Gator Men Hoops at Crossroads

The University of Florida Gators men’s basketball team has reached the same point in this season that has taken them in different directions for the previous three seasons. Last year, this marked the time that they peaked and had begun to fade. But during the previous two seasons, they began to surge toward national titles after this point. In which direction will this year’s edition go? A clue came this past Tuesday when they hosted red-hot South Carolina, who had just a few days earlier handed Florida a heartbreaking setback by overcoming a seven-point deficit with two minutes to go, beating them 70-69 with a last-second fast break layup following a missed Gator foul shot. This time around, the game was higher-scoring (generally this is to the Gators’ advantage) and once again, Florida had a seven point lead with two minutes to go. And also once again, South Carolina mounted a furious comeback. But this time, UF players came through at the foul line and made most of their free throws to win 97-93.

When a team has struggled through a game to gain a marginal lead toward its end, it is crucial that its players can step up to the line under pressure and make clutch foul shots to sustain that lead. This time, they came through. And if they continue like this, I see an auspicious conclusion to this season. They are showing themselves to be a complete team and are beginning to resemble the national championship squad from recent history. But I think it’s going to take another year before they can begin to once again challenge for the title. This year, it will be interesting to see how far they go in the NCAA tournament (which they didn’t even make last season).

The Gators have a cohesive starting lineup with Nick Calathes, Walter Hodge, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, and Alex Tyus. Their bench also contributes a lot, especially Erving Walker (who scored 18 points in the win over SC). Except for Hodge, a senior, the team should return next year intact (and even better).

So far, Florida has a 19-4 overall record and is 6-2 in their Southeastern Conference East Division, in first place halfway through league play. But they have yet to play Kentucky, a team that many regard as being the best in the conference.