Forget about their record. Forget about what they've done over the past two months.
At this point in the season, none of it matters.
Because, when the UF women's basketball team takes the court at 5 p.m. against Mississippi State in the O'Connell Center, Southeastern Conference play begins, and the No. 18 Gators' in-conference record is 0-0.
Some of UF's players are looking at this as the second part of the season and are throwing their 14-1 record out the window.
"This is where it all goes down," senior forward Marshae Dotson said. "It's a new season. We've got to start off right."
UF coach Amanda Butler has sent a subtle reminder in practice this week that SEC play has arrived.
"Coach, she turned it up a notch, and we had to turn it up too," Dotson said. "If not, we were going to get left behind or get kicked out of practice, one of the two."
Senior guard Sha Brooks agreed.
"She's kind of amped up practice more," Brooks said. "Practice is 10 times more intense than it was in the preseason. Right now we really need that because we're really going after the SEC Championship, and we can win it this year."
For Brooks and Dotson, seniors who were on a 9-22 team just two years ago, having expectations of challenging to win one of the nation's toughest leagues never seemed possible until now.
Dotson knows based on past experiences the SEC grind will be a lot more intense and physical than the Gators' out-of-conference matchups.
UF did prepare well, though, for the physicality of the conference by playing and beating teams like Florida State, Arizona State, North Carolina State and Pittsburgh.
Junior transfer Steffi Sorensen only knows how tough the SEC slate will be based off what she has seen and heard from her teammates and coaches.
"I'm a newcomer. I don't really know much about this SEC thing," Sorensen said. "Based on coaches, I kind of got that vibe that it's time to step it up. Non-conference is over and this is a whole new playing field. I feel like it's going to be a battle, basically, and I'm ready to go to war."
Sorensen has seen her team go from being the hunters to the hunted in a conference that currently has four ranked teams. That will likely factor in to the way teams like Mississippi State (12-2) approach playing against a ranked UF squad, giving them added motivation.
"I just feel like the more games we started winning, the bigger the X gets on your back," Sorensen said. "Now people are like, 'OK, Florida might be the team to beat.'"
Brooks couldn't be more ready to take on the challenge of the SEC, and when asked how excited she was, all she could do was smile.
"These past few days, when we get ready to play, Mississippi State is going to show us how ready we are to actually accept the challenge of the SEC," Brooks said. "The energy. Just knowing that at any given time, if you don't bring your 'A' game, that you could get knocked off. It's ridiculous."
