The bar is set pretty high at UF.
Second-year women's hoops coach Amanda Butler wouldn't want it any other way.
Butler came to Gainesville in 2007, happy for the chance to bring her alma mater back to prominence but also realizing the uphill battle that was ahead.
All she did was turn a 9-22 team in 2006 into a 19-14 team in 2007. The Gators made it to the third round of the WNIT before falling flat on their faces and losing 80-55 at North Carolina State.
It was a disappointing end to a season that proved so many doubters wrong.
UF was picked to finish 11th in the Southeastern Conference by the preseason coaches' poll. It finished seventh.
But perhaps the biggest change in Gainesville was the mentality. Butler had to get her players to believe they could win.
That she did, perhaps even to an extent greater than she expected.
If UF had won two games it should have but didn't last season, it likely would've received an NCAA Tournament bid. An early season game at Kentucky ended in a controversial call in the closing seconds and the Gators' disappointing loss to South Carolina on Senior Day sealed the team's fate.
The coaches privately admitted they didn't enter into last season expecting a ticket to the Field of 64. And Butler was very adamant the entire way about not setting any concrete goals publicly, instead stating that she wanted to see day-to-day improvement.
But now the key is not to slide backward.
Butler knows if she wants to stay on the path toward regaining any sort of national prominence for UF, then the steady incline has to be there.
Last year, the team used work ethic and hustle to overcome some of its flaws. While that translated into more wins, it won't beat an SEC power like Tennessee or LSU.
This year, the ingredients are here. The height, the depth. The transfer of Brittaney Thomas to Pittsburgh will also clear any off-the-court issues from a year ago.
Freshman center Azania Stewart will make an immediate impact with her size. If senior Aneika Henry is as improved as coaches say, the 6-foot-3 senior and 6-foot-4 freshman would make a powerful duo in the post, something the Gators sorely lacked in SEC play last season. The biggest question, then, is All-SEC forward Marshae Dotson. The post depth should help Dotson the most, but her knee surgery at the end of July has to concern the Gators, even if no one admits it.
The thing that makes her great is her fearlessness in the post, going up against girls much bigger than she is. If Dotson's tentative in any way, UF will suffer.
But perhaps the thing Butler may be proudest about is the eight girls on the bench that could possibly make contributions.
The team's mantra for 2008 is supposed to be "Bigger and Better."
It might be better rephrased as "Dealing with Expectations."
Because this year, it would be a disappointment (and perhaps a failure) if UF is not in the 64-team NCAA Tournament bracket come Selection Monday.
Butler wouldn't have it any other way.
