Mike White faced No. 1 three times in his first four seasons at UF, and now comes a fourth in five years, with top-ranked Baylor rolling into the O'Dome Saturday night for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Gators, O'Dome Brace for No. 1 Baylor
Saturday, January 25, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — From the time the Associated Press first started ranking college basketball teams in 1949, Florida went 66 years without facing an opponent ranked No. 1 in the nation that was not Kentucky. Five different Gators coaches combined to go 0-11 against top-ranked Wildcats teams, with future Hall-of-Famer Billy Donovan on the sidelines for the last five.
Mike White arrived in 2015. When his Gators (12-6) square Saturday against Baylor (16-1) at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center in the 2020 renewal of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, White will be starring down his fourth different No. 1 team team in five seasons. And none of them being Kentucky.
"Is that fortunate or unfortunate?" White asked Friday.
That, of course, depends on the outcome. The Gators already have played one of the most challenging non-league schedules in the nation — the sixth most-difficult among Power Six conference teams and first in the Southeastern Conference, according to KenPom.com — and now get a visit from the Bears, who bring a guard-heavy lineup that will unfold across the O'Dome floor one of the best defenses and across-the-board group of rebounders in the land.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Baylor is the first No. 1 to come to town since Kentucky's runaway train of 2015 that won its first 38 games, including a 68-61 victory over Donovan's last UF team, before falling to Wisconsin at the Final Four.
White was in place the following fall and immediately was rewarded with a trip to face No. 1 Michigan State on the road early in the season. Two seasons later, it was No. 1 Duke in the PK80 Invitational at Portland, Ore. Last year, the Gators got Tennessee on the road when the Volunteers ascended to the top of the poll. UF lost all four of those games. In fact, the Gators are 2-16 all-time against No. 1s, with both victories coming in the NCAA Tournament.
Kerry Blackshear Jr., who is leading the Gators in both scoring (14.7 points) and rebounding (8.7 per game), will lead his youthful teammates onto their homecourt for a rare shot (and great opportunity) at beating the nation's No. 1 team.
Grad-transfer forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. came to UF from Virginia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference, so he knows a little something about playing the guys situated near the top. His last game as a Hokie, in fact, was a crushing 75-73 loss to No. 1 and top-seeded Duke in the NCAA East Region semifinals last March 29 at Washington, D.C.
He'll remind his younger teammates that it's just a number.
"Understanding that it's a really good team at hand, but also understanding it's another game, understanding that if we do what we have to do, we're capable of beating anybody in the country, especially in front of our home crowd," Blackshear said. "I think that helps, but understanding that you got four people on the court with you at all times, you got an entire bench rooting for you, so we just got to carry the mentality, 'We got each other's backs,' and we'll be able to handle business out there."
UF stuck to those principles last Saturday and put its first signature victory and so-called "Quadrant-1" win in the books last week by dismantling fourth-ranked Auburn. The Gators had a shot another one Tuesday night, but lost at LSU, the lone unbeaten team in league play, when a too-little-too-late charge fell a basket and half-second short.
Now comes the third and likely most difficult of a three-game turn, but no one expected — way back last spring, when ESPN announced the SEC/Big 12 matchups — this game would become must-see, prime-time college basketball TV.
But here the Gators are.
"At Florida, you get a bunch of great opportunities," White said. "I'm thankful for another one."
CHARTING THE GATORS
Florida is 2-16 all-time against opponents ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. Only five schools are in the mix of those 18 games (Kentucky represents 13 of those games), but none of the previous three have been the Wildcats. Come Saturday night, Baylor will make it six.
Date
No. 1 opponent
Outcome
The buzz
Dec. 14, 1950
@Kentucky
L 85-37
Wildcats went on to win national championship, beating Kansas State in title game.
Feb. 8, 1954
Kentucky
L 97-55
UK finished 25-0 season, but did not compete in NCAA Tournament because Cliff Hagan and two others were ineligible.
Jan. 31, 1959
@Kentucky
L 94-51
Eventual NCAA Tournament loss to rival Louisville had to sting.
Feb. 7, 1966
@Kentucky
L 85-75
UK eventually ran into a team called Texas Western (See "Glory Road").
Jan. 7, 1978
Kentucky
L 86-67
Cats spanked Gators early in SEC schedule.
Feb. 4, 1978
@Kentucky
L 88-61
Jack "Goose" Givens, Kyle Macy and friends won NCAA title 15 games later, beating Duke.
March 8, 1996
vs Kentucky
L 100-76
SEC Tournament loss was Lon Kruger's final game coaching Gators
March 24, 2000
vs Duke
W 87-78
Stunning outcome in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at Syracuse Carrier Dome (a season after losing by 30 at Cameron Indoor).
April 2, 2007
vs Ohio State
W 84-75
Gators were defending NCAA champs, but Buckeyes were No. 1 in 2007 title game at Georgia Dome.
Feb. 7, 2012
@Kentucky
L 78-58
Hello, Anthony Davis and eventual NCAA champs.
March 4, 2012
Kentucky
L 74-59
Erving Walker's Senior Day.
March 10, 2012
vs Kentucky
L 74-71
Brad Beal missed a corner 3-ball for the lead with 90 seconds left in SEC Tournament semifinal at New Orleans.
Feb. 7, 2015
at Kentucky
L 68-61
Florida led in the second half, but faded after Michael Frazier II left the game with ankle injury.
March 7, 2015
@Kentucky
L 67-50
Cats join 2014 Florida as only teams in SEC history to go 18-0 in league.
March 13, 2015
vs Kentucky
L 64-49
UK's moves to 32-0 in SEC quarterfinals in what turned out to be Billy Donovan's final UF game.
Dec. 12, 2015
@Michigan State
L 58-52
Gators had brief lead on Spartans inside 10 minutes in Mike White's first look at No. 1.
Nov. 26, 2017
vs Duke
L 87-84
Florida led by 18 early in second half, but Marvin Bagley's 30 points, 15 rebounds fueled comeback of PK80 Invitational title game at Portland.
Feb. 9, 2019
@Tennessee
L 73-61
Grant Williams went for 16 points, 6 rebounds on his way to becoming first back-to-back SEC Player of Year since Arkansas's Corliss Willamson (1994-95).
