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Deadspin | Cardinals get off to fast start in win over Astros Apr 18, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run to left field against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin smacked their first home runs, and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals clinched an interleague series win over the Houston Astros with a 7-5 victory on Saturday. Alec Burleson also homered for the Cardinals, who pounced on Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1) and rode a solid start from right-hander Andre Pallante (2-1), who worked five innings. The Astros lost their third consecutive game and have dropped 11 of 13. McCullers labored throughout his five-inning stint. He plunked JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera with pitches to begin his outing and, after walking Jordan Walker to load the bases with one out in the top of the first inning, surrendered a single to Nolan Gorman that plated Wetherholt and Herrera and spotted the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. McCullers issued walks to Fermin and Wetherholt but stranded both in the second. But with Gorman on first and one out in the third, McCullers grooved a 2-0 sinker that Winn launched into the left-field seats. That 373-foot blast extended the Cardinals’ lead to 4-1. McCullers allowed four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches, 58 for strikes. Yordan Alvarez crushed his league-leading ninth home run to straightaway center with one out in the bottom of the first. Pallante limited the Astros to that lone tally by working around two baserunners in the second and third innings, and stranding Cam Smith at first in the fourth. Pallante retired the side in order in the fifth, recording strikeouts of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the frame. He allowed three hits and issued three walks while notching five strikeouts. The Cardinals tacked on solo runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Fermin won a 10-pitch battle with Astros left-hander Colton Gordon with his 370-foot shot to left-center that pushed the Cardinals to a 5-1 lead. Burleson led off the seventh with his third homer, a 408-foot blast into the second deck in right field. Shay Whitcomb slugged a three-run home run off Cardinals reliever George Soriano in the ninth, but closer Riley O’Brien retired Altuve and Alvarez to earn his sixth save. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Cardinals #fast #start #win #Astros

Deadspin | Cardinals get off to fast start in win over Astros
Deadspin | Cardinals get off to fast start in win over Astros Apr 18, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run to left field against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin smacked their first home runs, and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals clinched an interleague series win over the Houston Astros with a 7-5 victory on Saturday. Alec Burleson also homered for the Cardinals, who pounced on Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1) and rode a solid start from right-hander Andre Pallante (2-1), who worked five innings. The Astros lost their third consecutive game and have dropped 11 of 13. McCullers labored throughout his five-inning stint. He plunked JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera with pitches to begin his outing and, after walking Jordan Walker to load the bases with one out in the top of the first inning, surrendered a single to Nolan Gorman that plated Wetherholt and Herrera and spotted the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. McCullers issued walks to Fermin and Wetherholt but stranded both in the second. But with Gorman on first and one out in the third, McCullers grooved a 2-0 sinker that Winn launched into the left-field seats. That 373-foot blast extended the Cardinals’ lead to 4-1. McCullers allowed four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches, 58 for strikes. Yordan Alvarez crushed his league-leading ninth home run to straightaway center with one out in the bottom of the first. Pallante limited the Astros to that lone tally by working around two baserunners in the second and third innings, and stranding Cam Smith at first in the fourth. Pallante retired the side in order in the fifth, recording strikeouts of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the frame. He allowed three hits and issued three walks while notching five strikeouts. The Cardinals tacked on solo runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Fermin won a 10-pitch battle with Astros left-hander Colton Gordon with his 370-foot shot to left-center that pushed the Cardinals to a 5-1 lead. Burleson led off the seventh with his third homer, a 408-foot blast into the second deck in right field. Shay Whitcomb slugged a three-run home run off Cardinals reliever George Soriano in the ninth, but closer Riley O’Brien retired Altuve and Alvarez to earn his sixth save. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Cardinals #fast #start #win #AstrosApr 18, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run to left field against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin smacked their first home runs, and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals clinched an interleague series win over the Houston Astros with a 7-5 victory on Saturday.

Alec Burleson also homered for the Cardinals, who pounced on Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1) and rode a solid start from right-hander Andre Pallante (2-1), who worked five innings.

The Astros lost their third consecutive game and have dropped 11 of 13.

McCullers labored throughout his five-inning stint. He plunked JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera with pitches to begin his outing and, after walking Jordan Walker to load the bases with one out in the top of the first inning, surrendered a single to Nolan Gorman that plated Wetherholt and Herrera and spotted the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.


McCullers issued walks to Fermin and Wetherholt but stranded both in the second. But with Gorman on first and one out in the third, McCullers grooved a 2-0 sinker that Winn launched into the left-field seats. That 373-foot blast extended the Cardinals’ lead to 4-1. McCullers allowed four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches, 58 for strikes.

Yordan Alvarez crushed his league-leading ninth home run to straightaway center with one out in the bottom of the first. Pallante limited the Astros to that lone tally by working around two baserunners in the second and third innings, and stranding Cam Smith at first in the fourth.

Pallante retired the side in order in the fifth, recording strikeouts of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the frame. He allowed three hits and issued three walks while notching five strikeouts.

The Cardinals tacked on solo runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Fermin won a 10-pitch battle with Astros left-hander Colton Gordon with his 370-foot shot to left-center that pushed the Cardinals to a 5-1 lead. Burleson led off the seventh with his third homer, a 408-foot blast into the second deck in right field.

Shay Whitcomb slugged a three-run home run off Cardinals reliever George Soriano in the ninth, but closer Riley O’Brien retired Altuve and Alvarez to earn his sixth save.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Cardinals #fast #start #win #Astros

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Apr 18, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run to left field against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin smacked their first home runs, and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals clinched an interleague series win over the Houston Astros with a 7-5 victory on Saturday.

Alec Burleson also homered for the Cardinals, who pounced on Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1) and rode a solid start from right-hander Andre Pallante (2-1), who worked five innings.

The Astros lost their third consecutive game and have dropped 11 of 13.

McCullers labored throughout his five-inning stint. He plunked JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera with pitches to begin his outing and, after walking Jordan Walker to load the bases with one out in the top of the first inning, surrendered a single to Nolan Gorman that plated Wetherholt and Herrera and spotted the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

McCullers issued walks to Fermin and Wetherholt but stranded both in the second. But with Gorman on first and one out in the third, McCullers grooved a 2-0 sinker that Winn launched into the left-field seats. That 373-foot blast extended the Cardinals’ lead to 4-1. McCullers allowed four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches, 58 for strikes.

Yordan Alvarez crushed his league-leading ninth home run to straightaway center with one out in the bottom of the first. Pallante limited the Astros to that lone tally by working around two baserunners in the second and third innings, and stranding Cam Smith at first in the fourth.

Pallante retired the side in order in the fifth, recording strikeouts of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the frame. He allowed three hits and issued three walks while notching five strikeouts.

The Cardinals tacked on solo runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Fermin won a 10-pitch battle with Astros left-hander Colton Gordon with his 370-foot shot to left-center that pushed the Cardinals to a 5-1 lead. Burleson led off the seventh with his third homer, a 408-foot blast into the second deck in right field.

Shay Whitcomb slugged a three-run home run off Cardinals reliever George Soriano in the ninth, but closer Riley O’Brien retired Altuve and Alvarez to earn his sixth save.

–Field Level Media

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Two police officers suspended after fleeing Kyiv shooting scene<div> <p> By&nbsp<b>Serge Duchêne</b> </p> <p> Published on <time datetime="2026-04-19 20:25:41 +02:00">19/04/2026 – 20:25 GMT+2</time> </p> </div><div style="--widget_related_list_trans: 'Related';"> <p>Ukraine’s interior minister announced on Sunday that two police officers had been suspended after a video was posted online showing them fleeing the scene of the shooting in Kyiv, which left six people dead.</p><div> <div class="c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only"> <div class="c-ad__placeholder"> <img class="c-ad__placeholder__logo" src="https://static.euronews.com/website/images/logos/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg" width="72" height="72" alt="" loading="lazy"/> <span>ADVERTISEMENT</span> </div> </div> <div class="c-ad u-show-for-desktop"> <div class="c-ad__placeholder"> <img class="c-ad__placeholder__logo" src="https://static.euronews.com/website/images/logos/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg" width="72" height="72" alt="" loading="lazy"/> <span>ADVERTISEMENT</span> </div> </div> </div> <p>An armed man opened fire and took hostages in a supermarket in a residential district of the Ukrainian capital on Saturday, before being shot dead during an attempt to arrest him.</p> <p>In footage broadcast by Ukrainian media, a male and a female officer in uniform and yellow vests can be seen standing next to a person lying on the ground, before fleeing as shots ring out, leaving behind civilians, including a child.</p> <p>“Shameful, unworthy behaviour. It is a disgrace for the whole system. They have been suspended and an investigation is under way,” interior minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.</p> <p>The officers caught on camera have been suspended from duty for the duration of the investigation.</p> <p>Klymenko also stressed that the behaviour of just two officers should not be used to generalise about the entire police force.</p> <p>Police have yet to establish a motive for the shooting, although it has now been officially classified as a terrorist act, but Klymenko said the attacker “was clearly suffering from mental instability”.</p> <p>“It is necessary to examine how he obtained the medical certificates required to renew his gun licence,” the minister added, while making clear there would be no systematic checks on gun owners, who are legally required to register their weapons.</p> <p>He pledged to hold “expert discussions with the participation of MPs, citizens, journalists and veterans” on firearms legislation.</p> <p>On the question of granting civilians the right to own firearms, including handguns, the interior minister said, “I believe people should have the right to defend themselves with weapons. Especially after seeing, at the start of the full-scale invasion, civilians being given weapons for the national resistance.”</p> <h2>Patrol police chief resigns</h2> <p>The head of Ukraine’s national police, Ivan Vyhovskyi, whom the minister tasked with the inquiry, announced that an internal investigation had been opened, and later on Sunday prosecutor general Ruslan Kravtchenko announced the launch of a criminal investigation into alleged failures by the police officers to fulfil their professional duties.</p> <p>“All the actions of law enforcement at the time when citizens’ lives were in serious danger, including leaving a young child at risk and failing to neutralise the assailant in time, will be subject to appropriate legal assessment,” the prosecutor general said.</p> <p>The head of Ukraine’s patrol police department, Yevhen Zhukov, meanwhile resigned over the officers’ behaviour, which he described as “shameful”.</p> <p>“The officers acted unprofessionally and in a manner unworthy of police officers. They arrived at the scene and were supposed to help and save our fellow citizens. They lost their bearings and left wounded civilians in danger,” he said.</p> <p>Zhukov said one of the patrol officers had been in the police since 2024, and his female partner since 2015.</p> <p>According to Zhukov, the patrol officer should have drawn his weapon and fired a warning shot, then used it, “But he made a mistake and, unfortunately, did not use it,” the patrol police chief said.</p> </div><div id=""> <p>Additional sources<strong> • AFP, Ukraïnska Pravda, Meduza</strong></p> </div>#police #officers #suspended #fleeing #Kyiv #shooting #sceneTerrorist attack,Police,Terrorism,Shootings,Kyiv

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Deadspin | Wild handle Avalanche first postseason loss in dominant fashion May 9, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly (17) on a breakaway against Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) in the first period of game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each finished with a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Quinn Hughes tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy also scored for the Wild. Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal for Colorado, which lost for the first time in the postseason after entering with a 6-0 record. Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 34 of 35 shots to earn the victory. Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood allowed three goals on 12 shots before he was replaced in the second period. Mackenzie Blackwood saw his first action of the postseason and stopped 12 of 13 shots in backup duty. The teams will reconvene for Game 4 on Monday night in Minnesota. Minnesota grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period. Kaprizov opened the scoring with 4:49 remaining in the first period. He raced toward the net, took a pass from Faber and finished with a wrist shot from the left side of the crease. Hughes scored less than two minutes later to give the Wild a two-goal advantage. He handled the puck from the left circle to the top of the slot and fired a wrist shot through traffic for the power-play goal. Another power-play goal gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead with 15:37 left in the second period. Hartman parked in front of the crease and knocked in a shot from the point by Mats Zuccarello. The Avalanche got on the scoreboard with 6:49 remaining in the second period. Wallstedt stopped Colorado’s initial shot, but MacKinnon spotted the rebound and punched it in for the power-play goal. The Wild needed only 20 seconds to respond. Faber scored on a deflection to increase the Wild’s lead to 4-1 with 6:29 to go in the second period. Boldy capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 3.3 seconds remaining. -Field Level Media #Deadspin #Wild #handle #Avalanche #postseason #loss #dominant #fashionMay 9, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly (17) on a breakaway against Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) in the first period of game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each finished with a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Quinn Hughes tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy also scored for the Wild.

Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal for Colorado, which lost for the first time in the postseason after entering with a 6-0 record.

Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 34 of 35 shots to earn the victory.

Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood allowed three goals on 12 shots before he was replaced in the second period. Mackenzie Blackwood saw his first action of the postseason and stopped 12 of 13 shots in backup duty.

The teams will reconvene for Game 4 on Monday night in Minnesota.


Minnesota grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period. Kaprizov opened the scoring with 4:49 remaining in the first period. He raced toward the net, took a pass from Faber and finished with a wrist shot from the left side of the crease.

Hughes scored less than two minutes later to give the Wild a two-goal advantage. He handled the puck from the left circle to the top of the slot and fired a wrist shot through traffic for the power-play goal.

Another power-play goal gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead with 15:37 left in the second period. Hartman parked in front of the crease and knocked in a shot from the point by Mats Zuccarello.

The Avalanche got on the scoreboard with 6:49 remaining in the second period. Wallstedt stopped Colorado’s initial shot, but MacKinnon spotted the rebound and punched it in for the power-play goal.

The Wild needed only 20 seconds to respond. Faber scored on a deflection to increase the Wild’s lead to 4-1 with 6:29 to go in the second period.

Boldy capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 3.3 seconds remaining.

-Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Wild #handle #Avalanche #postseason #loss #dominant #fashion">Deadspin | Wild handle Avalanche first postseason loss in dominant fashion May 9, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly (17) on a breakaway against Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) in the first period of game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each finished with a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Quinn Hughes tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy also scored for the Wild. Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal for Colorado, which lost for the first time in the postseason after entering with a 6-0 record. Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 34 of 35 shots to earn the victory. Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood allowed three goals on 12 shots before he was replaced in the second period. Mackenzie Blackwood saw his first action of the postseason and stopped 12 of 13 shots in backup duty. The teams will reconvene for Game 4 on Monday night in Minnesota. Minnesota grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period. Kaprizov opened the scoring with 4:49 remaining in the first period. He raced toward the net, took a pass from Faber and finished with a wrist shot from the left side of the crease. Hughes scored less than two minutes later to give the Wild a two-goal advantage. He handled the puck from the left circle to the top of the slot and fired a wrist shot through traffic for the power-play goal. Another power-play goal gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead with 15:37 left in the second period. Hartman parked in front of the crease and knocked in a shot from the point by Mats Zuccarello. The Avalanche got on the scoreboard with 6:49 remaining in the second period. Wallstedt stopped Colorado’s initial shot, but MacKinnon spotted the rebound and punched it in for the power-play goal. The Wild needed only 20 seconds to respond. Faber scored on a deflection to increase the Wild’s lead to 4-1 with 6:29 to go in the second period. Boldy capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 3.3 seconds remaining. -Field Level Media #Deadspin #Wild #handle #Avalanche #postseason #loss #dominant #fashion

Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.

From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.

There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.

Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.

On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.

Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.

The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.

Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).

As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.

They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.

Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.

The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.

Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.

Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.

The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.

In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.

“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”

Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.

With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.

But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?

Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.

Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.

Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.

This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites">Florida figure out college basketball’s ‘secret sauce,’ and it makes them national championship favorites Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole. #Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites

way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites">Florida figure out college basketball’s ‘secret sauce,’ and it makes them national championship favorites

Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.

From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.

There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.

Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.

On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.

Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.

The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.

Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).

As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.

They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.

Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.

The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.

Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.

Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.

The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.

In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.

“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”

Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.

With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.

But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?

Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.

Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.

Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.

This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites

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