Wake-Up Call: Best of Big East, SEC set to hoop it up

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

Few people expected the University of Florida men's basketball team to be sitting on its current perch - ranked No. 10 nationally, already possessing a pair of marquee non-conference victories.

It's too soon to proclaim the Gators back among the national elite. But they can take another giant step forward during Thursday night's SEC/Big East Invitational at the St. Pete Times Forum in downtown Tampa.

The Gators (8-0) meet the No. 7-ranked Syracuse Orange (8-0) - another early season surprise - in what has become a prime-time matchup for ESPN. Tip-off is at approximately 9 p.m.

The double-header begins at 6:30 p.m. with Mississippi State (5-2) taking on DePaul (5-2).

The Gators, remember, were picked for fifth in the six-team SEC East. The perception was more of a downturn after UF twice played in the National Invitation Tournament following its back-to-back national championships.

Syracuse, meanwhile, was selected sixth in the 16-team Big East.

Neither team was ranked in The Associated Press preseason top 25 poll.

So what has happened? Obviously, Florida and Syracuse are much better than anyone suspected. And that's probably because both teams have added some key performers.

Syracuse's best player so far - without question - is 6-foot-7, 205-pound junior Wesley Johnson, a transfer from Iowa State, who leads the Orange in scoring (17.0) and rebounding (7.3). He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2K Sports Classic after averaging 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in victories against California and North Carolina.

Orange coach Jim Boeheim talked Johnson up last season, when the player sat out due to transfer rules. "If we had him last year, we're a Final Four team with a chance to win it,'' Orange assistant coach Rob Murphy told ESPN.com.

For the Gators, there already are two high-profile newcomers.

Vernon Macklin, a 6-10, 240-pound transfer from Georgetown, averages 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, providing needed beef for a team that was far too soft last season.

But the biggest UF headliner is 6-2 freshman guard Kenny Boynton, formerly of Plantation American Heritage, who selected the Gators over Duke, Texas and Georgia Tech. Boynton leads the Gators in scoring (13.9 points per game) and has brought electrifying presence to the backcourt.

"Adding a guy who is 6-10 (Macklin) doesn't hurt and a McDonald's All-American (Boynton),'' Gators senior forward Dan Werner said before the season. "Last year, we only had so many guys. Coach's hands might have been tied. Now that we have more bodies, if you aren't producing, you might not be playing.''

The backcourt, particularly, needed a boost after prized recruit Jai Lucas opted for a transfer to Texas, then Nick Calathes left school to pursue a professional basketball career in Greece.

So far, Boynton has provided the needed ingredients.

"Anytime there are new players who join the team with a reputation already, there is always a different level of expectation,'' said Gators coach Billy Donovan, whose team registered back-to-back wins against Florida State and No. 2-ranked Michigan State in November. "For a player like Kenny Boynton to come in with the reputation he has, he has come in with a great deal of humility.

"Sometimes, when you have guys like that come in, they come in with an attitude and the idea that they already have all of the answers and have it all figured out. He is anything but that. He's a great teammate and I think he has made the chemistry on our team better.''

If Florida can defeat Syracuse, it would provide more of a boost - for the Gators and for the SEC, which would like a good showing against the Big East. This is the third year of the SEC/Big East Invitational. So far, the Big East has a 5-3 lead.

The event starts tonight with a double-header at New York's Madison Square Garden - Georgia vs. St. John's, followed by Kentucky vs. Connecticut - before shifting to Tampa.

Here are results from the event's previous two years.

2008

Tennessee 80, Marquette 68

Vanderbilt 71, USF 52

Louisville 77, Ole Miss 68

Cincinnati 75, Mississippi State 63

2007

Georgetown 70, Alabama 60

West Virginia 88, Auburn 59

South Carolina 68, Providence 67

Villanova 68, LSU 67

Tickets are $40, $25 and $15. For information, go to www.ticketmaster.com or www.secbigeastinvitational.com.

Jets' Feely returns home

New York Jets place-kicker Jay Feely (Jesuit), who has connected on 21 of 24 field-goal attempts this season, gets a homecoming game on Sunday when his team faces the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium - just down the street from his high school.

Earlier this season, Feely hit his 24th consecutive field goal (dating back to last year) and set a franchise record.

Feely's strong personality has made him a leader in the locker room, while his equally strong views on nearly everything (shared frequently on Twitter) have given him a distinct identity. It didn't take Feely long to make a big impression on Jets coach Rex Ryan.

"We've got a kicker who will run down and tackle somebody,'' Ryan said earlier this season. "I think he's got a great pulse of the team. They don't look at him like a traditional kicker. They look at him almost like a football player.''

"He's a tough guy,'' Jets special-teams coach Mike Westhoff said. "He's an excellent athlete, a scratch golfer. He's probably the best tackling kicker in the NFL. He really has the respect of the other players.''

Arenas, McCluster earns SEC honors

University of Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas (Robinson) and Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster (Largo) earned first-team honors on The Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference team.

Also, University of Florida twin offensive linemen Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, both of Lakeland High School, also were first-teamers. Arenas, who is 29 yards short of becoming the NCAA's all-time leader in career punt-return yardage, also was named as the second-team all-purpose player.

McCluster was the first-team all-purpose player and a second-team running back. He rushed for 985 yards (6.7-yard average) and six touchdowns, while catching passes for 475 yards.

University of Florida senior Riley Cooper (Clearwater Central Catholic) was named second-team receiver. Cooper had 44 catches for 780 yards and eight touchdowns.

UT's Cook named SSC player of the week

University of Tampa women's basketball player Tiara Cook (Gulf) was named Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week.

In a 72-39 win against Florida Memorial, Cook had 21 points, eight rebounds and five steals in just 18 minutes of play. In a 75-57 win against Florida Tech, Cook had 19 points, nine rebounds and five steals.

Overall, Cook is averaging a team-leading 15.1 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Spartans (7-0).

Bryant sets FIU's tackles record

Florida International University senior linebacker Scott Bryant (Lakeland) set the school's career record for tackles in a big way on Saturday. He sacked Florida Atlantic quarterback Jeff Van Camp - giving him an even 300 career tackles - in the third quarter of a 28-21 loss against the Owls.

Bryant finished with six tackles, giving him a career total of 302.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Winter Haven High School basketball star Otis Birdsong, perhaps the best prep player ever in the Tampa Bay area. As a senior, Birdsong averaged 32.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Once, he had 46 points in the second half against Haines City.

Birdsong became an All-American at the University of Houston, where he scored 2,832 career points and was named Southwest Conference Player of the Decade. He played 12 NBA seasons (Kings, Nets, Celtics) and scored 14,000 career points.

Today, Birdsong turns 54.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Tuesday's trivia question:

The Jefferson Dragons are in Friday night's Class 3A state semifinals at Penascola High School. Twice in school history, the Dragons have won state semifinal games 2002 (defeating Charlotte 26-14 before falling to Melbourne Palm Bay 19-10 in the title game) and 2004 (defeating Miami Monsignor Pace 33-21 before falling to Jacksonville Bolles 42-21 in the title game).

Wednesday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

Eight of the University of Florida's 1,000-point career scorers in men's basketball were graduates of Tampa Bay area high schools. Can you name four of them?

Check for the answer in Thursday's Wake-Up Call.