For those Gators who never experienced Steve Spurrier or are transplants from Up North, the night of the 2006 basketball title was a near miracle. Defeating UCLA meant we were all champions, even if we never played a game.

The feeling of that night was confirmed the next morning in my surprisingly crowded ethics class. In the basement of Weimer Hall, 30 of us sang "We Are the Boys" and did the "Two-Bits" cheer. Our professor told us that, thanks to Florida winning a basketball title, "We are a real school now." He claimed a basketball title represented Florida's academic and athletic growth. Our 2007 basketball title and two football wins reinforces that belief.

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If we have Championship Mode, we must have Classic Moments In Championship Mode. Most of these are obvious; Jarvis Moss against South Carolina, nearly every game Tim Tebow played against FSU, Ike Hilliard stopping on a dime in the Sugar Bowl. You know a Classic Moment In Championship Mode when you see it. Which brings us to today's entry: Tennessee-Florida, 1995.

The dulcet tones of Keith Jackson, Peyton Manning leading Joey Kent to his death against Lawrence Wright...truly a Classic Moment In Championship Mode.

We need to play some music to get in the mood first.

HELL YES! CHAMPIONSHIP MODE RETURNS!

For the uninitiated, Championship Mode was the founding philosophy behind this website. In fact, it predates Alligator Army by a year, as the Urban Dictionary entry was October 2006 and the first mention of Championship Mode on Alligator Army was in September 2007. 

The idea behind Championship Mode is simple enough: for significant games or events, you can reach a heightened mental state that impacts an outcome in your favor. On a personal level, it is the feeling you have before you ace a test, nail a presentation at work, or nail that hot project manager who was impressed by the presentation at work. 

For Gator Football, Championship Mode is reserved for the Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and FSU games. Special consideration is given to Alabama, Miami and in emergency situations (such as the 2006 South Carolina game). The K2 and Everest of Championship Mode are the SEC and BCS Championship Games. 

Championship Mode is not to be abused. You and your bros getting hammered before the Kentucky game is not Championship Mode. This brings us to a crucial point of Championship Mode: you must be able to impact the game. No drunk has ever been in Championship Mode. A few drinks to get excited is fine. But, I can't get into Championship Mode if you're falling over people and smelling like stale vodka. Additionally, If you are one of those people who show up after introductions, you are a horrible human being.

I say this is a Call To Action because it is Tennessee week and Florida needs you. We have not sold out our first two games, our basketball team played much of last season in front of empty seats and we dropped in the US News and World Report College Rankings. I realize that no one cares about academic rankings, but when Miami is 20 places better than us in anything, you should be pissed off. You don't have to be a Gator grad to appreciate that we should never lose to Miami. Besides, for most of us who are young alums, the second most psychotic Gator fans we know are our fathers who never a four-year school.

Embracing Championship Mode is about more than wearing your lucky shirt for the big games or drinking the same beer. Championship Mode is a commitment to the University of Florida, in all kinds of weather. Maybe you're not convinced Will Muschamp is the right guy, or there aren't any Filipino missionaries for you to identify with on the team. The fact is that on Saturday afternoon, the University of Florida will begin play in the hardest conference in America against a school that advocates killing federal agents in their fight song. You need to get your mind over what ever mental block is preventing you from investing in this team and get your ass into Championship Mode.

Some of you have been reading this and slowly nodding your head in agreement. Others are asking what sort of person invents random crap like this. (This sort of person.) And another group thinks they are the real fans because they spend all day on message boards and don't need silly names for their gameday experience. To those last groups, that is fine. You do what you got to do to make you feel warm at night. But when you watch that game on Saturday or look at that Florida degree hanging on your office wall, ask yourself, "Have I done enough? Did I yell on that third down? Did I delete that email from the Alumni Association asking for membership? Could I have done more?"

While you're wondering if you want to really support the Gators, the rest of us will be in Championship Mode, screaming until it hurts, clapping until our hands are swollen. Just don't be surprised when we give you a dirty look for showing up late and spending the game with your orange and blue crocs glued to the ground.

Coming Thursday, Classic Moments In Championship Mode.

Four years ago, two friends and I dragged our girlfriends to the Archer Road Moe's to discuss making a sports blog. That became the extinct The Sporting Orange and in August of 2007, Alligator Army. Since that time, two of those girls have gone away and all of us have jobs that take up far too much of our time than we would like.

Starting Monday, SBNation's Andy Hutchins will take over Alligator Army. Like me, he is a real Gator, so Alligator Army will be in good hands. Andy will build Alligator Army into a site that can matchup with the other outstanding SBNation blogs, especially DawgSports and RockyTopTalk. 

There were several times that I thought about not doing Alligator Army. What stopped me each time was that I did not know who would take it over and that I love my school so very much. With Andy and the writers that he will bring on, Alligator Army will be well positioned to be successful. And with each day, I love my school more. Everything I have done in my career I owe to Florida.

If there is anything I can leave you with it is that you love and support the University of Florida as much as you love the Florida Gators. Our sports teams are crucial for the strength of the school, but we must keep progressing and excelling as a University. Bernie Machen deserves a lot of criticism for his treatment of liberal arts, agriculture and tuition increases, but he knows that the only way to save UF is to become a dominant research school. UF can't hope on the state legislature or Bull Gators who would never get into UF now. (Hell, I might not get into UF now and I graduated in 2006.) You should keep ripping on him for tuition increases that could price out students, but also understand that we are gone from the days that UF was the favored school of the state. Last year we saw Shands funding killed by Gov. Charlie Crist for political revenge and who knows what Gov. Rick Scott has up his sleeve. 

But the power of the University of Florida lies in you. Sign up for the Gators for Higher Education and the UF Alumni Association, both of which are available to those who are not UF students or alumni. If you think that Florida should have top-25 teams in football and basketball, I hope you would think that we should be a top-25 school too.

As always, thanks for reading. 

Today's Orange and Blue Game was like a lazy spring training game. The best players (Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Demps) were out, other guys did not do enough and there were a few young prospects (Jeff Driskel, A.C. Leonard) to make you hope. The final score was 13-10 for Blue, but that matters only if you cared enough to keep score in a practice.

For those of us hoping John Brantley would finally pull it together, we were wrong. Brantley was 4-14 for 45 yards, and looked no different under Charlie Weis than he did under war criminal Steve Addazio and lame duck Urban Meyer. The offense only moved the ball if receivers made individual plays of if they ran the ball. Granted, the defense is ahead of the offense in these games and the offense is brand new, but Brantley has a lot of work to do.

Jeff Driskel and Tyler Murphy were not much better. Murphy was 7-11 for 68 yards with a touchdown and pick. If anything, Murphy was zipping the ball, proving he has the arm to compete with Brantley and Driskel. He can move too, so that is nice. Driskel was only 3-8 for 29 yards, a sign that he might not be ready for prime time. For the hype about Driskel, he does not come from Armwood, St. Thomas Aquinas or Nease. He comes from a non-traditional football school that was not on ESPNU or followed regularly. Driskel is a camp standout that has to convert that skill to game time experience. Playing ball in Seminole County is not Hillsborough County, Broward or Dade and it sure as hell isn't the SEC. 

If there was a new guy that stood out to me, it was AC Leonard, who looks like two dudes in one. Not only does he have great legs like my brother Omarius Hines, Leonard looks to be about 260. If he isn't playing tight end, he could play linebacker. Leonard had three catches for 18 yards, but looked like a battleship cruising through the middle of the field on crossing patterns. Stephen Alli, Quinton Dunbar and Chris Rainey were the other Gators with two catches. Dunbar was very fast, and like a truly fast guy, jogs like he has a dump in his pants. Marcus Jones ran the ball for 15 carries and 63 yards, but won't see the field in September. 

On defense, Sharrif Floyd, Dominique Easley, William Green and Ronald Powell all looked good. But that is to be expected as new defensive line coach Bryant Young is a frighting man and he can make anyone do something out of fear. Floyd was doubled teamed and held on every play and Easley was very good until leaving with an apparent knee injury. 

It would have been nice to see some more from the Gators. We'll have to hope they come back in August with a better sense of themselves.

One final note: the statues of Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow look very well done. However, I'm an asshole and will continue to wait for the statue of the starting five of the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions, as well as the Robert Cade statue. I appreciate the Bull Gators giving something more to UF (seriously, Stumpy Harris is on everything), but can't we get an indoor fieldhouse with football, tennis and track? Yes, Dr. Cade is getting a museum, but he should have a statue too. 

How bad has it been for John Brantley? I've written about UF having a new quarterback in 2011, that Brantley should transfer and the Brantley Era was over. And I was a Brantley defender!

Brantley has been given a new lease on life with a very large man with a schematic advantage. Charlie Weis isn't a miracle worker, but he is competent, unlike Steve Addazio. Brantley won't have to run the option anymore. 

But will he have the skills and drive to right the ship for one good season? If he doesn't, Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett are waiting to pick at the dead carcass that is Brantley's senior season. And before you think that Brissett is out, consider that he is Weis' and Will Muschamp's boy, not Driskel. Coaches always want their guy, not an old one.

The problem is that we really have no clue what to expect. This situation is exactly want Brantley wanted, but if he couldn't step up previously, what guarantee is there that he will step up now? Hell, maybe he is so mentally worn down that there is nothing left for Weis and Muschamp to build up. 

I had once written that Brantley would win a Heisman and National Championship. I'd be happy if he can lead the Gators to the SEC Championship Game. 

Saturday's Orange & Blue Game will feature so few actual Gators that instead of having students race players in a 40-yard dash, the students will run a 3-4 defense.

While that is not true, it could be, which puts a real damper on the Orange & Blue Game. It's not like anyone cared about the scoring or who had the most yards. If a young guy makes a great play, that's all we need. Just like Spring Training, it doesn't matter if the Braves lose 10-1, as long as the 1 was Jason Heyward hitting a bomb. On Saturday, nothing matters as long as my brother Omarius Hines looks awesome and Ronald Powell throws bodies around like Jermaine Cunningham threw sandwiches in Jimmy Johns. (Actually, that line is wrong. Brother Omarius always looks awesome.)

Young Ronald brings up a point that the Gainesville Sun noted. In their coverage this week, Powell, Dominique Easley, Matt Elam, and Sharrif Floyd were targeted in articles regarding their output as freshmen. Of those players, only Elam played last spring. Did the spring game mean anything for Elam? Maybe. But, the coverage reminds us of the differences of people watching the same games. Especially with young players, I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. I thought Elam, Floyd and Powell were great last season, considering UF had a lame duck coach. The Sun makes them out to be failed free agents. 

I'm not trying to be critical of the press, because I know many of you thought Florida's stud defensive class would come in and eat people. (To be fair, Floyd did eat a guy in the Vandy game.) But if 13 games, in limited action, wasn't enough to show you, nothing that happens on Saturday will change your opinion. There is nothing wrong with getting sucked in by Frankie Hammond playing like he is Jerry Rice, but don't get upset when he plays like Alvin Harper in September.

If we can take anything away from Saturday, it should be how does Will Muschamp run a team? There is plenty of NFL coaching experience on the field with him, but is that translating to the players? Does everyone look organized, coaches included? I'll be looking for that, because I'm still not sold on the Muschamp Experience. You'll probably think it is a big deal if none of our defensive studs lays out a walk-on.

With 91 points and 41 of 63 games picked correctly, mike won the 4th Annual Alligator Army Tournament Pick'em. He finished 1st out of 61 players. To claim your prize mike, email me at alligatorarmy@gmail.com with your name and mailing address and we will send out the Gators ice bucket and coozies for your victory. I finished third. 

Winning the President's Trophy with the most victories was Class of '85 with 44 of 63 games picked correctly. But remember, don't touch the President's Trophy because it is bad luck.

Thank you to everyone who played this season and our other pick'ems. This was our second most popular pick'em as the most recent bowl pick'em had 63 players.

By the way, I would like to thank Butler for setting basketball back 60 years with their shooting performance. At least they proved wrong the argument that mid-majors with seniors and juniors are better to watch. /bitter because I could have finished in the top-four of another bracket pool

As seems to happen each Spring, the joy of spring football is broken by fractured bones and torn ligaments. The injuries that Will Muschamp and the Gators have experienced this spring might make you think he is running Tom Coughlin's training camp, but hopefully it is bad luck.

That said, injuries plus a transition equal some problems. John Brantley isn't hurt, but Florida is lacking healthy offensive linemen, following injuries to Nick Alajaian and Xavier Nixon. With a premium on practice time, it does actually mean something for linemen to miss time, especially in the transition to a pro-style offense.

If you have patience with The New Gators, none of this will worry you, and you won't mind that Muschamp had to pull guys out of Southwest Rec to have enough bodies for the Orange & Blue Game. But patience is not a virtue that Gator fans hold. 

I think it will be interesting to see how the fanbase reacts towards the Gators, especially if we don't see anything of note on Saturday. As much as I am willing to go through a rebuilding year, I'm not sold on Muschamp being the guy to do the building. I'm in the minority on that point, but others will say that our senior quarterback and a year for our young defensive studs means winning the SEC East should be attainable. 

And yet, when I'm at the game on Saturday, it won't take long for me to start believing Brantley is the second coming of Joe Montana or that Omarius Hines has the rear end of a race horse. I'm curious to see what this team can do, even with all the organized chaos of a new coaching staff. I'm not concerned yet, but if UF is still lacking bodies in August, I will be.

A few hours after Florida's loss Saturday, my friends and I began the acceptance level of the five stages of grief. At that point, we mentioned that if someone had told you in December that Florida would get to the Elite Eight, you would have taken it. If someone told you the Gators would win the SEC regular season, you would have taken that too.

But we also brought up this; how many Elite Eights did Matt Walsh go to? Or David Lee? Or Nick Calathes?

We have been too quick to judge these Gators on our championship seasons, which is incredibly unfair to Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and the rest of the team. During the back-to-back championships, it was obvious that Al Horford and Joakim Noah would be NBA standouts and Corey Brewer would be a serviceable role player. With this Gators team, only Parsons has a shot at getting drafted. This team never had the talent to win the title, and they only lost to Butler because another team was better than Florida in grinding out victories.

But, Parsons and the rest can take pride in that they got as far as they did. The last image of Tyus will not be what might have happened last season and happened to Walsh: having your draft night party end without you being drafted after a less than stellar junior season. Vernon Macklin might not have played in the mighty Big East, but in the SEC, he was able to grow his game and hook shot. These three seniors might join Walsh and Anthony Roberson in Europe, but at least they didn't finish with a disappointing exit in the first week of the tournament.

Judging on the impossible standard set by the Oh Fours, these Gators fell far short of the bar. But, otherwise, these Gators outperformed their predecessors. That won't make losing to Butler any easier, but it should allow us a greater appreciation and understanding for what this team has done.

Some nights, you just can't beat the refs, fate or black magic. But it doesn't help when you can't rebound either.

Florida, after blowing an 11-point lead in the second half, lost their Southeast Region Final to Butler, 74-71 in overtime. With 9:51 left in regulation, the Gators led 51-40. Butler then rolled off a 20-9 run to finish the game as Florida's top scores all got collared with four fouls and Butler was finally able to drive the ball to the goal.

In overtime, each team traded possessions, with the final difference being found in the three missed free throws Florida had in the extra frame. UF did not score in the final minute of OT.

The Gators shot 44 percent, as they got cold late after shooting around 50 percent for much of the game. After Vernon Macklin (25 points) got into foul trouble, UF had difficulty scoring. Incredibly, the Gators were 18-22 at the line, but were outrebounded 36-33. Most importantly, Butler outrebounded Florida on the offensive glass, 13-8, as they pulled down boards off long jumpers, while UF could only look over their heads or hope not to be called for a foul. Florida was called for 24 fouls in the game (compared to 20 for Butler) as Butler shot 27 free throws.

Butler's Shelvin Mack led all scores with 27 points. Matt Howard had 14 points and drew 10 fouls (unofficial estimate).

The most disappointing thing Saturday, other than UF being outrebounded by a smaller team, was the play of Chandler Parsons. Like the straight-A student who fails the final exam, Parsons play probably one of the worst games of his career. He was 2-9 shooting for five points and never got to the line. He had seven rebounds, but was more comfortable in the corner on offense than working towards the hoop.

As Len Elmore pointed out during the game, Parsons' shot was flat, hitting the front rim flush and dying into the hands of a Butler player. That Parsons last touch was an awkward attempt at rebounding Erving Walker's last chance at a tie, was only icing on Parson's crap cake. It was a tragic end to such a fantastic career.

Alex Tyus followed up his sublime performance against BYU with 14 points and 10 boards. He was not dominant, but he was also tied up by four fouls against him. Kenny Boynton was the other Gator in double figures with 17 points. Walker had eight points, but was 1-10 shooting. With a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, Walker missed his 3-point attempt.

I always have enjoyed when Alligator Army readers question my Gator-ness because I have the audacity to criticize Urban Meyer. But when it comes down to it, I'm really a homer.

Take the example of my tremendous rally into 3rd place of the Alligator Army Tournament Pick'em. Once mired in 19th place, Alex Tyus carried me into 3rd overall and 3rd for points possible, as I have UF in the Final Four. Class of '85, who picked Kentucky (!) leads with 56 points. thehighiq, who really is a homer and picked UF to win it all, is 2nd with 54 points. I have 53. I hope you will join me in rooting against Class of '85, because anyone who picks Kentucky or Ohio State deserves to lose.

Of course, I'm playing for pride, but the rest of you are playing for a lovely prize. This year, it is a Gators ice bucket and coozies, perfect for your Orange & Blue tailgate or throwing water on your mistress. Good luck to everyone.

The scoring prodigy's worst nightmare is on the other end. Always more focused on points, he hopes to never be stuck with a defensive assignment that will sap his energy. He would rather give up 20 and score 30, than give up 10 and score 15.

That is Jimmer Fredette. For all the talk about his outstanding game and ability to shoot from any spot on the floor, he has become the darling of the 2010-11 season. Last year against Florida in the tournament, Fredette scored 37 points, shooting 50 percent from the field. But last season, Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, who should be matched up with Fredette on Thursday, did not have the sophistication in their offensive game that they have now. Walker only goes to the goal when he is looking for contact, no longer getting into the lane and throwing a wild pass into the photographers. Boynton, even at 75 percent, can still shoot and will require Fredette to follow him around the floor.

Additionally, if UF cannot use Boynton, Scottie Wilbekin has the personality of a terrier and has not shrunk from any challenge this season. If UF goes big, with Walker/Wilbekin, Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus, Patric Young and Vernon Macklin, they can pick apart BYU by scoring inside and forcing Fredette to scramble on switches.

Granted, a lot of what I have said is based on my own bias as a Gator fan and that I thought St. John's was going to eat up BYU. But look at BYU's losses to New Mexico and San Diego State. They could not handle high scoring guards and forwards 6-foot-7 and up. Florida has that. Additionally, you can't discount the loss of Brandon Davies. The Florida guards, as much as they need to run Fredette ragged, have to feed the bigs on every trip down the floor. In the 2010 tournament, UF would have won if they did not turn the ball over 21 times. They dominated the glass, which again will be crucial to gain extra possessions and keep Fredette on defense. The longer he is in the defensive end, the better chance Florida will have to win.

If you are a long time reader of Alligator Army (we go back to August of 2007), you know that our posting schedule is off the wall thanks to my strange jobs. Some weeks, it was 10 posts. Other weeks, it was three or four. Additionally, I was never able to pick up friends to be co-writers, the result of bad timing and their own work schedules.

But after three and a half years of posting really late at night, really early in the morning, or hunched over the work computer, it is time to hang up my laptop. Starting April 11, I will no longer be the editor of Alligator Army, making the Orange & Blue Game my last event I cover for the site.

I turn to you to keep Alligator Army going. The site has established credentials. But Alligator Army needs an editor who has the talent and time to provide coverage that is worthy of the Florida Gators. We have a twitter page, facebook page, and New York Times article, so making the site bigger and better can be done. (I've worked on a lot of cool things, but nothing beats being on the front page of the Paper of Record.)

If you think that writing for a few bucks a day, is for you or your friends, email me at alligatorarmy@gmail.com by March 31. Let me know about your background and previous writing experience. If you don't have any writing experience, write up a FanPost on the right side of the page and direct me to it. For those of you who are long time commentators and readers, I'm familiar with your writing, but shoot me an email with your background anyway.

I'll make a decision on April 4, with your first story on April 7 and full time writing starting on April 11. That will allow for some time to train you on the technical issues. But don't worry too much about that. The interface to upload stories is almost exactly the same as the FanPosts. I'll stay on as an "Author," which is basically to write my Championship Mode stories and be one of the few Gators who thinks that Urban Meyer isn't the greatest coach in UF history or that Tim Tebow isn't the greatest athlete in UF history. 

As always, thanks for reading.

Your No. 1 Florida Gators baseball team opened SEC play with a sweep of No. 5 LSU in Baton Rouge.

The Gators (18-2, 3-0) won the series finale Sunday, 7-3, propelled by a 5-run 4th inning. In another sign of how deep the Gators can be, Austin Maddox pitched 4.1 innings in relief, allowing only two hits for the win. Maddox played first base in the first two games of the series. He now has a 1.12 ERA in 8 innings and five appearances.

On Saturday, UF defeated LSU, 1-0. Daniel Pigott knocked in Nolan Fontana with the only run. Hudson Randall pitched 6.2 innings for the win and Nick Maronde struck out the side in the 9th for his first save. The series opened with Florida's comeback 5-4 win, in which the Gators rallied for three runs in the 9th to take the lead. Florida has swept all of their series this season (USF, Boston College, Miami, Rhode Island).

The LSU (16-4, 1-3) series followed a dramatic 5-4 win over FSU on Tuesday, when the Gators rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the 8th and won 5-4 in ten innings.

Pitching has powered the Gators so far this season. UF leads the SEC with a 2.29 ERA and opponents are batting .232 against UF. The Gators are near the top in most offensive categories.

The Gators have a two game series against Winthrop starting on Tuesday and a weekend series against South Carolina (14-4, 2-1) to open the home SEC schedule.

Once again, the Florida Gators defeated the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Tournament. This time it was 73-65, with the Gators moving on to the Sweet 16.

The Gators played a Man's Game today as UCLA withstood every Florida challenge and UF answered every UCLA run with one of their own. Florida shot 50 percent and answered UCLA's early advantage on the glass by pulling even with 30 rebounds for each team. UF also shot 13-17 at the free throw line, none more crucial than the four made by Erving Walker in the final minute.

Walker led the Gators with 21 points, including scoring 10 of Florida's last 12 points. Walker was also smart, with only one turnover and attacking basketball. His running bank shot with 4:00 left was as much about trying to get UCLA's Josh Smith to foul out, as it was trying to spark UF. Had the officials given the Gators as much credit as they did UCLA, UF would have won easily.

As great as Walker was, this game was as much about Patric Young becoming a grown man in front of us. His 8 points and 4 rebounds, as Vernon Macklin battled foul trouble and awful defensive play, was a revelation. Young's block of Reeves Nelson, followed by a steal and breakaway dunk in the first half, was probably the two best defensive plays UF has had this season.

The third best might have been Chandler Parsons' rejection of Smith with 6:34 left and the score tied at 55-55. Parsons came from behind and cleared the ball, leading to a pull-up 3-pointer by Kenny Boynton, which gave Florida the lead for good. Parsons had 7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, as he continues to find ways to contribute, even if he can't find the hoop. Boynton had 12 points, but the next few days will be spent wondering if he can play Thursday with a sprained left ankle.

Florida will play the winner of BYU/Gonzaga in the Southeast Regional Semifinals on Thursday night in New Orleans.

Thursday night in Tampa, the No. 2 seed Florida Gators defeated No. 15 seed UC-Santa Barbara, 79-51. The Gators will face No. 7 UCLA in the third round.

Florida came out with guns blazing, shooting 58 percent in the first half and 55 percent for the entire game. UF could have scored more, as they were able to get in the paint when they wanted too, but settled instead for 8-23 shooting from 3-point range. UF scored 34 points in the paint, compared to 18 for UCSB.

Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton led the Gators in scoring, with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Chandler Parsons had the most complete game with 10 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Parsons only played 27 minutes, as Billy Donovan began thinking about Saturday's game at halftime. Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin were held to about 20 minutes, with Macklin scoring 10 and Tyus getting 8.

Florida will play UCLA on Saturday at 2:45pm on CBS. No. 7 UCLA looked like they would cruise against No. 10 Michigan State, but instead had to hold on for a 78-76 victory. The Bruins allowed 52 second half points as the Spartans furiously rallied from a 42-24 halftime deficit. 

UF basketball plays in two days, so now is a perfect time to talk about UF's depth chart for spring football, and Charlie Weis' kinda awesome quote Monday about it.

The Palm Beach Post has a nice breakdown of the depth chart. The only interesting thing being that Trey Burton and Jordan Reed will not become Black Tebow, as both are taken out of the QB rotation. In steps Tyler Murphy and Jeff Driskel, behind the much maligned John Brantley, who might as well change his first name to "Much Maligned."

The defense is especially exciting to me, because it is more Dominique Easley, Sharrif Floyd and Ronald Powell, who can each kill a man with their bare hands. Floyd and Powell showed flashes of brilliance, while Easley was more content on looking awesome, but not playing that way. 

But Charlie's schematic advantage, and his unique way with words, is what intrigues me. The offensive depth chart lists three positions; F-11, F-12, F-21. "F" is the slot or tight end, based on various formations. That is simple enough. Charlie's answer to, "What the hell are these F things?" was simple, in its own way.

"Everyone wants to just give you those bogus depth charts that you get all the time. We actually tried to give you a real one. Sorry. Instead of giving you some bogus depth chart that doesn’t really tell you anything and just lines up with two wide receivers, we figured, ‘Hey, here’s what we’re thinking.’"

A coach who will actually answer questions with an intelligent response? I'll take that schematic advantage all day, baby.

Awwwww, yeahhhhh!!!!! The Alligator Army Tournament Pick'em is back baby!

For the fourth year we're asking you to gamble zero dollars for the chance to win a random piece of Gators memorabilia. This year's prize is still a mystery and won't be determined until I drive through Gainesville on Wednesday afternoon and buy it.

To play the game, go to Yahoo tournament pick'em private entry and enter Group ID: 45679 and password: army. 

The Gators, despite their loss in the SEC final today, got the No. 2 seed in the Southeast region and will begin the tournament in Tampa on Thursday.

The Gators will open the tournament against No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (18-13, 8-8), who is best known for winning the 2011 Big West tournament as a five seed. On the other side of the Tampa pod is No. 7 UCLA and No. 10 Michigan State, who Florida has played four combined times in the NCAA Tournament. The top seed in the Southeast is Pittsburgh, followed by UF, BYU and Wisconsin.

The Gators, should they advance out of Tampa, would then go to the Southeast Regional in New Orleans. Considering everything, UF was treated very nicely by the selection committee. Compare that to Kentucky, who is a No. 4 in the East against No. 13 Princeton. They would face the winner of West Virginia and UAB/Clemson, in order to go to the regionals in Newark. Additionally, the East (Ohio State, UNC, Syracuse, Kentucky) and West (Duke, San Diego State, UConn, Texas) are stacked.