Prosperity, Praise & Polls: How Will Gators Respond?
Wednesday, February 3, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Some high-level offense and pretty sound defense have put the Florida basketball team on a four-game winning streak, highlighted by wins over two highly ranked opponents. The stretch appears to have provided the Gators with a jolt of confidence (maybe even a bit of swag), while also illuminating a sense of just what this club's identity might be.
UF can score at all three levels, has some length and rim protection on defense, and evidently some intangible substance, given where the team was emotionally nearly two months ago following the trauma of the Keyontae Johnson collapse.
Folks have taken notice.
Take the voters in the Associated Press poll, for example. The four consecutive victories — the first a 26-point blowout of No. 6 Tennessee on Jan. 19; and most recent Saturday's road upset at 11th-ranked West Virginia in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge — were fueled by a combined 52-percent shooting, plus some connected, improving defense that guarded at 42-percent overall and 29 from the 3-point line. The confluence moved the Gators into the Top 25 this week for the first time since the first month of the 2019-20 season.
Obviously, Florida has this college basketball thing all figured out, right?
"You know how I'm going to answer that one," UF coach Mike White said.
The Gators are playing better than at any time this season and followed Saturday's 85-80 triumph over the Mountaineers with a good, solid practice Monday. Even White would cop to that much. But rest assured, no one in the UF basketball building believes the team has arrived. And hat's exactly where their collective heads need to be as the Gators (10-4, 5-3), now No. 22 in the country, wade back into Southeastern Conference play Wednesday night against South Carolina (4-6, 2-5) at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Save a lengthy run during the 2016-17 season (one that ended in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament), the Gators haven't been great when playing with a digit attached to their name. In six seasons under White, UF is 30-18 when ranked, but throw out the 19-8 mark of '16-17 and White's teams are 11-10 over the last four seasons.
This particular club hasn't been tested on that front, but the Gators' most recent foray into the Top 25 should provide a reminder.
"Rankings don't mean anything," sophomore guard Tre Mann said. "We were ranked high last year and saw how fast you can lose it."
CHARTING THE GATORS Mike White took over as Florida coach in 2015. Here's a look at where his six UF teams stand when it comes to facing ranked opponents, compared to other Southeastern Conference teams during his six seasons.
Most Top 25 road wins
4 — Florida
3 — Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
2 — Arkansas
1 — Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, Vanderbilt
0 — Mississippi State
UF went the entire '18-19 season without sniffing the rankings, but the arrival of grad-transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr., plus one of the top recruiting classes in the country (highlighted by a pair of McDonald's All Americans in Mann and guard Scottie Lewis) had the Gators debuting at No. 6 last season. Within two weeks, they'd lost twice and tumbled from the Top 25, seemingly collapsing under the expectations. They showed up a couple weeks later, but that didn't last, either.
Now, after the best non-conference road victory of the White era, here they are again, just in time for a visit from the Gamecocks, almost always a tough out under Coach Frank Martin. USC figures to be in an ornery mood, given Saturday's double-digit loss at Vanderbilt, which began the day as the lone winless team in the SEC. The danger here, of course, is obvious.
Leading scorer Tre Mann (right) and his UF teammates will try not to get too big-headed in the wake of returning to the Top 25.
The Gamecocks are wounded, but more than capable of coming to the O'Dome and delivering a blow. The Gators, with so much prosperity the last couple weeks and that newly minted number by their name, now have a target on their back; one a bunch of guys on this team haven't exactly handled very well.
"We don't want to get too into all of the being ranked Top-25 and start letting up on certain things," junior guard Noah Locke said. "We've got to continue to get better every day and trust the process and understand that we have a chance to be really good. We can't fall into that stuff."
And they'll talk about that very concern. Some.
"Very briefly, because it means nothing," White said. "The opponent means a lot, but really we've got to be most concerned with being the Florida Gators and being the best we can be on a daily basis. Everything else will take care of itself. We spend a ton of time talking about ourselves. Being our best version. That's where our focus should be — where it needs to be — or [else] shame on us."
