Central Florida 81, Hillsborough 74 (WBB)

The Lady Patriots got revenge for an early-season home loss on Tuesday at Tampa, beating Hillsborough 81-74. HCC was responsible for CF's first loss of the season, a 69-63 decision on Nov. 21 in Ocala. The Lady Patriots (12-5) host Chipola on Jan. 2.

Gulf Coast 91, Central Florida 70 (WBB)

Central Florida ran into a juggernaut of a women's basketball opponent Friday afternoon, falling to national No. 1 Gulf Coast 91-70 at Panama City. Markeshia Grant led CF with 25 points, Jamesha Willis had 15 and Olivia Nino added 13. The Lady Patriots are 11-5 overall and wrap up their Panhandle swing at 1-2, with a win over Chipola and losses at Tallahassee and Gulf Coast. CF visits Hillsborough on Tuesday to complete the 2009 portion of their schedule.

Tallahassee 86, Central Florida 83 (MBB)

Central Florida squandered a sizeable lead and took a heartbreaking loss Thursday at Tallahassee, falling to the No. 4 Eagles 86-83.

The Eagles recovered from a 15-point second-half deficit, finally moving into the lead 82-81 with a 1:31 to play. A late turnover cost No. 3 Central Florida a possible game-winning possession and forced CF to send the Eagles back to the line. CF was reduced to a futile half-court heave by Travis Johnson wtih one second left.

The Patriots were doomed by a foul-plaged outing by Ratliffe, held to a season-low 15 points in 21 minutes of action. Justin Cecil scored 23 points, including 6-for-11 from 3-point range, and Johnson scored 14 points.

CF and Tallahassee splits the home-and-home season series, which also included the Patriots' emphatic 83-68 win in Ocala on Nov. 21. The Patriots have lost all three of their games played in the Panhandle against Panhandle Conference opponents, including setbacks to Northwest Florida, Chipola and now Tallahassee. CF falls to 12-4 overall and 6-3 away from home.

That concludes the 2009 portion of the schedule for the Patriots. They're back in action on Sunday, Jan. 3, hosting Coastal Georgia in a 3 p.m. matinee.

Here's the full box score.

Tallahassee 89, Central Florida 76 (WBB)

A battle of top-10 women's basketball squads went to the home team Thursday night as No. 4 Tallahassee beat No. 6 Central Florida 89-76.

Jamesha Willis and former Lady Eagle Olivia Nino each scored 15 points for the Lady Patriots, now 11-4 overall. Markesha Grant added 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

CF visits national No. 1 Gulf Coast on Friday.

Former Patriot Nick Ebert a Preseason All-American

Nick Ebert, a Marion County native and former Central Florida baseball star, has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pro-Line Athletic Preseason All-America team.  Ebert, a senior first baseman at the University of South Carolina, earned third-team recognition.

WCTV: Tallahassee Out For Payback Against Central Florida

Talllahassee's WCTV.tv previews Thursday night's Tallahassee-Central Florida rematch. Here's how the first game went down Nov. 21 in Ocala.

Central Florida 104, IMG Academy 75 (MBB)

CF cruised to a 104-75 victory over non-FCCAA program IMG Academy on Wednesday night. Ricardo Ratliffe led all scorers with 29 points, Travis Johnson scored 18 and Justin Cecil added 16. The Patriots improve to 12-3 entering Thursday's visit to FCCAA No. 4 Tallahassee.

Five Reasons to Become a Central Florida Patriots Fan

If you're a new visitor to the site, perhaps via our good friends at Ocala4Sale, you might be wondering exactly what this site is and why you should care. This site, cfpatriots.com, is the official news outlet of the Central Florida Community College (soon to be College of Central Florida) athletics program, and it's updated every day of the week with articles and videos about the school's five teams and the student-athletes that make them great. Now, five reasons why you should join the growing ranks of Central Florida Patriot fans:

1. We're the best game in town. If you're looking for the highest level of athletic competition in Marion County, you will find it at CFCC. The vast majority of our basketball, baseball, softball and tennis student-athletes are NCAA-caliber players, and in fact most will go on to play at NCAA schools. And we win a lot of games - our teams make a habit of contending for conference titles and qualifying for state and national tournaments.
2. We're local. Sure, our rosters are comprised of athletes from across the country and around the world. Just like the Gators. Or the Seminoles, Magic, Buccaneers, Jaguars and Rays. The difference is that our program is required to have a strong representation of players from the community it serves, and it's a mandate we happily live up to as your hometown team.
3. We're convenient. All of our home games across all five sports are played on the grounds of the CFCC Ocala campus, located on State Road 200 across from Paddock Mall. Our basketball gymnasium, softball field, baseball field and tennis courts are among the finest athletic facilties in Marion County, each placing you closer to the action than you'd ever get at a larger college or professional stadium.
4. We're affordable. Central Florida basketball games are a remarkable value for $5 or less per person, and admission to our baseball and softball games and tennis matches is free. Even better, prices at our concession stands are not inflated like your typical sports venue, and the money you spend goes right back into the athletics program to support our student-athletes.
5. We treat you right. Consider our games high-caliber live sports without the high levels of stress. You won't sit in gridlock, pay for parking or hike a mile from your car. You won't spend this month's car payment getting in the door and next month's at the snack bar. You won't sit so deep in the stands that you can't tell which team you're rooting for. And you won't invest hours upon hours of your valuable free time - our basketball games clock in at under two hours, and we play baseball and softball only in the light of day.

The student-athletes and staff of the Central Florida Patriots invite you to come out and see what you've been missing. Take a look in the left-hand column of this site, choose an upcoming game that fits your schedule and come give us a try. You won't be disappointed. Go Patriots!

JuCo Shootout Attracted 30 Four-Year College Programs

The men's basketball JuCo Shootout, held Dec. 12 and 13 here at the Central Florida gymnasium, attracted 30 four-year programs, including high Division I schools Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Missouri. Here's the full list:

Division I

Alabama; Alabama State; Bethune-Cookman; Central Michigan; Connecticut; High Point; Iowa State; Kansas State; Kent State; Maryland-Baltimore County; Mercer; Missouri; North Carolina-Greensboro; North Florida; Sam Houston State; St. Bonaventure; St. Louis; Stephen F. Austin; Toledo; Utah State; Valparaiso; Youngstown State

Division II

Arkansas Tech; Georgia CSU; Lynn; North Georgia; North Greenville; Palm Beach Atlantic; Valdosta State

NAIA

Southeastern

Central Florida Holds Steady in State Rankings

Nothing new to report from this week's FCCAA coaches' poll. CF is still third in the men's poll, while the women kinda sorta fall from a fifth-place tie to outright sixth place. Here's the men's top 10:

Rank Team (1st-place votes) Record Pts Pvs

1. Northwest Florida State (12) 12-1 129 1

2. Chipola 11-1 111 2

3. Central Florida (1) 11-3 102 3

4. Tallahassee 11-2 97 4

5. St. Petersburg 8-3 58 5

6. Broward 9-3 53 6

7. State College of Florida 9-2 49 8

8. Gulf Coast 10-4 48 9

9. Daytona State 9-6 13 --

10. Indian River State 8-4 11 10

And the women's rankings:

Rank Team (1st-place votes) Record Pts Pvs

1. Gulf Coast (11) 9-0 140 1

2. Northwest Florida State (2) 12-0 126 3

3. Pensacola 13-1 125 2

4. Tallahassee (1) 10-2 110 4

5. Indian River State 6-3 74 7t

6. Central Florida (1) 11-3 63 5t

7. Hillsborough 8-2 61 5t

8. Santa Fe 9-3 57 7t

9. Chipola 9-6 40 9

10. Daytona State 9-5 26 10

Players of the week are Brian Bryant and Shamar Harris, both of Northwest Florida State. By the way, this is the last state poll of the calendar year. Something about some holidays coming up, apparently.

Central Florida 53, Chipola 52 (WBB)

A majestic last-second play delivered the win of the season for the Lady Patriots, a 53-52 victory at Chipola on Monday night.

Down one with 1.9 seconds to play, Tyeshia Battles transcended the Lady Indians' full-court press with a spot-on full-court pass to Markeshia Grant, who absorbed a foul and still converted the game-winning layup as the buzzer sounded. With a heartbreaking loss just seconds away, CF's two most dependable sophomores delivered a resounding victory on the road.

Battles and Grant also produced throughout the game leading up to the walk-off winner, tying for the team lead with 14 points apiece.

The Lady Patriots recovered from their frustrating double-digit loss to Indian River on Saturday and improved to 11-3 with the win. They continue their Panhandle swing Thursday at Tallahassee and Saturday at Gulf Coast, the latter presently ranked No. 1 nationally.

Caprice Stephens Sings the National Anthem

Lady Patriots freshman Caprice Stephens sang the national anthem before Sunday night's men's basketball game. Here's the video.

Video Highlights: Central Florida 95, Palm Beach 83 (MBB)

Click through for three key plays from Sunday's game.

Central Florida 95, Palm Beach 83 (MBB)

Central Florida closed out the JuCo Shootout on Sunday with another gritty win over a tough opponent, beating Palm Beach 95-83. The Patriots have now won three straight games and improve to 11-3 overall.

The Panthers hung around much like they did Saturday night against Chipola, but CF was efficient in rebuilding its lead each time Palm Beach drew to within a single possession. The Patriot shooters hit shots early and often, including 12-for-23 from 3-point range and a remarkable 58% from the field overall. The Panthers nearly matched the shooters' output as guards Andrew Ferry (31 points) and Paul Hagler (27) poured in jumpers, but Palm Beach lacked the balance provided by an inside scoring threat.

As usual, Ricardo Ratliffe had that job covered for the Patriots. The 6-9 power forward led the team with 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. Travis Johnson scored 19, Victor Jackson 12 and Justin Cecil and Kenny Williams 11 apiece to join him in double figures. Jeff Neal added 7 points and 13 rebounds.

Johnson in particular set an early course for the Patriots, hitting all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half and his only attempt after halftime. The Gainesville-bred point guard has carved out a productive role for himself, as he discusses in the video above, and is playing with a lot of confidence.

The Patriots host IMG Academy in an exhibition game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Clinton Hart Inactive for Rams Game

If you were going to somehow track down the St. Louis Rams-Tennessee Titans game today in hopes of seeing Central Florida alumnus Clinton Hart, I'll save you the trouble. The former Patriots baseball star is on the inactive list, apparently just because he's the new guy, not due to injury or anything.

Video Highlights: Central Florida 79, State College of Florida 76 (MBB)

Click through for five key plays from the Patriots' win.

Central Florida 79, State College of Florida 76 (MBB)

A sluggish effort and a feisty opponent almost combined to hand the Patriots their second home loss of the season Saturday night. But a 20-point effort from Justin Cecil and a few timely jumpers delivered a 79-76 Patriots victory over State College of Florida (Manatee) in day one of the JuCo Shootout.

Sophomore forward Cecil made 4 of 9 from 3-point range and added 6 rebounds, while Ricardo Ratliffe finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Ratliffe struggled with turnovers amid the Manatees' rugged interior defense, but made up for it with 7 offensive boards and a 7-for-11 showing at the line.

The Patriots (10-3) hit 43 percent of their 3-pointers in the first half, keeping them afloat as the rest of their game struggled to catch up. CF turned the ball over 17 times but forced SCF into 19 in a chaotic, scrappy game on both ends of the court. The Manatees threatened throughout the second half but never drew closer than the final three-point deficit.

The Shootout resumes with five more games Sunday. The Patriots take on Palm Beach at 8 p.m.

Indian River 76, Central Florida 61 (WBB)

The Lady Patriots took a loss Saturday afternoon, falling at Indian River 76-61. Markeshia Grant scored 19, Jamesha Willis 16 and Olivia Nino 12 for CF (10-3). The Lady Patriots play at Chipola on Monday.

Video Highlights: Central Florida 105, Polk 73 (MBB)

Patriots Post-Game: Central Florida 105, Polk State 73 (MBB)

Central Florida 105, Polk State 73 (MBB)

The Patriots got right back on the winning track after a pair of frustrating losses in the Panhandle, hammering Polk State 105-73 and improving to 9-3 on the season.

Ricardo Ratliffe scored 28 points to lead all scorers, but he was aided by an army of shooters knocking in shots at a blistering pace. The Patriots hit 9 of 17 from 3-point range in the first half in building a 63-41 lead, freeing up the lane for Ratliffe and negating some early defensive deficiencies.

Travis Johnson had 16 points, including 8-for-9 free throw shooting. Justin Cecil scored 16 and Darius Nesmith 13 off the bench, and Rahshon Tabb added 12.

CF now prepares for the JuCo Shootout, where it will face Manatee and Palm Beach.

A Guide to the Men's JuCo Shootout

The annual JuCo Shootout comes to Ocala and Gainesville on Saturday and Sunday, featuring 10 teams from around Florida and attracting a ton of four-year college scouts and coaches. Below, the full schedule and some notes to get you prepared.

Saturday

12 pm - (9) Gulf Coast vs. Daytona State

2 pm - (6) Broward vs. (7) St. Johns River

4 pm - Brevard vs. Hillsborough

6 pm - (8) State College of Florida vs. (3) Central Florida

8 pm - (2) Chipola vs. Palm Beach

Sunday

12 pm - (7) St. Johns River vs. (9) Gulf Coast

2 pm - Brevard vs. Daytona State

4 pm - (8) State College of Florida vs. (6) Broward

6 pm - Hillsborough vs. (2) Chipola

8 pm - Palm Beach vs. (3) Central Florida

POLL POSITION: This weekend features six members of the FCCAA state coaches' poll: No. 2 Chipola; No. 3 Central Florida; No. 6 Broward; No. 7 St. Johns River; No. 8 State College of Florida (Manatee); and No. 9 Gulf Coast.

MARQUEE GAMES: Each day of the Shootout features two matchups of ranked teams. No. 6 Broward faces No. 7 St. Johns River and No. 8 State College of Florida tackles the third-ranked Patriots on Saturday; on Sunday, it's St. Johns River vs. No. 9 Gulf Coast and State College against Broward.

MARQUEE NAMES: Returning first-team NJCAA All-American Ricardo Ratliffe is the big name in this field, but he's just one of three players among this weekend's 10 participants to earn FCCAA Player of the Week honors this year. St. Johns River's Clarence Tillman won Nov. 10; Ratliffe won Nov. 17 and Nov. 24; and Broward's Kevin Bristol won Dec. 1.

POINT MADE: The CF half of the Shootout features the two top scorers in the state. Ratliffe leads Florida and the nation with 30.5 points per game, while Hillsboroug's Faisal Aden follows with a 27.3 average. Andrew Ferry of Palm Beach ranks fifth in the state, scoring 18.3 points a night.

STAT STARS: Two of the state's top five rebounders will patrol the glass at CF this weekend. Ratliffe is second in Florida with 12.5 boards per, while Chipola's Marvin Fitzgerald ranks third at 11.3. The field also features the state's top thief in Aden (4.3 steals) and third-leading assist man in Hillsborough's Demario Prince (5.8).

CONFERENCE FOES: CF gets a look at two of the teams it will contend with when Mid-Florida Conference play begins after the holiday break. St. Johns River is among the Patriots' toughest MFC rivals, while Daytona State should also prove a tough out.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch on New Ram Clinton Hart

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a highly readable article about the two newest Rams, quarterback Mike Reilly and defensive back and Central Florida baseball alumnus Clinton Hart. Well worth your time.

Clinton Hart Takes to the Rams Practice Field

Former Patriot Clinton Hart turned in his first practice with the St. Louis Rams today. Hart should get a fair number of reps, as the man he was hired to replace, Oshiomogho Atogwe, is out for the season with a dislocated shoulder. On the other hand, the Rams are 1-11 and obviously not playing for much this year, and opportunities in such lost seasons often go to the youngsters rather than vets such as Hart. Here's hoping Hart gets enough snaps to earn himsef a contract for 2010.

Patriots Still Ranked After Two-Game Losing Streak

Central Florida's consecutive losses in last weekend's Panhandle Classic cost it 15 spots in the latest NJCAA men's basketball poll. The Patriots are now ranked 20th.

The two schools to beat CF in the Classic inched up the rankings. Chipola moved from 10th to eighth, while Northwest Florida State jumped from 19 to 15. Undefeated Midland College retained the No. 1 spot.

In the women's poll, the 10-2 Lady Patriots again failed to receive any votes. Florida teams are well-represented at the north end of the top 25, including No. 1 Gulf Coast, No. 5 Northwest Florida State, No. 8 Pensacola, and No. 11 Tallahassee. Even in a down year for the Chipola women's program, the Panhandle competition is brutal. Saturday's opponent, Indian River, also gets in at No. 21 despite a 4-3 record.

Clinton Hart Signs with St. Louis Rams

Former Central Florida baseball star Clinton Hart has caught on with the St. Louis Rams, resuming his NFL career after being released early in the season by the San Diego Chargers. Congrats Clint!

Lady Patriots Tied for Fifth in New FCCAA Poll

Saturday's narrow loss to Brevard didn't hurt Central Florida's standing in the state, but it did keep it from making much progress in the FCCAA poll despite a solid 10-2 overall record. CF comes in tied for fifth with Hillsborough and as the top-ranked non-Panhandle team in the state.

Rank Team (1st-place votes) Record Pts Pvs

1. Gulf Coast (10) 8-0 124 1

2. Pensacola 10-1 109 3

3. Northwest Florida State (1) 10-0 107 2

4. Tallahassee (1) 10-2 92 5

5t. Central Florida (1) 10-2 58 6

5t. Hillsborough 6-2 58 8

7t. Indian River State 4-3 44 7

7t. Santa Fe 7-3 44 4

9. Chipola 7-5 43 9

10. Daytona State 7-4 22 10

Patriots Tumble Two Spots in State Poll

Central Florida relinquished the top spot in the latest FCCAA men's basketball coaches' poll, dropping to third behind the two Panhandle programs that beat them over the weekend. Northwest Florida took all but two of the first-place votes to beat out Chipola as the new No. 1.

Rank Team (1st-place votes) Record Pts Pvs

1. Northwest Florida State (14) 10-1 158 2

2. Chipola (1) 9-1 137 3

3. Central Florida 8-3 118 1

4. Tallahassee (1) 9-2 114 4

5. St. Petersburg 7-2 77 10

6. Broward 7-2 58 8

7. St. Johns River 10-1 40 9

8. State College of Florida (Manatee) 7-1 37 --

9. Gulf Coast 8-4 34 5

10. Indian River State 7-3 33 7

Central Florida 74, Darton 62 (WBB)

ALBANY, GA. - The Lady Patriots rebounded from Saturday's disappointing loss to Brevard with a 74-62 win at Darton College on Sunday. Tyeshia Battles had 17 points and 5 steals, while Markeshia Grant netted 16 and Jamesha Willis added 12. CF (10-2) now takes the bulk of this week off, next playing at Indian River on Saturday.

Two Former Patriots Help Valdosta to Big Weekend

The Valdosta State University men's basketball team won a pair of games in as many days Friday and Saturday. So what, you ask? Well, a pair of former Patriots are now VSU Blazers, and each put up some fine numbers in the victories. Next level, baby!

Chipola 104, Central Florida 92, OT (MBB)

Chipola (FCCAA No. 3, NJCAA No. 10) handed the Patriots (FCCAA No. 1, NJCAA No. 5) their second consecutive loss, 104-92 in overtime to conclude the Panhandle Classic in Marianna. CF lost to Northwest Florida (FCCAA No. 2, NJCAA No. 19) on Friday. The Patriots fall to 8-3 and suffer their first losing streak of the year.

Down three with three minutes to play, CF got a putback from Ricardo Ratliffe and a baseline jumper from Josh Proctor to take the lead. After an Indians bucket and a pair of free throws, Proctor knocked down a corner 3-pointer to tie the game with 39.1 seconds to play. Chipola dribbled around for a spell, then called timeout with 9.2 seconds remaining to set up a final play.

That final play turned into an Indians turnover, a Ratliffe outlet pass and what figured to be a game-winning layup for Proctor. But a pair of Chipola guards got back to break up the breakaway, and the game lived on. The home team scored the first seven points of the extra period. CF never appeared to have a chance in OT after the emotional drain of that would-be walk-off in regulation.

Ratliffe had 27 points and 9 rebounds; Rahshon Tabb had 25 points, and Proctor scored 20 for the Patriots.

Brevard 71, Central Florida 69 (WBB)

The Lady Patriots overcame a 12-point deficit to take a late lead Saturday against Brevard, only to falter in the final minute and suffer its second home defeat of the season.

CF took a three-point lead into halftime but was severely outplayed for the bulk of the second half as the Titans steadily built a double-digit lead. The Lady Patriots cause was hampered by the extended absence of leading scorer Markeshia Grant, who spent a significant portion of the second half sidelined with a leg injury.

CF briefly reclaimed a fleeting lead and had a last opportunity to win or extend the game with 3.6 seconds to play. But Grant caught an inbounds pass at her feet and rushed a contested shot in traffic that bounced off the near side of the rim.

The Lady Patriots (9-2) were led by Canvis Scott's 18 points and 8 rebounds. Jamesha Willis also cracked double figures with 13 points. The team's next home game is after the holiday break, Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. against Chipola.

Northwest Florida State 88, Central Florida 79 (MBB)

The Patriots likely fell from their perch atop the state rankings Friday night, losing to fellow national power Northwest Florida State (NJCAA No. 19) in day two of the Panhandle Classic at Chipola College in Marianna.

CF (8-2) was put on its heels in the first half when All-American Ricardo Ratliffe picked up two fouls and took a seat on the Patriot bench. Sophomore Jeff Neal stepped in admirably with 9 first-half points to keep CF within two at the break.

But the Raiders lived up to their name after halftime, quickly building a 15-point lead. CF hung in to keep the game in reach, but never could seize control. Ratliffe finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Rahshon Tabb had 20 points and 5 rebounds and Josh Proctor added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Patriots finish their weekend Saturday night with another nationally-ranked opponent, this time in Panhandle Classic host Chipola (NJCAA No. 10).

Video Highlights: Central Florida 80, Broward 37

A couple of quick highlights from tonight's Lady Patriots win over Broward.

Central Florida 80, Broward 37 (WBB)

The Lady Patriots cruised to an 80-37 win over an overmatched Broward team Friday night, outscoring the Seahawks 44-15 to coast to an 9-1 record. Olivia Nino led all scorers with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Markeshia Grant addd 14 points along with 5 rebounds and 7 steals.

CF took its time getting started, but used a late surge to take a 36-22 halftime lead and dominated thoroughly from then on. The Lady Patriots were never in danger of losing this game based on a far superior talent level, and their first-half approach showed that they knew that too. But the intensity gladly picked up after a lackluster opening stretch, and the scoreboard started looking like it was supposed to.

CF faces a tougher test Saturday night against Brevard as the two-day Women's JuCo Shootout concludes. Games start at 1 p.m.; the Lady Patriots play at 7 p.m.

Central Florida 70, Miami-Dade 66 (MBB)

The Patriots received and handled the first of what promises to be three significant tests on their three-day visit to Marianna, defeating Miami-Dade 70-66 on Thursday to open the Panhandle Classic with a win and improve to 8-1.

CF sophomore point guard Travis Johnson hit four free throws in the final minute to finally put away an unranked but persistent Sharks team. Ricardo Ratliffe and Rahshon Tabb each turned in double-doubles in points and rebounds, Ratliffe with 23 and 14 and Tabb with 19 and 11. Josh Proctor added 12 points and 6 boards for the good guys.

The Patriots (NJCAA No. 5/FCCAA No. 1) face Northwest Florida State (NJCAA No. 19/FCCAA No. 2) on Friday, then conclude the tournament against host school Chipola (NJCAA No. 10, FCCAA No. 3) on Saturday. Those two happen to be the other nationally-ranked teams in the state, and along with CF form the state's top three. Non-conference games don't get more significant than these.

Report: CF Grad Brian Buscher Joins Indians Organization

Word is that the former Patriots and South Carolina star, set free this offseason by the Minnesota Twins, has signed a minor-league contract with the Cleveland Indians. The deal comes with an invite to spring training. You know at least as much as I do about Cleveland's infield situation and Buscher's prospects of making the big-league squad, but here's their current depth chart if you want to take a stab.

Video: Ricardo Ratliffe Talks Recruiting

NJCAA: CF Basketball Enters December with 15-2 Combined Record

An article on the NJCAA's official Web site details CF's impressive early-season accomplishments in men's and women's basketball.

More Status Quo: CF Holds Steady in NJCAA Poll

The latest weekly NJCAA national coaches' poll was released today, and like the state polls, it places the Patriots in the same place as the week prior. Central Florida is still fifth, while Midland and North Idaho are still 1 and 2.

The CF stagnation is better than the alternative that befell Florida's other two nationally-ranked programs. Chipola dropped from sixth to tenth, while Northwest Florida State fell from 14th to 19th. Mid-Florida Conference rival St. Johns River joined the party as well, receiving its first votes of the season to complete Florida's representation in the NJCAA rankings.

Central Florida did not receive any votes in the NJCAA women's poll, which is still topped by Gulf Coast.

CF Stands Pat in New State Coaches Polls

The Central Florida men and women held steady in the freshly-released FCCAA state coaches polls. The Patriots are still No. 1 and the Lady Patriots are still No. 6. That's part of an overall trend, as the top five teams in the men's poll and the top three in the women's poll stayed static.

Here's the men's rankings:

Rank Team (1st-place votes) Record Pts Pvs

1. Central Florida (13) 7-1 141 1

2. Northwest Florida State 8-1 129 2

3. Chipola (2) 6-1 120 3

4. Tallahassee 6-2 84 4

5. Gulf Coast 8-2 81 5

6. Santa Fe 7-2 57 7 =

7. Indian River State 7-2 53 10

8. Broward 6-2 46 6

9. St. Johns River 9-1 30 --

10. St. Petersburg 4-2 25 8

And the women's:

Rank Team (1st-place votes) Record Pts Pvs

1. Gulf Coast (9) 6-0 112 1

2. Northwest Florida State (2) 7-0 97 2

3. Pensacola 8-1 94 3

4. Santa Fe 6-1 71 5

5. Tallahassee 7-2 70 8

6. Central Florida (1) 8-1 59 6

7. Indian River State 4-1 58 7

8. Hillsborough 5-1 34 10

9. Chipola 4-5 26 4

10. Daytona State 5-3 25 9

In other news, Ricardo Ratliffe did not win this week's FCCAA Player of the Week award after collecting the honor twice in a row. This week's winner is Broward center Kevin Bristol.