COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Florida Stuns No. 15 LSU; DeVoe Won’t Be Returning
Don DeVoe said he’s had enough of Florida. The Gators were equally fed up with losing.
Stacey Poole scored 22 points and Renaldo Garcia added 17 as the defending Southeastern Conference champions ended a losing streak at 14 games with a 76-63 victory over 15th-ranked Louisiana State at Gainesville, Fla. The result gave Georgia at least a share of the SEC title for the first time ever and the top seeding in the conference tournament.
The victory overshadowed DeVoe’s pregame announcement that he has removed himself from consideration for the permanent job as head of a program that’s been under NCAA investigation. “I would say this is my saturation point. I’ve had it with the abusive things that have happened to me and my family,†said DeVoe, who was named interim coach on Oct. 31 after Norm Sloan resigned under pressure. “I don’t think there’s any place in college basketball where fans, whether they’re fans or not, can call and threaten your wife or you. I’ve had it up to here with the things that have happened.â€
The loss dropped LSU to 22-8 and 11-6 in the conference. Florida is 7-19 and 3-14.
No. 13 La Salle 106, Army 73--Lionel Simmons, who had his number retired after the game, scored 29 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to lead the Explorers in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Philadelphia.
Simmons moved into third place on the NCAA all-time scoring list at 3,071 points in his final home appearance.
It was La Salle’s 18th consecutive victory, the longest current winning streak in Division I. The Explorers are 26-1 and 16-0.
No. 19 Xavier 84, Arkansas Little Rock 73--Maurice Brantley, averaging 2.5 points, came off the bench and scored 14 to help the 19th-ranked Musketeers at Little Rock, Ark. It was the 12th consecutive victory for Xavier (24-4).
No. 21 Louisville 99, Tulane 85--Felton Spencer scored a career-high 32 points at Louisville, Ky., as the Cardinals (21-7, 10-2) clinched at least a tie for the Metro Conference title.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
