Florida Gators vs. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles: When the Underdog is the Heavy Favorite

  By The Bull Gator | March 29, 2013 - 3:55 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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Watch the news, pick up a paper, or browse the internet and you might not know who the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles’ opponent in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2013 NCAA Tournament is. You’d read about the little team that could; the school that is less than 25 years old and was known by few outside of the state of Florida’s borders until about one week ago. You might not see much about their opponent because you’d be reading about their head coach’s wife or about how the Eagles will most definitely advance to the Elite Eight. You would hear all about this underdog that has suddenly become the heavy favorite. And that makes the Florida Gators and their fans very happy.

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Basketball

No one wants to talk about the Gators. No, the focus is instead squarely on Florida Gulf Coast and a wonderment of just how far the Eagles can go. It’s not so much whether they can beat the Gators, but what will happen when they do beat the Gators. Oh, Florida is favored and you’d be hard pressed to find someone to argue that the Gators are the squad with less talent, but you wouldn’t know that this week. All you know is that Florida Gulf Coast is on a collision course with a national championship.

Well folks, that’s not going to happen. The Eagles are not going to win it all. By the time we all wake up on Saturday morning, Florida Gulf Coast could be out of the tournament altogether. Of course, the other side of that is that the Gators could be done. And that’s very true. I’m not guaranteeing a Florida win; that’s not like me in the least. I’m not saying Cinderella’s run is definitely over. I’m just wondering aloud if those out there are truly looking at the matchup, and I’m happy that many aren’t.

The Eagles’ advantage is their energy and athleticism. If you’ve only watched a small handful of Florida games this year, you know the Gators come out of the gate to start the second half with a speed of roughly half of what they normally play. In the third round, Florida saw a 21-point lead over Minnesota nearly evaporate. Once the Gators found their rhythm (a little too deep into the second half for my liking), they disposed of the Gophers and moved on. But there’s a red flag staring us all in the face and that’s that Florida could have lost that game and has lost others like it. I can’t say it will catch up with the Gators because it already has in the past. But it can’t happen against the little team that could. Can it?

Oh it can, but again that’s where planning and experience comes into play. The Gators need to make the game theirs early. They need to control the flow of the game and work to expose the Eagles’ weaknesses while not allowing Florida Gulf Coast to run for 40 minutes. Get the ball down low and allow Patric Young to control the basket. Get the ball to Erik Murphy and force his defender to come out to guard him. Florida can (and dare I say should) win this game and end Cinderella’s run.

The Gators have ended the dreams of more than one Cinderella in the past. Just one season ago, 15-seed Norfolk State upset 2-seed Missouri only to fall to the Gators in the next round by a staggering 34 points. In 2006, George Mason upset 6-seed Michigan State, 3-seed North Carolina, 7-seed Wichita State and 1-seed Connecticut on its way to the school’s first Final Four appearance. The Gators beat them by 15 in the national semifinals. Teams on rides like this tend to run out of stream. The wave they are riding dies and they become little more than a good story that had an expected end.

There are many out there that don’t want Florida Gulf Coast’s story to end just yet. The entire nation seems to be cheering for the Eagles. But there’s a group of us that aren’t. We are Florida fans and are fully behind the orange and blue. We’ve seen our own team win their first two games in the tourney by a combined 46 points. We know the Gators are the better team and hope they prove it on Friday night. We aren’t enamored by the hype and have even become angered by the ego. One week ago, we enjoyed Dunk City. Now, we’re glad the Gators are suddenly flying under the radar. Our team is the favorite that has become the underdog. And we’re all okay with that.

Florida Gators vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers: Not Time to Look Ahead

  By The Bull Gator | March 24, 2013 - 2:54 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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The Florida Gators made it to the third round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament with little resistance. They arrive in that round facing a Minnesota Golden Gophers team they can’t look past. The Sweet Sixteen is within reach, but it’s not guaranteed; just ask Gonzaga and St. Louis.

Patric Young - Florida Gators

Billy Donovan faces a familiar foe in Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith. As you recall, Donovan and Smith were on the Kentucky staff together. Smith left in 1991 for the top spot at Tulsa. Donovan left in 1994 for Marshall. The two would cross paths again when Smith took the Kentucky job just one season after Donovan began his stretch at Florida. From 1997-2007, the two were the talk of the SEC and forged a rivalry that produced epic games for many years. Since that time, Smith has fallen off of the radar for many Florida fans. Heading north to Minnesota, Smith was largely forgotten in Southeastern Conference land. On Sunday, that changes.

The Gators meet Smith’s Gophers on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Florida should move on; Minnesota should not. That’s not the bias inside of me creeping up. No, that’s what most would tell you. That’s what should happen. You know what else should have happened? Georgetown should still be playing, Gonzaga should be proving they are worthy of their No. 1 ranking, and Ohio State shouldn’t have needed a last second shot to beat Iowa State. (Still cursing that last one under my breath). So forgive me for being nervous. Then again, I’m always nervous. I find it hard to sit during most Florida-related sporting events, especially when an entire season is on the line. As much as I want to watch the game, a little piece of me wishes I could hibernate through it and be told the outcome later.

I won’t though. I’ll be watching. I’m a good Florida fan. I will be wearing too much orange and blue to count and yelling things at my television under my breath because the second half will begin right as my son goes to bed. It’ll be a good night for college basketball and hopefully a great one for our beloved coach and team. One game at a time. No looking ahead. Just win. Go Gators.

Florida Gators 79 – Northwestern State Demons 47: Gators Open NCAA Tournament with Big Win

  By The Bull Gator | March 23, 2013 - 9:13 am | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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The Florida Gators overcame a flurry of energy from the Northwestern State Demons to cruise to a 79-47 victory in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The Gators advance to the third round where they’ll face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday, March 24 at 6:10 PM.

Florida Gators

The Demons gave the Gators all they had for the first 20 minutes, but it wouldn’t be nearly enough. Northwestern State employed a line-change strategy that kept the Gators on their toes early and kept the game close. But Florida’s talent and ability to withstand Northwestern State’s 10-man rotation, helped the Gators pull away in the second half. And it was definitely a story that went that way–a tale of two halves to an extent. Florida took a 40-32 lead into the locker room at the break, but blew that wide open outscoring the Demons 39-15 in the second half.

The Gators took advantage of a shooting advantage throughout the second half. For the game, Florida made 47.5% of it’s attempts from the floor while holding Northwestern State to only 36%. Early, it appeared as if the Gators would fight for a victory like many other of the second round winners (we won’t even get into those that lost–HI GEORGETOWN!). Once Florida found it’s grove though, it was over. The Demons had no answer to the Gators second-half onslaught and Florida easily advanced.

The stars for Florida were senior forward Erik Murphy and junior center Patric Young. The two combined for 34 points on 14-for-21 shooting and grabbed 17 rebounds. As usual, as went Murphy, so went the Gators. The senior has scored 15 or more points in 13 games this season and Florida is 11-2 in those contests. And going one better, the Gators are 12-1 when he shoots 60% or better from the field. In that one loss (to Kansas State who bowed out of the tourney in a second-round upset), he shot exactly 60%. When he goes over that number, Florida is undefeated. So in summary, get Murphy open and let him shoot.

The Gators move on to the Gophers, who didn’t just upset UCLA on Saturday, but embarrassed the Bruins. It could be another case for getting the ball to Murphy and Young. Minnesota has only two players taller than 6’8″ on their roster and those two combine for only 20.5 minutes per game. Murphy and Young combine for 53.3. It could be another good one for the big men depending on what strategy head coach Billy Donovan employs.

On to the next round and a chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Florida Gators Will [FILL IN 2013 NCAA TOURNAMENT FINISH]

  By The Bull Gator | March 22, 2013 - 2:17 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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The title isn’t a mistake. I didn’t forget to go back and fill in my thoughts once I was done with the post. I really don’t know. You don’t know. The experts don’t know. President Obama doesn’t know. I’m basically trying to tell you that no one knows where the Florida Gators will exit the 2013 NCAA Tournament. We’re all guessing based on what we’ve seen over the past 33 games. What we shouldn’t be doing is making our pick based on Billy Donovan’s career.

Billy Donovan - Florida Gators

Before going further, I should put a disclaimer out there. That disclaimer would say something to the effect of the fact that I like Donovan. I’m beyond happy that he’s the Florida head coach and was ecstatic when he did an about-face and decided the Orlando Magic were not going to be his employer. There are no current basketball coaches I would rather have guiding the Gators year after year. He won at a football school and did so more than once. Billy Donovan is the Florida Gators. I hope this is the job he one day retires from (you know, a real retirement, not an Urban Meyer resigning/retiring/quitting/whatever situation).

What I meant was that Donovan-coached Florida teams can finish their season anywhere. We have two losing records, but we can throw those out because they were during his first two seasons at the helm. We have three NIT appearances, one of which was during the second of those first two seasons. The other two followed the back-to-back national championships, so we give those a bit of a pass. Then we have first round NCAA Tournament exits, second round exits, a Sweet Sixteen exit, Elite Eight exits, a national title game loss, and those two championships. Oddly, the one thing we don’t have is a Final Four exit. The three times the Gators made it to the Final Four under Donovan, they advanced to the title game. Like I said, any finish is possible.

So where do we have the Gators finishing this year? Well that’s even harder to say because of the season we just watched. Florida got all the way to a No. 2 ranking and had an 18-2 record at the time to go along with it. Since then, the Gators have gone 8-5. 18-2 is the record of a team with its eye on nothing less than the Final Four. 8-5 is that of one with a dream scenario of the Sweet Sixteen. What we need to see is which Florida team shows up.

I’d be happy to be able to predict an Elite Eight appearance for a third-consecutive year. It’s a definite possibility and one that wouldn’t surprise us as Florida fans because we’re aware that this can be a very good Gators team. Then I look at some of the losses and wonder if even that’s a stretch. Not that I don’t have confidence in Donovan or the talent on the roster, but because we’ve seen big leads evaporate and become losses quickly.

Could this team experience a letdown in an early game? Yes. I don’t wish for it, but it could happen. But it’s more likely that we really are looking at worst at a Sweet Sixteen team and at best at a Final Four participant. That’s up to the players as much as it is to Donovan and how they attack each opponent.

In a few short hours, we’ll see just how prepared the Gators are. Florida is favored by 21 points over Northwestern State. The Gators have beaten teams by that many and more. The first 20 minutes is important, but as no lead is safe, the final 20 is more so. We’re not nervous about the possibility of a one-and-done performance, but how Florida comes out will tell us a lot. Preparation is on Donovan, performance is on the players.

The NCAA Tournament Starts Tomorrow; How Excited Are You?

  By The Bull Gator | March 18, 2013 - 7:50 pm | College Basketball
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It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited for the NCAA Tournament. As a Florida fan, I’m always excited for the Gators as they make their way to the big dance, but my overall excitement for the tourney as a whole has leveled off in recent years. Call it an overwhelming obsession with one team, too many other sports on my mind at one time, or whatever you want. Whatever it is, it has put the tournament in a place of muted thrill for me.

Florida Gators - National Champions

That doesn’t mean I don’t watch, but I’ve been a halfhearted tourney follower at best. My brackets were completed with little thought and venture too far out of the SEC and I may give you a line similar to “er…uh…yeah…sure they can pull off the upset…they have that guy, don’t they…no, the tall one…you know who I mean.” I was a sports fan that needed a slap on the wrist, or better yet a smack across the back of the head.

For whatever reason, that period of my life has since passed. I’ve become more involved in the college basketball season and more excited for what March brings than in other recent years (and not just because yours truly has a birthday on the horizon). I’ve watched games, I’ve followed the latest stories, and I’ve even found myself fretting over 8-9 matchups. Basically, I’m back.

Just the other day, Mrs. TBG (not much of a basketball fan) said from her spot on the couch “the Florida game ended, we’re still watching basketball?” Yes. Yes we were. And we still are. I’m excited. Overly so.

I printed out my bracket early this morning and it has more corrections, fixes, and edits than I remember it having in five years. March is here and I’m ready. I’m ready too watch the orange and blue try to win a close game. I’m ready to cheer on those other schools I’ve always liked for reasons I can’t understand (North Carolina) and reasons I can (Wisconsin) should something drastic happen to the Gators too early. And I’m ready to be consumed by all that is college basketball for the next three weeks.

Florida Gators Secure No. 3 Seed in South Region of 2013 NCAA Tournament

  By The Bull Gator | March 17, 2013 - 7:50 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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After falling to the Ole Miss Rebels in the finals of the SEC Tournament, the Florida Gators took a small tumble when it came to NCAA Tournament seeding. Thought by many to be a 2-seed if the Gators had won their conference championship, the loss pushed Florida all the way down to…wait for it…3-seed status.

Patric Young - Florida Gators

The Gators are the 3-seed in the South Region and will face the 14-seed Northwestern State Demons in the second round (which used to be the first round, but is now the second round because someone insisted on calling the play-in games the first round) on Friday, March 22. The Friday opening game means a victory would have Florida playing again on Sunday, March 24. If the Gators do indeed defeat the Demons, they will face either the 6-seed UCLA Bruins or the 11-seed Minnesota Golden Gophers. Those four play their opening games in Austin, TX.

The South Region isn’t lacking of talented teams. The teams, in order of seeding, include Kansas, Georgetown, Florida, Michigan, VCU, UCLA, San Diego State, North Carolina, Villanova, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Akron, South Dakota State, Northwestern State, Florida Gulf Coast and Western Kentucky. If the Gators can manage to get past their first two opponents, a likely rematch with Georgetown looms in the Sweet Sixteen. If you remember, the Gators and Hoyas played on an aircraft carrier to open the season in a game that ultimately wasn’t counted.

In 2006, Florida won the national championship as a 3-seed. In that tournament, the Gators came out of a region that also included Georgetown, Villanova and Oklahoma. And that, kids, is what we call searching desperately for some link to past glory that we can thrust upon this year’s team.

Until Friday and the start of the true season.

Ole Miss Rebels 66 – Florida Gators 63: Gators Blow 14-Point Lead in SEC Tournament Final

  By The Bull Gator | March 17, 2013 - 3:26 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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After 20 minutes of basketball, you would have thought the Florida Gators were on their way to a blowout victory in the final of the SEC Tournament. Unfortunately, games are a full 40 minutes and the Ole Miss Rebels saved their best basketball for the second half. Up 14 at one point during the first 20, the Gators saw a 12-point halftime lead evaporate, eventually falling 66-63 to the Rebels. Florida was a lock for the NCAA Tournament regardless of the outcome of this one and now Ole Miss will join them in the big dance.

Billy Donovan - Florida Gators

Rebels junior guard Marshall Henderson did what he was supposed to do–score–but he was bested by one of his teammates. Senior forward Murphy Holloway went 11-for-14 from the field, finished with a game-high 23 points, and added 10 rebounds. Henderson made the tough shots and was the spark of the Ole Miss comeback, but Holloway was the player of the game.

The Gators offense was hot at times–the first half–and not at others–the second half. On the day, Florida only managed to connect on 37.2% of their shots and went an abysmal 8-for-17 from the free-throw line. The Gators first half intensity was not only matched by the Rebels in the second half, but outdone. To Florida’s credit, they did fight back to stay in it and make it a game at the end, but it was far from enough as Ole Miss held on to be crowned conference champions.

Head coach Billy Donovan has little time to find an answer to Florida’s struggles in close games. The NCAA Tournament is made up of close games and the Gators can’t seem to win them. As we’ve seen in recent years, Florida is able to put together runs, but those runs are eventually unraveled by the inevitable close game. At 26-7, the Gators are good. They are very good. But those seven losses show a weakness and one that every team Florida matches up against will look to exploit. Pressure the Gators in the second half and you can have success even if you’re overmatched.

Florida has a few days to think about it all and shake off this loss, but there can be no more. One more loss means the Gators are going home and, for the few seniors, the end of their Florida careers. If there was a time to figure out how to pull ahead in close games, now is that time.

Florida Gators vs. Ole Miss Rebels: SEC Championship on the Line

  By The Bull Gator | March 17, 2013 - 11:18 am | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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The Florida Gators appear to have found their rhythm. After a pedestrian finish to the 2012-13 regular season, the Gators have turned up the intensity and marched to back-to-back double-digit victories. Florida now finds itself in the SEC Tournament championship game against the Ole Miss Rebels. A win means the double–regular season and conference tourney titles.

Will Yeguete - Florida Gators

The 26-6 Gators are looking for win number 27, which would break a tie with the 2011-12 team for the fifth most under head coach Billy Donovan. Of the four Donovan-coached Florida teams that won more games, two won the national title, one lost in the championship game, and the other exited the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight. We don’t know how the story will end for this season’s team, but it’s safe to say they have become one of Donovan’s best.

Florida is peaking at the right time, but so is Ole Miss. The Rebels have won their last four and six of their last seven. And they’ve found a way to win the close ones. Two of their last four victories have been by four points or less.

These two teams have met once before during this season and both were ranked at the time. The Gators took a 13-point lead into the locker room at halftime and held on to win 78-64. Florida’s big men were just too much for Ole Miss as senior forward Erik Murphy and junior center Patric Young combined for 32 points and 18 rebounds. Rebels junior guard Marshall Henderson–one of the nation’s best scorers–did pour in 25 points, but he didn’t have much help from his teammates.

The Gators will look to contain Henderson, but may alternatively focus on the rest of the Ole Miss offense. Donovan’s Florida teams have had success in the past letting the star players of opponents be great while shutting down the rest of the roster. The first matchup between these two is one example as is the national championship game victory over Ohio State at the end of the 2006-07 season. Donovan’s plan allowed for Buckeyes star Greg Oden to dominate down low while focusing on the rest of the Buckeyes offense. While Mike Conley did add 20 points to Oden’s 25, no other starting Buckeye shot at even a 50% clip. Similar to the earlier win over the Rebels when senior forward Murphy Holloway had 15 points to go with Henderson’s 25, but did so on 5-for-16 shooting.

So don’t be surprised it Henderson gets his buckets, but the rest of the Ole Miss offense has trouble scoring. Donovan and the Gators know what talent Henderson brings and at times they may not be able to stop him, but if they can slow the rest of the Rebels roster, they could be taking a new trophy back to Gainesville.

Florida Gators 61 – Alabama Crimson Tide 51: Gators Advance to SEC Tournament Finals

  By The Bull Gator | March 16, 2013 - 3:16 pm | Florida Gators Men's Basketball
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The Florida Gators advanced to the SEC Tournament finals after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 61-51 on Saturday. The Gators needed a second-half comeback sparked by senior guard Kenny Boynton to pull past the Tide, but were able to do so in fine fashion. Florida will face either the Ole Miss Rebels or Vanderbilt Commodores for the conference championship.

Kenny Boynton - Florida Gators

Boynton scored all 16 of his points in a six-minute span in the second half. His sudden burst of offense turned the tide on the (sorry about this) Tide. Suddenly, a 10-point Bama lead became a 10-point Florida win. Struggling mightily in recent weeks, Boynton saw his fortunes change. He finished the day shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-6 from behind the arc. Despite only finding the basket during those six minutes, Boynton was the Gators leading scorer.

Senior guard Mike Rosario and junior center Patric Young joined Boynton with double-digit scoring. The Gators, as a team, didn’t shoot nearly as well as they did just one day earlier in the win over LSU, but it was enough to advance. While the Tide put enough pressure on the Gators to hold on to a solid lead for a good portion of the game, they just couldn’t keep it going. During the final 15 minutes of the game, Florida showed just how good they can be. The Gators outscored the Tide 34-14 over that span, which included a 15-0 run at one point.

Head coach Billy Donovan now finds his squad playing for the SEC championship. Already having taken home the regular season title, the Gators want the tournament trophy. If Florida can continue their run and put together a third-straight impressive victory, the NCAA Tournament selection committee will take notice and reward the Gators. There’s just one more game to make an impression. Only Ole Miss or Vandy stand in the way.