Gators are taking on the look of the nation's most complete team

Alex Condon dunks on Alabama (UAA Photo)

Give Chris Beard and Sean Miller credit. Faced with a Florida (22-6, 13-2 SEC) basketball team whose momentum is snowballing, the Ole Miss (Beard) and Texas (Miller) coaches have reverted to the Al McGuire cut the head off the snake defensive philosophy. Determined to prevent Rueben Chinyelu from dominating them on the inside, they have successfully neutralized Florida’s big guy, who came into the Ole Miss game as the nation’s leading rebounder with 16 double-doubles.

You could add Chinyelu’s totals for both games and you wouldn’t have a double-double – three points and six rebounds against Ole Miss and five and four against Texas. The strategy was definitely effective, but should be filed under the category it seemed like a really good idea at the moment.

There was just one teensy little problem. In gambling to take out Chinyelu they left the perimeter wide open and it created opportunities for Alex Condon to take over the game in the paint. In the last two games, the Gators are 19-40 from the 3-point line while Condon has gone off for 47 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, five blocked shots and a steal.

Since early season, defenses have sagged to clog up the middle while daring Florida to make shots on the perimeter. In Florida’s six losses, the Gators are a combined 40-153 from the 3-point line. That’s 26.1 percent. In the losses to Arizona, Duke and UConn the Gators shot 19-80 on threes while creating the impression that Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland couldn’t find the ocean if they were on a boat 100 miles off the continental shelf.

For the season, Lee is shooting just 27.8 percent on his threes, but in the last five games he is 11-26 (42.3 percent). Against Ole Miss and Texas he was 3-6. Fland is 21.2 percent for the year, but he has nailed 5-9 in the wins over Ole Miss and Texas.

Picking up the slack for Lee and Fland have been Tommy Haugh, who had a three in 22 straight games prior to Texas when the streak ended in large part because of foul troubles that disrupted his productivity, and Urban Klavzar, who has become Florida’s mad bomber. Klavzar is making 40.1 percent of his threes for the season, but more impressive an even 50 percent (21-42) in Florida’s eight wins since the loss to Auburn. Additionally, when left open, Isaiah Brown (35.1 percent) has shown he can nail a three.

As for Condon, the low point of the season was Auburn when he scored one more point than a dead man. In the eight games since, his stat line reads 122 points (15.25), 57 rebounds (7.1), 34 assists (4.25), five steals and 13 blocked shots. He has even nailed a three in each of the last two wins, but his lethal weapon has been a little push shot from eight feet on in. Since the Auburn game, Condon is 49-76 overall from the field (64.4 percent).

More than adequately, these guys have proven that Florida is far more than a one-man gang. There is such a fine line between winning and losing but as Lee and Fland re-discover their outside shots and Condon goes beast mode, the Gators are taking on the look of the nation’s most complete team. There are still three Southeastern Conference games remaining – Arkansas and Mississippi State at home, Kentucky at Rupp – but the 7^th-ranked Gators need only to win Saturday and they will clinch the SEC regular season championship.

It’s probably a little too early to start calling the Gators a great team, but shots are falling and the inside game is still dominant even when Chinyelu is neutralized. This team seems ready to take that next step that will take them from very, very good to great.

SEC in ESPN (Joe Lunardi) bracketology

East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Kansas; 4. Alabama (SEC: 10. Texas A&M)

South: 1. UConn; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Houston; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 10. Texas)

Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Iowa State; 3. Nebraska; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 9. Georgia; 10. Missouri; 11. Auburn)

West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Michigan State (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 7. Kentucky)

SEC in CBS bracketology

East: 1. Duke; 2. Purdue; 3. Michigan State; 4. Alabama (SEC: 10. Georgia)

South: 1. UConn; 2. Purdue; 3. Houston; 4. Gonzaga (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 10. Texas)

Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Kansas; 4. Nebraska (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 9. Missouri; 10. Texas)

West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Virginia; 4. Vanderbilt (SEC: 10. Auburn)

Top 25 plus SEC in NCAA NET rankings: 1. Duke; 2. Michigan; 3. Arizona; 4. Illinois; 5. Gonzaga; 6. FLORIDA; 7. Purdue; 8. Iowa State; 9. UConn; 10. Houston; 11. Nebraska; 12. Michigan State; 13. Virginia; 14. Kansas; 15. Texas Tech; 16. Louisville; 17. Vanderbilt; 18. Arkansas; 19. Alabama; 20. Tennessee; 21. BYU; 22. Saint Mary’s; 23. St. John’s; 24. Saint Louis; 25. Utah State (SEC: 29. Kentucky; 33. Georgia; 35. Auburn; 40. Texas; 42. Texas A&M; 58. Missouri; 65. LSU; 67. Oklahoma; 93. Ole Miss; 96. Mississippi State; 108. South Carolina

WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC

16. South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC): Lamont Paris is under contract through 2030 so there is a reasonable possibility that the powers that be at South Carolina will give him another year. That might not settle well with the check-writing portion of the faithful.

15. Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC): Some very informed people think Chris Beard is seriously considering moving on but he’s making $5 million a year. Who’s going to pay him that much especially after such a rotten season?

14. Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC): Chris Jans is another coach whose name is popping up as entertaining the idea of a lateral move. The schedule says three more losses so he might be thinking he’s hit the ceiling at MSU.

13. LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC): A case can be made to fire Matt McMahon, but with one win in the last three he ensures no worse than a .500 season, which might be considered remarkable when taking into account all the injuries.

12. Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC): The Sooners are every bit as capable of going 0-3 down the final stretch as they are going 3-0. Nobody knows which team will show up. The question is will the AD give Porter Moser another year or is he a goner?

11. Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC): Steven Pearl needs to win two of the last three and then one or maybe two at the SEC Tournament to get the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament. The next two are Ole Miss and LSU, both at home.

10. Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC): The guess is that Mizzou makes the NCAA Tournament if it gets to 20 wins overall and 10 in SEC play.

9.  Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC): The Longhorns really need two more wins in the regular season and at least one at the SEC Tournament to feel comfortable about their NCAA Tournament chances.

8. Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC): Two of the last three (South Carolina, at Mississippi State) are quite winnable. Georgia is almost certain to get in if it gets to 20 wins, but a break even SEC record (9-9) would make the tournament selection committee feel a lot better.

7. Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC): Mark Pope has a $22 million roster that hasn’t played like it’s paid. The Wildcats are a lock for the tournament because they will assure the NCAA of at least one sellout. Fans aren’t happy with The Pope of the Bluegrass, but he’s going to get one more year.

6. Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC): The lack of size and overall talent is catching up with the Aggies. That full court press isn’t nearly as effective now as it was earlier in the year but it’s good enough that the Aggies are an NCAA lock.

5. Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC): Duke Miles is back from an injury and with him in the lineup, the Commodores are a much different team. If the Commodores figure out a way  beat Kentucky and Tennessee on the road in their last three games, they might make the No. 4 line when the NCAA selects.

4. Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC): The Vols have a chance to derail Alabama Saturday night in Knoxville. If Rick Barnes can muster up three wins to close out the season Tennessee could get the double bye for the SEC Tournament.

3. Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC): Alabama can’t play a lick of defense, but the Tide is outscoring people. Saturday’s game at Tennessee is critical for both SEC Tournament and NCAA seeding.

2. Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC): If the Razorbacks go 3-0 the rest of the way they’ll win the SEC title. Win two out of three and they could be a No. 4 in the NCAA Tournament.

1.FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC): The big bad Gators are scorching hot these days. Remember all that talk about guard issues? Forget that. The nation’s best front court now has guards making shots. The rest of the country should be very, very afraid.

Saturday’s SEC games

No. 20 Arkansas (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 7 FLORIDA (22-6, 13-2 SEC)

No. 17 Alabama (21-7, 11-4 SEC) at No. 22 Tennessee (20-8, 10-5 SEC)

No. 25 Vanderbilt (22-6, 9-6 SEC) at Kentucky (18-10, 9-6 SEC)

Texas (17-11, 8-7 SEC) at Texas A&M (19-9, 9-6 SEC)

Missouri (19-9, 9-6 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-15, 5-10 SEC)

South Carolina (12-16, 3-12 SEC) at Georgia (19-9, 7-8 SEC)

Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC) at Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC)

Oklahoma (14-14, 4-11 SEC) at LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC)