Gators sensing panic
GAINESVILLE (AP) – The Florida Gators spent the last year changing all kinds of things about their program.
They practiced harder. They approached games with more intensity. They played better transition defense, got more from pressing and trapping, and found ways to rebound despite their physical limitations.
They thought the results would be different, too, but little has changed.
The Gators (21-8, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) are essentially in the same position they were in a year ago: On the verge of missing the NCAA tournament.
Following losses to LSU and Tennessee, and having dropped four of its last six games, Florida probably needs to win its final two regular-season games to get back in the NCAA tournament picture. Sure, the Gators could earn an automatic berth by winning the SEC tournament next week, but they would rather not rely on such a long shot.
Florida figures winning at Mississippi State Wednesday night and then beating Kentucky Saturday should be enough to get to them into the 65-team field.
“Honestly, there probably is a little sense of panic,” guard Erving Walker said. “Not in a bad way, but just knowing that it’s coming to an end and you’ve got to get it done.”
The Gators didn’t get it done last season. They lost eight of their final 11 games, including a first-round loss in the SEC tournament that capped a four-game losing streak, and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade.
Coach Billy Donovan kicked the players out of their plush practice facility and didn’t allow them to wear any Florida attire, all because he felt like they were walking around with a feeling of entitlement.
Donovan’s humbled team rebounded by advancing the semifinals of the NIT and then altered their practice habits heading into this season. They hoped the results would follow.
Florida has struggled to overcome its on-the-court deficiencies, which include interior and perimeter defense, one-on-one matchup problems, pulling out close games, and the inability to find a consistent No. 2 scorer behind all-everything guard Nick Calathes.
“It’s not enough just to come in here and practice every day,” forward Chandler Parsons said. “It’s got to be something that we come together during a game. It’s like, ‘We’re not going to lose this game.’ We’ve got to come together and have no option but to win.”
Florida is No. 49 in the latest RPI standings, has a strength of schedule that ranks 94th in the nation and just one quality win outside SEC play (against Pac-10 leader Washington) – hardly a strong enough resume to secure the Gators a spot in the NCAA tournament, and the players know it.
“We understand what we have to do and what’s at risk here,” Parsons said. “I would definitely say there’s a sense of panic, a sense of urgency. We understand what we have to do and how we have to win these next two games.”
It starts at Mississippi State (17-12, 7-7), which has lost three in a row and five of its last six, but Florida has dropped four straight on the road, and the Bulldogs could present problems in the paint with 6-foot-9 shot blocker Jarvis Varnado. The Bulldogs also might be able to take advantage of open shots if the Gators collapse down low.
The Bulldogs lead the league in three-pointers made with 246, and Florida ranks next-to-last in defending the three-point arc. The Gators hope to counter that mismatch by forcing turnovers with their press and getting the Bulldogs in an up-tempo game that should favor Florida.
It’s much like last season, with the Gators trying to avoid another NIT bid.
“Nobody wants to go to the NIT, so there probably is some panic,” Walker said. “Not in a bad way, scared, but just some type of panic. And then there is, of course, urgency wanting to win and get back out there. It makes you that much more focused, that much more intense.”