Florida head coach Todd Golden reacts from the bench area during the first half of Monday's game against Grambling State in Gainesville, Fla.
Some Mizzou fans were disappointed when Todd Golden landed at Florida when the Tigers were shopping for a new men鈥檚 basketball coach.
Dennis Gates came to Boone County instead and his remarkable Year 1 success energized the fan base and donor class.
Ah, but Year 2 brought an historic collapse at Missouri, and folks noticed the success Golden was enjoying with the Gators. Golden brought an excellent team into this season, and then . . .
Uh, oh!
Golden, 39, stands accused of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking, according to a Title IX complaint filed with the University of Florida. The sexual harassment claims included 鈥渦nwanted sexual advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors, sending photos and videos of his genitalia while traveling for UF and various occasions of stalking.鈥
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That聽 could be a problem.
The school has kept Golden on the job while the probe continues and he issued the following statement on X:
鈥淔or the last month, I have actively participated in and respected the confidentiality of an ongoing school inquiry. I have recently engaged Ken Turkel to advise me on my ability to bring defamation claims while this confidential investigation is ongoing. My family and I appreciate the support we have received and remain confident the university will continue its efforts to finish its review promptly.鈥
Golden coached Florida to an 86-62 victory over Grambling Monday after getting a warm reception from fans.
鈥淲hat's personally getting me through this right now?" Golden said. "Respecting the situation, my family, my team, my coaching staff. We're just continuing to attack it like we normally would every day.鈥
This ongoing hoo-ha may help explain why the school announced that football coach Billy Napier will return next season, despite his team鈥檚 ongoing failure. Maybe the school administration wants to put out one fire at a time.
Elsewhere in Southeastern Conference basketball, Auburn made news by going on the road to earn a big 74-69 victory at Houston.
But first the team flight had to turn around and return home after a players fight broke out. The second flight proceeded without a hitch, albeit without apparent combatants Jahki Howard and Ja鈥橦eim Hudson.
鈥淵ou know, stuff happens,鈥 Auburn center Johni Broome said. 鈥淏ut at the end of the day, we came here to play basketball. Everybody was locked in with each other. We were our brother's keeper. We have a strong family here, and we came out here and won that basketball game.鈥
On Instagram Live after the game,聽Auburn center Dylan Cardwell聽had some fun with the incident with this remark: "When you lock a bunch of dogs on a plane, what did you expect to happen?"
A ruff landing?
THE BASKETBALL DIARIES
Here is what folks have been writing about college hoops:
Dennis Dodd, : “They played a national title game in the first week of the season at Allen Fieldhouse. They played each other to their knees. They left those who squeezed into the old barn breathless. The bluest of blue bloods left each other black and blue. If you see another game like it this season let us know because the season has a lot to live up to. No. 1 Kansas hung on to beat No. 9 North Carolina 92-89 Friday in a game that started dripping with history and ended up dripping in sweat. In the first week of the season, they played a game worthy of March . . . Kansas is trying to find both scoring and bench depth after petering out at the end of last season. North Carolina is trying to find size, already loaded with one of the nation's best backcourts. The two basketball giants found a little of both while adding to their sparkling basketball histories. In what almost shaped up to be a revenge game from the 2022 national championship contest, North Carolina rallied back from 20 down late in the first half to take a four-point lead. Kansas then scored nine of the last 11 points for the win.”
Isaac Trotter, 247 Sports: 鈥淭he聽Mark Pope聽era is off to a pretty start with back-to-back, 100-pieces against聽Wright State聽and聽Bucknell, respectively.聽Koby Brea聽(10-for-12 from downtown) picked up聽right聽where he left off last season at Dayton. Fifty-five聽is聽Kentucky's聽record for transition 3-pointers in a single season in Synergy's 20-year database. This group (nine transition triples in two games)聽could聽blow that number out of the water.鈥
Jay Bilas, : “Nate Oats is the real deal. The Tide are arguably the most entertaining team in America to watch because they let it fly with disciplined judgment and they play so hard. Without the two title trophies in the backseat for UConn, Alabama would be the choice for No. 1 because of the talent on this roster. Oats led Alabama to the Final Four last season, only to lose to the Huskies, and Tide fans might wish to book early for a return trip. Last year's Tide squad was one of the most prolific and efficient offensive teams of the past 30 seasons, and this year's team promises more. Returning are Mark Sears, Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr., which is more than significant. And, for those who believe the transfer portal is wrong for college sports, remember that Sears was at Ohio and Nelson was at North Dakota State. Should they be required to play in relative anonymity when their talent was worthy of Final Fours? No. In that same vein, transfers Chris Youngblood from USF, Cliff Omoruyi from Rutgers and Aden Holloway from Auburn, along with freshman Derrion Reed, will elevate Alabama into UConn's top threat.”
C.J. Moore, The Athletic: 鈥淭he worry for the Vols was whether they could replace the scoring of聽Dalton Knecht and the defense of center聽Jonas Aidoo, who transferred to Arkansas. You could argue聽Ohio State聽transfer Felix Okpara looks like an upgrade on Aidoo so far, and although no one can expect聽North Florida聽transfer聽Chaz Lanier聽to replicate Knecht, he鈥檚 off to a terrific start, averaging 18.5 points through two games. Lanier鈥檚 tape was impressive, but I was a little skeptical about his up-transfer because of his numbers prior to last season. In his first three years at North Florida, he averaged 1.7 points, 4.5 points and 4.7 points. Then he broke out to average 19.7 points per game last year. The weight room and good old-fashioned development have helped Lanier get here. He was listed at 175 pounds in his first two years of college, and now he looks like a grown man at 207 pounds. He鈥檚 shooting it great 鈥 7 of 12 from 3 after shooting 44 percent last year 鈥 and he鈥檚 scoring at all three levels. Tennessee smacked Louisville 77-55 on the road on Saturday. The Vols have finished in the top 10 in KenPom鈥檚 adjusted efficiency margin for three straight years. I鈥檇 bet they make it four this year, with Lanier and Okpara being a big reason why.鈥
James Fletcher III, : “What has set (Duke freshman) Cooper Flagg apart from his class members to this point is a combination of athletic dominance, developing offense, and size. While the alley-oop dunks and 3-point shooting play well for social media, his defense is among the best tools he possesses. A quick-twitch jump has often led the 6-foot-9 small forward to pick up a surprising number of blocks for his position and size, especially as a weakside helper. Add in the commitment to rebounding and solid wing defending and there is an all-defensive team platform to build on. Offensively, the downhill moves will be interesting to follow as he bulks up and the level of competition increases. His shot, while not conventional at first glance, appears consistent enough to project at least a decent percentage when open. The next steps for him on the floor all come with development, both physical and mental. Adjusting each time a new challenge arises and building muscle to cope with the higher level of competition throughout this season and beyond is key to him – and every other prospect – reaching their ceiling.”
MEGAPHONE
鈥淎s coaches and teachers and dealing with young people, we deal with lots of things on a daily basis, and that鈥檚 our job. I mean, that鈥檚 our job. So, a lot of what we do in coaching is stuff that is off the floor.鈥
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, on dealing with kids today.
