The last time Florida faced off against Missouri, Chris Walker was getting cheers for just walking to the scorer’s table, Dorian Finney-Smith had just begun the worst shooting month of his career and the Gators were only halfway through their historic Southeastern Conference run.
But Friday at 1 p.m. when the Tigers (22-10, 9-9 SEC) get their second shot at the Gators (29-2, 18-0 SEC) this season, they will see a more levelheaded and mature Florida squad. Well, that’s only if coach Billy Donovan’s message gets across to his players.
“The biggest area for us is to get emotionally, mentally and psychologically past what happened on Saturday,” Donovan said. “We’ve got to get past that.”
Just six days after cutting down the nets to celebrate their best regular season in school history, the Gators jump back into action Friday in their attempt to capture their first SEC Tournament title since 2007.
With Florida having already shattered the multiple win streak records the 2007 team set, the four-man senior class is looking to add to its legacy. But Patric Young echoed his head coach by saying his team must be wary of the challenge in front of them — not the one down the road.
“Well, the most important thing to start off is we get our mind-sets back to that we’re back at the bottom of the path, the journey to get to that,” the senior center said. “It’s really important for us to focus on the moment and getting better every single day as we’ve been doing all year and not let the moment be bigger than what we’re trying to accomplish.”
On the other side of the court, Missouri, which defeated Texas A&M 91-83 in double overtime, is fighting for a chance just to appear in the NCAA Tournament. But Tigers’ coach Frank Haith assured the media that his team’s focus is on nothing but the Gators.
“We have got to have a 40-minute game plan against them,” Haith said.
“They’re the best team in the country. We’re the only team in the country that has this opportunity (Friday) so we got to look forward to it.”
In Florida’s previous matchup against Missouri, the Gators needed Michael Frazier II to hit three straight threes to pull ahead late in the second half. The Tigers led the Gators by three at the half and were previously 15-0 when leading at the break this season.
Because Florida is not only the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament but also the No. 1 team in the nation, Donovan said he expects every opponent to give its best shot against the Gators in the postseason.
And just because Florida has virtually clinched a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament doesn’t mean it will lie down and get some rest before the Big Dance. The Gators are hungry and eager to show the country that they can go 21-0 against the SEC.
Donovan said what separates this squad from others in program history is its desire to accomplish goals as a group rather than individually.
The unselfishness the Gators bring to the table has brought them their best regular season in school history and it may help bring their first tournament championship to Gainesville in seven year.
“These guys have done a great job of serving one another and not being totally focused on me, I, what I want, what I need,” Donovan said.
“I think that’s been something that’s made them special. I think when you can get young people to do that, that really allows you to create something special.”
Follow Jonathan Czupryn on Twitter @jczupryn
Patric Young defends during Florida’s 84-65 victory against Kentucky on Saturday in the O’Connell Center. Young and UF start Southeastern Confererence Tournament play against Mizzou today at 1 p.m.
