ATLANTA - It was a game without need for added motivation.
It was a freebie pregame speech for a coach, whose players wouldn't require much to get ready to play.
At a time when they had to have a win (or two) to stay in contention for a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the Gators had their backs against the wall and plenty of reasons to come out with passion and fire.
There were no wrestlers or special guests in the UF locker room, and there shouldn't have been.
"To tell you the truth, how much does (Coach Billy Donovan) need to do?" forward Dan Werner said. "We knew we had to make a run in the SEC Tournament to get to the NCAA Tournament. I don't know what he had to do. I would have thought we'd be ready to go."
Only they weren't.
The Gators came out flatter than flat, shot 29 percent from the field in the first half en route to a 23-point halftime deficit that was simply too much to overcome in an 80-69 loss to Alabama that all-but ended their hopes of a trip to the tourney.
This was a far cry from that January night in Tuscaloosa when the Gators showed the promise everyone expected and the look of a veteran team no one saw coming in a 90-83 win.
Back then, with a 14-2 record, it didn't seem unrealistic that UF would be back in the Big Dance come March. Now, what had looked like an overachieving band of youngsters will end their season disappointed and in the NIT.
"That may be the path we have to go," Donovan said. "These guys may need to be humbled."
It was the same arena, but it couldn't have looked more different from the previous three seasons when UF marched to consecutive SEC Championships in the Georgia Dome.
The Gators left the court dejected, trudging past gleeful former teammate David Huertas, who was preparing for Mississippi's matchup with Georgia.
One would expect a bit of optimism about UF's future considering its nucleus of young talent, but if there was it wasn't easy to find on this night.
"Just because they become sophomores doesn't mean everything is going to be fixed," Donovan said of his freshmen. "It's hard to be excited going forward because I don't see things getting fixed."
The biggest problem with his team, Donovan said, was that it didn't enjoy the grunt work that goes into winning as his back-to-back national champion teams did.
The difference was clear when Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah showed up at a pre-tournament practice this week jumping around and yelling excitedly at those charged with living up to the legacy he and the other '04s set.
"It's a totally different disposition," Donovan said. "I fostered that [in Noah] but I didn't all of a sudden create it."
As much as he may wish his current team had the personality of his past ones, Donovan knew what he was in for with this inexperienced squad when he returned to Gainesville before the season.
"We're in a tremendous rebuilding process," he said. "That's why I came back, to take on that challenge."
