Donovan wants to see a sense or urgency from start at Auburn
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Men's Tennis, Scott Carter
Gators coach Billy Donovan knows what people are saying about Florida's game at Auburn on Thursday night. He just doesn't want to hear it.
On paper, the Gators (13-4, 2-1) are expected to win. Auburn (7-10, 0-3) is winless in the SEC and the only team in the league with an overall losing record.
But if we know anything about the SEC so far, it's that anything can happen. Did you see Tennessee's Brian Williams' buzzer-beater at Georgia on Tuesday night? The Vols' win and Kentucky's loss to Alabama puts Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky in a three-way tie for third in the SEC East.
Meanwhile, the Gators and South Carolina sit atop the East. By the time tonight ends, the Gators could be atop the division alone if Arkansas wins at South Carolina. Would anyone be surprised?
When talking about the matchup with Auburn, Donovan called on the Jets' upset of the Patriots on Sunday. Remember New England's 45-3 victory over the Jets earlier in the season? Donovan pointed out how it meant nothing on Sunday when New York ended New England's Super Bowl plans.
A similar scenario plays into Thursday's game. Florida beat Florida State. Auburn beat Florida State, and Florida State beat defending national champion Duke.
“Every competitive challenge is totally different,'' Donovan said. “It's a new day. It's a new game. It's a new set up circumstances. What you do is you try to play as consistently or close up to your potential or ability. The FSU game against Auburn, all that shows me, is that any given night, anybody can beat anybody.''
We hear that all the time from coaches, but it's obviously playing out on the court so far in the SEC. What Donovan wants to see is a Gators team with an attitude at Auburn, especially after what happened at home to South Carolina.
“I take it very, very personal myself when our team goes out there and I see us not playing with the intensity level and the effort I would like to see given,'' Donovan said. “We need to come out and play well. It's not even about the result. You can win a game and you cannot play well.
“If we'll go out and play like we're capable of playing, with the passion and the intensity that we need to play with, then we've got to live with the result.''
