BULLDOGS

Three huge matchups to kick off the college football season, a new Australian Open agreement and two new “30 for 30” documentaries were announced by ESPN as part of its presentation to advertisers in New York.

It was a good night for several area track and field athletes — and a very good night for the Bolles girls.

Ponte Vedra is the only area boys lacrosse program to make an appearance in the state finals and the only one to win a state title in the sport.

Bolles' boys' lacrosse is making a return trip to the state semi-finals while Episcopals' girls have made the Final Four for the first time in program history.

In an NFL draft focused early on stoppers, it was the goers — wide receivers — who stole the spotlight Thursday night.

Saint Peter’s guard Doug Edert and Hofstra wing Kvonn Cramer will both suit up for the Bulldogs in 2022-23.

Thad Matta is returning to Butler, hired to coach the Bulldogs almost five years after he cited his health while stepping down at Ohio State.

The News4JAX boys Super 6 lacrosse rankings will be published weekly through the end of the regular season. Records are through March 29 games.

There were 17.3 million brackets filled out in ESPN's Tournament Challenge this year, and the quest for a perfect one was done before the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

JD Notae scored 21 points despite missing 20 shots and fourth-seeded Arkansas made Gonzaga miserable on both ends of the floor, bouncing the top overall seed from the NCAA Tournament with a 74-68 win.

Kenzie Hauswirth broke a tie with 6:20 left and top-seeded Ohio State beat Minnesota Duluth 3-2 on Sunday for the Buckeyes’ first women’s Frozen Four championship.

Drew Timme scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half, and top overall seed Gonzaga rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat No. 9 seed Memphis 82-78 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Jaden Ivey raced his way to 22 points and Zach Edey controlled the action inside, helping Purdue overpower Yale for a 78-56 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Drew Timme scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half and top overall seed Gonzaga struggled to shake No. 16 seed Georgia State for 30 minutes before pulling away late for a 93-72 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga will head into the NCAA Tournament exactly where it ended up in the final AP Top 25 — right on top.

The March Madness bracket is out.

Georgia coach Tom Crean has been fired one day after the end of a 26-loss season.

Gonzaga, Arizona and reigning national champion Baylor remained atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

Gonzaga, Arizona and reigning national champion Baylor remained atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll Monday while Tennessee cracked the top 10 for the first time this year and North Carolina returned to the Top 25 for the first time since November. Mark Few’s Bulldogs claimed 52 of 61 first-place votes to hold the No. 1 ranking for the fourth straight week and eighth time this season going back to the preseason poll. The Wildcats stayed at No. 2 for the third straight week under first-year coach Tommy Lloyd and claimed six first-place votes, while Scott Drew’s Bears – who held the top spot for five weeks earlier this season – took the other three.

The Georgia Bulldogs are well-represented at the NFL scouting combine after winning their first national championship in over four decades.

Mississippi State baseball struck out 14 times in a loss to Southern Miss, continuing early season offensive issues.

Tommy Kuhse had 14 points and six rebounds and No. 23 Saint Mary’s beat No. 1 Gonzaga 67-57 to prevent the Bulldogs from completing another undefeated run in the West Coast Conference.

Drew Timme had 23 points and nine rebounds, Andrew Nembhard added 21 points, and top-ranked Gonzaga beat Santa Clara 81-69 to win its 10th straight West Coast Conference regular-season title.

Georgia men's basketball coach Tom Crean is facing another challenge in his difficult season after assistant coach Wade Mason was suspended following an incident earlier in the week.

Drew Timme scored 23 points, Chet Holmgren added 22 and top-ranked Gonzaga beat San Francisco 78-62 in a makeup game after their Jan. 6 contest was postponed by COVID-19 issues.

Walker Kessler had 15 points and six blocked shots to lead a half-dozen scorers in double figures for No. 2 Auburn in an 83-60 rout of Georgia.

Any uncertainty about the quarterback position with the defending national champions can be put aside. Within minutes, J.T. Daniels entered the transfer portal and Stetson Bennett IV announced that he is staying at Georgia for his senior season.

Collin Gillespie hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, and Justin Moore scored 15 points to lead No. 14 Villanova to an 82-42 win over Butler.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart told a near-capacity crowd at Sanford Stadium the Bulldogs don’t plan to wait another 41 years for their next national championship.

If there was ever a doubt, signs emblazoned with the white, red and black of the Peach State’s favorite college football team remove it. We’re a long way from Gator country. And in Pierce County, it’s Stetson Bennett IV country.

Kirby Smart learned from his former boss that the time for celebrating is short in college football.

Georgia has become an elite program under Kirby Smart, but has not been able to chase down its Southeastern Conference rival until now.

Georgia is No. 1 in the final Associated Press college football poll of the season after winning its second national title by beating Alabama.

Alabama had plenty of chances in the College Football Playoff championship Monday — but rarely turned those opportunities into touchdowns.

The final blow came from Georgia's dominant defense. Kelee Ringo intercepted an underthrown deep ball and took off for a 79-yard touchdown.

With Jameson Williams and John Metchie III sidelined by injuries, Bryce Young had his Heisman Trophy-winning season effectively ended by a last-minute pick six in the College Football Playoff championship game.

Georgia won its long-awaited national championship the way it dominated during an undefeated regular season — by relying on its defense.

Stetson Bennett delivered the biggest throws of his storybook career and Georgia’s defense sealed the sweetest victory in program history, vanquishing rival Alabama 33-18 to win the College Football Playoff title game.

Kickoff is Monday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart got an inside look at what it takes to build a college football juggernaut working for Nick Saban at Alabama for eight years.

A mere 37 days after they last played, Alabama faces Georgia again with a national football championship on the line.

By bringing the Bulldogs to another national title game, coach Kirby Smart has made Georgia a regular part of the championship picture.

The national championship game quarterbacks are a former five-star recruit already with a Heisman Trophy and a former walk-on ending a long journey with his home state team.

Stetson Bennett threw three touchdown passes, Nakobe Dean led an angry Georgia defense and the third-ranked Bulldogs returned to their dominant ways, beating No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff championship.

Alabama has a chance to repeat.

USA TODAY Sports' Dan Wolken puts into perspective Georgia's win over Michigan and what it means for the program and Kirby Smart.

Michigan defensive back Dax Hill started in the Orange Bowl against third-ranked Georgia after his late arrival in Florida.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart says Stetson Bennett remains the starting quarterback going into Friday's CFP semifinal against Michigan.

Georgia’s defense was nearly invincible for three months, allowing less than a touchdown per game.

Jenna Staiti had 21 points and 11 rebounds while coming up with a critical defensive stop in the final seconds of overtime to help No. 17 Georgia beat No. 2 North Carolina State 82-80.

Georgia's proud defense is seeking to redeem itself after the Bulldogs' ugly loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Alabama once again collected a Southeastern Conference title and two big league-wide individual awards.

No. 2 seed Michigan and No. 3 Georgia will meet in a College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year’s Eve in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The College Football Playoff is set and it is historic: Cincinnati will play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Michigan will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

Alabama will head into the postseason the same way it started the regular season — as No. 1 in the nation.

Jaden Shackelford scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half, Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison both hit key 3-pointers later, and No. 16 Alabama held off Gonzaga’s big second-half rally for a 91-82 win over the third-ranked Bulldogs.

Bryce Young stunningly carved up the nation’s best defense, giving Nick Saban and Alabama a shot at another national championship.

Cut out a regular season easy win to allow more teams to compete in the CFP.

The destination is the summer pro-am run by former NBA star Jamal Crawford. “It was unreal to see a unicorn in real life!” Crawford tweeted in August. “Chet Holmgren is special.” Fast-forward three months and as much as top-ranked Gonzaga might be downplaying all the “unicorn” talk, it’s clear Holmgren is a special talent unlike any that’s come through the Bulldogs’ program.

Alabama inched up to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football Sunday behind top-ranked Georgia and No. 2 Cincinnati. No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Michigan both held their spots. In a week with no games matching ranked teams, five ranked teams lost, including two in the top 10.

At one point during Gonzaga's yearlong run at No. 1 last season, coach Mark Few felt so comfortable with the leadership he had on the floor, he could have left a rack of basketballs on the court, walked away and the Bulldogs could have run practice themselves. The talent is certainly there, it’s just a matter of how quickly Gonzaga can fit the pieces together.

Gonzaga carried a No. 1 ranking all last season before falling a win short of becoming college basketball’s first unbeaten national champion in 45 years. The Zags were the runaway top choice in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball preseason poll released Monday. Kansas, Villanova and Texas rounded out the top five, while reigning national champion Baylor checked in at No. 8.

Georgia was the new No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday by a unanimous vote, taking the top spot during the regular season for the first time since November 1982. The Bulldogs (62 first-place votes) moved up one spot in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, a day after preseason No. 1 Alabama lost at Texas A&M. The defending national champion Crimson Tide slipped four spots to No. 5 after its first loss of the season. Iowa is No 2, up one spot after winning a top-five matchup with Penn State.