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If Indiana can be a football school, then why can’t Florida be a basketball school? The Gators were selling out the O'Connell Center this season, while lording over the SEC.

Todd Golden is looking to emulate Billy Donovan and guide the Gators to back-to-back national championships. As the SEC Tournament arrives, Florida has won 11 straight and is making a beeline for a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

Toppmeyer: March Madness loses its first Cinderella after 6 games in 6 days

Adams: No shortage of star power in SEC Tournament. What I'll be watching

In the meantime, can anyone stop Florida in Nashville?

On today’s basketball-themed episode of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss top threats to Florida in the SEC Tournament and debate whether it’s hyperbolic to claim Florida is a basketball school.

Is Florida a basketball school?

Adams: For the moment, yes. Do you not remember the Gators holding up the trophy at the end of last basketball season? When you're hoisting the hoops hardware, and your football team is 29-34 the past five seasons, that's how you become a basketball school. As long as Golden is on Florida's sideline, Gators hoops is here to stay, too. Florida has better luck hiring basketball coaches than football coaches.

Toppmeyer: I strongly suspect football remains No. 1 in most Florida fans' hearts, but who doesn't like a winner? Since Urban Meyer left, the football team has let down Florida faithful as often as not, especially recently. Meanwhile, Florida basketball is a top-five job in the SEC, and Golden has made it look like a top-five job in the country. It's not an exaggeration to call Florida a basketball school — the past couple of years, anyway. A repeat national championship would strengthen that claim.

Is Florida basketball a serious threat to repeat as national champions?

Adams: Definitely. Within a deep SEC, Florida is the cream of the crop. Florida's frontcourt is as good as any team's.

Toppmeyer: Yes. I put Florida in the same group as Duke, Michigan and Arizona as the top-tier national title contenders. Everyone else is chasing those four.

Who's the top threat to Florida in the SEC Tournament?

Adams: Tennessee. With Vols star Nate Ament expected to be back for the conference tournament, Tennessee becomes the biggest challenger to Florida's throne.

Toppmeyer: Vanderbilt. The Commodores have several sharpshooters, including star guard Tyler Tanner. If they get cooking from 3-point range, look out.

Also in this episode

∎ The hosts weigh in on Bruce Pearl’s vendetta against Miami (Ohio).

∎ The hosts discuss the latest on March Madness expansion talk, and Adams explains why he likes the idea of a 76-team NCAA Tournament even less than he likes the idea of a 24-team playoff.

Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered

• Apple
• Spotify
• iHeart
• Google

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Todd Golden (and Billy Napier) turn Florida Gators into basketball school

If Tim Duncan was a normal basketball star, NBA history would be totally different. Anyone else who had Duncan’s level of individual success in college would have jumped to the NBA as soon as possible.

Duncan could have been the top pick in the 1996 NBA Draft or even the 1995 NBA Draft had he chosen to leave Wake Forest after his sophomore or junior season. Had he done so, the hypothetical ripple effect is wild. Duncan entering the NBA in ’96 would have changed the futures of everyone from Allen Iverson to Steve Nash to Kobe Bryant and their respective draft teams.

But Tim Duncan had unusual priorities as a player, a student, and a son, and because of that, he made an extremely unusual choice that, to his credit, played out even better than he could have hoped. Let’s go inside Tim Duncan’s unique, history-changing decision to stay in school.

HOUSTON (AP) — Randy Arozarena had vulgar words for Seattle teammate Cal Raleigh after he was left hanging at the World Baseball Classic.

Arozarena, a two-time All-Star outfielder, seemingly lashed out at Raleigh after the Team USA catcher did not accept a handshake before an at-bat in the United States’ 5-3 win over Mexico.

Speaking to Mexican journalist Luis Gilbert in Spanish, Arozarena said Raleigh “has to thank God that he has nice parents, well educated,” and said he recently hugged them during a friendly greeting at the team hotel.

He then used profane Cuban and Mexican slang to insult Raleigh before pivoting to English and saying Raleigh could shove his “good to see you” in his rear. Arozarena was born in Cuba but defected to Mexico to pursue an MLB career.

Arozarena had reached down to greet Raleigh in his catcher's squat at home plate, and Raleigh declined to offer his hand back. Raleigh appeared to say something to Arozarena during the exchange at the plate that could have set off the Mexican star.

Arozarena appeared to be visibly upset at Raleigh, though it wasn’t totally clear if he was just having fun at his teammates’ expense. The pair have been teammates since Arozarena was traded from Tampa Bay to Seattle during the 2024 season.

Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer and Roman Anthony added a three-run drive in a big third inning to lead the United States to the win. The U.S. improved to 3-0 and will meet Italy (2-0) on Tuesday night, seeking to secure a spot in the quarterfinals in Houston this weekend.

Jarren Duran homered twice for Mexico (2-1), which will face Italy on Wednesday night in the last game of Group B play.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

And just like that, the Nets took care of business yet again! We’re streaking! The Memphis Grizzlies were lacking their eight highest paid players. So, Brooklyn used a balance of perimeter offense and size down low to literally out man the Grizzlies. As I predicted, Day’Ron Sharpe did his thing with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, which means I can now deem myself the official fortune teller of the franchise! Nolan Traore also had a great game with a 17 point performance. 

With all the smiles and bench celebrations the Nets had last night, tonight brings a reality check. They will take on the Detroit Pistons. No, this will not be the same banged up Pistons team that fell short to Brooklyn two games back. Tonight, this will be a Cade Cunningham-led Pistons squad that is looking to make a strong push in the playoffs. As the No. 1 seed, Detroit will look to assert its dominance as a potential championship contender.

Where to Watch

Catch the action on the YES Network and NBA League Pass, as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App.

Injury Report

Don’t know about the Nets just yet, but we do know that Egor Demin won’t be playing. He’s out for the rest of the season. Michael Porter Jr. was out last night for rest so presumably he’ll be back.

For the Pistons, our old buddy Caris Levert (left wrist sprain) and Ausar Thompson (right ankle sprain) will be out.

The Game

A couple of seasons ago, the Detroit Pistons had a record of 14-68. The situation was so bad, that Cade Cunningham went viral for his distraught at his own franchise after they had lost their 25th straight game.

Even three straight years with the NBA’s worst record didn’t help in the lottery. They kept falling to No. 5, the worst possible luck.

Now, the Pistons hold the best record in the Eastern Conference, Cunningham has transformed into an MVP candidate, and the city of Detroit now has something that could remind them of that championship taste they had back in 2004.

While there are other teams that basketball minds believe are a step further along than the Pistons, like the Knicks and the Boston Celtics, who now have Jayson Tatum back. That said, the future in Motor City is looking very scary considering that Cunningham is only 24 and his Robin in Jalen Duren is 22.

Indeed, the New Bad Boys have special motivation to kick Brooklyn’s butt following that ignominious loss a couple of days back and that loss is part of an ongoing four-game losing streak. There’s no panic (yet) in Motor City but a loss to the 16-win Nets would probably bring it on. For Brooklyn, the motivation is simple as well: they have the chance at a three-game winning streak, a first this season.

Ausar Thompson is arguably the best athlete in the NBA, the only one who could take his place is his twin in Houston. , injured his ankle last week against the San Antonio Spurs. Since then, Detroit has lost a generational defender who can guard multiple positions. With MPJ possibly back, this can lead to him getting many more clean looks and chances to get his teammates involved. Brooklyn lost some of its shooting with Egor now out for the rest of the season, but if Porter Jr. can balance creating offense for himself and for others, this can be a closer game than we think.

Player to Watch

Tobias Harris is the quintessential role player at this point in his career and with injuries to the Pistons core, many in Detroit see him as the key guy to step up and bridge the gap. Now 33, he can still make a point both on the court and in the locker room. Sports Illustrated this week suggested that the Pistons need him now and in the post-season.

Throughout his NBA career, Tobias Harris has proven to be a reliable role player, however he’s also shown flashes of inconsistency. Just ask Philadelphia 76ers fans, who Harris played for from 2018 to 2023. In the Pistons’ recent loss to the Miami Heat, Harris scored nine points, three blocks, and one rebound. 

As the team’s third leading scorer, Harris has the opportunity to be a difference maker for the Pistons. His offensive performance, along with Cunningham’s and Duren’s, will fuel a playoff run for the Pistons. One poor performance by Harris in a postseason game could be the difference between the Pistons winning a playoff series and being eliminated. 

Look for the Pistons to look to him tonight to pull it together.

The Vault

With Detroit coming to Brooklyn, I think it’s a good time to honor one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time with two of arguably the greatest rappers of all time, who are from Brooklyn and Detroit. Enjoy.

More reading: Detroit Bad Boys, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Steve’s Newsletter

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Detroit Pistons Game Notes – Detroit Pistons
• Detroit takes on Brooklyn, looks to halt 4-game slide – AP
• Jordi Fernandez explains why Nets rode veteran-heavy rotation to win despite tight tank race – Erik Slater – Clutch Points

March Madness captivates audiences across the country. But which markets have been tuned in all yearlong for the men's and women's 2025-26 basketball season?

The Nielsen ratings for this season are out, and Louisville got the spot, which isn't entirely surprising since it's basically a Holy Trinity of Hoops with Indiana, Louisville and Kentucky fans. Plus, the Cardinals' men's (No. 24) and women's (No. 12) teams are having decent seasons,

Men's bracketology: NCAA tournament bubble predictions, new No. 1 seed

Women's bracketology: How bracket looks after Power 4 Conference tournaments

Indianapolis is No. 2 on the list. Purdue began the season ranked No. 1 in the country, but has stumbled down the stretch, and Indiana also has been a rough watch lately. But basketball is king in the Hoosier State.

UConn's men's and women's basketball success puts the Hartford/New Haven market in the top 3. And Ohio is well-represented with three cities from the Buckeye State cracking the top-10.

Here's a look at this year's top 10 markets:

Top TV markets for 2025-26 college basketball season

1. Louisville
2. Indianapolis
3. Hartford/New Haven
4. Columbus, Ohio
5. Detroit
6. Milwaukee
7. Dayton
8. Cincinnati
9. Minneapolis/St. Paul
10. Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point

Top 10 TV markets for college basketball. Not surprised to see Indy high on the list (even with a meh #iubb team). pic.twitter.com/CYKvqGnNB8

— Matt Glenesk (@MattGlenesk) March 10, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top TV markets for college basketball ratings for 2025-26 season