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Florida Heads to Ole Miss for First SEC Road Game – ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF

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Florida Heads to Ole Miss for First SEC Road Game – ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF


After a hard-fought contest against No. 6 Kentucky to open the Gators’ SEC men’s basketball schedule last Saturday, Florida travels to Oxford on Wednesday for a meeting with the Ole Miss Rebels.

The meeting will be the first road SEC game of the season for coach Todd Golden and his group, who enter Wednesday’s 9 p.m. game with a 10-4 record. Meanwhile, the No. 23 Rebels (13-1) have started off strong but are coming off of a blow-out loss against No. 5 Tennessee.

Steve Russell spoke with Marc Dukes, a member of Ole Miss’s radio team, Tuesday to discuss the upcoming matchup.

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Buying into Beard’s Culture

Ole Miss is in the midst of its first season with Chris Beard at the helm. The former Texas head coach left Austin in a cloud of controversy, but the Rebels took a chance on hiring him. So far, it has paid off.

Beard led Ole Miss to 13 consecutive wins to tip-off the 2023-24 season. The early success can in part be credited to the “buy-in” of this Rebels team to Beard’s system and culture.


Another area of success so far for the Rebels is the offense. Compared to last year’s group, Ole Miss has been shooting the ball with more confidence, which has seen the Rebels’ points per game jump by almost 10 points.

“One of the big differences, I think, is the confidence the players have offensively this year,” Dukes said. “They’re shooting the ball really well.”

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While there are still several areas for Ole Miss to improve, the direction the program is heading this early into his time in Oxford is a step in the right direction.

Florida vs. Ole Miss: Keys to the Game

Among the important keys to the game for both sides will be rebounding. Ole Miss has been outrebounded in several of the team’s victories, averaging a -2.4 rebound margin. Meanwhile, Florida has been impressive on the glass, averaging a +10.6 rebound margin.

The Rebels also continue to be a work in progress on the defensive end of the floor, which should grant the Gators high-percentage scoring opportunities. However, Dukes is confident Ole Miss is improving on defense as it gets comfortable with Beard’s system.

A major area of struggle for Golden’s group has been free-throw shooting. Florida is shooting just above 65% from the charity stripe as a team, which ranks 321st in Division I. In the Gators’ home loss to Kentucky, the team went a combined 18-for-29 (.620)  from the line.

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Against an Ole Miss team struggling on the glass, Florida will need to take advantage of its second-chance opportunities and convert free throws to get the victory on the road.

Both Teams Looking for First SEC Victory

Both the Gators and Rebels come into Wednesday’s tilt after dropping their SEC openers.

Florida led against Kentucky for much of the game, but failed to close out what would have been a crucial Quadrant I win. Meanwhile, the Rebels fell behind Tennessee early and never really got back into the game.

The Rebels will rely heavily on a trio of players who have helped them start the year strong. Matthew Murrell has scored 10 or more points in 13 of the Rebels’ 14 games, including three contest with 20+ points. The IMG Academy product has shot the ball well and is a scoring threat from anywhere on the floor. Jaemyn Brakefield has also had a strong start to the season, especially as of late. The senior has five consecutive games with 15 or more points, including a 27 point performance against California.

As for the Gators, they will need the team’s leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. and junior guard Will Richard to return to their red-hot form. The two shot a combined 3-for-18 from the field in the loss against Kentucky. While Florida does have a variety of players who are able to score, it’ll be important for two of the Gators’ stars to step up on the road.

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With both teams in search of their first SEC wins of the season, Wednesday night’s game in Oxford should have a lot of intensity. The SEC Network and 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF will provide coverage.



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Florida-Tulane free livestream: How to watch Gasparilla Bowl, TV, schedule

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Florida-Tulane free livestream: How to watch Gasparilla Bowl, TV, schedule


The Florida Gators play against the Tulane Green Wave in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The matchup will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN 2. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

The Gators enter this matchup with a 7-5 record, and they have played well recently. The team has won three consecutive games, including two victories against ranked opponents.

In their most recent game, the Gators defeated Florida State 31-11. During the victory, Florida accrued 368 total yards. The team rushed for 235 yards and averaged more than six yards per carry.

The Florida defense also played well against Florida State, forcing five turnovers.

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The Green Wave enter this matchup with a 9-4 record, but they have lost back-to-back games. In their most recent game, the Green Wave lost 35-14 against Army.

During the loss, Tulane struggled defensively. The team allowed 335 rushing yards and conceded nearly six yards per carry.

Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.



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How to Watch: Louisville Cardinals at Florida State Seminoles

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How to Watch: Louisville Cardinals at Florida State Seminoles


LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A week removed from falling to Kentucky in the Battle of the Bluegrass, the Louisville men’s basketball program is back in action, traveling to Florida State for their first road game in ACC play.

While the Cardinals might have lost to their most hated rival in their last time out, they certainly gave the Wildcats a run for their money. Despite having only eight healthy scholarship players, Louisville kept within striking distance of Kentucky for the majority of the game before ultimately falling 93-85 in Rupp Arena.

As for the Seminoles, year 23 under head coach Leonard Hamilton is off to a solid start. While FSU is currently six games over .500 and heading into their matchup with Louisville on a two-game win streak, they’re 0-3 against teams ranked in KenPom’s top-100, including an 84-74 overtime loss at NC State.

This will be the 54th all-time meeting between Louisville and Florida State, with the Cardinals owning a 35-18 advantage. UofL won 101-92 back on Feb. 3, 2024 in the last matchup, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Seminoles.

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(Photo of Terrence Edwards Jr.: Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook – @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X – @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram – @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky





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More South Florida school zones will be getting speed cameras – how it's been going

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More South Florida school zones will be getting speed cameras – how it's been going


If you don’t look carefully, you could easily miss the cameras set up outside schools. They, however, are watching you, and if you’re going at least 10 miles over the speed limit, you will receive a $100 surprise in the mail. 

“If you don’t want to get one of those violations just stay within the speed limit, very simple,” said Village of Pinecrest Police Chief Jason Cohen. 

Pinecrest and South Miami were the first cities in South Florida to take advantage of a new state law allowing automated cameras to catch speeders in school zones. Since their systems went online in October, they’ve sent out about 7,400 citations in South Miami and about 5,800 in Pinecrest. 

“It’s too early to say from the data on the overall impact it’s going to have around the schools, but we believe it’s going to change peoples’ driving patterns, that they’re going to be cognizant that they’re near a school and they’re going to automatically slow down, that’s the goal,” Cohen said. 

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Diane Gilmore has been a security monitor for decades at Palmetto Senior High School. She said she sees speeders fly past the school all the time as students are trying to cross the street, and she’s glad the cameras have been installed. 

“I think they did a good idea because a lot of times, they be going across the street, these cars don’t respect us at all, they come fast and I say it ain’t careful, somebody gonna end up getting killed,” Gilmore said. 

Students spilling out of school seem to appreciate the cameras. 

“I think it’s good, ‘cause it controls the drivers so the drivers don’t speed and especially in a school zone,” said Nicholas Henriquez, a senior at Palmetto who drives to school. 

Not everyone agrees. Christian Gutierrez picks up a student regularly and he’s not impressed with the cameras’ impact. 

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“Even speedbumps, I feel like, stops speeding,” Gutierrez said. “More than the cameras, yeah, for sure.”

The school zone cameras operate only on school days, starting a half hour before school starts and ending a half hour after school ends, no matter what the speed limit is during those hours. The police departments make $39 for each citation issued. 

“But I think it’s important to highlight that the funds coming in have to be used for public safety,” Chief Cohen said. “Anything that can help make our city safer, especially around the children and the schools, we looked at it as a win.”

Soon, police departments in Miami Gardens, West Miami, Davie and Plantation will be starting up their own school zone camera systems. Miami-Dade Police have also installed cameras outside eleven schools with many more to follow. Cohen predicts almost all South Florida police departments will join the trend.

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