Deadspin | Padres halt Angels’ scorching offense, even series Apr 18, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) runs after hitting a RBI single during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Fernando Tatis Jr. had two hits and two RBIs and Mason Miller struck out two en route to his seventh save to lead the San Diego Padres to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim. Ramon Laureano also drove in two runs, Jake Cronenworth scored a run and reached base four times with a single, two walks and a hit by a pitch and Freddy Fermin scored twice for San Diego, which won for the 12th time in its last 14 games. Adrian Morejon (2-0) delivered 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief while Miller pitched around a leadoff single by Yoan Moncada and a walk to Vaughn Grissom in the ninth to extend his scoreless streak to 31 2/3 innings dating back to Aug. 6, 2025. Zach Neto and Mike Trout each doubled and Nolan Schanuel had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which finished with just six hits. Ryan Zeferjahn (1-1) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in one inning immediately after Yusei Kikuchi wrapped his scoreless six-inning start for Los Angeles. Kikuchi allowed four hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, striking out eight. The Angels, who entered the contest having hit 16 home runs while scoring 49 runs in their previous six games, managed just two hits over 5 2/3 innings against San Diego starter German Marquez. However, they nearly took a 1-0 lead in the second. Moncada led off the inning with a deep drive to right-center that Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a highlight-reel grab on, reaching above the fence to deny Moncada of a home run. It was the third time this season that Merrill robbed a batter of a home run. The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning against Zeferjahn, who walked Fermin and Cronenworth on eight straight balls to open the inning. Laureano then grounded a single to center to drive in Fermin, and Tatis followed with a slow roller into shallow right to drive in Cronenworth. Los Angeles cut the lead to 2-1 in the eighth on Schanuel’s single, driving in Logan O’Hoppe who had singled and advanced to second on a single by Adam Frazier. San Diego then added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Laureano followed by an RBI single from Tatis. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Padres #halt #Angels #scorching #offense #series

Deadspin | Padres halt Angels’ scorching offense, even series
Apr 18, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) runs after hitting a RBI single during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

Fernando Tatis Jr. had two hits and two RBIs and Mason Miller struck out two en route to his seventh save to lead the San Diego Padres to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim.

Ramon Laureano also drove in two runs, Jake Cronenworth scored a run and reached base four times with a single, two walks and a hit by a pitch and Freddy Fermin scored twice for San Diego, which won for the 12th time in its last 14 games.

Adrian Morejon (2-0) delivered 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief while Miller pitched around a leadoff single by Yoan Moncada and a walk to Vaughn Grissom in the ninth to extend his scoreless streak to 31 2/3 innings dating back to Aug. 6, 2025.

Zach Neto and Mike Trout each doubled and Nolan Schanuel had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which finished with just six hits. Ryan Zeferjahn (1-1) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in one inning immediately after Yusei Kikuchi wrapped his scoreless six-inning start for Los Angeles.

Kikuchi allowed four hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, striking out eight.

The Angels, who entered the contest having hit 16 home runs while scoring 49 runs in their previous six games, managed just two hits over 5 2/3 innings against San Diego starter German Marquez.

However, they nearly took a 1-0 lead in the second. Moncada led off the inning with a deep drive to right-center that Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a highlight-reel grab on, reaching above the fence to deny Moncada of a home run. It was the third time this season that Merrill robbed a batter of a home run.

The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning against Zeferjahn, who walked Fermin and Cronenworth on eight straight balls to open the inning. Laureano then grounded a single to center to drive in Fermin, and Tatis followed with a slow roller into shallow right to drive in Cronenworth.

Los Angeles cut the lead to 2-1 in the eighth on Schanuel’s single, driving in Logan O’Hoppe who had singled and advanced to second on a single by Adam Frazier.

San Diego then added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Laureano followed by an RBI single from Tatis.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Padres #halt #Angels #scorching #offense #series

Sports news April 19, 2026

Apr 18, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) runs after hitting a RBI single during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

Fernando Tatis Jr. had two hits and two RBIs and Mason Miller struck out two en route to his seventh save to lead the San Diego Padres to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim.

Ramon Laureano also drove in two runs, Jake Cronenworth scored a run and reached base four times with a single, two walks and a hit by a pitch and Freddy Fermin scored twice for San Diego, which won for the 12th time in its last 14 games.

Adrian Morejon (2-0) delivered 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief while Miller pitched around a leadoff single by Yoan Moncada and a walk to Vaughn Grissom in the ninth to extend his scoreless streak to 31 2/3 innings dating back to Aug. 6, 2025.

Zach Neto and Mike Trout each doubled and Nolan Schanuel had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which finished with just six hits. Ryan Zeferjahn (1-1) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in one inning immediately after Yusei Kikuchi wrapped his scoreless six-inning start for Los Angeles.

Kikuchi allowed four hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, striking out eight.

The Angels, who entered the contest having hit 16 home runs while scoring 49 runs in their previous six games, managed just two hits over 5 2/3 innings against San Diego starter German Marquez.

However, they nearly took a 1-0 lead in the second. Moncada led off the inning with a deep drive to right-center that Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a highlight-reel grab on, reaching above the fence to deny Moncada of a home run. It was the third time this season that Merrill robbed a batter of a home run.

The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning against Zeferjahn, who walked Fermin and Cronenworth on eight straight balls to open the inning. Laureano then grounded a single to center to drive in Fermin, and Tatis followed with a slow roller into shallow right to drive in Cronenworth.

Los Angeles cut the lead to 2-1 in the eighth on Schanuel’s single, driving in Logan O’Hoppe who had singled and advanced to second on a single by Adam Frazier.

San Diego then added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Laureano followed by an RBI single from Tatis.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Padres #halt #Angels #scorching #offense #series

CSK Batting Coach Michael Hussey Gives Worrying Update on Ayush Mhatre Hamstring Tear <div id="content-body-70880204" itemprop="articleBody">Chennai Super Kings has been dealt a blow after young batter Ayush Mhatre sustained a hamstring tear during the team’s 10-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2026 Indian Premier League.Batting coach Michael Hussey confirmed the injury post-match, suggesting the in-form No. 3 could be sidelined for a significant period.Mhatre, who made a quick 20 off 13 balls, once again gave CSK early momentum before pulling up while attempting a second run with Ruturaj Gaikwad. He clutched his left hamstring and needed on-field treatment.Though he continued briefly, he struggled to run and was eventually dismissed, caught by Heinrich Klaasen off Nitish Kumar Reddy. Mhatre had to be helped off the field, unable to walk unaided.“Obviously it is a hamstring tear,” Hussey told reporters after the match. “Don’t know how bad it is. We’ll scan him probably tomorrow or the next day. I’m not sure, but yes, it looks pretty bad. Unfortunately, he’s going to be a big loss because he has been in nice touch. He is an exciting young talent, but it is going to give someone else an opportunity, so that’s exciting as well. We have got some really good players that haven’t gotten an opportunity, so it’s going to be exciting for one of those guys.”“As much as we are really disappointed to lose Ayush, I don’t know for how long, but it’s exciting for a new player to come in and get a chance,” he added.Urvil Patel is among the leading candidates to step in as a replacement.Published on Apr 19, 2026</div> #CSK #Batting #Coach #Michael #Hussey #Worrying #Update #Ayush #Mhatre #Hamstring #Tear

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

#Deadspin #Wild #handle #Avalanche #postseason #loss #dominant #fashion">

mwasimuddin125 0

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">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">

mwasimuddin125 0

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

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.

Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

#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

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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

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.

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.

“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.

Published on May 10, 2026

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

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