SAN FRANCISCO - Conservative critics like to point out that the federal appeals court that just declared California's same-sex marriage ban to be unconstitutional has its decisions overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court more often than other judicial circuits, a record that could prove predictive if the high court agrees to review the gay marriage case on appeal.

Yet legal experts seemed to think the panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals struck down the voter-approved ban on Tuesday purposefully served up its 2-1 opinion in a narrow way and seasoned it with established holdings so the Supreme Court would be less tempted to bite.

The appeals court not only limited the scope of its decision to California, even though the 9th Circuit also has jurisdiction in eight other western states, but relied on the Supreme Court's own 1996 decision overturning a Colorado measure that outlawed discrimination protections for gay people to argue that the voter-approved Proposition 8 violated the civil rights of gay and lesbian Californians.

LEXINGTON, Ky. "If you're looking at talent, I think Kentucky has clearly six guys who are going to be first-round picks on their team.

I don't know that Syracuse has six first-round draft picks, but they have really, really good talent and they have incredible length," said Donovan, who won national titles in 2006 and `07.

After a 78-58 loss to the Wildcats on Tuesday night, the Gators have faced the top three teams in the poll - Kentucky, Syracuse and Ohio State - all on the road.