Madison Square Garden in New York, aka 'The World's Most Famous Arena.' (Photo: GoNYC.com)
Carter's Corner: Gators Ready to Play in The Garden
Friday, March 24, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
Florida has an opportunity to punch its ticket to the Final Four for the first time at Madison Square Garden.
It won't be easy, but if they pull it off, it will be memorable.
In their five previous trips, they punched their ticket to college basketball's biggest event at the now-demolished Miami Arena (1994), the Carrier Dome in Syracuse (2000), the now-demolished Minneapolis Metrodome (2006), the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis (2007) and the FedExForum in Memphis (2014).
Florida will attempt to use Madison Square Garden as its launching pad to the Final Four in 2017, starting tonight with a Sweet 16 matchup against Wisconsin.
Imagine the scene Sunday should the Gators pull off the feat in the media capital of the world and inside the "World's Most Famous Arena."
Earlier this week, Florida football coach Jim McElwain, an avid basketball fan who recalls one of The Garden's most famous moments -- Knicks center Willis Reed limping onto the court – had difficulty imagining taking a shot at MSG, which has hosted more notable events than any arena in the world since its latest reincarnation opened in 1968.
"Can you imagine playing at 10 o'clock in the Garden,'' McElwain pondered aloud. "Think about just the opportunity to play a game in The Garden. Think about all the events that have happened and taken place over the years in that place. Wow. That would be unbelievable. I would be nervous to just go shoot layups."
Fortunately for the Gators, McElwain will only be a spectator at home in this one.
As for those taking the court tonight in orange and blue, they have recent experience at MSG. The Gators lost to Duke in the Jimmy V Classic here in December.
Still, the opportunity to create a lifetime memory with a pair of wins in New York is not lost on players who are not old enough to recall many of the building's famous moments.
"I definitely think it adds something [to the experience],'' senior guard Kasey Hill said Thursday. "Everybody who is playing here probably grew up dreaming of playing in here one day. It's going to be exciting."
The last time Florida advanced to the Final Four, senior forward Justin Leon was a freshman at Shawnee Community College in Illinois. He remembers watching Florida play UConn in the national semifinals with some of his teammates and never expected to be playing for the Gators three years later with a chance to make the Final Four.
As for his own opportunity, MSG adds some flavor.
"Think about all the great past players that have been here,'' Leon said.
"Now we can finally be here to try to add our name to that list,'' sophomore center Kevarrius Hayes said.
Of the coaches with teams still alive entering the Sweet 16, only three (Roy Williams, Bill Self and John Calipari) had won a national title.
Gators coach Mike White had never led a team to the NCAA Tournament until this season.
"These opportunities are unique and they're exciting,'' White said. "This is what it's all about. It's March Madness, it's the Sweet 16. It's really cool."
Even cooler when it's at Madison Square Garden.
CHARTING THE GATORS
Gator "Garden Parties"
The Florida basketball team playing at the sports "Mecca" known as Madison Square Garden won't be anything new. The Gators, in fact, just played there three months ago. But taking the court in the world's most famous arena is always special. Here's a look at some past memorable trips to 4 Pennsylvania Plaza.
MARCH 13, 1969
For the Gators, it was historic. The program's first 20-win season landed UF a spot in the National Invitational Tournament, then a 16-team field played entirely in New York and a Garden mainstay event since 1938. The Gators, led by first-team All-America center Neal Walk and future All-Southeastern Conference forward Andy Owens, went 21-3 that season, but fell to Temple 82-66 in opening-round play. Walk had 26 points and 17 rebounds, but the Gators shot just 34 percent.
MARCH 24-26, 1986
Along the way to the first NIT berth in 17 years, Joe Lawrence hit a buzzer-beater to defeat Texas Christian, followed by a win over Southwest Missouri State and a famous UF photo of guard Andrew Moten seated atop the basket at the O'Connell Center wearing a top hat and holding a "BRING ON THE BIG APPLE" sign. UF lost to Wyoming 67-58 behind hot 23-point night from future Sports Illustrated cover boy Fennis Denbo and cold second half (26.8 percent from the floor) for the Gators. Back then, the NIT staged a consolation game. UF lost that one too, falling to Louisiana Tech and future NBA first-round pick Randy White 67-62.
MARCH 30-APRIL 1, 1992
In Year 2 under Coach Lon Kruger, a late-season upset of No. 10 Kentucky — the Wildcats would lose to Christian Laettner in that one-for-ages East Regional final — catapulted a run through the NIT that included road upsets at Pittsburgh and against Purdue at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Florida was matched against Virginia, which got a huge game from forward Brian Stith (27 points, 15 rebounds), another future NBA player, and defeated the Gators 62-56. The consolation game put UF against Utah and Coach Rick Majerus. The Utes won that one 81-78, despite 20 points from Craig Brown.
NOV. 9, 2001
Florida played in its first Coaches vs Cancer event, with the sixth-ranked Gators beating Temple 77-72, then falling 75-71 to Luke Walton and Arizona in the final. Point guard Justin Hamilton had 17 points for the Gators against the Owls, while the showdown against the Wildcats came down to a late possession and turnover by forward Matt Bonner with six seconds to go.
NOV. 17-18, 2005
UF started the season unranked, but opened the year with 17 straight wins. [Note: Does anyone remember how it finished?] Along the way, the third and fourth games of the season found the Gators at the Garden for that Coaches vs Cancer event and two tremendous games — and wins — that helped galvanize Coach Billy Donovan's team and make it realize its capabilities. UF defeated No. 19 Wake Forest 77-72, as Taurean Green's 23 points outdid another noteworthy point guard in Demon Deacon Chris Paul. Next up was a date with Syracuse, ranked 16th and led by hot-shooting guard Gerry McNamara. Again, it was Green pouring in 23 points and the Gators winning 75-72, thanks to a 12-0 run when trailing with six minutes to go. The next week, Florida debuted in the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 14.
APRIL 1, 2008
A year after winning a second straight NCAA title, the Gators were in the NIT, advancing through the first three rounds before falling to Massachusetts 78-66 in the semifinals, despite 16 points and 18 rebounds from Marreese Speights in his final game in a UF uniform. There was no consolation game.
DEC. 17, 2013
UF got invited to the Jimmy V Classic, with the No. 16 Gators defeating No. 17 Memphis 77-75 behind 22 points and four rebounds from Casey Prather and 14 points and six rebounds from Dorian Finney-Smith. The game was the second of what turned out to be 30 straight wins and a perfect 21-0 record against SEC opponents on the way to the Final Four.
DEC. 6, 2016
The Gators were back in the Jimmy V Classic against a Duke team some were calling the greatest of all time. Luke Kennard scored 29 points and Amile Jefferson had 24 points and 15 rebounds, together hitting 22 of their 30 field-goal attempts. UF hung around and trailed by six with seven minutes to go, thanks to 21 points from guard KeVaughn Allen, plus 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists by Kasey Hill. The Blue Devils just had too much firepower down the stretch on the way to shooting 62.5 percent in the second half and pulling away for an 84-74 win. A UF-Duke rematch was a possibility, given the Blue Devils were the No. 2-seed in the NCAA Region and across the bracket from the Gators, but fellow Southeastern Conference mate South Carolina took care of that in the Round of 32. That's why they call it "March Madness."
- Chris Harry, Senior Writer
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