Not many saw this kind of start to the season coming, maybe not even the UF women's basketball team.
Over the break, the Gators went 6-0, pushing their record to a school best 14-1 and climbing to a No. 18 national ranking.
UF has won 14 straight games, also a school record, highlighted by a 90-83 home victory over then-No. 16 Pittsburgh on Dec. 21.
The Gators gathered wins against Coppin State 75-34 and Florida A&M 77-55 before setting up the showdown with the Panthers.
UF rallied in the win against Pittsburgh after being down 70-62 with 9:24 remaining.
Guard Sha Brooks led the way with 24 points, but it was guards Steffi Sorensen and Lonnika Thompson who proved to be the difference with their 3-point shooting. The juniors shot 9 of 14 from beyond the arc.
Pittsburgh guard Shavonte Zellous shocked the Gators by scoring an astounding 42 points. She single-handedly kept the Panthers in the game, but in the end it was not enough to prevent the upset.
"We've got a lot of fight," UF coach Amanda Butler said in her postgame radio interview after the win against Pittsburgh. "Being able to maintain our composure, I think that's going to be something that we can really draw a lot of confidence from."
UF got a well-deserved eight-day rest for the holidays after that game and returned to action at home in the first round of the State Farm Classic against Vermont.
The layoff might have had an impact on the team, but the end result was no different, as the Gators won 85-76.
UF returned the next night in the final to face Miami University of Ohio and didn't have much trouble, winning 75-56 to claim the title.
Senior forward Marshae Dotson collected the Most Valuable Player award after her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Gators wrapped up non-conference play on Saturday night at Ohio. Up just 6 at halftime, UF finished strong to post a 74-56 win and escape the cold weather.
UF has padded its NCAA Tournament resume in the non-conference part of the season with quality wins against three ranked opponents, including at then-No. 22 Florida State, then-No. 21 Arizona State - a game played in the Bahamas - and Pittsburgh.
Now, the Gators will turn their attention to Southeastern Conference play, and for Butler, it hasn't come soon enough. She summed up the wait with one word.
"Finally," she said in her postgame radio interview Saturday.
For a team that has set school records for consecutive wins (14) and is off to the best start in school history through 15 games, the season essentially starts over when SEC play begins Thursday night against Mississippi State.
If the non-conference play is any indicator, however, don't expect this team to let up in the second half of the season.
