Back a month ago I remember scratching my head when looking at a few of the pre-season rankings for the ’08-‘09 NCAA Men’s Basketball Season.
The Associated Press ranked the Florida Gators #19. Hmmmm….
The ESPN/ Coaches poll? They also put the Gators at 19.
Rivals.com? Surely they could add a little levity to the equation. Not quite – the Gators again pulled in at #19.
The Gators finished 21-11 last year right? And they had trouble getting out of their way most of the time right? They had a nice little run during March…IN THE N.I.T.!!!!
#19?
Don’t get me wrong, Billy Donovan is heckuva coach. Those two title winners he had? If nothing else those teams were methodical. And judging by the modest successes of Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer in the N.B.A., Donovan’s Xs and Os carried much of the weight with that group. Yeah I know Al Horford is doing well in the pros.
But even Donovan knows that this Gator gang is not worthy of #19.
Take for instance tonight as Florida dropped a 57-55 decision to Florida State. With the shot clock inside :10 and his team clinging to a two-point lead, Donovan called a time out. Why? Because he knows his kids can’t get it done in a half-court. So why not call time out – set up a play – get the ball out-of-bounds – run a couple of screens and get an open look. Problem is it didn’t work.
For the most part the Gators had trouble doing anything in the half-court all night. Billy the Kid better find some ex-lax for his half-court offense ‘cause it sure looks constipated.
If not for some effective one-on-one play by Nick Calathes – including a nifty running shot put late in the game – the Gators could not manage to create anything for themselves.
The points on the board came pretty much from their full-court press. And this was against FSU. Now if the Gators held some other ACC teams under 60 that would be impressive. But this is Florida State. And the Seminoles’ idea of a press-breaker looked like a game hot potato tonight.
And the Gators benefitted.
By the way – props to Donovan for bringing in former St. Bonaventure standout and Siena head coach, Rob Lanier. Donovan has turned over the defense to Lanier, and it is paying early dividends. Just don’t get too caught up in the hype. That press will work well now. But come February? We’ll see.
On the surface Florida’s 6-2 record looks okay. Delve into it a little and you might find some ounces of truth.
Among its victims Florida lists the Kangaroos of the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Florida A & M, Toledo, Southern Utah, and Bradley. The only major conference win for the Gators would be their two-point victory over Washington. Problem is the Huskies already have three losses, and one is to that goliath of a team the Portland Pilots.
Florida’s two losses? – tonight to Florida St. and a couple of weeks ago to Syracuse. Which basically means if a team can yell – BOO – the Gators crumble.
Now Gator proponents are gonna come in and claim how both of those losses came on the road. Okay. Fair enough – but both of those losses were to unranked teams. Which brings me back to my original premise – Florida is over-ranked.
One last thing – would it be possible for a major conference to only get one team in the field of 65 because right now the SEC is hard pressed to get any more than that.
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