ORLANDO — It was fairly obvious on Thursday, even as the final seconds ticked off the clock, and even as the game’s outcome wasn’t in question.
This was a great season for Florida basketball. No matter what happens from here.
This season was a success.
Clearly, UF coach Mike White has maximized the talent on UF’s roster to its fullest extent. He has meshed a senior point guard, a graduate transfer, a handful of athletic wings and a shot blocker into, at the very least, a Round of 32 NCAA Tournament team.
And, at times this season, they even looked like an Elite Eight team.
There was Florida’s meeting with now-No. 1 seed Gonzaga in November, where the Gators lost by just five points at a neutral site.
There was the nine-game winning streak through January and February, when Florida catapulted itself back into the national spotlight.
There was the 88-66 demolition of now-No. 2 seed Kentucky at home in February, a win that declared a clear message to the rest of the SEC: The Wildcats won’t be the only team to fear in March.
And, finally, there was Thursday, an 80-65 win against No. 13 seed East Tennessee State. It was Florida’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2014 and the first NCAA Tournament appearance for White as a head coach.
But it meant so much more.
It takes time to rebuild a program after the departure of a coaching legend. And, yes, that rebuilding can be painful: At times in the first half on Thursday, Florida looked like a team full of players who had never played in the NCAA Tournament before (which, except for senior guard Kasey Hill, is true).
So there might have been nerves. There may not have been. But there were definitely mistakes. There were careless errors, passes slipping out of hands, air balls on jump shots and on free throws.
And none of it mattered.
Florida advanced. Even if they lose against Virginia on Saturday, even if they get blown out in embarrassing fashion, this season was unequivocally a success.
The Gators have proven that they can beat an NCAA Tournament Team, that their sustained success over the course of the season was legitimate.
And, Gators fans, they’ve proven that it’s OK to trust in whatever White is building in Gainesville.
Because no matter what happens on Saturday, White has proven that his blueprint works.
Ian Cohen is a sports writer. His column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Florida head coach Mike White looks on during a practice session for the NCAA March Madness Tournament at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
