Orange and Blue Hue » A Chance to Save a Season

A Chance to Save a Season

Gators come together
It’s no secret that I have some sort of weird, passive-aggressive love-hate relationship with the Kentucky Wildcats. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s because I wear an “SEC beat” hat where I give the Wildcats due consideration along with the Gators when I cover our favorite hoops conference. Maybe it’s because Kentucky is the source of past frustrations and recent joys when they play our boys. Maybe it’s because Kentucky’s program represents hoops greatness; with two national title banners hanging from the rafters in Gainesville, Florida’s come so much closer to grasping that brass ring. Maybe it’s Kentucky’s maniacal, unrelenting fanbase whose various psychoses are nearly as fun to watch as their team. Maybe it’s the friends I’ve made at A Sea of Blue, people who somehow accept the rabid Gator in their midst and are always gentle and kind despite the occasional propensity to flap my gums at the wrong time.

I don’t know. But somehow, whatever it is, beating Kentucky is something special, and always will be special. It is something to be cherished no matter how many times in a row they’ve gone down to the mighty Gators.

In pure rivalry mode, I love watching the Wildcats crash and burn. I loved it early in the season when plumes of smoke rose from Lexington after home losses to teams like Gardner-Webb, UAB and San Diego. I enjoyed the “morals clause” issues swirling around the Big Blue Nation’s new coach, a guy with character issues and a checkered past, the kind of guy who wouldn’t have gotten an askance glance from Kentucky had they not been turned down by their first two choices.

But something happened along the way. The Wildcats matured into the kind of team that you can’t help but grudgingly admire as a hoops fan. They aren’t the most talented team in the league — not by a long shot — and they still show their warts every game. But they tough out out close wins by sheer will and effort, and somehow have put together a rather impressive 11-4 regular season record.

Don’t shoot me, Gators, but in a weird way, I’ve actually grown fond of this team in some hard-to-describe way. They walked off the court at Thompson-Boling Arena last week as losers to Tennessee, but somehow scored a “moral victory” by taking the Vols to the wire without their best player, Patrick Patterson on the floor. Moral victories rarely count for a damn thing, and they usually just mean the team lost. But somehow, Kentucky didn’t lose that night.

So where do the Gators fit in? Fear not, beloved readers. I bleed orange and blue. The day I give a rip about Kentucky’s feelings when Florida’s on the court is the day I hang up my Rex Grossman #8 jersey for good. But you see a team like Kentucky, which I believe doesn’t enjoy the overall total talent level that our Gators possess, and you see a team which wins because they leave it all out on the floor. Our guys haven’t given us that every game this season — notably during the loss to LSU (unacceptable) and the double-digit “L” affair at Arkansas. Even Billy Donovan has complained about the intensity of his team this season.

I want some of the toughness and resilience these ‘Cats have shown in conference play to rub off on our Gators. Ideally, I want to see it rub off in Rupp, and I want it to result in a glory-filled Gator victory.

Beating Kentucky in their current semi-mystical state of being would mean the world to the Gators in every sense of the word, and it’d mean the world to fans, too.

It is, simply put, a chance to save a season for both teams. If Florida beats Kentucky in Rupp — which would be their 8th straight over the ‘Cats — they will probably earn an NCAA tourney bid. On the flip side, Kentucky is fighting for its post-season life as well. 11-4 is a very good conference record, but the ‘Cats are still only 17-11 overall with those aforementioned terrible losses in the preseason. And I guarantee those will not be overlooked by the NCAA selection committee.

I’ve reflected on our young Gators this past week and despite losing 6 of 9 games, I believe there’s a great deal of positives to take from the losses.

Florida has played tough in defeat. The losses to Vandy and Tennessee could easily have been wins save for freshman mistakes in the final seconds. The game against Tennessee was a heartbreaker because a failure by Lieutenant Dan to block out after two bricked free throws allowed a Vol put-back and totally changed the complexion of the game. Instead of having a final possession with a chance to win the game or go to OT, the Gators had to come back from behind again, and they didn’t meet the call. Tennessee is easily the best team in the SEC this year, and our team is obviously young and growing. They will be a force in the years to come.

Coming off the heartbreaker to UT, and with everything on the line at Rupp, I think we stand a damn good chance to win this ball game. Our boys will come out with respect for Kentucky, but belief in themselves that they can win. And they also know how special it is to quiet that sea of blue in Lexington by strolling out of town with a W.

Win the game, and get a ticket back to the Big Dance.

Lose it, and go play in the NIT.

The choice is yours, Gators. It’s time to exert your will on these ‘Cats… and to make Gator Nation proud.

40 Comments so far
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We’ll see…

This is frustrating. We suck

This game sucks, we cannot hit a shot. Off to watch racing.

Frustrating way to lose. This isn’t a year to remember for us but we still have the nucleus of a great team. Can’t wait for the Spring Game… :)

Good game. Glad the streak is over. The Cats sort of seized up at the end. Good effort by the Gators though.

Ah, it’s how it goes. I’m a diehard UK fan (as you may know if you’ve seen me post on here before), but I commend your team for battling back and almost giving me a coronary at the tender age of 20, lol.

You have a very young team on your hands whereas ours is somewhat mixed, but both were impressive. And I swear, Calathes looks like a mini Donovan (I can’t quite put my finger on it though). He’s going to give us fits in the future if and when he sticks around.

As much as I bleed royal UK blue and rejoice when you crash and burn, I do hope this isn’t the nail in the coffin for your NCAA tourney hopes. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have a shot at redemption in the SEC tourney. See you there!

Oh, and Go Big Blue!

Lol, you know I couldn’t pass that up.

Why does our team blow every nice lead they get?

This Florida team’s biggest problem is its lack of experience. They just haven’t figured out how to win the real tough games yet, but they certainly will.

The Gators have almost all the same problems Kentucky had earlier in the season, just to a much lesser degree. Florida has not learned to embrace defense yet, and until they do, close games like Tennessee and Kentucky will continue to elude them more often than not.

But this Gator team has great potential. It will be war in the SEC for the next few years, and the two Billys will be leading the columns with the occasional incursion by Tennessee and MSU.

Win 3 in the SEC tourney, and I say you have a chance at an at large. Win four, and you won’t need one. Great game today, guys. Florida earned my respect long ago, but they earned it again today with a gritty effort.

Has this become a UK board? There’s more UK fans posting on here than Gator fans. Hysterical.

Well, it was a terrible loss, but looking ahead… there could be hope for UF. It things pan out the way they should, UF starts with a first round game at Alabama, win there and play Miss. State, win there and likely play Kentucky for a chance to go the the SEC championship…
‘Bama
Miss. State
Kentucky
SEC Championship Game?

If I had to choose a path, that isn’t the worst one I could think of…

The only good thing about this loss was our bad ass black uni’s. We need to break those out more often.

But the last time the team used the black unis, they lost to FSU in their second national championship season.

Coincidence, or something else?

I hate the black unis. We lose seemingly every game we play when we wear them.

I also hate the black unis. We should donate them to charity.

Nice 2 year run gators and I am completely comfortable giving you all your props. I am a cat fan. I am disappointed with how little respect you give Kentucky’s storied tradition. We have 43 SEC titles. That is more than all the other teams in the SEC combined. What is the overall record of UK and Fla. 86-34? Unbelievable domination in the series. I understand you guys one seven in a row but remember we were handicapped by Tubby Smith and now he is gone. Kentucky is coming back and the tradition will continue as always. Good luck in the NIT.

Or will it?

The winning tradition was easy when it was just you guys, but what to do now that Florida has had its own success?

Nick Calathes is taller than Rajon Rondo and Jamal Mashburn.

I really don’t see why UK fans think they are going to be better next season - 1/2 their production came from their 2 senior leaders this season. 0% of the Gator production will be lost and we are adding 2 top 20 rated big men.

Get ready for another streat and more boasting about your 1940s championships. Kentucky has a great tradition - but I think you will find a disproportionate number of them longer than 20 years ago.

Our three year run ‘96,’97 and’98, 3 championship games with two titles, was more impressive than your back-to-back. In your 3 years you will have 2 titles and a NIT berth. Good luck!

We finished ahead of florida with two of our best players out, who both will be back next year. What does Florida have to look forward to?

Football, Dan. Football

Oh, and Boatie, your UK teams had a much more stable core.

Between Wayne Turner, Nazr Mohammed, and Jeff Shepperd, those guys were role players on the dynasty.

To say nothing of Jamaal Mag-lee-or-ee, Mag-lor, Mag-loyer, Mag-loyre, Mag-lee-ore, Mag-lie-or-ee, Mag-lor-ee, or however his name is pronounced.

(It’s Mag-lor)

So don’t measure this group by their predecessors.

P.S. Pat Riley’s AWOL from Miami. He-he-he

Vince,
Why are you so upset? Is it because you do not have 43 SEC titles? Let’s stay with the specifics and not let our emotions take over. How many SEC titles does Forida have? Please answer and compare.
There has alway been a team to rise and try to become a power in the SEC. Example, Arkansas back in the ’90s. They got to two championships and won a title. Do you consider them a basketball dynasty?
The problem with you Florida fans is that you have had a good two year run and while doing so you all have trashed talked Kentucky who has been a dynasty in basketball since the 1940s.

Final Fours made by Florida from 1999-2007: 3

Final Fours made by Kentucky from 1999-2007: 0

Take a good, long, hard look at that last line. Let the resulting sense of misery and woe sink in.

Ever since national championship #7, that number has become a black hole that is sucking up millions of dollars of scholarships and salaries and has already claimed one of your coaches as its hapless victim.

No amount of money, no amount of history, no amount of five-star recruits, and no amount of grueling practices and wind sprints has zipped up that gaping precipice and turned it into a 1.

All the while, Donovan and his odd hairstyle have helped turn the SEC into the ACC, with two premier programs battling for conference supremacy and a supporting cast of schools that add an entirely new dimension to the picture.

Face it, the program is getting what it deserve for kicking Tubby out of its vaunted coaching seat.

And without any real competition in your conference, which has largely been the case since Rupp took over in the 40’s, your SEC titles are devalued.

But Duke and North Carolina have to scratch and claw for the prize year after year after year. That’s why people respect their dozens of titles.

Vince,
Tubby left. He was not fired. What did you all do to Ron Zook? Florida was going down that long dark hole under him and you all showed him the door. FIRED! So please do not give me the UK did Tubby wrong crap. Tubby is where he needs to be at Minnesota. Also, Vince, we won two titles in ’90s and in the next 3 years we will bring another one home. Also, I hope we get to play you all in the SEC tournament so we can beat you again. Sorry, did you all make the SEC tournament this year?

Yeah, we’re a No. 4 seed.

Are you sure that the “Tubby left” bit isn’t just a cover-up? The UK mob could have shoved him out.

Anyone who believed that Tubby Smith, winner of a national title and multiple SEC titles at Kentucky, left because he “just wanted a new challenge” is either slow of mind or deluding themselves.

It is obvious that he left because his presence was causing a great division within the “Big Blue Nation” and the vitriol of the fanbase sent him packing.

Yeah, Tubby’s teams quit on him long before we did. He’s about like Billy D, an average coach for a pretty good school. Vince, that long rant you had up there about Rupp and Billy D’s funny haircut was well written, even though I disagree with every word, it was pretty funny.

Vince,

Please explain the difference between how Tubby Smith was treated and how Ron Zook was treated?

The difference, my dear John, is that Zook was man enough to stand pat and BE fired while Tubby ducked out of Lexington in order not to be fired…

Also, Zook had the forethought to build up a 2004 recruiting class that laid the foundation for a national championship at Florida.

With Tubby’s ‘04 class, Rajon darted for the NBA, Joe got inferior comparisons to his kid brother, and Ramel - he’s Ramel.

And let me get this straight, Dan

You disagree with the fact that Donovan’s coif is weird, that Kentucky hasn’t made a Final Four since 1999 (cold, hard fact), and that Kentucky has seven national championships.

Too bad you’re not a UCLA fan. They have four more titles than you do.

Your post makes it sound like we haven’t made a tourney in a decade. We have big in the Big Dance every year since 1999. We owned the 90s and most of the new millenium in the SEC. You guys won a couple of titles, congrats. It still doesn’t scratch the surface. It’s obvious in that we make the final 32 the last two years, and we want a new coach. Florida probably won’t make the tourney with more than enough talent to do so one year removed from a national title, and most Florida fans think that’s OK. It’s not our fault we were good in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and still today.

I’m sorry, Daniel…

Maybe I missed the part where a good equals losses to programs like Gardner Webb and UAB…

Dan is smarter than vince and gatorhippy combined. But he is not smarter than Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris rigged the ‘94 Final Four game where Florida lost to Duke, because Chuck Norris didn’t want to see an all-SEC title game.

Twelve years later, he returned for LSU-UCLA.

I didn’t know good was associated with where Florida is headed the NIT.

Nobody said it did…

Why do you Kentucky guts keep lumping this year’s team of freshman and sohpomores into the back-toback champions. Did you forget that UF is the 3-time defending SEC Champions?!?! Yeah, we won the SEC tourney in ‘95 too. So that makes it 3 SEC tourneys and 2 National Championships in the past 4 years….and what has UK done during that time?

Also, to compare Tubby to Zook shows your disconnect with the sport of football (understood though, as UK doesn’t really field a team anymore do they?? they just participate in “sports” from December to March and then shut it down?)

Tubby is a winner. He has won everywhere he’s gone. Who led UK to your last National Championship that you are continuouisly boasting about to try to cover up the fact that it is your only one since the Reagan years?

Tubby.

Zook is not a winner. He has never coached a team to a championship - national, conference, bowl, little league, etc. He did a fine job last year at Illinois, a Big 10 doormat where winning 9 games is the same as winning a national championship. His team also got embarassed in the Rose Bowl on a national stage.

In fact, Zook is o-for in Bowl games. You know, the games where the teams have over a month to prepare and it all comes down to coaching ability??? Zero wins. So don’t compare Tubby to Zook. Foley (UF’s AD & tops in the nation) had the balls to call Zook and tell him he wasn’t cutting it with his 7-5 teams and bowl losses.

I know that you think that UK has only young talent this season and that Billy-G did a fantastic job bringing them together (no question he did), but the team was lead by 2 seniors who accounted for 50% of the offense all season. I know you think that it is easy to slip 2 freshmen into those 2 pair of shoes, but you will see next season….it’s hard to win without senior leadership.

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