Gator Men Cagers So Far

I like this year's edition of the University of Florida men's basketball team. They are always competitive, they play as a cohesive unit, and different players step up from game to game to help compensate for those who are having "off" games. Their record is 20-10 with a 9-6 Southeastern Conference record. I'd say that is a pretty successful season, but a few around me are disappointed because the Gators may be destined to miss the NCAA championship tournament for the third year in a row.

In all likelihood, Florida will lose their final regular season game against powerhouse Kentucky and then go on to the conference playoffs. If they win a couple of games then, I think they still stand a good chance of being selected to participate in the NCAA tourney. If not, there is still the National Invitation Tournament.

Florida has very good players in Kenny Boynton, Alex Tyus, Vernon Macklin, Erving Walker, Chandler Parsons, and Dan Werner. Their main problem, as I see it, is their small roster and lack of depth beyond their #6 player Werner. This is a problem that head coach Billy Donovan has had even going back to his second national championship team of 2006-07. I really don't know why that is, either. It shouldn't be that hard for Donovan to recruit good players to fill his bench and to be able to step out on the court and play competitively, even if the "extras" are largely walk-ons. Then again, there may be something preventing this in the quirky NCAA's elaborate, complicated rules that are almost impossible not to violate.

But I think that this year's edition of UF men's hoops is the best since that great repeating championship team a few years ago. Should they make it to the NCAA tourney, though, I don't see them winning more than a couple of games. They aren't THAT good. But they ARE good, nevertheless, and I congratulate them on having what I at least regard as a very successful season.