RIO DE JANEIRO -- Nate Ebners Olympic journey is over, and while he isnt returning to the New England Patriots with a medal, he feels he has learned important lessons from his time in rugby sevens.Ebner and his U.S mens rugby teammates came to Rio targeting a spot on the podium, but those dreams ended on Day 2, leaving the team with a ninth-place finish. Ebner, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots, now returns to his franchise with a new outlook on pressure situations and with added tackling techniques he is eager to try in the NFL. He said it will be a little strange returning to the Patriots but that it is also second nature, as he has been with the team since 2012.He said he believes his time in rugby has had an impact both on him and on his friends and family, who told him they have enjoyed watching him in rugby as much as football. Ebner will return to the United States with plenty of stories, though it will take time for the whole experience to sink in.From his time in rugby, Ebner learned that he can be very focused, and he has developed an increased mental resilience in the face of mistakes.The biggest thing I take from rugby is that its so relatable to life, as in so many things can go wrong quickly, but you cant dwell on it, and the quicker you put it behind you and get on to the next task, you have a better chance of succeeding, Ebner said.It teaches you not to dwell on things which have gone bad. No one has ever played a perfect sevens game, and you have to go with the punches. And when things dont go your own way, you have to go to the next task.Football is a little different as turnovers are two a game, and while you want those back, rugby is really that way -- you have to get back up and play again later in the day. There are a lot of things to learn about rugby as a sport and what its taught me in my life from a character standpoint and the camaraderie with my teammates. Theyre friends Ill have for the rest of my life, and I could talk about rugby forever.On the field, Ebner adapted to rugbys different tackling techniques and sees similarities with the open-field tackles he has to make in the NFL. He will look into those intricacies further when he returns to America, and he hopes to see some of the athletes he faced here in Rio give the NFL a crack in the future.Talking about Olympic favorite Fijis players and whether they could play in the NFL, Ebner said: Theyd be great, look at them.They invaded the contact area, and if they picked up the rules, Im sure theyd be great -- just like some of those American football boys, if they grew up with rugby, Im sure theyd be great too. Hopefully we can get guys like that in the USA playing rugby.The whole experience of the Olympics left Ebner with no regrets, despite the U.S. teams ninth-place finish. He will hang his U.S. shirt proudly on the walls of his house alongside his Patriots jerseys.Its been a once-in-a-lifetime amazing experience that Ill remember forever for what it is individually, and I remember the Super Bowl in the same way, Ebner said. Its been awesome and Im lucky that Ive got to experience both. Cheap Wake Forest Demon Deacons Jerseys China . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Online . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.cheapcollegechina.com/ . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. College Jerseys Outlet . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. College Jerseys China . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- KeVaughn Allen and Dwayne Bacon both made their mark in last years Florida-Florida State game. That has continued this season as the sophomore guards face each other again on Sunday in the latest edition of the Sunshine State Showdown.Allen, who scored a career-high 32 points in last years game, leads the 21st-ranked Gators (7-2) in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game. Bacon, who hit the game-winning shot last year to give the Seminoles a 73-71 win, is averaging 16.6 points.Allen said Friday that his performance last year against the Seminoles gave him a boost in confidence and that the momentum continues.The coaches every day were telling me to be more aggressive, take the right shots and get teammates involved, Allen said. That game allowed me to shoot with more confidence and just playing hard on defense every night.Allen is the only Florida player to have multiple 20-point games this season (two). He tied a season high with 21 points in last Tuesdays loss to No. 5 Duke.Even though he hit a mid-range jumper to beat the Gators, Bacon struggled with his shot the rest of the season. He worked on his shot during the offseason and it has paid off so far. Bacon is shooting 50.4 percent from the field, compared to 44.7 percent last season.He has led the Seminoles (8-1) in scoring in six games this season and comes in with a 19-game double-figure scoring streak.It was a big shot to get the win but this year I have a much higher role. I am familiar with the system and very comfortable, Bacon said.The Seminoles come in with a five-game winning streak but this will be their biggest non-conference challenge to date. During this stretch they have held opponents to 30.3 percent shooting from the field and have won by an average margin of 28.44 points.ddddddddddddCoach Leonard Hamilton is eager to see how his team responds against stiffer competition. In a Nov. 24 game against Temple, the Seminoles held an 18-point lead in the second half but ended up losing by three.For Hamilton, Sundays game will be a better indicator of how his team has progressed with the first Atlantic Coast Conference game coming in two weeks.Are we ready for an ACC-type game? Well its here, he said. Theyve played a higher level of competition that has given them an opportunity to be a little more battle tested than we are.The Gators have had a challenging non-conference schedule with their first 11 on the road due to renovations to the OConnell Center. Besides Duke, they have also faced No. 8 Gonzaga, Seton Hall and Miami. Allen said the biggest lesson from the Duke game is that Florida needs to do a better job limiting turnovers. It committed 10 in the first half as it fell behind by 10 at halftime.Weve got to continue to be more seasoned, to be more poised, whether were going on the run or theyre going on the run, weve got to be more consistent, Florida coach Mike White said. Hopefully were making less of those mistakes and getting closer to maxing out as a team as the season continues.Florida State is trying to win three straight games in the series for the first time in eight years. The last three meetings have been decided by a total of five points.---Associated Press writer Mark Long in Gainesville, Florida, contributed to this report.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Joe Reedy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/joereedy ' ' '