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| | Sunday, February 27 | |||||
ESPN.com | ||||||
| GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida's Donnell Harvey put in a slam at one end of the
court, igniting a frenzied response from the Rowdy Reptiles in the Gators'
House of Horrors.
Within seconds, Auburn's Scott Pohlman was at the other end wide open for a jumper. Too often, tenth-ranked Florida's emotional responses to a rapid-fire offense was met by a lax response at the defensive end during Sunday's 88-59 win over No. 8 Auburn. The carelessness could cost the Gators next Saturday at Kentucky, or worse, in two weeks at the SEC tournament or in three at the NCAA Tournament. "I would trade (lapses) for pace," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "When we're not playing at home, we won't have that margin for error and they have to understand they can't have emotional swings. But the biggest thing I like is we play hard and we continue to get after it. But we're so young, we have to play with emotion and passion." The Gators' SEC showdown with the Tigers fizzled before it even got started when the Tigers held out star forward Chris Porter for potentially dealing with an agent. But even with Porter back in Alabama, the Gators struggled at times. Florida's youth movement has taken time to mature, and it's still not fully developed this season. Florida gives up too many easy baskets, and still lacks a go-to scorer who can carry the team in the final few minutes. What the Gators have is a team loaded with talented players, but not one true star. It works, as long as the Gators remain unselfish. Donovan has molded a team of versatile role players: Teddy Dupay can play point or shooting guard; Brett Nelson shares time at the point with Justin Hamilton; Mike Miller could play either wing or down low; Matt Bonner can pop a 3-pointer just as easily as grab a rebound; and Brent Wright, Major Parker, Udonis Haslam share equal time with Harvey inside, even though they didn't arrive with even half the pub Harvey did as the high school player of the year last season. Even with Auburn big men Mamadou N'diaye and Daymeon Fishback slowed by injuries, the Gators outrebounded the Tigers only 39-34, numbers that should have been higher given the circumstances. But the defense in the first half (Auburn was 1 of 10 on 3s) was good enough to give the Gators a 33-20 halftime lead. The Gators got 13 points off Auburn's 10 turnovers, including a few 3s. They finished with 28 points off Auburn's 21 turnovers. But will it be enough when the Gators move to the neutral court of the Georgia Dome for the SEC tournament, or any one of the eight sub-regional sites in the NCAA Tournament? "We need to get rid of the breakdowns," Donovan said. "We need to continue to have the high assist total (16 on 30 baskets) and have guys accept that we won't have a 25-point scorer and that we will do it by committee. Our press can get better too." Florida seems to have accepted its lot. Harvey said the players were thinking too much about themselves earlier in the season. That has changed recently. Nelson said the fact that a new scorer seems to lead the team each game should be an indication that the team is playing unselfishly. But has this team changed since losing to DePaul last month? The Gators have room for group improvement, but individually, Harvey won't suddenly develop more post moves, and Dupay's shot may never be consistent. Nelson will still be thin and Miller, at times, too passive. But, collectively, the Gators can still be too tough to stop.They've won eight of nine games, with the lone loss coming at Tennessee in overtime. During the stretch they blew out Kentucky and Auburn at home. The Gators can look sensational for eight-minute spurts, but then the deflation can cost them dearly. Auburn snuck back into the game during one of those runs, and that with the Tigers essentially down three starters. "Instead of being good early, we're peaking at the right time," Miller said. "As long as we keep doing that, we'll be fine. I think teams will have a hard time scouting us because we've got eight or nine guys that can get to you every night. We're like the (1996) Kentucky team, although we may not be as good because we don't have eight or nine pros. They also won a national championship." And the Wildcats were also a No. 1 seed in the Midwest. Florida has put itself back in competition for a No. 1 seed with Temple, Duke, Arizona, Michigan State, Ohio State and Syracuse (assuming that Cincinnati and Stanford are locks for two of the No. 1 seeds). But with five losses, the Gators have plenty of work to do in the next two weeks to earn a No. 1 seed. The last No. 1 seed to have more than four losses was North Carolina in '97 when the Tar Heels were 24-6. "If we win out, then you have to look at us and give us a shot, but other teams have to lose," Miller said. "But we'd like to get the No. 1 seed, but, I know, a lot of teams out there deserve it too." Florida can win a share of the SEC East title with a win over South Carolina on Wednesday. They can win it outright if they beat the Gamecocks and then take down Kentucky at Rupp Arena next Saturday. That would give the Gators one of the two No. 1 seeds in the SEC tournament.As for Auburn, the Tigers would like to get a No. 1 seed, too, but that might not happen if they don't get Porter back for Wednesday's game against LSU. Auburn, now a game behind LSU, lost in Baton Rouge earlier this month. Auburn coach Cliff Ellis said he didn't expect N'diaye (sprained knee) or Fishback (right knee injury) to play against Florida, but both logged 22 minutes in Sunday's loss. "Once we get our team back, we can have a chance," said Auburn's Doc Robinson. Chance to do what? "Make a run in the tournament," Robinson said. Which one? "Both."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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