BEHIND THE LINES: SEC tournament is Florida's last chance

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BEHIND THE LINES

SEC tournament is Florida's last chance

Gators have lost seven of their last 10 and are in danger of missing NCAA tournament.

By Bob Mieszerski

Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

March 13, 2008

Florida, the two-time defending NCAA tournament champion, is going to need a miracle simply to qualify for the field this year.

The young Gators are going to probably have to win the Southeastern Conference tournament, which begins today, for a fourth consecutive season to earn a berth to the NCAA tournament.

Stocked with freshmen and sophomores -- the Gators have no seniors and only one junior -- Florida isn't exactly entering its SEC tournament opener with Alabama on a roll.

Coach Billy Donovan's team has lost three in a row and seven of its last 10. It is the worst 10-game streak for the Gators since they went 2-8 to finish the 1997-98 season.

If Florida is going to make some noise in the next few days, the Crimson Tide is the right first opponent. The Gators have won four of their last five and 11 of their last 13 against Alabama.



Golf

Tiger Woods, who has won his last four PGA starts and five events overall when including the Dubai Desert Classic (part of the European tour), is a prohibitive favorite to keep the streak intact this weekend.

On the website Vegasinsider.com, Woods is the 1-1 choice to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which begins today at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla.

The field, which includes golfers not named on a list of 30, is the 4-1 second choice, then comes Phil Mickelson at 6-1.



Baseball

Two years removed from a World Series win over the Houston Astros, the Chicago White Sox were a bad team in 2007, finishing 72-90.

However, Chicago did do some good work in its own division -- the American League Central -- finishing six games over .500 (39-33). Only defending champion Cleveland (48-24) had a better record against Central opponents.

The website Bodoglife.com is offering wagers on head-to-head matchups for the coming season between Chicago and both Cleveland and Detroit.

The White Sox, who won 11 of 18 against the Tigers last season, are -150, meaning a bettor would have to wager $150 to win $100, while Detroit is -135.

Against Cleveland, Chicago is +150, meaning a $100 bet would return $150; the Indians are -180.

Cleveland won 11 of 18 against the White Sox in 2007.