Golden has the Gators ready to take the next step to greatness

Micah Handlogten (3) and Walter Clayton Jr. (1) put the squeeze on a Gamecock (UAA Photo)

“Our goal is to be the best team in America,” Todd Golden said Saturday night.

The 3rd-ranked Florida Gators (22-3, 9-3 SEC) certainly looked like the No. 1 team in the country, especially in the second half when they made the South Carolina Gamecocks look like a possum that just met his maker after a collsion with an 18-wheeler on 441 just south of Payne’s Prairie. For the second straight game, the Gators just ratcheted up the juice in the second half, almost as if the players made a collective decision to end the nonsense and leave these guys in a heap on the highway, just waiting for the buzzards to come pick apart the remains.

If you go by the record alone – South Carolina is 10-15, 0-12 in the SEC – then the Gators did exactly what they should have, turning a 37-33 halftime lead into an 88-67 runaway. It could have been worse but it is hard to argue with a 21-point win when you’re playing with a beat up and bruised lineup. The Gators played the game without Alex Condon and backup big guy Sam Alexis, who viewed the game in civvies wearing stylish boots to protect sprained ankles. Alijah Martin came off the bench after missing the last two games with a hip pointer. He still wasn’t 100 percent but he was good enough to give the Gators 11 points off the bench.

Micah Handlogten gave the Gators the first 20 minutes of competitive basketball he’s played since that horrendous compound fracture suffered in last year’s SEC Championship Game. He was a jolt of energy and an immediate intimidating defensive presence. He blocked a couple of shots, altered several others. He directed defensive traffic from the paint while walling off the rim. When Gamecocks collapsed their defense on him, he unselfishly gave the ball up to shooters.

Handlogten’s five assists were eye-opening.

“How about Micah's unselfishness, right?” Golden said with a joyous tone. He knows like no one else the apprehension and fears of overcoming an injury that could have spelled the end of Handlogten’s basketball career. He also knows the character of his 7-1 junior, who put team above self to return when his team was in desperate need due to the injuries.

“Like, it could be very easy for him say, 'Ah, you know, I only got this many games left. I don't want to waste it.' And he's like, 'Dude, I have a chance to go play with my buddies and compete, to go try to win, you know, a lot of games down the stretch.' And it's, it's been a long journey for him, obviously. All of us, but him specifically, he's living it. And, I just can't imagine how joyful he feels to be able to go out there and play 20 minutes now, you know. Got a bucket, nice little and-one. He had five assists, one turnover, two blocks, two steals. He was impactful. You know, he made winning plays. It's great to have him back out there."

Handlogten’s numbers weren’t as gaudy as those of Denzel Aberdeen and Tommy Haugh, but they were every bit as meaningful. Thrust into the starting lineup because of injuries, Aberdeen and Haugh have responded spectacularly and the Gators haven’t missed a beat. Add the return of Handlogten to the way Aberdeen and Haugh have played and it’s not all that difficult to envision a Florida team that is capable of being the best team in America.

Starting his fourth straight game, Aberdeen lit up the Gamecocks for 22 points. He scored on fast breaks. He drove to the basket and put the ball in the hole. He was deadly on threes, particularly from the corner. He was 5-7 on his threes, gave the ball up for three assists and went 30 minutes without turning the ball over.

Haugh went off for 20. He stretched the South Carolina defense with 3-pointers (3-6). He grabbed six rebounds, found teammates for three assists, blocked a shot and stole the ball twice. As is his habit, he seemed like he was everywhere on the defensive end of the floor, playing with reckless abandon and contagious energy.

The way Aberdeen and Haugh were playing, Walter Clayton Jr. didn’t have to carry the offensive load. He only scored 10 points, but he had eight assists and only two turnovers. Will Richard only scored eight but he was a nagging defensive presence. Richard passed up shots that a selfish player would have taken to keep the ball moving. Rueben Chinyelu, with Handlogten filling in the vital third man role in the big rotation, scored 10, grabbed five of his six rebounds in the second half, and blocked a shot. Like Handlogten, he was part of a defensive wall in the paint that forced bad shots and kept the Gamecocks from getting out on the fast break. Martin, still not 100 percent after the hip pointer suffered against Vanderbilt, showed some rust of inaction in the first half, but he was outstanding in the second when he scored eight of his 11 points.

The Gators have gone 4-0 since losing to Tennessee in Knoxville and they’ve done it shorthanded in every game. Clayton missed the Vandy game with a sprained ankle. Martin missed the road wins of No. 1 Auburn and Mississippi State with a hip pointer. Condon sprained an ankle and played only 30 seconds at Mississippi State. Alexis also sprained an ankle during the Mississippi State game.

And yet, here we are, middle of February and the Gators are steamrolling anyone that gets in their path. Good teams wilt when their best players go down with injuries. Great teams compensate, which is exactly what Golden and the Gators have done. By winning in spite of having to juggle his lineup and minutes, Golden has the Gators on the precipice of real greatness.

This is a team that is very capable of winning a national championship. This is the only team in the country that has beaten a team ranked No. 1 TWICE. Florida beat Tennessee by 30 points at the O-Dome. The Gators beat Auburn by nine at Neville Arena and that was without Alijah Martin, the second leading scorer and the Southeastern Conference’s best perimeter defender. That should be taken into account today when the new polls come out. The Gators should take over Alabama’s No. 2 slot in the AP poll.

Auburn will get plenty of love and that’s just fine. The Gators are lurking and winning without a full, healthy roster. The Gators are formidable even when shorthanded. They have a chance to be spectacular when Golden gets his roster back to full strength.

Over at the Heavener Center, Florida offensive linemen wear a ball cap that reads 5=1, as in five linemen playing together as one unit can get things done. The Florida O-line isn’t five 5-star guys, it’s five guys who weren’t at the top of the recruiting food chain who have found success by blending their talents and attitudes. It’s about parking egos at the door and putting selfish desires on the back burner.

Todd Golden has done the same thing with the basketball team. Unlike Duke or Kentucky or other bluebloods, the Gators don’t plug and play 5-star guys. There isn’t a single 5-star on the Florida roster, but Golden has team first guys who will do whatever it takes for the good of a team that should find itself ranked No. 2 in the nation when the polls come out Monday.

Golden uses Haugh as the perfect example of leaving egos behind while doing what is best for the team.  

“This team has a chance to do really special things because of guys like Tommy Haugh, right?” Golden said.  “Like, a guy that there's not a selfish bone in his body. He, in this world, you know, we're in, he could have every reason to come, 'Hey, man, you know, I'm killing out there. I need more minutes,' and he's like, 'Dude, whatever you need for the team,' you know, 'Whatever you need for the team,' and that, that is why we are good.

“You know, we've talked about it a lot, but we have a lot of guys, you know, I think Rueben (Chinyelu) was really the only guy that was like a four-star level player coming out of high school. Everybody else is three-stars or lower mid-major transfers up. You know, we think of our whole staff as kind of being underdogs. And you know, that mentality, that chip, is a big part of why I think this team has been successful. Continuing to want to prove that we belong, continuing to want to prove that we are capable of doing this for an extended period of time. And you know, when you have guys like Tommy that are willing to come off the bench, and then when you need them to start, step up, they can give you 20 points and six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes, it’s a luxury and we have a lot of really good players."

The Gators do have a lot of good players. Yes, good players whose willingness to be a part of something special instead of trying to be THE special one has Florida ready to take the next steps on the journey to greatness.

It’s there for the taking.