Coach Amanda Butler left her team with more questions than answers after squandering a victory against the team from Rocky Top.
The Gators wore a sense of frustration on their faces addressing the media after the three-point loss.
With less than 30 seconds left in overtime and the score tied 75-75, the sixth-year coach instructed Florida guard Carlie Needles to foul Tennessee’s Kamiko Williams, a career 73 percent shooter at the free-throw line, even though there were no fouls to give.
Williams sank 1 of 2 shots, which gave the Gators just 24 seconds to overcome a one-point deficit for their first win against a top-10 team in seven seasons.
Two missed free throws and a desperate three-pointer at the buzzer spelled the end of Florida’s upset bid on Saturday. The question remained, why foul?
Tennessee coach Holly Warlick stopped short of saying she’d do the same thing as well. The benefit comes with giving your team the last shot, but at the potential cost of falling behind and losing the tie your team worked so hard to reach.
"It was one of those calculated risks sort of things, and it was a bad decision," Butler said. "Even though [Williams] only hit one, it was still a bad decision."
In an age where it’s sacrilege for a coach to reveal any sort of injury, useful tidbit or hint of emotion, Butler showed what she’s about.
There are no moral victories against any team, but how Butler addressed the choice was refreshing and the right thing to do.
The foul didn’t single-handedly cost Florida the game (missing more free throws than you make can do that) but the decision took the contest away from the Florida defense. Playing the result isn’t fair, but in this case, the foul wasn’t a smart basketball move.
Florida should have beaten No. 9 Tennessee. The Gators outrebounded and outhustled the Volunteers without its best bruiser in forward Jennifer George, who suffered a shoulder injury late in the first half.
There was nothing surprising about the Gators sticking with the Volunteers. The last four games between Florida and Southeastern Conference powers Tennessee and Kentucky were decided by an average of five points.
When I mindlessly asked if the "good showing" against Tennessee means anything for her program, Butler responded with candor.
"I don’t want to disrespect your question, but we didn’t come out here today for a great showing, and that’s the thing that you guys won’t see as much — the things we said and the things we talked about in the locker room. This team is not satisfied by losing by three to Tennessee in overtime. It is not OK. We are not a team that is ever going to be OK with a loss by any margin anywhere, because I think we are one of the best teams in the country."
Butler said all the right things after perhaps costing her team a win against the Volunteers.
What stood out wasn’t that Florida should have defeated the SEC mountaintop dwellers from Rocky Top, but how its coach acted in the face of defeat.
Give Butler credit. She realized her mistake and owned up to it. That’s something we all can learn from.
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Bashaara Graves (12) grabs a rebound over Kayla Lewis (22) in Sunday’s game.
