Goal No. 1 for Gators: Avoid being the next Virginia

Absolutely nobody wants to be the next Virginia.

March 16, 2018, a day that will live in infamy among Virginia fans; a day that strikes fear into every No. 1 seeded team in the NCAA Tournament ever since. On that day the University of Maryland at Baltimore Retrievers, the 16th seed left No. 1 seed Virginia lying in the tall grass weeds on the side of the road in the South Regional, 74-54.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but then again no No. 1 ever goes into that first game of the NCAA Tournament thinking a lowly No. 16 is capable of bringing their season to an abrubt and most embarrassing end. Coached by Ryan Odom, son of former Wake Forest and South Carolina head coach Dave Odom, the Retrievers shocked the basketball world, becoming the first 16 seed to beat a No. 1. Not just any No. 1 mind you, but the overall No. 1 for the entire 2018 tournament.

Until UMBC pulled it off, everyone rationalized that it would never happen. The way the Retrievers did it by shooting 54 percent from the field against the nation’s top defensive team was a shot across the bow of every future No. 1. You could rationalize a white knuckler decided by a last second shot or a free throw. You don’t rationalize a 20-point bludgeoning and that is exactly what this was. In the second half, UMBC outscored Virginia 53-33 and it could have been worse.

As the 2025 NCAA Tournament kicks off today all eyes will be on Houston and Auburn to see if the impossible happens again. Houston plays Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in a Midwest Regional game in Wichita while Auburn, the overall No. 1 seed, takes on No. 16 Alabama State at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Should Houston and Auburn survive, the attention shifts Friday to Raleigh where Duke faces 16 seed Mount Saint Mary’s in the East Regional and Florida faces No. 16 Norfolk State in the West Regional.

Of these four games, Florida got the toughest draw. Norfolk State is 24-10 while playing a schedule that included Stanford (NIT), Grand Canyon (NCAA), Baylor (NCAA), Alabama State (NCAA), Baylor (NCAA), High Point (NCAA) and Tennessee (NCAA). The Vols were ranked No. 1 at the time and Norfolk State gave them a formidable half before falling, 67-52.

“They’re a good club,” Florida coach Todd Golden said Tuesday. “They’re good at both sides of the ball and effective field-goal percentage. They do a good job of turning teams over. My hope is our size and physicality will wear them down a little bit. At this point, any team that makes the tournament is dangerous and has different aspects and qualities to their team that makes them challenging. Norfolk State won’t be any different that way.” 

A year ago as the No. 6 seed, the Gators dropped their opening game in the NCAA Tournament to Colorado, which had to win a play-in game to become a No. 11 seed. The Gators had endured four games in four days at the Southeastern Conference Tournament where they lost in the championship game to Auburn.

This year, both the stakes and expectations for the Gators are much, much higher. All four of the ESPN panelists Sunday predicted Florida would emerge as the national champion in three weeks. The Gators got the fourth No. 1 seed. They also got a tough draw that should have their undivided attention.

Golden knows the importance of a laser focused Florida team. Now that it’s tournament time, it’s sudden death. Unlike the regular season which gives second chances and opportunities to teams that slip on a banana peel, the NCAA Tournament isn’t forgiving. Win and you live to fight another day. Do it six times and you win the national championship. Lose and the season is over.

So, Golden fully expects the Gators to treat Friday’s game at the Lenovo Center like a business trip, treating every small detail as if it is the difference in winning and losing. But it all starts with attitude and respect. Don’t show up in Raleigh thinking that Norfolk State is incapable of giving the Gators a run for the money. Don’t show up thinking it will take anything less than the same kind of effort the Gators used to demolish Missouri, Alabama and Tennessee in consecutive games at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

“We’re not going to let how ESPN picked us to win affect our mentality going in the first weekend,” Golden said. “We’re certainly not going to let CBS’s thoughts affect the first weekend as well. That’s their job to talk about it, and it’s our job to go out there and do it and be successful.”

CLAYTON HONORED AGAIN

Walter Clayton Jr. added two more All-America teams to his list of accolades. Wednesday, the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches named Clayton to their All-America first teams. Clayton is a consensus All-American, the first to make first team in University of Florida history.

NABC first team: Johni Broome, Auburn; Walter Clayton Jr., Florida; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Mark Sears, Alabama; Braden Smith, Purdue

NABC second team: Kam Jones, Marquette; Ryan Kalkenbrenner, Creighton; RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s; John Tonje, Wisconsin; JT Toppin, Texas Tech

NABC third team: LJ Cryer, Houston; Eric Dixon, Villanova; PJ Haggerty, Memphis; Chaz Lanier, Tennessee; Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

USBWA first team: Johni Broome, Auburn; Walter Clayton Jr., Florida; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Mark Sears, Alabama; Braden Smith, Purdue

USBWA second team: PJ Haggerty, Memphis; Kam Jones, Marquette; Ryan Kalkenbrenner, Creighton; RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s; JT Toppin, Texas Tech

USBWA third team: LJ Cryer, Houston; Hunter Dickinson, Kansas; Eric Dixon, Villanova; John Tonje, Wisconsin; Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

SEC BASKETBALL

Wednesday’s game

Xavier (22-11) 86, Texas (19-16) 80

Today’s games

East Region

9 Georgia (20-12) vs. 8 Gonzaga (25-8); Cleveland

Midwest Region

15 Wofford (19-15) vs. 2 Tennessee (27-7); Lexington

West Region

10 Arkansas (20-13) vs. 7 Kansas (21-12); Providence

11 Drake (30-3) vs. 6 Missouri (22-11); Wichita

South Region16 Alabama State (20-15) vs. 1 Auburn (28-5); Lexington

13 Yale (22-13) vs. 4 Texas A&M (22-10); Denver

Friday’s games

West Region

16 Norfolk State (24-10) vs. 1 FLORIDA (30-4); Raleigh

9 Oklahoma (20-13) vs. 8 UConn (23-10); Raleigh

East Region

9 Baylor (19-14) vs. 8 Mississippi State (22-12); Raleigh

15 Robert Morris (26-8) vs. 2 Alabama (25-8); Cleveland

10 Vanderbilt (20-12) vs. 7 Saint Mary’s (28-5); Cleveland

South Region

11 North Carolina (23-13) vs. 6 Ole Miss (22-11); Milwaukee

Midwest Region

14 Troy (23-10) vs. 3 Kentucky (22-11); Milwaukee