Golden's patience has paid off with his four guys on the perimeter

Another thunder dunk from Isaiah Brown (Photo by Chris Spears)

“The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man without trials.” – Confucius

There is nothing beautiful about an uncut, unpolished diamond, yet in the hands of a master what looks like an ugly rock can be transformed into a thing of beauty worth thousands of dollars. Back on December 10 when the Gators were 5-4, having just lost to UConn 77-73 at Madison Square Garden, Florida was that uncut, unpolished stone that had no luster and in the eyes of the so-called experts of college basketball, very little value.

Florida’s loss to UConn was its third against a highly ranked opponent. All three of those games were winnable, but at crunch time it seemed the Gators found creative ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. December 10 found Florida at a crossroads. Would the Gators shatter like an unpolished diamond in the hands of a nervous, unskilled lapidary, or would Todd Golden carefully cut and polish away, carefully studying each cut under a 10X microscope for blemishes and inclusions?

Twenty games later, we know the answer to those questions. Each game since the UConn loss has been like the process that includes cleaving, bruting and polishing. At 23-6 overall and 14-2 in SEC play, Golden doesn’t have a finished product on his hands, but the potential is there for the Gators to be that brilliant, flawless diamond. Think of each of the possible 11 games that could take Florida to a second straight national championship as another cut in a once-ugly stone that is transforming before our eyes into something truly beautiful.

The early season adversities have shaped the Gators into that team no one will want to play in a couple of weeks when the NCAA announces its field of 68 teams that will compete for the national championship. They have caught the eye of bracket gurus such as Joe Lunardi, who have moved the Gators up to their No. 2 line. Lunardi sees a path to a No. 1 seed for the Gators who have won nine games in a row and 18 of their last 20.

If you were to ask John Calipari, the Hall of Fame Arkansas coach whose team suffered the biggest beatdown of an 854-win career at the hands of the Gators Saturday night at the O-Dome, it goes beyond the size and strength of the nation’s best front line. Cal says the Gators are connected.

Todd Golden won’t disagree with that assessment. Those early season losses that would have caused lesser teams to crumble and fall apart have forged a stand in our way at your own peril mentality.

“The credit that this team deserves more than anything is staying together, believing in each other when guys weren't playing at their best, not pointing fingers,” Golden said Saturday night. “Our staff did a great job of keeping our guys aligned and on the same page. Even when we were 5-4, we thought we had a chance to have a special season if we just improved incrementally over the rest of the year and we've done that. I think we're playing as good as anybody in America right now."

The incremental improvements are best seen in the four perimeter guys – Boogie Fland, Xaivian Lee, Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown – who have weathered the storms early on to become one of the best units in the country. Seen as a liability when the Gators were losing, these four guys have bonded and become a team strength.

Because of the ball handling skills of Fland and Lee, the Gators can’t be pressed. They may be the fastest pair of guards in the country when it comes to transitioning from defense to offense. Early on when they couldn’t make shots, they were turning the ball over in critical situations (see the losses to Duke and UConn), but that has changed. Turnovers are a rarity for them and now they’re making shots. Golden’s contention that sooner or later these guys would start making the shots in games that he sees them make in practice is starting to show.

There is nothing wrong with their defense as Arkansas sharpshooters Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas found out Saturday. Acuff needed 19 shots from the field and six free throws to score his 17 points. Thomas, who scored 10, lives on the 3-point line. He only had two attempts. Missed them both.

While Fland and Lee continue to evolve into one of the nation’s best backcourt pairings, Klavzar and Brown off the bench have ensured that there is no letdown at either end of the court when they come off the bench. Klavzar is best known for his 3-point shooting – 40.9 percent for the season, 23 of his last 47 – but as he showed in hounding both Acuff and Thomas, there isn’t much in the way of a defensive letdown when he comes off the bench.

Brown can’t be left alone beyond the arc (38.5 percent for the season), but it is his thunder dunks that put the fear of God in opponents. He had a coast-to-coast jam against Arkansas that had the effect of a stiletto to the heart of the Razorbacks. In the first half, the Gators were +21 points when Brown was in the game. They were +19 for the game. What those numbers tell you is that the Gators expanded their lead when Brown was in the game so there was absolutely no dropoff.  

Give Golden credit for sticking with Fland and Lee even when they were struggling and with bringing Klavzar and Golden along to the point that this is a solid and still very underrated unit. They are no longer a liability but have become a strength of the team.

The stone that the Gators were back on December 10 has been sawed, cleaved, cut and polished. What the Gators are now is a tribute to hard work and Golden’s patience in allowing his guys to develop while learning to play with and off each other.

What the Gators could become are national champions. If that happens they will sparkle like that flawless diamond that was polished by friction and adversity.

WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC

16. South Carolina (12-17, 3-13 SEC): A third losing season in the last four years is guaranteed so there is speculation Lamont Paris will be fired. If canned prior to April 1, it will cost $10 million. On or after April 1, the cost will be $7.5 million. He shouldn’t be investing in a major home renovation.

15. LSU (15-14, 3-13 SEC): Win one of this week’s games (at Auburn, Texas A&M) and the Tigers can’t do worse than .500 for the season. That won’t get the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament, which is rumored to be what Matt McMahon needs to be gainfully employed next year. He has an $8 million buyout.

14. Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC): It will take two wins this week (at Florida, Georgia) and two in the SEC Tournament to ensure at least a .500 season. Chris Jans has a contract that runs through 2030 and a $7 million buyout. He’s probably safe for at least one more year, but nobody in Starkville would mind if he seeks employment elsewhere.

13. Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC): Chris Beard isn’t going anywhere. At least that’s what he’s saying. Ole Miss isn’t going to fire him. He makes $6 million a year and he’s under contract until 2031.

12. Auburn (15-14, 6-10 SEC): Auburn needs two wins this week (LSU, at Alabama) and two in the SEC Tournament to have a legitimate shot at the NCAA Tournament. Nobody is happy, but Steven Pearl isn’t going anywhere.

11. Oklahoma (15-14, 5-11 SEC): Should the Sooners win one of their two games this week, they’re guaranteed no worse than break even. Beat Missouri and (at) Texas, plus get a win in the SEC Tournament and they probably get an NIT bid. If Joe Castiglione were still the athletic director, Porter Moser would probably get one more year. New AD Roger Denny has no allegiances, so Moser could be a goner if the Sooners don’t secure a winning record.

10. Texas A&M (19-10, 9-7 SEC): The Aggies will make the NCAA Tournament even though they’ve lost six of their last eight games. To avoid a play-in game, they need to get to 20 regular season wins and then win one at the SEC Tournament.   

9. Georgia (20-9, 8-8 SEC): Mike White has produced a third straight 20-win season, which has only been done two other times in school history. Mike is well on his way toward having a statue erected outside Stegman Coliseum. The Bulldogs are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. This week’s game are No. 17 Alabama and a roadie to Mississippi State.

8. Texas (18-11, 9-7 SEC): The Longhorns are assured of a break even season in SEC play, which is a good thing since they’re very capable of losing both games this week (at Arkansas and Oklahoma at home). A .500 record in SEC play will get them into the NCAA Tournament but probably something like a No. 10 or No. 11 seed.

7. Missouri (20-9, 10-6 SEC): The Tigers have won six of their last eight games. They’re ensured of a winning record in the SEC and they will make the NCAA Tournament. Get to 23 wins and they probably make it to the No. 8 line.

6. Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7 SEC): Since starting out 16-0, the Commodores are 6-7 with four of the losses by a combined 10 points. Duke Miles is healthy again which helps, but the lack of size has been killing Vandy.

5. Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC): The Vols have a nasty habit of blowing big leads and then losing a white knuckle. It happened against Alabama. An equal concern is the health of freshman Nate Ament who hurt his knee in the loss to Bama. The Vols can beat South Carolina without him, but Vandy? They need two wins to get the double-bye at the SEC Tournament.

4. Kentucky (19-10, 9-7 SEC): Hope springs eternal in Lexington after winning two straight. Hope might nosedive this week since the Wildcats have to go to Aggieland and then finish the season at Rupp against the Gators. They’re in the NCAA Tournament, but they need to get to 22 wins if they want anything better than the No. 6 line.

3. Arkansas (21-8, 11-5 SEC): Injuries have taken their toll on the Razorbacks, who will be trying to rebound from a monumental blowout loss at Florida. They are home against Texas and on the road at Missouri this week. They need to win at least one to ensure the double-bye at the SEC Tournament.

2. Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC): Alabama is on an 8-game tear that has the Tide flirting with a No. 4 NCAA seed. They could win a share of the SEC title if the Gators do the unthinkable and go 0-2 this week.

1. FLORIDA (23-6, 14-2 SEC): The Gators can clinch the outright SEC championship if they beat Mississippi State Tuesday night.  

IF THE SEC TOURNAMENT WERE HELD TODAY

Wednesday, March 11

1. No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 16 South Carolina

2. No. 12 Mississippi State vs. No. 13 Oklahoma3. No. 10 Georgia vs. No. 15 Ole Miss

4. No. 11 Auburn vs. No. 14 LSU

Thursday, March 12

5. No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. Game 1 winner

6. No. 5 Kentucky vs. Game 2 winner

7. No. 7 Texas vs. Game 3 winner

8. No. 6 Tennessee vs. Game 4 winner

Friday, March 13 (Quarterfinals)

9. No. 1 FLORIDA vs. Game 5 winner

10. No. 4 Missouri vs. Game 6 winner

11. No. 2 Alabama vs. Game 7 winner

12. No. 3 Arkansas vs. Game 8 winner

Saturday, March 14 (Semifinals)

13. Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner

14. Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner

Sunday, March 15 (Championship game)