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Deadspin | No. 10 Florida, Miami clash in rivalry matchup

Deadspin | No. 10 Florida, Miami clash in rivalry matchup

Nov 11, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Boogie Fland (0) dribbles the ball against Florida State Seminoles guard Robert McCray V (6) during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Miami and No. 10 Florida, in-state foes who have not played since November 2019, will renew their rivalry Sunday night with a matchup in Jacksonville, Fla.

As the defending national champion, Florida (2-1) has learned a valuable lesson in its first three contests. The Gators know they will get every squad’s best shot each game.

In their recent outing against Florida State, the Gators received a ton of body blows from the Seminoles and hot-shooting transfer guard Robert McCray V (29 points) but were able to hang on for a 78-76 win over the hated Seminoles.

Thomas Haugh led the way with 20 points for Florida on 7-of-15 shooting, including 2 of 6 from deep. He also pulled down 13 rebounds, as the club used its massive size advantage to a 58-36 margin on the boards.

Haugh, who played more in the backcourt but sees himself at the No. 3 position in the NBA, said he and his teammates understand what lies ahead.

“We’ve got to embrace it,” Haugh said of being the title winners. “I think coach (Todd) Golden said that at the beginning of the year, that (we) will be the hunted not the hunters this year. … We’ve got to go into every arena that’s going to be sold out and stuff.”

“But I think this team is confident, and the leaders on this team will be able to pull us through in the end.”

The 6-foot-9 swingman is one of five Gators averaging double-figure scoring at a team-besrt 19.7 points per game. Fellow big man Alex Condon follows at 15.7, while new point guard Boogie Fland has put up 12.3. Xaivian Lee scores at an 11-point clip, and Micah Handlogten tallies 10 and a team-leading 10.3 rebounds.

In its series with the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Hurricanes, Florida holds a 47-24 advantage including their most recent meeting on Nov. 22, 2019, a 78-58 trouncing in the Charleston Classic tournament in Charleston, S.C.

Miami (3-0) has topped 100 points its last two times out, though it has not been tested much in home victories over the Sunshine State’s Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman and Stetson.

“I’m expecting a fight, a war,” said Hurricanes forward Malik Reneau, a three-year player for the Indiana Hoosiers who was once a major Florida prospect under previous coach Mike White. “Like coach (Jai Lucas) said in the locker room, it’s not going to be a lot of basketball.”

“It will be a war out there, so I’m expecting to go out there and give (Florida) all I’ve got,” said Reneau, a Miami native. “You know, blood, sweat and tears. I hope they’re ready, too.”

The 6-foot-9 forward leads the Hurricanes with 21.3 points per game, while Ernest Udeh Jr., who previously played for Big 12 programs at TCU and Kansas, paces the squad with nine rebounds per game.

Tre Donaldson, a newcomer from Michigan who also previously played at Auburn, posts 16.3 points per game. Tru Washington averages 14, and Shelton Henderson sits at 12.3.

Lucas, 36, arrived at the Gainesville school in 2007 as a top point guard, averaged 8.5 points his freshman season but soon transferred to Texas.

“I like where we are right now … but I know we’re not where we need to be,” the coach said.

–Field Level Media

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Deadspin | Sabres’ first postseason since 2011 starts with confident Bruins  Oct 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) dumps Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm (28) battling for the puck during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images   The Boston Bruins have won 11 Stanley Cup playoff rounds since the last time the Buffalo Sabres made the postseason.  That experience seems to have Boston coach Marco Sturm oozing with confidence heading into Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday night in Buffalo.  “We know how we have to play, we’re going to be ready to go,” Sturm said Friday. “We’re excited. We are bigger, stronger, we are more physical. We just have to be smart, but we’re going to go after them.”  Buffalo forward Josh Doan said on Saturday that those comments have been seen and heard by the Sabres, who will play their first postseason game since April 26, 2011.  “At the end of the day, I think our group trusts what we’re doing here and we’ll just let that play out throughout the series,” he said. “We’re going to stick to our game plan. So, it’s one of those things that you see, but at the end of the day there’s no real response from us in this room.”  Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff didn’t fire back either when asked about Sturm’s comments.  “That’s his take on his team,” Ruff said. “I have a lot of respect for what our team has done and how we play and the speed we play the game. They’ve got a good team. I mean, they know who they are and we know who we are.”  Boston won three out of four meetings with Buffalo this season, most recently a 4-3 overtime win on March 25 that moved the Bruins into a tie for third in the Atlantic Division at the time.  Boston ultimately finished fourth in the Atlantic, six points behind the third-place Montreal Canadiens. That dropped the Bruins into the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot.  The Bruins are just happy to get back into the postseason after missing out last season for the first time in nine years.   “I think if you don’t enjoy (the Stanley Cup playoffs), you’re in the wrong sport or wrong place,” Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “That’s playoff hockey. That’s pressure, that’s atmosphere, intensity, physicality, blood, sweat — you name it.”  Leading the way for the Bruins will be 29-year-old forward David Pastrnak, who finished the regular season with exactly 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists) — the fourth straight year he has hit triple digits.  After Pastrnak, however, the Bruins have a significant drop-off in point totals with Morgan Geekie next at 68 points (39 goals, 29 assists).  Sturm said he doesn’t expect Ruff to try to match up line for line.  “In the past, Lindy wasn’t really a big matchup guy,” Sturm said. “He did his thing, so we’ll see where it goes. Maybe he does it differently in the playoffs, but we don’t really care.”  The Sabres not only ended the NHL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 years, they won the Atlantic Division by three points over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Buffalo doesn’t have a 100-point scorer, but Tage Thompson remains one of the top centers in the league. He followed up last year’s 44-goal output with 40 goals and 41 assists this year.  The Sabres also boast one of the top offensive defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin, who finished second on the team with 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists). That ranked sixth among all NHL defensemen.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Sabres #postseason #starts #confident #BruinsOct 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) dumps Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm (28) battling for the puck during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The Boston Bruins have won 11 Stanley Cup playoff rounds since the last time the Buffalo Sabres made the postseason.

That experience seems to have Boston coach Marco Sturm oozing with confidence heading into Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday night in Buffalo.

“We know how we have to play, we’re going to be ready to go,” Sturm said Friday. “We’re excited. We are bigger, stronger, we are more physical. We just have to be smart, but we’re going to go after them.”

Buffalo forward Josh Doan said on Saturday that those comments have been seen and heard by the Sabres, who will play their first postseason game since April 26, 2011.

“At the end of the day, I think our group trusts what we’re doing here and we’ll just let that play out throughout the series,” he said. “We’re going to stick to our game plan. So, it’s one of those things that you see, but at the end of the day there’s no real response from us in this room.”

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff didn’t fire back either when asked about Sturm’s comments.

“That’s his take on his team,” Ruff said. “I have a lot of respect for what our team has done and how we play and the speed we play the game. They’ve got a good team. I mean, they know who they are and we know who we are.”

Boston won three out of four meetings with Buffalo this season, most recently a 4-3 overtime win on March 25 that moved the Bruins into a tie for third in the Atlantic Division at the time.

Boston ultimately finished fourth in the Atlantic, six points behind the third-place Montreal Canadiens. That dropped the Bruins into the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot.


The Bruins are just happy to get back into the postseason after missing out last season for the first time in nine years.

“I think if you don’t enjoy (the Stanley Cup playoffs), you’re in the wrong sport or wrong place,” Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “That’s playoff hockey. That’s pressure, that’s atmosphere, intensity, physicality, blood, sweat — you name it.”

Leading the way for the Bruins will be 29-year-old forward David Pastrnak, who finished the regular season with exactly 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists) — the fourth straight year he has hit triple digits.

After Pastrnak, however, the Bruins have a significant drop-off in point totals with Morgan Geekie next at 68 points (39 goals, 29 assists).

Sturm said he doesn’t expect Ruff to try to match up line for line.

“In the past, Lindy wasn’t really a big matchup guy,” Sturm said. “He did his thing, so we’ll see where it goes. Maybe he does it differently in the playoffs, but we don’t really care.”

The Sabres not only ended the NHL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 years, they won the Atlantic Division by three points over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Buffalo doesn’t have a 100-point scorer, but Tage Thompson remains one of the top centers in the league. He followed up last year’s 44-goal output with 40 goals and 41 assists this year.

The Sabres also boast one of the top offensive defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin, who finished second on the team with 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists). That ranked sixth among all NHL defensemen.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Sabres #postseason #starts #confident #Bruins">Deadspin | Sabres’ first postseason since 2011 starts with confident Bruins  Oct 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) dumps Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm (28) battling for the puck during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images   The Boston Bruins have won 11 Stanley Cup playoff rounds since the last time the Buffalo Sabres made the postseason.  That experience seems to have Boston coach Marco Sturm oozing with confidence heading into Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday night in Buffalo.  “We know how we have to play, we’re going to be ready to go,” Sturm said Friday. “We’re excited. We are bigger, stronger, we are more physical. We just have to be smart, but we’re going to go after them.”  Buffalo forward Josh Doan said on Saturday that those comments have been seen and heard by the Sabres, who will play their first postseason game since April 26, 2011.  “At the end of the day, I think our group trusts what we’re doing here and we’ll just let that play out throughout the series,” he said. “We’re going to stick to our game plan. So, it’s one of those things that you see, but at the end of the day there’s no real response from us in this room.”  Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff didn’t fire back either when asked about Sturm’s comments.  “That’s his take on his team,” Ruff said. “I have a lot of respect for what our team has done and how we play and the speed we play the game. They’ve got a good team. I mean, they know who they are and we know who we are.”  Boston won three out of four meetings with Buffalo this season, most recently a 4-3 overtime win on March 25 that moved the Bruins into a tie for third in the Atlantic Division at the time.  Boston ultimately finished fourth in the Atlantic, six points behind the third-place Montreal Canadiens. That dropped the Bruins into the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot.  The Bruins are just happy to get back into the postseason after missing out last season for the first time in nine years.   “I think if you don’t enjoy (the Stanley Cup playoffs), you’re in the wrong sport or wrong place,” Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “That’s playoff hockey. That’s pressure, that’s atmosphere, intensity, physicality, blood, sweat — you name it.”  Leading the way for the Bruins will be 29-year-old forward David Pastrnak, who finished the regular season with exactly 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists) — the fourth straight year he has hit triple digits.  After Pastrnak, however, the Bruins have a significant drop-off in point totals with Morgan Geekie next at 68 points (39 goals, 29 assists).  Sturm said he doesn’t expect Ruff to try to match up line for line.  “In the past, Lindy wasn’t really a big matchup guy,” Sturm said. “He did his thing, so we’ll see where it goes. Maybe he does it differently in the playoffs, but we don’t really care.”  The Sabres not only ended the NHL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 years, they won the Atlantic Division by three points over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Buffalo doesn’t have a 100-point scorer, but Tage Thompson remains one of the top centers in the league. He followed up last year’s 44-goal output with 40 goals and 41 assists this year.  The Sabres also boast one of the top offensive defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin, who finished second on the team with 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists). That ranked sixth among all NHL defensemen.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Sabres #postseason #starts #confident #Bruins

The 2026 NFL Draft is not for a few more days.

But a seismic trade has just shaken up the first round.

The New York Giants have agreed to trade defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the tenth-overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. After Lawrence and the Giants reached an impasse in contract negotiations, the standout defender asked for a trade, and New York has decided to move him to the Bengals, getting the tenth-overall pick in return.

Now the Giants have two picks inside the top ten next week (No. 5 and No. 10) while the Bengals have another big addition to their defensive front.

Let’s hand out some grades.

New York Giants grade for Dexter Lawrence trade

When negotiations between the Giants and Lawrence stalled, it was believed that the standout defensive lineman would fetch a late first-round selection in a trade.

Instead, Joe Schoen and the Giants have received the tenth-overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and now the Giants have a pair of picks inside the top ten to work with. The Giants will be on the clock at No. 5, and again at No. 10.

This gives Schoen and the Giants a ton of flexibility next week. They can still add a premium defender inside the top ten — as many believed the Giants were going to do ahead of the Lawrence deal — and they can also address their offensive line, or add a weapon for Jaxson Dart in the passing game, with a pick inside the top ten.

As noted by Peter Schrager, the Giants’ brass spent the past few days in Arizona meeting with Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson ahead of the private workout he held with NFL teams:

New York could use that tenth pick on Tyson now.

Either way, this move not only sees the Giants get a big return for a player that wanted out, but now they have two picks inside the top ten … and a lot of flexibility.

Cincinnati Bengals grade for Dexter Lawrence trade

Sitting at No. 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals were in position to add a potential premium defender next week.

By using that trade on Lawrence, they guaranteed themselves a premium defender.

This is an aggressive move by the Bengals, but it fits with the team’s “win-now” mentality and also fits with other offseason acquisitions. Cincinnati already added Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, and Bryan Cook to their defense this offseason, By adding Lawrence as well, the Bengals have vastly improved that side of the ball, at least on paper.

So yes, now the Bengals cannot add a top-flight rookie defender in this spot. But they get a proven, elite defender in Lawrence and continue the improvements on that side of the ball.

The player they could have drafted at No. 10 may turn out to be elite.

#Dexter #Lawrence #trade #grades #BengalsGiants #NFL #blockbuster">Dexter Lawrence trade grades after Bengals-Giants NFL blockbuster  The 2026 NFL Draft is not for a few more days.But a seismic trade has just shaken up the first round.The New York Giants have agreed to trade defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the tenth-overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. After Lawrence and the Giants reached an impasse in contract negotiations, the standout defender asked for a trade, and New York has decided to move him to the Bengals, getting the tenth-overall pick in return.Now the Giants have two picks inside the top ten next week (No. 5 and No. 10) while the Bengals have another big addition to their defensive front.Let’s hand out some grades.New York Giants grade for Dexter Lawrence tradeWhen negotiations between the Giants and Lawrence stalled, it was believed that the standout defensive lineman would fetch a late first-round selection in a trade.Instead, Joe Schoen and the Giants have received the tenth-overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and now the Giants have a pair of picks inside the top ten to work with. The Giants will be on the clock at No. 5, and again at No. 10.This gives Schoen and the Giants a ton of flexibility next week. They can still add a premium defender inside the top ten — as many believed the Giants were going to do ahead of the Lawrence deal — and they can also address their offensive line, or add a weapon for Jaxson Dart in the passing game, with a pick inside the top ten.As noted by Peter Schrager, the Giants’ brass spent the past few days in Arizona meeting with Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson ahead of the private workout he held with NFL teams:New York could use that tenth pick on Tyson now.Either way, this move not only sees the Giants get a big return for a player that wanted out, but now they have two picks inside the top ten … and a lot of flexibility.Cincinnati Bengals grade for Dexter Lawrence tradeSitting at No. 10 in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals were in position to add a potential premium defender next week.By using that trade on Lawrence, they guaranteed themselves a premium defender.This is an aggressive move by the Bengals, but it fits with the team’s “win-now” mentality and also fits with other offseason acquisitions. Cincinnati already added Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, and Bryan Cook to their defense this offseason, By adding Lawrence as well, the Bengals have vastly improved that side of the ball, at least on paper.So yes, now the Bengals cannot add a top-flight rookie defender in this spot. But they get a proven, elite defender in Lawrence and continue the improvements on that side of the ball.The player they could have drafted at No. 10 may turn out to be elite.  #Dexter #Lawrence #trade #grades #BengalsGiants #NFL #blockbuster

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