We saw it all on Saturday night. The runs and droughts, the jaw-dropping heroics and equally shocking mistakes. Everything that defined the Florida men’s basketball team’s season made an appearance in its disappointing finale.
After their 69-66 loss to Texas Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, how will the 2017-18 Gators be remembered?
Is that even the right question?
I don’t think so. I’d rather take a stab at something a little less obvious.
How will the Gators remember their 2017-18 season?
Bearing defeat is a challenge familiar to any college athlete. The losses should cut deep and give winning its sweet taste. But Florida coach Mike White has noticed something peculiar about this year’s squad.
“This team doesn’t get really upset,” White said on Monday before leaving for Dallas. “I wish we would.”
To any fan who feels gut-punched by Florida’s second-round exit, the notion that the Gators themselves might not be half as concerned by the loss is terribly frustrating. It’s also concerning.
If Florida wants to be better, this season must be remembered painfully. It should pass slowly through the players’ thoughts like a jagged rock moving through the microscopic vessels of their brains. They shouldn’t try to see the positives or commend themselves on a good effort. They should only suffer. Because that’s the first step in improving.
Just look at last year’s Gators.
The 2016-17 team lost consecutive games three times compared to this season’s five. This year, they lost three straight on two occasions — something that last year’s team never let happen. And I bet that didn’t surprise White.
“This team’s just so different,” White said. “Last year’s team coming off a loss would be pissed.”
White went on to mention that he would have to separate players in practices following losses because their frustration would consume them. That brand of passion never came from his team this season.
I’m not saying anger was the difference between last year’s game-winning shot in the Sweet 16 and this year’s pair of missed game-tying opportunities in the final seconds of the Round of 32. But the shortcomings are symptomatic of a flaw that has haunted Florida this entire season. They lack a competitive edge.
If they want to change the narrative in the coming season, this most recent loss and the 12 that came before it must horrify them. And if they fear it, they will fight it.
Follow Benjamin Brandt on Twitter @bhb1227 and contact him at bbrandt@alligator.org.
Coach Mike White has recruited the current No. 4 class in the country for the UF basketball program in 2019.
