As Southeastern Conference play arrives, UF coach Billy Donovan admitted he's a little embarrassed.
"I haven't seen one second of our league," Donovan said. "I see scores or hear of records or things like that, but I really do not ever watch games during this time of the year."
Donovan isn't alone. The two-time defending national champion coach heads to Alabama tonight with a group of players marching into uncharted ground.
UF's young and inexperienced roster features just one player - junior Walter Hodge - who is familiar with the grind and physicality typical of a hostile SEC game.
The difference is that Donovan has been there before. The Gators (13-2) will have to lean on the advice of their coach if they hope to compete in conference play.
"It's hard to give them experiences," Donovan said. "Some of the stuff they have to go through a little bit themselves. For a lot of these guys, their only reference point to league play is last year and the role they were in last year, whether it be in high school or guys like (Dan) Werner, (Jonathan) Mitchell and (Marreese) Speights sitting on the bench.
"That's their only reference point, so that's going to be a challenge for us going along."
The Gators head to Tuscaloosa to face a tough Alabama (11-4) team looking to avenge a difficult loss to UF last season, when the Gators rallied from 18 down to defeat the Crimson Tide.
Donovan said he expects Alabama to give UF its best shot - something he has adjusted to in recent times.
"I still think we're going to get everybody's best game every night because of what's happened here the last couple of years," he said. "I don't think there's any question about that. I believe Alabama will play their best game of the year against us, and that's a great thing for our young guys with an understanding that you're getting the other team's best will hopefully bring out the best in you."
The Gators will have their hands full with 6-foot-9 forward Richard Hendrix. The Alabama junior is averaging a double-double on the season, scoring 19.1 points and grabbing 10.1 rebounds so far.
Speights will draw the difficult matchup. The center has played well lately, averaging 22 points and nine rebounds in the previous two contests. The sophomore said playing against some of his former teammates prepared him for any challenge.
"He's just a big guy," he said. "He's physical, but he wasn't as physical as Al Horford and Chris (Richard), so I think I'm ready."
Mitchell echoed his teammate's sentiments.
"We're going to treat him like any other player," the sophomore said. "We're not going to treat him like he's Michael Jordan or something. He's able to be stopped, just like anyone else."
The Crimson Tide have suffered through an up-and-down start to their season. Three of Alabama's four losses have been against ranked teams, including a 70-60 loss to then-No.5 Georgetown. However, the Tide were shocked at home against Belmont on Nov. 19, losing 85-83.
Mitchell said he thinks the Gators are ready for the challenge, regardless of the competition.
"Alabama's a big, strong team, but at the same time, we may not have the physicality and same size of those guys, but we lace up our shoes the same way - that's how I see it," he said. "We're going to go out there and play basketball."
