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NCAA Tournament: Top storylines going into Saturday’s Texas Tech vs. Florida Elite 8 game
SAN FRANCISCO — Two days after overcoming a 16-point deficit to stun Arkansas in the Sweet 16, Texas Tech will face its biggest challenge of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The third-seeded Red Raiders will play top-seeded Florida, led by former Saint Mary’s guard and University of San Francisco coach Todd Golden, in the Elite Eight at Chase Center.
At stake: A spot in the Final Four.
Florida has been a juggernaut through the first three rounds of the tournament, defeating Norfolk State, two-time defending champion UConn and Maryland. The Gators (33-4) have won nine in a row and 15 of 16.
Texas Tech understands the challenge that awaits.
“They have a plan that I think they execute as good as anybody in the country,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland after his team’s 85-83 victory over Arkansas in overtime on Thursday. “I watched a little bit of the SEC championship and watched them basically just play their best basketball of the year. I’ve heard consistently from coaches that they’re playing the best of anybody in the country.
“This is what you sign up for when you play in the NCAA Tournament and you want the opportunity to play the best, but we’ve got a tremendous amount of respect because I think they play the right way and they can beat you in a ton of different ways. They’ve got grit and fight and a great plan, and they execute.”
On the flip side, Texas Tech is no slouch, either.
Despite being undersized at almost every position against a streaking Arkansas team, the Red Raiders charged back down the stretch behind clutch play on both ends.
The result was the second biggest comeback in Sweet 16 history.
Sacramento native and Texas Tech’s second-leading scorer Darrion Williams struggled to make shots. But he scored 20 points on 26 attempts, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer and the go-ahead layup in overtime to seal the win.
Big 12 player of the year JT Toppin was a force, finishing with 20 points and 10 boards while guard Christian Anderson led all scorers with 22.
“They’re a really good team,” Florida forward Thomas Haugh said Friday. “They have two really good bigs that they play to, and they’ve got a good rim-protector big. And their guards can all shoot. It’s going to be a really good game. We’ve got to stick to the scout, stick to the game plan.”
Here are the game’s top storylines:
FLORIDA’S SIZE
Florida will have the clear height advantage.
The Gators start 6-foot-11 forward Alex Condon and 6-10 center Rueben Chinyelu – two athletic shot blockers who are also proficient in the post. Florida also brings Haugh, a 6-9 forward, and 7-1 center Micah Handlogten off the bench.
The Gators more than doubled Maryland’s rebounding totals, hauling in 42 to the Terps’ 20.
“I feel like their size is one of them things,” Texas Tech forward Federiko Federiko told reporters on Friday. “And they’re aggressive, super aggressive.”
While Federiko is 6-11 and Toppin is 6-9, the duo didn’t play much on the floor together against a similarly big Arkansas team. The Red Raiders often went small to combat Arkansas’ size with quickness.
CAN TECH HAVE A BETTER SHOOTING NIGHT?
For a majority of Thursday’s game, Texas Tech failed to get into any sort of offensive rhythm.
The Red Raiders shot 35.3% from the field in the first half and struggled to get to the rim against Arkansas’ length and athleticism.
Despite his clutch shot making down the stretch, Williams will probably need to be efficient from the field early against a Florida team that plays very well from ahead.
On Thursday, Williams shot 8 of 26 overall and 2 of 10 from 3-point range.
Still, he made an impact.
“I think to play a game like he played yesterday, not being able to make shots early or struggling early, but to keep the confidence to make those shots down the stretch I think is why he’s the heart of the team, just that confidence and his will to go win for us,” teammate Kevin Overton said.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
While Florida has the size and athleticism to match up with any team in the country, perhaps the Gators’ biggest advantage is their depth.
Six players scored six or more points against Maryland and eight players played eight minutes or more.
“It’s our biggest strength,” Golden said. “We go nine deep. With Micah (Handlogten) coming back, I have equated it to kind of getting a deadline trade deal done. Him coming back when he did was huge for us.
“This time of year, having that depth is incredible.”
WILL CHANCE MCMILLIAN PLAY?
Texas Tech guard and Vallejo native Chance McMillian missed his fourth straight game with an oblique injury on Thursday and will again be a game-time decision, according to McCasland.
The senior is Texas Tech’s third leading scorer and a 41% shooter from the 3-point line.
McCasland said McMillian participated in Texas Tech’s pregame shoot around on Thursday and was expected to play in some capacity. But he was scratched from the lineup after he told McCasland he didn’t feel right.
“We’re just trying to give him confidence that he can do it and trying to support him as best we can,” McCasland said.
Originally Published:
Bolstered by more than 300 Falcon 9 rocket launches — primarily from Florida’s Space Coast — SpaceX’s 9,000-plus Starlink high-speed internet satellites now serve more than 9 million customers in more than 155 countries and markets, the company reported last week.
Now, the burgeoning Starlink constellation is slated to expand again. SpaceX is targeting Thursday, Jan. 8, for an afternoon Falcon 9 liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Launch window: 1:29 p.m. to 5:29 p.m.
The rocket will deploy 29 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit. Similarly, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster should wrap up its 29th mission by landing aboard the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of miles southeast of the Cape.
FLORIDA TODAY Space Team live coverage of Thursday’s Starlink 6-96 mission will kick off roughly 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
The first launch of 2026 from Florida’s Space Coast took flight at 1:48 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 4. That’s when a Falcon 9 lifted off from the Space Force installation, then deployed a batch of 29 Starlink satellites.
What’s more, SpaceX has another Starlink mission in store this upcoming weekend. More details:
- Launch window: 1:34 p.m. to 5:34 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10.
- Trajectory: Southeast.
- Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Sonic booms: No.
In a 2025 progress report, Starlink officials reported crews equipped more than 1,400 commercial aircraft with Starlink antennae last year. That represents nearly four times the number of aircraft outfitted during 2024.
More than 21 million passengers experienced Starlink’s “at-home-like internet” last year aboard United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JSX, WestJet, Qatar Airways, Air France, Emirates, Air New Zealand and airBaltic flights, per the report.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Space is important to us and that’s why we’re working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
Former Georgia Tech interior offensive lineman Harrison Moore is expected to transfer to Florida, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
The direct connection between Moore and Florida is offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. Moore, a former three-star recruit, played in 10 games as a true freshman under Faulkner, playing 184 total snaps at left guard, center and tight end. Pro Football Focus gave him a 68.8 offensive grade — No. 12 among freshman interior linemen with 100 or more snaps — 67.8 run-blocking grade and 72.0 pass-blocking grade.
He became a starter in 2025 — five games at left guard and four at center — playing 11 games. His PFF grades took a dip to 63.6, 65.5 and 68.4, respectively, but still ranked inside the top 30 among underclassmen with 500 or more snaps.
247Sports ranks Moore No. 229 overall among all players in the 2026 transfer portal cycle and No. 11 among interior offensive linemen.
Florida’s interior offensive line room
Florida’s interior offensive line returns starting left guard Knijeah Harris and backup guards Roderick Kearney and Tavaris Dice Jr. Moore slots in nicely at center with All-American Jake Slaughter out of eligibility and Marcus Mascoll moving on. Noel Portnjagin and Marcus Mascoll are in the portal, and Damieon George Jr. and Kamryn Waites have exhausted their eligibility.
Moore would compete with redshirt freshman Jason Zandamela for the starting center role, or Kearney could move to center and Moore could play guard.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Florida Tech students working on prototypes of a robotic manatee
Florida Tech students working on prototypes of a robotic “Mechanatee” manatee for a variety of research possibilities.
This past year brought mixed milestones for manatees: near-record deaths for young sea cows but also a bit more seagrass for grazing, some new scientific insights and other hints of hope for 2026.
While they kept dying in droves, sea cows on the Space Coast — among their most important feeding spots — found more seagrass in the northern Indian River Lagoon. And a landmark legal ruling mandated that Florida’s most popular threatened species will soon swim in cleaner waters and must be fed lettuce to prevent winter starvation.
Here’s how the year in manatee news played out:
More manatees died but more also live
Good news arrived in recent years regarding the overall sea cow population. Florida estimated in 2021-2022 that its manatee population was between 8,350 to 11,730, up from estimates of less than half of that only a few decades ago.
But in 2025, Brevard County topped Florida’s manatee deaths, with young sea cows continuing to be the hardest hit, despite the local seagrass gains. State biologists suspect the young are still perishing as a result of a long-term famine.
Brevard typically leads Florida sea-cow deaths, because most seagrass (manatees’ main food) grows here in the 72-mile-long county’s portion of the 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon.
According to the most recent stats from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, through Dec. 26:
- Brevard had the most deaths: 118 manatees died in Brevard, compared to 100 in 2024. Lee County was second highest in 2025, with 113 manatee deaths.
- Brevard’s deaths included: 9 by watercraft; 3 other human causes; 50 perinatal; 13 cold stress; 13 natural; 9 undetermined; and 21 not necropsied.
- Statewide: 628 manatees died, topping the previous two years of 556 in 2024 and 546 in 2023. That still was less than the five-year average of 719 manatee deaths. Those deaths included: 97 by watercraft; 9 from a flood gate/canal lock; 9 other human causes; 135 perinatal; 33 cold stress; 63 natural; 50 undetermined; and 232 not necropsied.
- One in five Florida manatees died within a year of birth: The 135 so-called “perinatal” manatee deaths — those that die within a year of birth — were 21% of the overall 628 manatee deaths last year. That was less than the record 149 perinatal deaths through Dec. 26, 2024, which increased to 154 total perinatal deaths for that year. But 2025 topped the five-year average of 104 perinatal deaths.
More landmark legal protection
In May, a federal judge ruled that Florida has to temporarily stop approving new septic tanks near the northern Indian River Lagoon and plan to start feeding manatees again when they are faced with winter starvation.
Brevard is offering homeowners financial help to meet that and other state septic-tank mandates.
The new manatee rules will remain in effect until the state gets a federal permit that allows so-called “incidental takes” of threatened manatees, the judge ruled. Incidental take refers to the unintentional (but not unexpected) death, injury, or harassment of a protected species during otherwise lawful activity.
In a separate legal battle, conservation groups have for several years been suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify manatees from “threatened” back to “endangered.” Last year, the service declined to return Florida manatees to “endangered” status, a ruling environmental groups continue to challenge.
New manatee rehab opens at Brevard Zoo
Last year, Brevard Zoo took in the first two manatee patients — Churro and Randa — at the zoo’s new $2.1 million sea cow rehab center. As with the zoo’s sea turtle rehab, the facility is not open to the general public. But on April 4, the zoo gave Gov. Ron DeSantis a behind-the-scenes tour as the zoo celebrated the center’s opening with a ribbon cutting.
Florida Tech makes strides with robotic manatee
In 2025, Florida Tech students made leaps forward with a robotic manatee, called “Mechanatee.” They hope in years ahead to use the robot to study real manatees in the wild without disturbing them. The robot will mimic the movements and communication of manatees to gather data on their behavior and habitat. The project is still in its early stages, but the team hopes to eventually test Mechanatee in Belize.
Other sea-cow scientific breakthroughs:
Several other groundbreaking studies in 2025 showed, among other things, that a popular herbicide is suppressing manatee immunity, that sea cows aren’t nearly as longstanding Florida natives as once thought and are sophisticated navigators.
- In January, University of Florida researchers found that the popular herbicide glyphosate can reduce manatee immune cell activity by more than 27%. That suggests sea cows living near high agricultural or residential runoff are more vulnerable to diseases and infections, even if they aren’t directly starving.
- Manatees are relative newcomers to Florida: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says on its website: “As its name suggests, the Florida manatee is native to Florida and is found primarily in coastal areas throughout the state.” But a landmark study in the journal PLOS One released in January 2025 by University of South Florida found almost no manatee bones in more than 70 Native American settlements older than a few hundred years. That suggests manatees only likely began migrating from the West Indies when the climate started heating up, beginning at the end of the 19th century with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the USF researchers concluded. Cooler temperatures lasting until the late 1800s probably kept cold-sensitive sea cows from migrating much north of the West Indies, USF concluded.
- In April, a study lead by New College in Sarasota used post mortem MRIs to find that manatees are more sophisticated navigators than previously thought. “Despite this apparently ‘simple’ brain, manatees in the wild show some cognitively sophisticated behaviors, particularly in the realm of navigation,” the authors wrote. “Future work in manatees should examine local and global brain connectivity related to spatial navigation and other complex cognitive capabilities.”
Contact Waymer at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.
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