Gators Braced For Zero Net Neutrality in Dallas

Saturday, March 17

Dallas, TX

8:40 PM

Florida Gators

Texas Tech

Florida coach Mike White during Friday's closed practice at American Airlines Center, site of Saturday night's third-round East Region showdown against Texas Tech.

Gators Braced For Zero Net Neutrality in Dallas

Saturday, March 17, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

UF will face Texas Tech in what will be a virtual home game for the Raiders.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

DALLAS — The biggest win of Florida's 2017-18 basketball season, certainly the one that first beamed the national spotlight in the team's direction, came at the PK80 Invitational in Portland, Ore. The game was one of most riveting of the season, regardless of the viewer's rooting interest, as the Gators hit clutch shot after clutch shot and came away with a pulsating 111-105 double-overtime victory over reigning national runner-up Gonzaga.

By definition, the game fell under the "neutral site" category, but the sold-out Moda Center was packed to the rafters with Zags. The crowd was relentless. But so were the Gators.

"We didn't get any computer favorability for that one, unfortunately, but that was a road game," UF coach Mike White said Friday.

The sixth-seeded Gators (21-12) won't get any computer favorability for Saturday night's NCAA East Region clash with No. 3-seed Texas Tech (25-9) at American Airlines Center, either. What they could use are a few more than fans — not to mention a generous whistle from the official — because the Red Raiders figure to be about 19,000 strong (maybe more) when the two teams meet for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 in Boston next weekend.

Estimated Gators in the house (besides the ones on the UF bench): Maybe 400.

"We don't have a lot of fans here," junior swingman Jalen Hudson. "We'll have to bring our own noise.:"

[Read senior writer Chris Harry's 'Pregame Stuff' setup here]

Orange & Blue look great in Texas. #GatorNation #OneTeam #WeChomp pic.twitter.com/Xp0D8LrVUS
— Gators Men's Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 16, 2018

The NCAA selection committee tries to keep teams close to home for the tournament's first weekend. It did a favor for both Tech and Stephen F. Austin, who didn't have to leave the state to play in Thursday night's opening game, won 70-60 by the Red Raiders. The atmosphere was electric, with two passionate, close-to-home fans bases raising the decibel level to maximum pitch, with Tech fans out-numbering and out-shouting their opponent.

The welcome awaiting the Gators for this one figures to be the rudest of the season. That's saying something, given what the team endured in Portland (five hours from Gonzaga's campus in Spokane, Wash.), or trips to Missouri and Kentucky, both of which ended in dramatic fashion, and with Florida making the winning plays down the stretch.

The Texas Tech campus in Lubbock (with its enrollment of 37,000) is roughly six hours away. Dallas also is loaded with scarlet-and-black clad alumni, thousands of whom acquired tickets for the SFA game and now can gobble up the SFA tickets.

"We don't think about that stuff," said UF graduate forward Egor Koulechov, whose team is 4-3 in neutral-site games this season. "It doesn't make the game any harder, it makes it game more fun."

That's good, because the Red Raiders, led by All-Big 12 Conference guard Keenan Evans will make the between-the lines-stuff tough enough. Evans is Tech's leading scorer (17.5 points per game), as well as top playmaker and best defender. He's the catalyst of a defense that led the Big 12 in scoring defense (64.6 points per game) and field-goal percentage defense (.402).

The Raiders put their suffocating ways on display in the waning minutes against Stephen F. Austin, holding the Lumberjacks to a single point over the final 4:21.

The deafening din of the Tech fans only compounded the issues for SFA.

"I'm expecting even more fans [Saturday]," Evans said.

Oh boy.

"We know it's going to be hostile," senior point guard Chris Chiozza said.

The Gators have veteran players who have won at some difficult venues, but also during the NCAA Tournament. Thursday night's 77-62 defeat of St. Bonaventure was UF's third victory in four NCAA games, dating to last season.

But it's worth noting that the 2017 journey to the Elite Elite began in Orlando, with a pair of blowout wins in of front friendly crowds. In fact, over the course of Florida's history in the NCAA Tournament, the Gators have been fortunate enough to play 13 games in the Sunshine State — thank you, selection committee — and amass an 11-2 record, including trips to Miami (1994), Jacksonville (2007) and Orlando (2014) that served as springboards for runs to the Final Four.

It's probably only fair they get to experience it from the other side now.

"They'll have a lot of people here," Hudson said. "Their fans really can't do anything for them on the court. We'll have to bring our own energy. I still feel really good about it."

Junior center Kevarrius Hayes echoed that sentiment.

"I feel like we've played better in our away games," he said. "We come together knowing it's all of us on the court, the coaches, and everybody else on the staff."

Ah, the ol' us-against-the-world kind mentality, right? Probably a good approach.

Because that's exactly what it's going to feel like.