Final Four practice at the Georgia Dome

The Gators had an open practice at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta today, in preparation for their Final Four matchup with UCLA on Saturday. Times video by Jack Rowland.

Hall SEC Runner of Week

GAINESVILLE - Freshman Jeremy Hall is the SEC Runner of the Week after a strong performance at the Jim Click Shoot-Out last weekend.

Hall is the first UF athlete to earn the award this season. He won every race he competed in at the meet on March 24. It was the first outdoor meet of his career.

He won the 100-meter, 200-meter and ran the opening leg of the winning 4x100-meter relay.

Florida will compete in Tallahassee at the Florida State relays March 30-31.

Hampton to Play With National Team

GAINESVILLE - Marcie Hampton is one of five college athletes chosen to participate in the US Women's National Volleyball Team program this summer.

She was selected based on an open tryout in February in Colorado Springs. Hampton, who will be a senior next season, will be to train with the U.S. Women's Naitonal Team in May.

Since 2001, 10 current and former UF players have been selected for the 25 national team slots, including the U.S. Junior National Team, the A2 Team and the U.S. Junior National A2 Team.

LaPorta Honored

GAINESVILLE - One day after he was chosen the SEC Player of the Week, senior Matt LaPorta on Tuesday was named the National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

He's the first Florida player to receive the award.

LaPorta was 7-for-13 (.538) in Florida's sweep of No. 21 Auburn, with seven RBI, three home runs, three doubles and was hit by a pitch four times. It was the first road sweep for the Gators since May 2005 over Vanderbilt.

NCAA Midwest Regional Notes

ST. LOUIS - Okay, Florida fans. I wanted to give you a sampling of what other writers are thinking about the Gators after their eight point win over Butler. Florida coach Billy Donovan said it's unrealistic to expect the Gators to blowout every opponent, but apparently others disagree.

Here is a blog posting by John Canzano of the Portland Oregonian:

Posted by jcanzano

March 24, 2007

01:53AM

I have Florida winning it all in my bracket, but I have to say that the Gators look like a team sitting around, waiting to get beat right now.

I saw this team a year ago in the Final Four and they're just not playing with the same hunger and passion that they had then. I think that's going to be a factor on Sunday vs.

Oregon

.

Florida

has the talent, it has the size, it has the experience, but if the pilot light is out, it has a problem on Sunday against a fairly athletic team that is growing with confidence.

The Gators were nearly outrebounded (27-25) by

Butler

on Friday and that game was a four-point game late, and if you consider that

Florida

has three likely NBA lottery picks, that's just plain ridiculous.

Butler

had a starting guard that most of us would pick last in a gym pick-up game.

This Regional Final in

St. Louis

shouldn't be close, but I've seen that hollow look in the eyes of a seemingly invincible contender before, and it ends with the ex-champ crawling around the canvas looking for his dis-located mouthpiece. If

Florida

shows up, yawns, and expects to walk into the Final Four, they're going to find a barrage of threes waiting for them.

I could be wrong.

But I'm not.

Unless the AND-1 Tour snaps up Tajuan Porter overnight, this could be very interesting.

OTHER MUSINGS FROM ST. LOUIS:

With all the talk about Oregon guard Tajuan Porter's 5-foot-6 frame, Taurean Green was asked about the 5-inch growth spurt he had been hoping for the past couple of years. You see, Green's dad, Sidney, experienced a similar jump in height when he was Taurean's age.

"Mine didn't happen,'' said Taurean, listed as 6-feet-tall on the Gator roster. "I think I'm done growing. I lost hope. I blame everything on my mom. I just tell my mom, why can't you be two or three inches taller and I'd maybe be 6-4 or 6-5."

NO REGRETS: No matter what happens Sunday afternoon, Florida's junior class of Green, Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer said they'll never regret returning to school for their junior year.

"We've had a lot of fun this year,'' Brewer said. "I definitely think it was worth it (coming back).''

A loss Sunday against Oregon won't diminsh what this team has accomplished, Green said.

"We're not ready for it to be over yet,'' he said. "But we've won over 30 games, we've had a lot of fun, we've had a pretty good year.''

LAUGH OF THE DAY: "Well some of it is actually funny and some of it gets to him. There was this sign at LSU that was like the TV commercial: "So easy a caveman can do it'' and it had a picture of Jo.''

--  Horford on some of the most unique things fans have done to taunt Noah.

Turning the White House into a Swamp

Football coach Urban Meyer and members of the 2006 national championship team visited the White House on Monday. The team gave President Bush a personalized jersey and a football.

Click here to read more.

Gators to play in late game

GAINESVILLE - Florida's first round NCAA Tournament game against Jackson State will be played between 9:30  and 10 p.m. Friday at the New Orleans Arena.

The game will be 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Arizona-Purdue game. It will be televised live on CBS.

Gators Advance to SEC Semifinals

ATLANTA - The Georgia Dome is generally considered a second home for Georgia, but on Friday night that wasn't quite the case as Florida fans outnumbered the Bulldogs in Atlanta.

Considering the first half play of Georgia against the Gators, the Georgia fans may have had the right idea.

Florida jumped out to a 17-0 lead four minutes into the game en route to a 74-57 victory over Georgia in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. The Gators will play in the semifinals at 3:15 today. It was Florida's 10th straight tournament victory dating back to last season.

  "We know we were struggling in some tough road losses (late in the season), but these guys in the room know what it takes,'' said junior Al Horford, who had 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Bulldogs opened the game by going 0-for-11 from the field before Takais Brown scored the first basket with a dunk at the 13:52 mark. Georgia was 7-of-37 (18.9 percent) from the field in teh first half, 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. Florida, which leads the nation in field goal percentage (52.8), shot 72 percent in the first eight minutes, 53.8 percent in the first half.

Despite the lopsided loss, Georgia's Corey Butler said Florida isn't invincible.

"We proved we could play with them in the second half, said Butler, who had nine points and four rebounds off the bench. "Everybody puts Florida up on a pedastal as if they aren't human, but once you get into the game, you realize you can play with them.''

Like Home Court; DeClercq Honored

ATLANTA -  The Georgia Dome is supposed to be like a second home to the Georgia Bulldogs, but it didn't quite have that feel Friday night.

Florida fans outnumbered the Georgia faithful at the Dome during the quarterfinal game between the Bulldogs and Gators.

Considering Florida had a 14-4 lead four minutes into the game, the Georgia fans probably had the right idea.

ALSO:

Florida's Andrew DeClercq was honored at halftime as one of the SEC Legends of the Game. DeClercq played for the Gators from 1992-96.

Horford Among SEC's Best

GAINESVILLE - Al Horford, the unassuming yet dominant player inside the paint for the Florida basketball team, has been named one of five members of the Associated Press All-SEC first team.

Horford joins Vanderbilt's Derrick Byars, LSU's Glen Davis, South Carolina's Tre Kelley and Tennessee's Chris Lofton, who was named Player of the Year. Lofton, who leads the SEC in scoring with 20.6 points per game, won by one vote over Byars.

A 6-foot-10 junior, Horford averages 13.1 points and is the SEC's third-leading rebounder (8.9). He also ranks sixth in blocked shots (1.93). He's shooting nearly 61 percent, second in the league to Alabama's Richard Hendrix.

UF forward Joakim Noah, a first team selection last season, was named to the second team today, along with teammate Corey Brewer.

Meyer's Ring Nets $25,000 For Charity

GAINESVILLE - Urban Meyer kicked off his second annual charity golf tournament this week by auctioning off his national championship ring for $25,000.

Chip Webb, of Gainesville, won the ring with a bid of $25,000. A second ring will be given to Davis and Judi Rembert, who came in second in the bidding, also donating $25,000.

The Urban Meyer Scramble for Kids begins with a pro-am Friday at 1 p.m. at the University Golf Course, and contiunes through Saturday.