. Tennessee might be a Final Four team now, but UF and UK have built up solid classes and have positioned themselves for the future.

Gentlemen, let the nonstop debates begin…now!

It’s official, ladies and gentlegators. Florida isn’t going to get a shot at three straight titles and is heading for NIT-land. First on the plate is a San Diego team (Not the Rockets or Clippers of old, remember, but San Diego State)

But look on the bright side, folks. The Aztecs are an accomplished sports school, with a distinguished list of stars including Marshall Faulk, pictured here, and Tony Gwynn Sr. Unfortunately, that’s about it.

Hey, at least we get them in the O-Dome! Oh wait, I forgot that Florida hasn’t even done well at home as of late. But the Gators have planted their own seeds, and now they must reap what they sow.

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Here’s Billy Donovan after Florida’s 1st-round loss in the SEC Tournament.

“That was the one thing that was so special about the last two years. All the dirty work, the little things … all that went into winning they embraced. They loved doing that stuff. This team has not come to love those things. They have come to a lot of times to avoid those things. They don’t want those things.”

Credit goes to Donovan for so eloquently expressing this… and also for sending a much-needed message to his young squad.

Congrats to Alabama on a well-deserved victory. On a day when we needed to impress our harshest critics, we did our worst. As for morphing into superstars, Mykal Riley had a Kobe-esque 23 and Richard Hendrix had 22 like LeBron.

If you shoot 37% from the field like Florida did, you win with good defense. Either Florida wasn’t playing good defense or Alabama was just plain hot. I’m going with the former. Nick Calathes didn’t exactly have his best game in a Gator uniform; he had more fouls (4) than made field goals (3). 1-5 from 3 isn’t anything to cheer about, either. Unless of course, he’s Dwight Howard.

Speaking of big men, I think Marreese Speights should have gotten more involved into the offense. After all, he was on fire with five out of six shots and 15 points. But at least I’m complaining that he didn’t get enough touches for once. Who would have imagined?

Oh well, there’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said. We’re headed for the NIT. The streak of nine consecutive tournament appearances is broken. Hey, there’s one more game to look forward to, isn’t there? Oh well, the Spring Game is in less than a month if that idea doesn’t pan out.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek at next year’s team!

Fittingly enough, Florida opens SEC tournament play with Alabama - the exact same school they faced in their first ever SEC game. The Gators enter with an 18 game postseason winning streak, but as we’re all well aware, that was back when the Fab Five took the court. Lose this, and we’re packing our bags for the Not Invited Tournament. As for X’s and O’s, if we can shut down Alonzo Gee and/or Richard Hendrix, we’ll do fine. That is easier said than done, however.

In the majority of their regular-season SEC games, Florida has let a player on the opposition either score 20 points or come really close to that number. For four of those games, they let two players score 20 points. Twice, they let someone score 30. And in the rout they lost to Tennessee, they let three players score a score. Simply put, when opposing teams play UF, their star players magically morph into All-Americans and future lottery picks - if only for one night.

Guess what? Alabama was one of the four 20-20 games and one of the two 30-point scorer games (The Tide’s Alonzo Gee was the first, Georgia’s Sundiata Gaines the second) So chances are high that those two will cause trouble for Florida all night long. However, if Marreese Speights can frustrate Hendrix and put him into foul trouble, Gee will be forced into taking a lot of risky shots. Conversely, if one of our guards successfully defends Gee, Hendrix will forced to pound the glass all night - and take a lot of risks in the offensive foul department.

And one factor in Florida’s favor? They don’t have to play this game at Alabama anymore. For me, this game is too close to call. However, I like the fact that this UF squad has faced Bama before.

Let’s make the Tuscaloosa Tide regret that they ever signed with a football school.

P.S.: Sorry I don’t have any pictures. The Mac I’m writing this on hasn’t been very kind to me.

Through all the joys and perils of 2007, through all of the laughing and crying, through all the doubts and worries and fears, the Gators have one last chance to save a season… or at least end it on a high note. With an eye for the future, I present five potential future scenes:

Overly Optimistic Scenario: Florida wins the tournament and becomes four-time SEC champion

Result: They’re in. There’s no way in heck that a tournament champion gets snubbed by critics.

Alternative Overly Optimistic Scenario: Florida makes tournament finals but loses

Result: If they can, at a very minimum, keep the game close, they’re in. Since they beat Alabama and Mississippi State, and possibly Kentucky, in this situation ,there are a few more marquee wins to add to the resume. The road to the SEC goes through the Volunteer State, so expect an opportunity for a marquee game.

Somewhat Optimistic Scenario: Florida loses in semifinals

Result: Tough call here. Will the bracket-makers give a 23-12 team with three marquee victories a chance? Maybe, but they should expect a high seed and a smackdown by a top-10 ranked team.

Somewhat Pessimistic Scenario: Florida loses in quarterfinals

Result: No way, Jose. You’ve blown your chance against the Bulldogs, and you fully deserve what’s comin’ to ya. Welcome to purgatory, otherwise known as the NIT.

Overly Pessimistic Scenario: Florida loses in first round

Result: Do I really have to say more?

Either way, it’s make or break time. The Gators could perenially tease the Big Dance big brass by winning good games, laying an egg or two, and going back to winning, but there’s no such luck in the tournament. One loss, and there are no second chances. Gulp, I can’t bear to watch…

It’s no secret that I have some sort of weird, passive-aggressive love-hate relationship with the Kentucky Wildcats. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s because I wear an “SEC beat” hat where I give the Wildcats due consideration along with the Gators when I cover our favorite hoops conference. Maybe it’s because Kentucky is the source of past frustrations and recent joys when they play our boys. Maybe it’s because Kentucky’s program represents hoops greatness; with two national title banners hanging from the rafters in Gainesville, Florida’s come so much closer to grasping that brass ring. Maybe it’s Kentucky’s maniacal, unrelenting fanbase whose various psychoses are nearly as fun to watch as their team. Maybe it’s the friends I’ve made at A Sea of Blue, people who somehow accept the rabid Gator in their midst and are always gentle and kind despite the occasional propensity to flap my gums at the wrong time.

I don’t know. But somehow, whatever it is, beating Kentucky is something special, and always will be special. It is something to be cherished no matter how many times in a row they’ve gone down to the mighty Gators.

In pure rivalry mode, I love watching the Wildcats crash and burn. I loved it early in the season when plumes of smoke rose from Lexington after home losses to teams like Gardner-Webb, UAB and San Diego. I enjoyed the “morals clause” issues swirling around the Big Blue Nation’s new coach, a guy with character issues and a checkered past, the kind of guy who wouldn’t have gotten an askance glance from Kentucky had they not been turned down by their first two choices.

But something happened along the way. The Wildcats matured into the kind of team that you can’t help but grudgingly admire as a hoops fan. They aren’t the most talented team in the league — not by a long shot — and they still show their warts every game. But they tough out out close wins by sheer will and effort, and somehow have put together a rather impressive 11-4 regular season record.
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