We have yet to play a complete game.

Maybe a familiar uniform will get Condon going. Need Condon, Haugh, and Clayton to all show up and we can win against anyone.

 

Dont forget TH or DA they gave the potential to impact the as much as anyone not named WC

 

Handlogten may be a wild card. He may have a score to settle with them from last year’s SECT championship game

 

We are down to the best four teams in the country. Every game is a coin flip with Duke maybe having a slightly loaded coin.

Whatever happens it was a great season.

Go Gators!

 

He gave Broome trouble when they played at UF last year (another comfortable UF win)

 

Well, Auburn's coach will cause they did.

 

What? We scored like 8 pts in the first 10min. It got better from there, but that was a good defensive team that stymied the mighty Gators early in the game.

 

Kinda where I am. You get this deep and ofc it would be a disappointment to lose. But all three teams present problems. We match up pretty well with Auburn, but it’s hard to beat a good team twice. Houston and Duke both play with a pace and precision that is the polar opposite of us and is basically our kryptonite.

I don’t love our chances unless all three of our senior guards come to play both games. We absolutely need Martin and Richard to hit their shots and be solid secondary scoring threats when teams scheme for Clayton (which they will do). Our bigs obviously have to play well, but rebounding, rim protection, and hustle is more what we need from them. We absolutely need a Martin whose shots go down and who can score getting downhill, and a Richard whose shots go down and who attacks close outs and gets offensive rebound put backs. When we have all three of them going, the bigs can do what they do best offensively: slip screens, catch lobs, clean the glass, and take advantage of mismatches.

IMO, it really would take one—or two—of those elusive complete games.

 

This goes for several of our bigs. Take it to the basket and finish. You’re big for a reason and it ain’t finger rolls. No more touch nonsense. Maybe they should watch replays of the 04’s to get the right idea.

 

Spartans were also missing a number of close-to-the-basket shots yesterday - all hitting the front of the rim.

 

We brought our A game to Auburn this year, and didn't even have Clayton or Handlogten. So we're even better now than then, but it will still require our A game. Condon and Chins defended Broome as well or better than anyone else has this season. He still got good numbers but didn't dominate like he's capable of. That was the key.

 

Yep. Condo needs to be aggressive with the ball and see if he can draw a couple of fouls on Broome.

 

I agree completely with the OP's premise. It looks to me like we are sleepwalking in the NCAA tournament so far. This is in complete contrast to the way we played in the SEC championship.

I am ready to see this team come out with heart and playing for the opponents jugular! I cannot imagine that we would sleepwalk in the Final Four. We may have our hands full with Duke in the Final but I want to see us leave it all on the court in the next two games! Go Gators!

 

I will echo what others have said - our best game was at Auburn. That was certainly a complete game.

Now, we have not played a complete game in the NCAA Tournament. The question is why? Why have we looked so out of sorts at times in the Big Dance? I think maybe our guys have been tight at times; playing nervously; only with their backs to the wall have they opened up and played really well, and I am referring to both UConn and Texas Tech.

Hopefully playing against a familiar SEC foe will allow our guys to settle down and execute with more precision.

 

Struggled is bit far-fetched.

That 1st title run, the largest lead by anyone was Georgetown, a 9 point lead early in the game that led to just a 2 point lead at the half. Villanova, the #1 seed only ever had a 3 point lead early in the game. GM had a 2 point lead very early in the game. And in the title game, UCLA enjoyed a 2 point lead in the opening moments of the game and that was it. So in that first title run, only one game had us playing from behind against a really good Georgetown team. Everybody else barely held a lead very early in the game before we just ran it out.

The repeat had us doing well knowing we had that target on our backs. Everybody came with their A game and we still won.

Jackson St - they started out with a 5 point lead before we ran away from them.
Purdue - Another Georgetown, very solid team, held a 7 point lead at the 9:00 mark of the 1st half and led by 2 at the half and went back and forth until the 13:00 mark of the 2nd when we took control
Butler - held a 9 point lead at the 11:44 mark of the 1st half before we woke up and took control 5 minutes before halftime
Oregon - held a 5 point lead at the 11:00 mark before we pulled away
UCLA - held a 4 point lead early in the 1st half before we pulled away
Ohio St - held a 4 point lead at the 16:00 mark of the 1st half before we pulled away

In almost every case, we spent the first part of the first half measuring the other team before we asserted control.

I would say Duke has played the entire tournament with complete games. I've seen no weaknesses both offensively and defensively. It will be interesting game between them and Houston.

 

I have said since the UConn game that we haven't put a complete game in yet. Complete halves or complete 3 minutes, but not a complete game from start to finish. I'm not saying a complete game has to be firing on all cylinders and never playing down, it's that all of the games have seen us turning the ball over way too many times and guys just starting out cold. We haven't played great since the SECT and that's why I don't like the conference tournaments. For us, it was a big moment because of how long its been since we last won one but it seemed we left our mojo in Nashville. Auburn used the loss to energize them in the NCAAT. So we got this far misfiring but it's come to the point we have to play better than we have or we won't beat Auburn or Duke. We might one of a few teams that could get away with bringing our C game to get to the FF but it's going to have to take a B game at least to beat Auburn and probably our best game to beat Duke.

 

This is a great topic for a fan message board.

The pressure a team puts on itself might be a factor.

There's a certain sense of "we made it" that getting to the Final Four has, based on opinions of people I have known over the years, and even some on here. You can hang a banner, the Regional had a trophy. It says MUCH about the quality of the team to merely make it. That all four 1-seeds made it says the committee seeded them correctly as The 4 Best Teams In The Country. I wonder if the pressure to make the FF, the EXPECTATIONS that come with that, was uncharted mental waters for our players, and even the Head Coach, whose NCAAT creds did NOT come with 1-Seed baggage.


Who EXPECTED us to destroy UT when #1 came to town?
Who EXPECTED us to dominate Auburn, at Auburn, down Alijah?
Our guys hit the SECT with "expectations", yes; but not the expectations on Auburn and Alabama, IMO. So we played less 'uptight'.

I am hopeful the players have a sense of delivering on their promise, to relax their anxious minds, yet still with the hunger to be known for the work not-yet-done. Playing their, for sure, last game or two might spur something heretofore unseen in this tournament.

 

Watching yesterday’s games, none of the 4 teams played a “complete” game. Shooting percentages were bad all around. A lot of missed buckets at the rim. It’s a razor thin margin now between winning and losing. Enjoy the ride

 

I agree we haven't played a complete game. I'm not sure why.
Are we trying too hard due to the pressure, and not having been there before? It sort of feels like it.
But also we are getting each team's best shot. They have scouted us, they know what makes us go, and have worked hard to take that away.

So maybe its the other teams both playing their best and also playing some good D.

So the big question is- how does that change in the FF?
I'm hoping making the FF will bring back the "nothing to lose" attitude we saw at times this year.
And if we can somehow make it to the final vs Duke- we really have nothing to lose.

it would sure be fun...