For coach Billy Donovan, claiming sole possession of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship would be merely a bonus.
But that doesn’t make Florida’s matchup with Vanderbilt on Saturday any less important.
Although the No. 14 Gators (23-6, 12-3 SEC) accomplished their goal by beating Alabama to clinch a share of the title Tuesday, Donovan insists their game against the No. 20 Commodores (21-8, 9-6 SEC) at 6 p.m. in Nashville, Tenn., is critical to his team’s psyche.
“Tuesday night has been written about, talked about, and whenever the time is ready, there will be a banner hanging in the O’Dome,” Donovan said. “That’s done. That’s over with. Now, can we come in to Nashville … and play our best game.”
Florida will have a number of distractions standing in its way in Memorial Gymnasium.
The Gators hold a one-game lead heading into Saturday’s action, which includes five SEC finales. Alabama is the only team within striking distance, as it can force a tie with a win and a UF loss, which would result in a shared championship.
Because Alabama and Georgia tip off in Tuscaloosa at 1:30 p.m., the Gators may secure the conference title before they even take the court.
The prospect of Florida being sidetracked by the Alabama outcome concerns Donovan, who has consistently preached that his team should only focus on the things it can control.
“That game should have no bearing on how we go out and play, and that, to me, is easier said than done,” Donovan said. “It doesn’t make a difference what happens; this game is still important for us.”
Donovan does not plan to prevent his team from learning the early result, and senior forward Chandler Parsons said the Gators expect to come out with the same mentality regardless.
Still, Parsons added that being the sole regular-season champion is important to him and his teammates.
“There’s a big difference,” Parsons said. “We want to be outright champs. We don’t want to share it with anybody.”
The SEC doesn’t break ties to determine a regular-season champion, leaving the door open for an ironic outcome. Despite handing the Tide a 27-point beating, UF would share the championship with Alabama if both finish with identical records.
“It’s weird when you think about it like that,” Parsons said.
But Parsons, like Donovan, added that the head-to-head matchup would not be a suitable tiebreaker, as one contest shouldn’t determine the result of a 16-game season.
Donovan also pointed to scheduling as a reason to leave it a tie. Because Alabama plays in the West, its conference schedule has been different from UF’s.
Even if Florida held a tiebreaker, Saturday’s game would still be critical in preparing for the SEC Tournament.
“(It’s about) understanding how to go out there and fighting … getting into, ‘OK, everything is OK now. We did it,’” Donovan said. “You’ve got to want more.”
