If not, it needs to be. Not that it really matters right now, but honestly I feel like we're as much a basketball school as a football school at this point, and Gator fans need to embrace this if we want to keep Golden and continue to have success. Golden could literally end up being the basketball version of Kirby Smart. If we keep Golden, this isn't the last time the Gators cut down the nets. I could easily seeing us getting 2 or 3 National Titles under Golden, which would honestly be more impressive that Kirby's 2 National Titles at Georgia and up there with Saban's 6 National Titles at Alabama, considering that it's significantly more difficult to win a College Basketball National Title. At the end of the day, we have more National Titles in basketball than football in the 21st century (3 to 2). Our basketball program also has 3 SEC Regular Season Titles and 2 SEC Tournament titles since our last SEC Title in football in 2008. Napier has the football program on the right track, but let's be honest, it's still going to hard to truly break that barrier and compete year to year with Georgia, Texas and Alabama. They are still a level above us in football. In basketball though, we are currently the big dog in the SEC. We are the level that everyone else in the SEC, including Kentucky, wants to achieve. We now match the number of National Titles in basketball as we do in football, and both sports have won National Titles under 2 different coaches. The Gator fans who still want to say "football is all that matters" or the ones who are still the "I would trade all 3 basketball National Titles for another football National Title" types need to get on board. We're as much a basketball school as we are a football school at this point, and basketball needs to have as much priority as football if we want to keep Golden long term and win more National Titles.
Our basketball program will be a powerhouse as long as Golden is here. Can’t say the same about Napier or the football program, but hopefully that changes this season.
I can remember when Gator Basketball would have an occasional good season, but was never a consistent national power. Times have changed. Nothing says we can't be a power in both sports.
The basketball team shows what the standard is, that there should be no excuses from any other sport, especially football, to not do the same.
Agreed. And that's my point, the days of Gator basketball being an afterthought, or just something to pass the time until spring football arrives, need to be over. Other programs like Kentucky for awhile there could act like Florida basketball was a fluke, just a crazy good team that came together and won back to back in 2007. But this National Title, under a different coach, I think pushes Florida right up there near blue blood status. I'm not saying Florida is up to the level of Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke or UConn, but we're definitely now easily at the level of UCLA (in terms of modern day accomplishments since they haven't done much in 30 years now), Villanova, Michigan State, Indiana (same as UCLA), Syracuse and Louisville. Overall I get the sense that the younger Gator fans (40 and under crowd) treat football and basketball essentially as equals. It's more than over 40 crowd that still puts football on too much of a pedestal. Sadly, that's where the alumni and booster money is. I think the "football is the only sport that matters" Gator fan has diminished in recent year, but I think it now needs to go away entirely. Like you said, there's no reason we can't be a power in both. With that said, we're in much better position to be a power in basketball right now than in football. But for that top happen, we have to keep Golden. We can't let the NBA or one of the historical programs, like UCLA or UNC, snatch him away.
ESPN said we are the only school to have 3 national titles in football and basketball. Incredible accomplishment.
I’d be ok with that. IMO March Madness >>> how they’ve screwed up the football postseason, even with the shitty officiating this tournament
Agreed. College Football of course has the better regular season, even with the expanded playoff (I'm one of the few who actually think the expanded playoffs help the regular season in football, as 1 loss no longer ends your season), but College Basketball has by far the better postseason. To me there's something more exciting about a College Basketball National Title than a College Football National Title. They are both incredible, but I think in College Basketball it's more special because it's just so much harder. We got our lucky break against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, a game we probably should have lost. And that's the thing, even as one of the best teams, you're not going to steamroll through the NCAA Tournament (with the exception of a few teams like UConn last year, UK in 2012 and UNC in 2009). You are going to have a game where you really struggle and have to fight hard to win. It's just harder IMO which makes it that much more satisfying.
I think the talk about firing Stricklin needs to go away. He hired Golden, and that should be enough to keep him around whether Napier makes it or not.
As the only 3X champion in football and basketball in the last 30 years (and ever); the winner of more SEC team titles of any school ever; only school to finish in top 10 of Directors Cup since 1983. Think we pretty much have the only claim as the Everything School.
Yep, the Lon Kruger days were hit-and-miss... then we got Billy Donovan and much more constancy came to Gainesville.
Good opportunity for someone who wants to make an argument for us. Blue bloods (college basketball) - Wikipedia If you want to be seen as a basketball school and you're in the SEC, it's easy. Be Kentucky. Your own football program is the biggest albatross around your neck when you are an SEC school not named Kentucky. I think we are a basketball school and we should be considered a blue blood if Coach Golden keeps on winning, establishing top success in different eras under different coaches. For now, we are certainly new bloods if a program like Gonzaga is the poster child for such. There are seven Division 1 men's basketball teams with more national titles than we have, and they are all absolute bluebloods: UCLA, Kentucky, UConn, North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, and Kansas. We are tied with Villanova and we have more than Louisville, Michigan State, and Syracuse. This classic bit illustrates how hard it can be to be taken seriously as great at two very different things. I think the mind tends to go just as soft when the topic of this thread is up for debate.
