Florida’s season begins on Sunday.
The Gators have won 29 games, most in dominating fashion. They claimed the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup against Michigan will singlehandedly determine whether this season was a success or failure.
If Florida loses, Kenny Boynton and Erik Murphy go out as losers. They’ll be the chokers, the main cogs on teams that could never get over the hump and reach a Final Four.
If Florida wins, everybody goes out on top. The Gators break the Elite Eight curse, finally disproving the unfounded narrative that they can’t beat a good team in a close game on a big stage.
Of course, viewing this season through such a narrow lens is unfair. Anything can happen in a one-game sample, especially against a team as good as Michigan. And although the Gators are saying all the right things — this is a different team, a new season, a different opponent — the reality is they need this game.
By KenPom’s metrics, Florida has held a win probability of greater than 90 percent with less than 10 minutes to go in an Elite Eight game for two consecutive seasons.
Against Butler in 2011, Florida took an 11-point lead with 9:26 to play. The Gators lost 74-71 in overtime.
Against Louisville in 2012, Florida took an 11-point lead with 8:16 to play. The Gators lost 72-68.
For two consecutive preseason media days, the Gators have talked about the pain of losing and the battle to get another chance.
Erving Walker said he and Boynton rarely left their home for three weeks after the Butler loss. He said it was a feeling “you’ll never forget for the rest of your life.”
Entering the 2012-13 season, Patric Young said “there is not a day that goes by that I still don’t think about” the loss to Louisville. Boynton said the title chase was a big reason he came back for his senior season.
“When you have one more shot at it, it’s only one way,” Boynton said. “You’re only thinking championship.”
Reaching the Elite Eight was never a foregone conclusion, but it sure felt like it. How could this team’s story end any other way?
Fair or not, the legacy of this Florida class, of Boynton’s four-year, 143-game career, will be defined during the span of two hours on Sunday afternoon.
Senior guard Kenny Boynton (1) takes it to the basket during Florida’s 66-63 loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament final on March 17 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Boynton and the Gators have lost in the Elite Eight each of the last two years.
