Saturday’s loss to Louisville left a sour taste in every Florida fan’s mouth, but here’s a chance to cleanse your palate.
Sure, a second consecutive 11-point collapse in the final nine minutes of an Elite Eight game is disappointing, but look at the bright side. The team ranked No. 8 in the preseason matched expectations and this group was a joy to watch.
And since the Gators are 0-5 against this year’s Final Four, that trip to New Orleans probably wouldn’t have been a whole lot of fun for them anyway.
Plus, there were a ton of highlight-reel plays along the way that somehow did not find a spot on a certain network’s coveted list.
Let’s take a look at our Top 10.
10. Patric Young’s alley-oop against Arkansas. The Gators were already up 23, but that doesn’t make this play any less impressive. Erving Walker drove baseline and flipped it to Young for a thunderous slam that left the backboard shaking.
9. Mike Rosario’s behind-the-back pass against Kentucky. Rosario provided a highlight from Florida’s disastrous trip to Rupp Arena by pump-faking Kyle Wiltjer, driving and finding Young with a no-look, behind-the-back pass for an easy two. This play might have been higher on the list if Anthony Davis hadn’t swatted Rosario’s 3-point attempt about four seconds beforehand.
8. Patric Young’s alley-oop dunk against Louisville. I’m sure nobody wants to hear about Louisville anymore, but this play is worth revisiting. Young and Walker operate the pick and roll to perfection, and Walker’s slightly errant pass only adds to the aesthetic value. The distance the ball covers as Young tomahawks it forward is pretty insane.
7. Kenny Boynton’s and-1 layup against Arkansas. Boynton drove around a defender, leapt into Arkansas’ Hunter Mickelson, absorbed contact, switched hands in mid-air and scooped home the lefty, high-arcing layup, all before returning to the ground.
6. Casey Prather’s alley-oop finish against Marquette. Boynton threw the lob from two steps inside the half-court line and Prather did the rest. He caught the ball facing midcourt before somehow starting a spin in midair to finish facing the basket. He made it look much, much easier than it probably was.
5. Brad Beal’s dunk on South Carolina’s Damontre Harris. With Florida up by six and four minutes remaining, Beal’s finish provided the dagger. Walker found Beal cutting to the basket and the freshman took two steps, jumped, stiff-armed Harris and powered home the jam. It was flat-out mean.
4. Young’s follow-up slam against Mississippi State. It’s criminal that this play isn’t on YouTube. After Walker missed a transition three, Young couldn’t have asked for a better rebound. He out-jumped Rodney Hood, gathered the ball and threw it home in one fluid, flawless motion.
3. Beal’s dunk on Moussa Gueye of Alabama. With the game already in hand, Beal split a trap — cough, double dribble, cough — and delivered the same stiff-arm and posterization combo he hit Harris with. It was even meaner than the first. Sure, he and Young were T’d up for their celebration afterward, but it was worth it. “BOW TO YOUR SENSEI!”
2. Casey Prather’s dunk on Wiltjer in the SEC Tournament. After a ho-hum season, this dunk put Prather on the map. Walker drove the lane and found a trailing Prather. The sophomore took one dribble, jumped about 18 feet in the air and slammed it on a helpless Wiltjer. The only thing better than the dunk was Boynton’s celebration.
1. Patric Young’s block and finish against FSU. Bernard James thought he had a wide-open dunk from the baseline, but Young had other ideas. Young came flying down the lane and, using only his left hand, ripped the ball right out of James’ grasp, reeling it in and coming down in bounds. On the ensuing possession, Yeguete claimed an offensive rebound and found Young for the uncontested two-handed slam, a double-feature more than worthy of the No. 1 spot.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.
