Bishop Media Sports Network
Gators Chomp Into Tournament
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida enters the 2025-26 NCAA tournament with +650 odds to cut down the nets come the national championship on April 6.
The Gators have the fourth-best odds to win the NCAA Tournament, and in their case repeat as national champions, behind Duke (+300), Michigan (+350) and Arizona (+400).
Florida was selected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in the South Region, marking the program’s fourth No. 1 seed selection in program history.
The Gators will make their 24th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and third in a row under fourth-year head coach Todd Golden, who has led Florida to a 6-1 record in the NCAA Tournament, including last season’s national championship.
UF enters March Madness as victors of 12 of the program’s last 13 games, including an 11-game winning streak in conference play to conclude the regular season, and a 71-63 triumph over Kentucky in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament, before Florida fell to Vanderbilt in the SEC semifinals, 91-74. The Commodores join the Gators in the South region of the NCAA Tournament bracket.
Florida faced two fellow NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds during the non-conference stretch of its 2025-26 season, falling to then-No. 13-ranked Arizona, 93-87, in its season-opener, and losing to No. 4 Duke, 67-66, on Dec. 2. UF also faced No. 2-seed UConn on Dec. 9, falling to the No. 5-ranked Huskies 77-73.
The Gators ultimately went 9-4 during their arduous non-conference slate before finding their groove in SEC play, going 16-2 against league competition, with ranked wins over No. 18 Georgia (92-77), No. 21 Tennessee (91-67), No. 10 Vanderbilt (98-94), No. 23 Alabama (100-77), No. 25 Kentucky (92-83) and No. 20 Arkansas (111-77).
As Florida’s backcourt made strides during that stretch, its dominance was primarily established through its frontcourt, led by leading scorer Thomas Haugh, forward Alex Condon and center Rueben Chinyelu.
Haugh, Florida’s leading scorer at 17.1 points per game, has been instrumental to the Gators’ success in his first season as a starter. Among his handful of postseason awards, Haugh was named a Second-Team All-American by Sporting News, and a First-Team All-SEC selection by the conference’s coaches and the Associated Press.
Chinyelu, the SEC’s Defensive Player and the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, who also obtained First-Team All-SEC recognition from the AP and Second-Team honors from the league, concluded his second season in Gainesville and his third at the collegiate level averaging a double-double at 11.2 points and a conference-leading 11.5 rebounds, including 7.4 defensive boards, per game.
An All-SEC Second-Team pick by the AP and Third-Team honoree by coaches, Condon has averaged single-season career-highs of 15 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game in his second campaign as a starter.
Tasked with replacing its stellar trio of guards from the 2024-25 season in Waltet Clayton Jr , Alijah Martin and Will Richard , Florida brought in Boogie Fland and Xauvian Lee via the NCAA transfer portal this past offseason. While it took time for UF’s backcourt to gel, each player finished the regular season averaging double figures per game, with Fland scoring 11.6 points and Lee 11.5 points per matchup.
Additionally, Florida saw junior guard Urban Klavzar grow into a significant role as the Gators’ sixth man. Klavžar knocked down a team-high 2.1 three-point shots per game, averaging 9.7 points per contest, resulting in him winning the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Owl Madness
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Kennesaw State Owls men’s basketball team punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
They won the Conference USA championship on Saturday, March 14th. KSU (21-13) was the No. 6 seed and they beat No. 4 Louisiana Tech (20-14), 71-60 to claim their first-ever Conference USA title.
The Owls beat No. 3 Western Kentucky and No. 2 Sam Houston to advance to the championship game. They were 10-10 in conference play during the regular season, so this was very surprising.
KSU played their best defensive game of the season against LA Tech, holding them to under 27% from the floor.
The Bulldogs were held to 22-of-72 (26.3%) for the night from the field, and 9-of-37 in the second half for 24.3%. KSU’s defense was even better on the outside, as the Bulldogs made just 2-of-28 (7.1%) from three-point range.
Senior guard Jaden Harris finished with a game-high 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, double the number of made threes that LA Tech had as an entire team.
Freshman forward Amir Taylor had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block. Sophomore guard RJ Johnson scored 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Johnson was named the Tournament MVP after his third-straight double-figure scoring game in the tournament
“We played a tough, gritty competitive team in LA Tech. Talvin Hester is one of the best coaches in this league. He does a tremendous job, and we talked before the tournament and said, hey, we hope we meet each other in the championship, and we knew if we met each other, it was going to be a battle, and today was it. I thought we guarded these dudes really well. Defense and rebounding is what carries you in March. We were able to hold their two guards, [DJ] Dudley and [AJ] Bates, to, I think, 0-15 from three. And we knew that was going to be a tremendous challenge, because they are really, really dynamic players, and they go as they go. Our guys stood up to the challenge, and we were able to win the game. A great, great victory for our university, for our community, for our students. And how about our fans? I mean, we painted this place black and gold, man. Kennesaw showed up in a major way,” KSU head coach Antoine Pettway said after the game.
“Truly blessed and truly thankful I get to live out a dream and coach young men like these two sitting up here every single day. We going to keep going, man. We got practice at home on Monday, and we’re getting ready to go play in the NCAA tournament. God is so good. God is so good. This is what we prayed for, this is what we dreamed about.”
This was Kennesaw State’s second-ever trip to March Madness in the school’s Division I era, and first since the 2023-24 season.
They were selected as the No. 14 seed in the West Region. They played the No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-3) at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, about 350 miles away from Gonzaga’s campus in Spokane, Washington. This is Gonzaga’s 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 28th overall.
Kennesaw State built an early lead on the Bulldogs but Gonzaga ended the first half on a 10-0 run to head into the locker room with a six point advantage.
Gonzaga would build a double digit lead in the second half and stage off a late comeback attempt by the Owls to eliminate KSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 73-64.
Diamond Buzz
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As we hit mid-March on the calendar, most sports fans are filling out a bracket for the March Madness college basketball tournament, but in Atlanta the focus is solely on the diamond.
Georgia Tech baseball is off to a historic start at 17-3 and winning each of their first two ACC Series against Virginia Tech at home then on the road against #8 Clemson. The 17-3 mark on the year is the best start to a season since 2013.
When folks think about Ramblin Wreck Baseball, offense is the first thing that comes to top of mind and that’s still the case in 2026. The “Buzz Bombers” have scored 254 runs thru the first 20 games (12.7/game) which are the most runs in the first 20 games in program history.
Every Yellow Jacket has an average over .300 with 4 Jackets boasting an average over .400. Vahn Lackey has been off to a hot start after entering 2026 projected as a top 15 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Lackey (who played all 8 defensive positions in one game last week against West Georgia) has already launched a career high 9 homeruns and driven in 31 this season.
Reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, Alex Hernandez has also followed suit in his sophomore campaign. “Herny” is hitting .449 and driven in 18 with 4 long balls.
The question around Georgia Tech in recent history has been the pitching. Well guess what, they’ve answered that too in 2026. Georgia Tech finds the team ERA under 4.00 two weeks thru conference play and are striking out just shy of 10 per game.
The pitching staff is anchored by Friday night starter Tate McKee. McKee has made every single game 1 start for the Jackets each of the last 2 years including 6 scoreless innings against the #8 Clemson Tigers this past weekend. Tate (who pitched on both sides of a 2-hour first-inning rain delay against Virginia Tech to open ACC play) sits at a 2.82 ERA through 5 starts and a 3-0 record.
The numbers for this squad are impressive, but off the field, the 2026 Jackets are just special.
First-year Head Coach James Ramsey made it quite clear early on in his official tenure as the head man at Georgia Tech that two important pieces of his philosophy were consistency in the coaching staff, and emphasis on the high school recruiting while sprinkling in transfer pieces.
As far as the coaching staff goes, Ramsey did just that. Matt Taylor stays in Atlanta as the pitching coach, Jason Richman as the director of pitching, and Josh Schulman remains as an assistant on staff.
Coaching veteran Scott Stricklin moves from Director of Ops into the vacant assistant position (with Ramsey being promoted to head coach). The consistency with the staff is huge for this Jackets team that has used the high school recruiting approach to build a core that has been together 2 and 3 years.
That said, Georgia Tech was able to add a few transfer portal pieces, but they have had to be the right fits. James Ramsey has talked about the importance of fitting not only into the lineup or rotation, but also the fit in the clubhouse. This is as close-knit of a college baseball clubhouse as you’ll find in the game.
The additions of Jarren Advincula (Cal transfer) and Ryan Zuckerman (Pitt transfer) have been impressive in the heart of the dangerous Jackets order but have been a puzzle-piece fit into the clubhouse as well. Zuckerman has talked about it feeling like a “kid in a candy store” of the feeling being in Atlanta part of this team.
Another big addition has been Dylan Loy who bolsters the pitching rotation from Tennessee and has secured the Saturday starter role in the rotation.
Getting to travel and be around this team day in and day out is special. I know it’s an overused term, but there’s no other way to describe it.
Talented players, elite coaches, unbelievably great people make for a special season on the Flats with hopes for Omaha on the horizon.
Jason Bishop Show March 12 2026
The 5th Major
By: Brian Albertson
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2026 Players Championship is scheduled for March 10–15, 2026, at the TPC Stadium Sawgrass Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
As the PGA Tour’s flagship event, it features a $25 million purse and a competitive 120-player field. Many at PGA Tour headquarters and in the media often refer to this event as the “Fifth Major.” Although it is not officially a Major, it does boast the strongest field of players annually according to the World Golf Rankings.
Last year’s championship was the jump start of an historic season for Rory Mcllroy as he beat J.J. Spaun in a playoff.
Key Players to Watch for 2026
Rory McIlroy: The defending champion, having won the 2025 title in a Monday playoff. A victory in 2026 would make him only the second player to win three Players Championships.
Scottie Scheffler: The current World No. 1 and a two-time winner of the event (2023, 2024). He enters 2026 with significant momentum as the four-time PGA Tour Player of the Year.
Chris Gotterup: The current World No. 5 is leading the Fedex Points List with two early wins at The Sony Open in Hawaii and Waste Management in Phoenix.
J.J. Spaun: If I could buy a golf swing, this would be the one. The reigning US Open Champion and runner-up in this event last year arrives in good form and with fresh memories of playing this very strategic course very well.
Collin Morikawa: Collin is currently No. 3 in the FedEx Points list after winning at the ATT Pebble Beach. He finished in the top 10 last year at the Players Championship. Collin is currently the fifth ranked player in the World.
Brooks Koepka: Brooks will be making his first start at Sawgrass since joining LIV in 2022. If Brooks can get his putter cooperating, he is a threat to win anywhere. It is nice to see Brooks back on the PGA Tour.
Obviously, any of these top 120 players can win the Players Championship. As history has shown, there have been some unlikely winners and length is not always the determining factor around this “Target” golf course.
If you plan to attend this year’s Players Championship, check out the new Fan Experiences & On-Site Updates. The 2026 event introduces several venue enhancements and fan amenities:
Enhanced Connectivity: Introduction of upgraded Wi-Fi and a new tournament app.
Streamlined Entry: New facial recognition entry systems for faster access.
New Dining: The debut of the Iron & Wedge Steakhouse (for Clubhouse badge-holders), Pie95 woodfired pizza, and Island Wing Company.
Fan Shop: Features Sun Day Red, Tiger Woods’ new apparel line.
Course Updates: A new spectator mound has been added behind the 18th green.
Last year, I attended on Thursday’s opening round and plan to do so again this year. I always enjoy seeing all the players competing before the cut falls after round two. The TPC Stadium Course was built for gallery viewing. Every hole offers fantastic viewing points. I urge everyone to try to attend this event at some point. NBC will again carry the television coverage for those watching from home.
Running Out Of Jacksonville
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For the past few seasons in Jacksonville, Travis Etienne was more than just the starting running back. He was one of the players who made the Jaguars offense go. Now he is gone.
Etienne reportedly signed a four year, 52 million dollar deal with the New Orleans Saints, and while the move was not exactly shocking, it still leaves a big question mark in Jacksonville’s backfield.
The Jaguars may have had financial reasons for letting him walk, but there is no denying that losing a player like Etienne changes the look of this offense.
Players with his skill set are not easy to replace. Since being drafted in the first round, Etienne developed into one of the more exciting offensive weapons the Jaguars had.
His speed and ability to make defenders miss made him dangerous every time he touched the football. He could break a long run, catch passes out of the backfield, and create big plays that could flip momentum in a game.
Last season under head coach Liam Coen, Etienne rushed for more than 1,100 and continued to be a major part of the passing game as well. That kind of versatility gave Jacksonville something every offense wants. Balance.
When the running game is working, it takes pressure off the quarterback and keeps defenses from teeing off. For Trevor Lawrence, having Etienne in the backfield made life a lot easier. Without him, things get a little more complicated.
The Jaguars will point out that they saw this coming. General manager James Gladstone drafted two running backs in 2025, Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen, and both showed some promise during their rookie seasons. Tuten especially has the speed and pass catching ability that fits nicely in Coen’s system.
But there is still a big difference between flashing potential and carrying the load for an entire season.
Right now Jacksonville’s running back room is extremely young. Tuten, Allen, and Ja’Quinden Jackson are all entering just their second season in the league.
DeeJay Dallas is the only veteran in the group, and even he is not guaranteed to make the roster.
That means the Jaguars are asking a lot from players who simply have not proven themselves yet, and that’s a huge gamble.
There is also the bigger picture to consider. The Jaguars likely knew they could not match the contract the Saints were willing to give Etienne.
In today’s NFL, teams rarely want to invest big money at running back when they believe they can find production through younger and cheaper players.
From a salary cap standpoint, letting Etienne walk probably makes sense. It gives the Jaguars flexibility to focus on other areas of the roster, including defense, where they still have important decisions to make.
But football is not just about cap space. Etienne was one of the few players on the Jaguars roster who could take a routine play and turn it into something special. When an offense needed a spark, he was often the guy who provided it.
Now that responsibility is going to fall on someone else. Maybe Bhayshul Tuten steps into that role and becomes the next breakout player in Jacksonville. Maybe the Jaguars add another running back in the draft or in free agency to help fill the gap.
But until someone proves they can do what Travis Etienne did for this offense, there is going to be a noticeable hole in the Jaguars backfield. And that makes this offseason decision feel a little risky.
The Jaguars might be betting on the future. The question now is whether that bet pays off.
Tua To The Rescue?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s a famous phrase; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
How does that relate to NFL free agency you may ask? Well, the Atlanta Falcons have signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year deal. I think this is a terrible move but I understand it.
Releasing Tua will cost the Dolphins an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money against the salary cap. That’s an absurd amount of money to get rid of a player.
He struggled last season, passing for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in fourteen games. He averaged 6.9 yards per attempt.
I’m not sure if that can be blamed on being on a bad team or just poor play from Tagovailoa.
This move does show Atlanta is invested in Michael Penix Jr. Penix tore his ACL in November so I don’t believe he will play next season.
Prior to his injury, Penix was inconsistent. He was only a second-year player but I did hope the Falcons would sign a QB to replace him.
At times Tua has shown flashes of being a good player. He is also very prone to injury. He did make the Pro Bowl in 2023 after throwing for 4,624 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 picks. This was also the only season that he did not miss a game.
In 2024 he missed six games due to concussions. At that point, I thought he should have retired from football.
Tagovailoa is only 28 years old so he does have time to get better in his career. I believe he should be compared to the backup QB options on the market. From a financial standpoint, this was a great move.
The Dolphins still owe Tagovailoa $54 million. He plans to sign with the Falcons for just over the league minimum, reportedly about $1.3 million. That’s a great price for a good, veteran backup.
A good veteran backup QB salary is about $5 million. The Falcons could have spent more to sign guys like Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson, Tyrod Taylor and Jimmy Garoppolo. The only advantage I give them over Tua is injury history.
Money is an important consideration for the Falcons. They will only have about $20 million to spend under the salary cap once Cousins is officially released.
Signing a veteran backup QB for cheap means more money available to spend on free agents at other positions.
I wanted Atlanta to sign Kyler Murray but that would mean signing him to a longer contract. That move would also end Penix’s time in Atlanta.
The Falcons have a talented roster but I think it will get wasted again next year. I’m not a fan of hiring Kevin Stefanski as head coach, then adding Tagovailoa as the QB is the cherry on top.
They also don’t have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft because they traded it last year to move up and select DE James Pearce. He has some recent off-field legal problems so he might not be on the team this upcoming season.
Jason Bishop Show March 6 2026
Play Ball
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Just barely into March, and it already feels as if the Braves have been put through the ringer with unwelcome news as the organization works through spring training in North Port, Florida.
First it began with newly re-signed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim sustaining a finger injury in January that will keep him sidelined until May.
Soon after flocking to the Grapefruit League, right-handed pitchers Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach went down with injuries that required different arthroscopic surgeries on each. That will have two of the potential five man starting rotation sidelined until at least the summer.
Then as the squad was getting into the swing of things and the calendar turned to March, another bombshell was dropped when Jurickson Profar was popped with performance enhancements for the second consecutive season, and this time (barring an appeal from the MLB Player’s Association) Profar will miss the entirety of the 2026 season.
So, before questions are answered and roles are solidified from camp, Atlanta has lost two starting pitchers and a bat that was expected to be in the top four hitters of the lineup.
After you digest that predicament, I believe that puts the Braves safely as the team that has the most questions to answer going into the 2026 campaign. However, with all of those questions, there are some potential answers within arm’s reach.
After a disappointing season last year, the Braves still have a number of high-level pieces in the mix. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to have three All-Stars in the lineup with Ronald Acuna Jr, Austin Riley, and Drake Baldwin.
In addition, there are a number of players that have severely underachieved recently, and if Atlanta is able to get Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and Matt Olson back to even close to their average career year, the Braves have an impressive lineup.
With that combination of talent and newly signed pieces of Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon, the frontline of the Braves offense could be fine (albeit with very little depth coming from the bench).
On the pitching side, while there are many questions floating around the rotation, the firemen coming from the bullpen could be the best collection in baseball. The biggest addition of the offseason is signing Robert Suarez to bolster the back end of the bullpen in a big way.
Suarez has recorded 77 saves in his four-year big-league career including 40 in 2025 with San Diego. The Braves also re-signed Raisel Iglesias to return as the teams closer which puts Suarez in the 8th inning role.
Another bright spot for the Braves has been the early returns that have been spied around North Port with Spencer Strider getting back to normal.
Last season when Strider returned from injury, the velocity and hence the productivity was extremely down.
On the contrary, in spring training shows that Strider’s velo is mostly back (up to 97 already), which is an unbelievably encouraging site for Spencer who expects to slot into the #2 spot in the rotation behind Chris Sale. Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes are expected to be at full force for the season and factor into the rotation in some fashion.
Then comes the last spot (or two) that will be up for grabs. Bryce Elder looks to be the front runner for the vacancy with Joey Wentz and Martin Perez trying to make a push to break camp with the club.
The Braves are an extremely difficult team to get a read on entering the season. On one hand, you could realistically make a case for the Braves winning 100 games and destined for the top of the NL East.
On the other hand, it feels like Atlanta is relying on the best-case scenario from here on out (which doesn’t follow the script for the Braves the past few years).
There is very little wiggle room on any front for this team at the present moment. With the Profar suspension freeing up between $15-18 million, options are dwindling for the beginning of the season for additions.
It feels as if the organization is confident with running the current selection out to open the year, then make moves around the deadline to bolster the club. I just hope they’re in a position for that to be able to make a difference.
The Wrong Impact
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Here we go again.
For the second straight March, the Atlanta Braves are opening camp with a Jurickson Profar suspension hanging over the franchise.
Only this time it is not 80 games. It is 162. A full season. Gone.
And at this point, it is fair to ask a simple question: what exactly did the Braves buy?
When Atlanta signed Profar to a three year, 42 million dollar deal after his career year in San Diego, it felt like a savvy move.
He had just hit .280 with 24 home runs, 85 runs batted in, an All Star nod and a Silver Slugger. The Braves needed another professional bat to lengthen the lineup behind Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley.
Profar looked like a veteran piece who had finally figured it out. Instead, what Atlanta has received is chaos.
Last season, four games in, Profar was suspended 80 games for testing positive for human chorionic gonadotropin. He returned midseason, hit .245 with 14 home runs, and the Braves tried to turn the page.
They publicly expressed disappointment but support. They hoped he would learn from it. Now this.
A second positive test. A full year ban. Fifteen million dollars forfeited. Ineligible for the postseason. Ineligible for the World Baseball Classic. And perhaps most damaging, ineligible for trust.
Major League Baseball increased penalties for repeat offenders in 2014. Since then, only six players have received a 162 game suspension, and now Profar joins that list. That is not company any organization wants to keep.
And this is not just about numbers on a stat sheet. This is about credibility in the clubhouse.
Whit Merrifield, who finished his career in Atlanta just months ago, posted a pointed question on social media: what other profession can you get caught cheating to gain an unfair advantage on your peers and still keep your job?
That sentiment is likely not isolated. I believe ballplayers understand slumps. They understand injuries. They understand bad luck. What they do not tolerate easily is a teammate cutting corners and putting the team in jeopardy. Especially twice.
From a purely baseball perspective, the Braves can try to spin this as manageable. They have some depth.
Sean Murphy’s return could allow Drake Baldwin to spend more time as a hitter. The lineup still features Acuna, Olson, Riley, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II. Mike Yastrzemski was brought in to help.
But that misses the larger point. The Braves are not simply replacing a designated hitter. They are replacing stability.
This franchise entered the offseason trying to rebound from a 76 and 86 win season.
Injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep have already thinned the pitching depth. Questions linger around Spencer Strider’s velocity. And now, before Opening Day, another major storyline overshadows everything.
Profar was supposed to be a bounce back story. Instead, he is a cautionary tale.
It is also fair to wonder about the 2024 breakout that earned him the contract in the first place. Fair or not, suspicion will follow. That is the cost of multiple violations.
Financially, the Braves save the 15 million dollars he forfeits this season. But they cannot recoup the lost momentum, the distraction, or the erosion of trust.
And practically speaking, his time in Atlanta feels finished. Even if an appeal reduces the penalty, how does the organization sell that return to its fan base? How does the clubhouse welcome it?
The Braves have built a culture over the past decade around professionalism and internal development. This situation cuts directly against that identity.
Championship windows do not stay open forever. They require talent, health and trust. Right now, Atlanta is battling injuries, facing roster uncertainty, and dealing with a self-inflicted wound that never needed to happen.
Jurickson Profar was supposed to help extend the Braves’ contention window.
Instead, twice now, he has helped shrink it.
