Wish the hoops team luck, men. They’re going to need it.

Arizona State has a slight edge over Florida on paper. But Donovan has proven himself the master of the postseason over the last 4 years, earmarked by 3 SEC championships, 2 national titles, and now an NIT quarterfinals berth (Mind you, with a completely different team.)

So how can Florida get the W and the trip to NY?

1. Speed up the game

First off, Coach D uses a run-n-gun scheme anyway; there’s no need to change his gameplan. Besides, a fast pace will help keep ASU’s top scorers either overly occupied or resting on the bench.

2. When in doubt, give Calathes the ball

With every game on the line, a playmaker must step up. Nick helps things happen with (15.6 PPG) and without (6.1 APG) the rock. Besides, he’ll have momentum from his Creighton trifecta.

3. Get Jeff Pendergraph in foul trouble

JP combines the defensive versatility of Dan Werner with the post prescence of Marreese Speights. But being the big guy on your team comes at a price; #4 has fouled out five times this season. Did I mention that he’s one of the Devils’ top-three scorers?

4. Silence the crowd

Getting a fast start to the game will prove priceless. Even if an early lead is fragile, it helps drain the energy of a home-court advantage. If the crowd is out of it, UF is firmly in control.

5. Put Florida’s best ballhandler (N.C.?) on James Harden

The guy steals so many balls that he makes Carmen Sandiego look like a shoplifter. Of course, you don’t get all those swipes without gambling on defense. Assigning a tandem of Calathes and Lucas to guard him could make him press his luck on D.

6. Make sure someone guards Ty Abbott around the arc

Ab’s not afraid to chuck a 3; after all, he has more attempts (209) than twice the number of the second-place guy (Harden has 103) And when an opposing player gets hot from 3 on Donovan’s defense, look out.

7. Pound the paint

State relies heavily on 1/2 guards for alot of its scoring. While the Devils are quicker than most college b-ball teams, they’re more vulnerable inside. And who better to take advantage than Mo-reese Speights?

8. CLOSE THE DEAL!!

Florida’s blown many of their nice leads. If the Gators are ahead in the final five minutes of play, they need to do anything possible to nurse their advantage. The fatal over-and-back against Vandy needs to be fresh on these guy’s minds.

If they can achieve some or all of these objectives, they’ll play on basketball’s finest stage.