March Madness Flashback: Lon vs. Billy
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 | Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Chris Harry
GATORZONE MARCH MADNESS FLASHBACK
On this day in Florida NCAA history: March 19, 2000
Lon Kruger guided Florida to the first Final Four in school history. That was in 1994. At the time, the moment was unimaginable.
So was the extent of the program's subsequent fall from grace.
When he bolted for Illinois two years later -- leaving behind a 12-16 team with very little talent -- Kruger had no problem lobbing subtle verbal jabs back at Gainesville about the difficulty in sustaining basketball excellence in a football-crazed state, while praising the basketball tradition of the Big Ten Conference. He even questioned the administration's commitment to the program.
So the irony was just too rich when the fifth-seeded Gators were matched against the fourth-seeded Illini in second-round play of the NCAA East Region at Winston-Salem, N.C.
The outcome proved just too satisfying for Florida -- and, no doubt, the administration -- as the Gators dominated 93-76 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time since Kruger got them there five years earlier.
UF trailed 28-21 with under seven minutes to go in the first half when the Gators took off on a 19-6 run to intermission during which Illinois -- despite the firepower of Brian Cook, Sergio McClain and Frank Williams -- did not score a field goal.
The momentum carried over into the second half, with Florida racing away for a 17-point win that marked the program's most-lopsided NCAA victory in 12 years and gave the unsustainable UF program a second straight berth in the Sweet 16, a first for the Gators.
That was 12 years ago today.
Forward Mike Miller finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, guard Teddy Dupay (pictured right with Donovan) had 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range, a marksmanship equaled off the bench by Brett Nelson, who also had 16 points.
The Gators went on to play for the national championship. They've won two NCAA crowns since and been to the tournament 12 of the last 14 years. All under Billy Donovan, by the way.
Sounds sustainable.
Kruger left Illinois after that season to become an NBA head coach. That last three seasons.
He's had four jobs since leaving Florida.
Four more than Donovan has had.
