Omar Payne joins growing list of players to leave Florida
Forward Omar Payne entered the transfer portal Tuesday and became the fifth player to leave coach Mike White's program since the end of the season. The 6-foot-10 Payne joined shooting guard Noah Locke, backup point guard Ques Glover and reserve forward Osayi Osifo in looking to play elsewhere next season. Star point guard and leading scorer Tre Mann entered the NBA draft with plans of hiring an agent, meaning he has no intention of returning to school for his junior season. Payne, a sophomore from Kissimmee, averaged 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while playing close to 16 minutes a game this season. Only Keyontae Johnson remains from Florida's 2018 class, which lost talented point guard Andrew Nembhard to Gonzaga last year and now is without Locke.
Short-handed Florida outlasts Virginia Tech in NCAA opener
10 seed Virginia Tech 75-70 in a first-round game on Friday. He finished with 30 points and scored the final 12 of regulation for Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech hit 5 of its first 10 3-point attempts, but made just two the rest of the way. Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said he considered keeping Aluma on the bench to start overtime. AdHINKLE'S LIGHTThe first NCAA Tournament game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in 81 years was rife with history, nostalgia and ... sunlight.
Missouri hangs on for 1st win at Florida, 72-70
GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ Dru Smith scored the game-winner, banking a baseline drive reverse layup off the glass with 0.7 seconds on the clock and Missouri held on to defeat Florida 72-70 on Wednesday night for the Tigersโ first-ever win in Gainesville. Dru Smith scored 17 points and had nine assists and a season-high six steals to lead Missouri (15-7, 8-7 Southeastern Conference), Mitchell Smith scored 14 and Mark Smith 11. Tre Mann scored 21 points to lead Florida, Tyree Appleby added 12 with five assists and Noah Locke scored 11. The Gators committed 18 turnovers, leading to 25 Mizzou points, and saw a three-game win streak end. Mitchell Smith pushed the Tigers lead to 10, opening the second half with a 3-pointer.
Florida beats No. 11 WVU in Big 12-SEC Challenge 85-80
11 West Virginia 85-80 on Saturday in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Derek Culver led West Virginia (11-5) with a career-high 28 points, but he was bottled up in the second half. NICHOLS BACKFlorida assistant coach Darris Nichols faced West Virginia coach Bob Huggins for the third time. The Gators beat West Virginia in the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge in Gainesville, Florida, and at the 2018 Jimmy V Classic. 10 Texas Tech last Monday, Saturday's loss could prevent West Virginia from moving into the top 10 of the AP poll.