It May Be A Lopsided Outcome, But Gators Have Something To Prove

Chinyelu Is the leader of intensity as Gators try to reboot (UAA Photo)

Usually after a painful loss, the Gators go on a winning streak.

It's nothing more than a scrimmage, if that, Friday night after most seniors' bedtime when the Florida Gators finally get back to the business of playing basketball as a whopping 35-point favorite in their first round of March Madness.

Their first hane will be against Prairie View A&M in Tampa, but it is really against themselves. There is some unattended business to handle as Florida shakes off the memories of the butt-whipping they got from Vanderbilt. Todd Golden thinks the painful loss to Vanderbilt was an anomaly, and I agree. But they've got to show it.

If they muscle up and get back to the physical style of play against the Panthers that made them a No. 1 seed on the way to a 26-7 record and don't turn the basketball over then we'll know they have shaken it off. That will get them back on track for the Sunday game with the Clemson-Iowa winner and the gauntlet that most likely goes through Houston, but not on the Cougars' campus.

The “road game” for a 1‑seed?

No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Houston are set up for a potential Elite Eight rematch of last year’s title game in Houston’s backyard at the Toyota Center, a few miles from campus.

You don’t need a PhD in Bracketing Principles to know that sounds more like a neutral‑site guarantee game than a fair regional final for the higher seed.

When the defending national champion can realistically find itself playing a de‑facto road game as the better seed, the message is subtle but clear: “Congrats on the trophy, now go prove it all over again under somebody else’s banners.”

If that happened to a blue‑blood with a hundred years of committee goodwill, it would be a talking‑point crisis; with Florida, it’s another shrug and a footnote.

They can use the disrespect card as motivation. Frankly most Gator fans are disgruntled about how some of their stars were blown off in post-season honors. Thomas Haugh, who did everything you’re supposed to do in the script, went from glue guy on a title team to headliner, leading Florida at 17.1 points, 6.2 boards, 2 assists with a block and a steal on a 26‑7 group that earned a 1‑seed.

That’s lottery‑pick chatter, face‑of‑the‑program production and best player on a legitimate repeat contender, and somehow the ledger spits out…??? AP Third‑Team All‑American.?

And there's more. SEC Defender of Rueben Chinyelu, a mighty force and prime motivator for intensity, was certainly undervalued. And who played better basketball these past five weeks than Alex Condon?

On paper, those are big-time stars, especially when you factor in that it’s the engine of the defending national champions. But who cares?

“Paper” is where Florida keeps losing the argument: In a crowded national conversation, Haugh’s year gets treated like a nice story instead of the kind of season that usually gets you a fat TV feature and a reserved seat at the awards show.

I have several well-known media friends out of the market who still like Florida and love Golden's roster. When I prompted a Birminham guy to pick which Gator would be the biggest factor, he blurted out " I like them all!"

I ascribe to the notion that this is the time of year where teams get better or worse. Certainly they are not worse and have a history of big winning streak after a painful loss. That's badnews for Prairie View A&M, and likely for those to follow.