Gators Face a Stellar Final Four to Close Regular Season, Starting Tonight with Georgia
Thursday, February 24, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Over the next couple of weeks, the college basketball world will be flooded with bracketology talk, bubble chatter and all sorts of madness.
Gators coach Billy Donovan knows the drill.
“March is very, very close to being here,'' Donovan said.
And with the calendar about to flip, college basketball takes center stage for the next month on the American sports landscape. However, for the Gators, the challenge is much different this season than the past three.
The Gators aren't sitting around biting their nails as a bubble team. They finally made it back to the NCAA Tournament a year ago after back-to-back NIT trips, and with a 21-5 record and 10-2 league mark, the Gators are in the driver's seat to claim the SEC East crown with a victory tonight over Georgia.
That said the Gators are bracing for their own version of a final four.
Florida's final four games of the regular season could reveal as much about the Gators as their first 26 contests. Here is what's on the menu: Georgia (18-8, 7-5) at home tonight, on the road at Kentucky (19-8, 7-6) on Saturday, the home finale on Tuesday against SEC West leader Alabama (19-8, 11-2), and then the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt (20-7, 8-5) on March 5.
“We're excited about the opportunity we have as a team, and the position we're in right now,'' Donovan said prior to practice Wednesday. “At the same point, if you don't take care of what's in front of you today, you can forget about down the road.”
The first test comes against a Bulldogs team the Gators needed two overtimes – and a 28-foot three-pointer by Erving Walker at the end of the first overtime – to defeat last month in Athens. The Gators lost their next game at Mississippi State, but have won a season-high tying five consecutive games entering tonight's rematch against Georgia.
A win would give the Gators their longest winning streak since opening last season with eight consecutive victories. While the Gators are playing well – winning at LSU on Sunday without senior forward Chandler Parsons – they know they will be remembered for what they do down the stretch.
“It's exciting because this is the best team we've had since I've been here,'' senior Alex Tyus said. “We've got a chance to win the SEC.''
Winning the SEC East would give the Gators a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament in Atlanta. But don't expect Donovan to give a let's-win-the-SEC-East speech tonight before taking the court at the O'Connell Center.
“We've never talked as a team about winning the SEC East,'' Donovan said. “We've talked about trying to win an SEC Championship, as every team does. That's an overall league championship.
“Right now there are enough teams that are within striking distance of us. Right now, we have four games remaining and three of these four are going to come very, very quickly. I liken it to this: When you're walking up a flight of stairs trying to get to the top, if you miss a couple steps, you may fall all the way back down to the bottom.
“So we've got to take the next step, and the next step for us right now is Georgia.''
As of today, Florida trails Alabama by a half-game for the overall SEC lead. The Gators can move back into a tie with a victory tonight. As for the SEC East, the Gators can clinch the crown win one more victory in part of Kentucky's loss at Arkansas on Wednesday night. The only way the Gators could lose out on the SEC East is by losing their final four regular-season games while Vanderbilt wins its final three.
That's precisely the kind of discussion Donovan would just soon his players avoid.
Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton sees a more focused team than earlier this season when big wins were often followed up by disappointing losses.
“We practice hard enough to be ready for these games,'' Boynton said. “Previously, we really weren't used to winning. We've been winning a lot lately – we've been putting games behind us [quickly] and focusing on the next game.''
They will try to maintain the same approach as everyone else chats away about seeding and regional pairings and other byproducts of March Madness.
“We still have a lot out there in front us,'' Donovan said. “I've been pleased with our guys and what they've been able to do and the growth they made, but at the same point, we've still got a long way to go before the season is over with.''
GATOR GAMEBOX
Georgia at Florida
Tip-off: 7 p.m., (O'Connell Center)
Records: Georgia 18-8, (7-5 SEC); Florida 21-5 (10-2 SEC)
TV: ESPN
Radio: Gator Radio Network (click here for affiliates)
Game notes: Click here
Need to know: Florida has won 13 of 15 over Bulldogs, including a 104-91 double-overtime win at Georgia on Jan. 25 … Florida senior C Vernon Macklin scored a career-high 23 points in first meeting, and guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton each added 24 points … Florida senior F Chandler Parsons practiced Wednesday to test his bruised left thigh; his status for tonight's game is uncertain … Donovan said freshman Casey Prather will start in place of Parsons and that if Parsons can play, he will come off the bench … Florida is 5-0 in February and 10-3 the past two seasons … Walker needs one three-pointer to break a tie with Matt Walsh for sixth all-time in school history; he has 192 for his career … Florida has won eight consecutive home games against Georgia, starting with a buzzer-beater by Anthony Roberson in 2003 … Georgia has won four of six, including a win at Tennessee on Saturday; the Bulldogs are 3-0 on the road during their recent spurt … Trey Thompkins lead the Bulldogs with 16.0 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
