Orange and Blue Hue » We Are All Witnesses…

We Are All Witnesses…

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This picture from UF’s sports website, and the quote from Nike, just about sum it up. Florida played typical Billyball: balanced scoring, tres-o-plenty, and a solid defensive wall. But in the end, St. Nick stole the show, giving the Gator Nation some record-breaking performances.

For starters, he dished out his 200th career assist when he fed the ball to “Old Man” Walter Hodge for a three early in the game. He is the only freshman, in fact, he is the only Gator ever, to have 200 assists in a season. Current tally for his season/career: 209.

Which brings us to the triple-double, the Holy Grail of a basketball player’s versatility. Despite scoring fewer points (11) than his season average (15.7), Little Bill put Mareese Speights to shame on the glass (He had 13 boards, Big Mo had 4), to say nothing of all his dimes.

It’s the second 3-D in Gator history (Corey Brewer had 15-13-10 against Jacksonville on Dec. 2005) And he’s the only freshman in school history to ever do so. Unbelievable.

Bear in mind, college games generally have fewer possessions and fewer scores than in the NBA, with eight fewer minutes of game time and eleven more seconds on the shot clock. That makes the triple-double an even rarer feat in college than in the pros. And Nick has come close several times before, like 18-13-8 in UF’s season opener.

He’s doing all of this as a freshman on a rebuilding team. Wait until he gets more big guys to pass the ball to.

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He’s an amazing player and he made us all proud.

Florida’s playing like they want to win this thing. I think we can build from this NIT tourney. None of us are happy about being here, but it’s an opportunity to make things right for next season. I have no doubt UF will be gunning for a good seed in next year’s tourney.

You know, I look at Georgia and then I look at Kentucky and then I look at us. Only one of those teams is still playing basketball right now, and it’s not the two NCAA tourney teams.

Going to the NIT might not have been what I spent the year hoping for but I do feel rather happy to be here when I look at how easily we might be the ones having suffered that first round loss…

SC_Gator: I know what you mean. I’d still take a first round tourney loss over winning the N.I.T. but I have to admit, it’s good to see our guys advancing and most importantly PLAYING AS A TEAM. I realize the level of competition so far isn’t extraordinarily high but many of the teams in this tournament aren’t chump change, and there are definitely a few that would be a real challenge to beat.

I like the way they’ve responded to Donovan’s challenge. These are good kids at heart who want to wear the uniform with pride. They just need to learn how to grow and get tough together. My affection for this team is growing.

Ironically, the NIT may actually turn out to be the best thing for these guys long-term.

They get to experience the pressures and challenges of going deep into a bracket, something they wouldn’t get with a first-round loss in the NCAAs.

They’re going to Tempe to square off with Arizona State - a solid Pac-10 team that many think was unjustly snubbed for the Big Dance. Win that game, and they can write their own ticket to Madison Square Garden.

And as strange as it may seem, they’re getting even better as they progress in the tournament:

#7 SDSU: +12 at half, won by 24
#3 Jays: +20 at half, won by 28

I think we’re starting to see glimpses of how dangerous these young guys are going to be in the future.

Vince, that’s exactly what I was getting ready to post…

I’ll add that they seem to be responding to the tournament in the manner they need to…

Fresh attitude in a new season and turn it up a notch…

Especially the way they responded to closing the reg. season in such a woeful fashion…

I feel it’s a good sign…

Well, even if they go out without winning the NIT I think they will take a much better attitude into the off season then they would from getting smacked out of the big dance in round one.

I was thinking something similar before the NIT started; for what is still a fairly inexperienced team, a deep run against the JV really can be more valuable than a first-round stomping in the NCAAs… you get more playing and practice time, and a chance to build self-confidence against fairly decent opponents. I’ve never really understood how a psychologically fragile squad (and I think that’s a fair characterisation for most young 11 or 12 seeds) is supposed to benefit from a thirty point Thursday or Friday loss, which only emphasises the enormous gap between them and the nationally competitive teams.

Of course, all this assumes a ‘good’ run, but at this point UF will at least live up to its seed. And it’s also a silver lining that has to be justified by the following season - there’s plenty of youthful teams who use the NIT as an apprenticeship and are back near the top the year after, but there’s also… oh, South Carolina, repeat NIT champs.

For some reason the team was balling at SW rec (UF’s student gym) today. I saw Parsons, Speights, Calathes, and Werner. I dont know what they were doing there, perhaps some team bonding thing or something? They were playing 5v5 against students

Glad you’re doing well int the NIT, but I bet each of you would have given your eye teeth to be in the dance.

Cat Fan, thank you for stating the obvious. Yes, not making the tourney sucked and this season is officially a disappointment. However, the team is doing well presently and they’re still playing, unlike yours. And they’re guaranteed to finish with a much better record. The future is bright.

WE ARE (clap clap) MAR-QUETTE (clap clap)

How many triple doubles has Pat Patterson had so far?

And is he Irish?

You are still playing…to see who is number 66.

And your do-no-wrong Wildcats haven’t? Gimme a break.

Ass. We are talking about right now! Since past success means nothing to you all! You all are a NIT program.

But I thought you ‘Cat fans *embraced* your history.

That means you’ll have to treasure and adore all of the ugly moments, as well as all the triumphs.

Life is full of major tests, like Florida, San Diego, UAB, Gardner-Webb, Arizona, Duke, and Texas Western.

And before you flame me about Texas Western, remember Laettner’s stomp with Duke.

What kills me is that the ‘Cats just finished the season 18-13, lost in the first round of the SEC-T, first round of the NCAAs (which they got in by the hair of their teeth), had historic losses to teams like Gardner-Webb, and are losing their two seniors who were responsible for almost all of Kentucky’s success this past season… and they think the future is bright.

I don’t know anything about it, but according to the bluesors on this board, UK has become the JUCO destination mecca of the south. Remember when UK could just recruit the best players out of high school? yeah, those were the good ooolllleeee days.

Maybe UK should have played in the NIT too. It’s more fun actually competing then just getting your ass whipped and sent home in the first round.

Think about it: Most of their success ended 10 years ago, they probably had refs giving them favorable calls, their NBA-player have been OK (”Pros”: Rajon Rondo, Tayshaun Prince, Pat Riley etc. “Cons”: Antoine Walker, Sam Bowie???), and they have a sense of entitlement surrounding their program.

It’s like they’re the Duke of the SEC.

Vince,

You are an idiot. I really do not believe you are a collage student. You probably flip burgers at Burger King with the rest of your friends on this sight. Got to go and do some work.

“Vince, you are an idiot”
“Ass”
“collage”

For that matter, I don’t think you are a collEge professor. I searched every higher education institution I could find in Lexington (i.e. UK, Transylvania etc.) and your name didn’t come up. Not even once.

http://phonebook.ufl.edu/people/JJWWVWHHV/

Read it and weep, buddy.

They say ‘Cats have nine lives. After the early season, the SEC tournament, and the NCAAs, I’m putting that in doubt.

Do you honestly think I would use my real name on one of these websites. Are you serious? Also, I am not your buddy.

Just like Joe Crawford and Patrick Patterson aren’t real wildcats.

Vince is making plenty of friends, isn’t he… :)

I am just messing with you guys. No hate here at all. Seriously! I think all of this is funny. I will be down there in Florida for the UK Fla game. Maybe I can come a tailgate with you all? It would be fun!

I think you’re better off just crawing back into your cave until next basketball season.

You are right about Vince - he is not a collage student. He already learned how to make collages back in kindergarten like most of us. Maybe that is what Boatman is a professor of?!? collages for adults?!

skigator93,
Tell me where to meet you and I will whoop your ass.
Love, John

In America, the land of the free - and the home of the Braves.

You can join my tailgate, John. The UK game is usually a pretty low-stress affair so everyone will be chilled out and very friendly to you.

That is, until he starts flapping his gums.

I don’t think there are many college professors doing a whole lot of ass “whooping”

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