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Deadspin | Corbin Carroll slam extends D-backs’ win streak, Jays’ skid  Apr 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) steals secondbase under the tag by Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andrés Giménez (0) in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images   Corbin Carroll broke a tie with an opposite-field grand slam in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to four games with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Phoenix on Saturday.  Ildemaro Vargas singled off Jeff Hoffman (1-2) to open the eighth, extending his season-opening hitting streak to a franchise-record 14 games.   Alek Thomas singled and Ketel Marte walked to bring up Carroll, who hit his fourth career grand slam on a 3-1 fastball.  The D-backs, who have won eight of 10, lead the majors with 10 comeback victories.     Geraldo Perdomo had three singles and an RBI and Thomas had two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who had eight hits.  Nathan Lukes had three hits, Kazuma Okamoto had two hits and an RBI and Ernie Clement and Eloy Jimenez had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who have lost four straight, six of seven and 12 of 15.  Juan Morillo (1-1) struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a 100 mph fastball with a runner on first to end the seventh and keep the game tied at 2. He allowed one hit and struck out two over 1 1/3 innings of relief.   Toronto starter Max Scherzer gave up two runs on five hits in six innings, with one strikeout and one walk.   Arizona starter Zac Gallen permitted two runs and nine hits, leaving after Okamato’s single tied the game at 2 with two outs in the sixth. He struck out three with no walks.   Lukes, Guerrero and Jesus Sanchez singled in the top of the first, with Sanchez’s one-out single driving in Lukes for a 1-0 lead. Guerrero has a nine-game hitting streak.  The D-backs tied it in their half of the first when Carroll walked, stole second and scored on Perdomo’s single. Thomas grounded a two-out double inside the bag at first to drive in Jose Fernandez, who had singled, to give Arizona a 2-1 lead in the fifth.  Toronto tied it in the sixth after an apparent double play was changed after a review. Jimenez singled with one out, and Gallen appeared to get out of the inning when Andres Gimenez grounded to Fernandez to start what originally was called an inning-ending double play.  Perdomo was ruled to have missed the bag on the play, leaving Jimenez at second, and he scored on Okamoto’s single to tie the game.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Corbin #Carroll #slam #extends #Dbacks #win #streak #Jays #skid

Deadspin | Corbin Carroll slam extends D-backs’ win streak, Jays’ skid
Deadspin | Corbin Carroll slam extends D-backs’ win streak, Jays’ skid  Apr 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) steals secondbase under the tag by Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andrés Giménez (0) in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images   Corbin Carroll broke a tie with an opposite-field grand slam in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to four games with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Phoenix on Saturday.  Ildemaro Vargas singled off Jeff Hoffman (1-2) to open the eighth, extending his season-opening hitting streak to a franchise-record 14 games.   Alek Thomas singled and Ketel Marte walked to bring up Carroll, who hit his fourth career grand slam on a 3-1 fastball.  The D-backs, who have won eight of 10, lead the majors with 10 comeback victories.     Geraldo Perdomo had three singles and an RBI and Thomas had two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who had eight hits.  Nathan Lukes had three hits, Kazuma Okamoto had two hits and an RBI and Ernie Clement and Eloy Jimenez had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who have lost four straight, six of seven and 12 of 15.  Juan Morillo (1-1) struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a 100 mph fastball with a runner on first to end the seventh and keep the game tied at 2. He allowed one hit and struck out two over 1 1/3 innings of relief.   Toronto starter Max Scherzer gave up two runs on five hits in six innings, with one strikeout and one walk.   Arizona starter Zac Gallen permitted two runs and nine hits, leaving after Okamato’s single tied the game at 2 with two outs in the sixth. He struck out three with no walks.   Lukes, Guerrero and Jesus Sanchez singled in the top of the first, with Sanchez’s one-out single driving in Lukes for a 1-0 lead. Guerrero has a nine-game hitting streak.  The D-backs tied it in their half of the first when Carroll walked, stole second and scored on Perdomo’s single. Thomas grounded a two-out double inside the bag at first to drive in Jose Fernandez, who had singled, to give Arizona a 2-1 lead in the fifth.  Toronto tied it in the sixth after an apparent double play was changed after a review. Jimenez singled with one out, and Gallen appeared to get out of the inning when Andres Gimenez grounded to Fernandez to start what originally was called an inning-ending double play.  Perdomo was ruled to have missed the bag on the play, leaving Jimenez at second, and he scored on Okamoto’s single to tie the game.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Corbin #Carroll #slam #extends #Dbacks #win #streak #Jays #skidApr 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) steals secondbase under the tag by Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andrés Giménez (0) in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Corbin Carroll broke a tie with an opposite-field grand slam in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to four games with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Phoenix on Saturday.

Ildemaro Vargas singled off Jeff Hoffman (1-2) to open the eighth, extending his season-opening hitting streak to a franchise-record 14 games.

Alek Thomas singled and Ketel Marte walked to bring up Carroll, who hit his fourth career grand slam on a 3-1 fastball.

The D-backs, who have won eight of 10, lead the majors with 10 comeback victories.

Geraldo Perdomo had three singles and an RBI and Thomas had two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who had eight hits.

Nathan Lukes had three hits, Kazuma Okamoto had two hits and an RBI and Ernie Clement and Eloy Jimenez had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who have lost four straight, six of seven and 12 of 15.


Juan Morillo (1-1) struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a 100 mph fastball with a runner on first to end the seventh and keep the game tied at 2. He allowed one hit and struck out two over 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Toronto starter Max Scherzer gave up two runs on five hits in six innings, with one strikeout and one walk.

Arizona starter Zac Gallen permitted two runs and nine hits, leaving after Okamato’s single tied the game at 2 with two outs in the sixth. He struck out three with no walks.

Lukes, Guerrero and Jesus Sanchez singled in the top of the first, with Sanchez’s one-out single driving in Lukes for a 1-0 lead. Guerrero has a nine-game hitting streak.

The D-backs tied it in their half of the first when Carroll walked, stole second and scored on Perdomo’s single. Thomas grounded a two-out double inside the bag at first to drive in Jose Fernandez, who had singled, to give Arizona a 2-1 lead in the fifth.

Toronto tied it in the sixth after an apparent double play was changed after a review. Jimenez singled with one out, and Gallen appeared to get out of the inning when Andres Gimenez grounded to Fernandez to start what originally was called an inning-ending double play.

Perdomo was ruled to have missed the bag on the play, leaving Jimenez at second, and he scored on Okamoto’s single to tie the game.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Corbin #Carroll #slam #extends #Dbacks #win #streak #Jays #skid

Apr 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) steals secondbase under the tag by Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andrés Giménez (0) in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Corbin Carroll broke a tie with an opposite-field grand slam in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to four games with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Phoenix on Saturday.

Ildemaro Vargas singled off Jeff Hoffman (1-2) to open the eighth, extending his season-opening hitting streak to a franchise-record 14 games.

Alek Thomas singled and Ketel Marte walked to bring up Carroll, who hit his fourth career grand slam on a 3-1 fastball.

The D-backs, who have won eight of 10, lead the majors with 10 comeback victories.

Geraldo Perdomo had three singles and an RBI and Thomas had two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who had eight hits.

Nathan Lukes had three hits, Kazuma Okamoto had two hits and an RBI and Ernie Clement and Eloy Jimenez had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who have lost four straight, six of seven and 12 of 15.

Juan Morillo (1-1) struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a 100 mph fastball with a runner on first to end the seventh and keep the game tied at 2. He allowed one hit and struck out two over 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Toronto starter Max Scherzer gave up two runs on five hits in six innings, with one strikeout and one walk.

Arizona starter Zac Gallen permitted two runs and nine hits, leaving after Okamato’s single tied the game at 2 with two outs in the sixth. He struck out three with no walks.

Lukes, Guerrero and Jesus Sanchez singled in the top of the first, with Sanchez’s one-out single driving in Lukes for a 1-0 lead. Guerrero has a nine-game hitting streak.

The D-backs tied it in their half of the first when Carroll walked, stole second and scored on Perdomo’s single. Thomas grounded a two-out double inside the bag at first to drive in Jose Fernandez, who had singled, to give Arizona a 2-1 lead in the fifth.

Toronto tied it in the sixth after an apparent double play was changed after a review. Jimenez singled with one out, and Gallen appeared to get out of the inning when Andres Gimenez grounded to Fernandez to start what originally was called an inning-ending double play.

Perdomo was ruled to have missed the bag on the play, leaving Jimenez at second, and he scored on Okamoto’s single to tie the game.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Corbin #Carroll #slam #extends #Dbacks #win #streak #Jays #skid

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Copa del Rey final — Real Sociedad beats Atletico Madrid on penalties to win title <div id="content-body-70879987" itemprop="articleBody"><p>Real Sociedad beat Atletico Madrid 4-3 on penalties to ​win the Copa del Rey on Saturday, ‌following a 2-2 draw after extra time, ​with its goalkeeper Unai Marrero ⁠saving two spot kicks to help his side win the trophy for the fourth time.</p><p>Sociedad last ‌won the Cup in 2021, when the delayed 2020 final was also ‌played at the La Cartuja stadium in ‌Seville, ⁠but there were no supporters ⁠present due to the COVID pandemic.</p><p>This time, the Basque side’s fans were behind the goal to witness Marrero ​save Atletico’s first ‌two penalties from Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez.</p><p>Atletico ‘keeper Juan Musso then stopped Orri Oskarsson’s kick but Pablo Marin kept his ‌nerve to net the winning penalty.</p><p>The ​last time the two teams met in the final was 1987, when ⁠it also finished 2-2 with Sociedad coming out on top on penalties, and it repeated ‌the job again to deny Atletico, which was looking for its first Copa del Rey win since 2013.</p><p>Ander Barrenetxea had given Sociedad the lead after 14 seconds but Ademola Lookman levelled in the 19th ‌minute. Mikel Oyarzabal then put the Basque side ​back in front with a penalty on the stroke of half-time.</p><p>Alvarez drew Atletico ⁠level with seven minutes remaining to force ⁠the extra period in a dramatic final.</p><p>Diego Simeone’s Atletico was fresh from reaching ‌the Champions League semifinals but Sociedad, managed by American Pellegrino Matarazzo, triumphed despite ​twice losing the lead.</p><p class="publish-time" id="end-of-article">Published on Apr 19, 2026</p></div> #Copa #del #Rey #final #Real #Sociedad #beats #Atletico #Madrid #penalties #win #title

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Clinique’s Black Honey Almost Lipstick Costs $25. Reviewers Love These Lookalikes For Less.

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

Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks">VIDEO | Hayden lauds GT’s ‘consistency’ as Rashid magic sinks RR  Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdleGill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.Published on May 10, 2026  #VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks

comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks">VIDEO | Hayden lauds GT’s ‘consistency’ as Rashid magic sinks RR

Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks

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