Florida Gators

Florida's 2012 signing class was ranked No. 4 nationally by ESPN.

The Gators look like they might be on their way to topping that in 2013. They already have 10 commitments for the 2013 class, and that includes an SEC-high nine ESPNU 150 Watch List members.

All 10 of Florida's commitments in the upcoming class are from the state of Florida.

Alabama and Texas A&M aren't too far behind the blistering pace set by the Gators.

The Crimson Tide have nine commitments, including seven ESPNU 150 Watch List members.

The Aggies also have seven ESPNU 150 Watch List members on their 2013 commitment list. They have a total of 12 commitments.

Georgia is next in line with four ESPNU 150 Watch List commitments.

Cornerback Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell) was in Athens, Ga., recently for the VID (Very Important Dawg) Day. He spoke about his visit and his top three schools, which includes the Florida Gators.

Lincoln (Tallahassee, Fla.) receiver Reggie Davis put on a strong showing at the Orlando NFSC, running a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash. He lists his top four schools as Florida, Florida State, South Florida and Georgia.

Lincoln (Tallahassee, Fla.) receiver Taj Williams was at the Orlando NFSC, then gave an update on his recruitment. The one offer he wanted the most was Florida, he said with a smile, "and I got it."

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Looks like Patric Young’s right ankle is doing just fine.

Florida’s sophomore center showed no sign of the nagging injury that has plagued him since the middle of January against Kentucky on Sunday. That’s one bit of good news for the Gators, as they head into this week’s Southeastern Conference Tournament on a three-game losing streak.

Young scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in UF’s 74-59 loss to top-ranked Kentucky in front of 12,113 at the O’Connell Center. It was the most points he’s ever scored in an SEC game and just four points shy of his career-high 25 against Arizona on Dec. 7. Young went 10-for-15 from the field and took the ball right at UK’s formidable frontcourt of Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones.

"Patric Young was a beast," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Patric Young plays like that they’re fine in postseason. They’re fine.

"Patric, whatever you had for breakfast this morning, eat it [again], because he dominated us. He was really, really good."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Top-ranked Kentucky’s 74-59 victory over Florida wasn’t about going 16-0 in the Southeastern Conference.

It wasn’t about setting a school record for the most regular-season victories.

Or solidifying its claim to the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

All those things are important, but UK coach John Calipari made Sunday’s game about something else: pride.

"I told them prior to the game, 'Look, bottom line is if we lose we’re still No. 1 seed [in the Southeastern Conference tournament]. It doesn’t change our seeding. It doesn’t do anything, but it’s about pride. And I know you guys want to win. Just play to win and if they beat us, they beat us,’ ” Calipari said. "That was the message prior to the game: Just go have pride and play."

Considering how the Wildcats (30-1, 16-0) dominated the 13th-ranked Gators (22-9, 10-6), it’s hard to imagine how well they would have played had there really been something on the line. Kentucky outscored Florida 40-28 in the paint, blocked nine shots, held the Gators to 38.2 percent shooting, and turned the ball over just six times.

Anthony Davis nearly had a triple-double -- 22 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks -- and Terrence Jones had 19 points, four rebounds and three blocks to help Kentucky win its 22nd game in a row and become the third UK team to post a 16-0 conference record (1996 and 2003)

"That’s as good as we played all year," Calipari said.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After his Gators were handled in a 74-59 loss to the top-ranked juggernaut that is Kentucky on Sunday, Billy Donovan was quick to find a silver lining amid the dark clouds of UF's third straight loss.

Senior point guard Erving Walker summed up the losing streak, saying UF played with a "lack of effort versus Georgia, but besides that, we played well versus Vanderbilt -- but that's a good team on their home court -- and Kentucky is playing like the best team in the country.

"Yeah, definitely, we've got to shake this off."

Enter Donovan, who praised his team's effort immediately after Sunday's loss to Kentucky.

If there is a bright side to the losing streak that ended what had been a much more promising regular season just a couple of weeks ago, Donovan says, it's the opportunity for his Gators to learn what it takes to practice, to lead and to win.

"The biggest thing going forward is commitment to work collectively as a team," he said, "whether it's in practice or a game and every little detail that goes with it."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Kentucky, once again, is perfect.

The top-ranked Wildcats capped off their third 16-0 season in Southeastern Conference play on Sunday afternoon with a rout over 13th-ranked Florida at the O'Connell Center. Kentucky (30-1) also had 16-0 conference records in 1996 and 2003.

Kentucky got 22 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks from freshman Anthony Davis and 19 points from Terrence Jones to win its fourth game in a row over Florida (22-9, 10-6). The Wildcats have won eight of their past 10 meetings with the Gators.

Player of the game: Jones went 9-for-13 from the field and added four rebounds and two steals to go along with his 19 points. He scored Kentucky's first eight points and pretty much had his way with Florida's Erik Murphy. Jones, a preseason All-American and the SEC's preseason Player of the Year, also made his only 3-point attempt.

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The No. 2 Florida Gators continue their series against the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla. today with the wrap-up of the weekend series at 1 p.m. ET. You can watch the game live right here and you can follow along on our scoreboard as well. Here is a look at some Gator prospects from ESPNHS to whet your appetite.

ESPNHS All-State baseball teams
We've broken down each state's top 20 players into two teams -- an offensive team and a group of pitchers. A number of Gator commits made the list for All-State Baseball - Florida.

The Starting Nine: Preseason look
Each week, ESPNHS ranks the nine top players in order in The Starting Nine. Florida commit and likely first-round pick Lance McCullers, Jr., who has been known to reach triple-digits on the radar gun, is a contender to be the nation’s top high school baseball player.

Two UF commits on middle infielders list
Final positional rankings for the Class of 2012 look at the Top 10 middle infielders. A pair of Gator commits, Avery Romero and Richie Martin, make the list.