The audience has spoken. Amidst the most dominating tear in the football team’s 102-year history, the hoops squad has been quiet, practically unnoticed.

At first glance, it doesn’t look as if the 08’s have made any progression toward Big Dance form, if anything, taking a step back with nonstop attrition.

As before, Florida finished a somewhat wanting pre-SEC slate with two losses. Highly promising big man Mo Speights spurned Hogtown for the City of Brotherly Love (For those wondering, he’s averaging 7.6 and 3.6 in 15 minutes of NBA action per game.)

Jai Lucas, unhappy with playing time, transferred to Texas.

Eloy Vargas and Kenny Kadjii? Hampered by injuries and conditioning issues.

But deep within the exterior of a team that, to some, seems doomed to repeat its NIT history, bright spots await. And they begin with the team’s star point guard.

Despite the aftermath of a probe on his poker habits, former co-SEC FOY Nick Calathes has shown clear signs of improvement from playing international ball over the summer. That oft-maligned mid-range jump shot is starting to fall, not to mention improved perimeter shooting. His defense has bettered, with steals in 13 of 14 games.

Yes, rebounding has dipped from last year, but Little Bill has played more minutes at point with Lucas gone. In the spirit of nitpicking, his 74% free throw shooting percentage still leaves something to be desired. But overall, he has stepped up his leadership.

By the way, don’t be surprised if Calathes begins to assault Florida’s record books, and soon. Despite playing just a season and a half, he already holds UF’s single season record for assists, and his 5 assists in the N.C. State game moved him past Justin Hamilton for the 9th most assists in a Gator career (Seriously.)

Sophomore slump? For Alex Tyus, it’s more like a sophomore surge. He’s shooting 65.6% from the floor at time of writing, and his numbers have gone up in all sorts of ways. Like Speights, who had an outstanding frame for the center spot, Tyus in undersized, more like Udonis Haslem than Al Horford. The more skills Tyus shows in the low post, the more he can compensate for physical difficulties down the road.

Walter Hodge has improved every year under Donovan, and this one is no exception. Even without scoring as much, he remains the Gators’ top perimeter scorer. If anything, Donovan has chided him for not shooting *enough*. And lest opponents think about Hack-a-Hodge, he shoots over 85% from the line.

Even freshmen Erving Walker and Ray Shipman have played key roles off the bench. Maybe it’s not Calathes-esque, but with a 12-2 record, something is going very well.

Amidst the fray, the Gator Boys enter an SEC that has seen better days. Only one team in the East or West is ranked in the top-25 (No, it’s not UK) Tennessee is favored to win the conference, but even then, star center Wayne Chism is dealing with injury. Speights, Richard Hendrix, Chris Lofton, Anthony Randolph, and Shan Foster are gone. Even Kentucky has experienced many of the ups and downs it had last season, and no amount of cajolery by the fanbase on this website can convince me otherwise.

Can Florida learn from their mistakes and make it back to the Big Dance? The real test begins in five days against Ole Miss. Until then, there’s one more tune-up against the 7-8 Longwood Lancers.

Things might look eerily similar to last year, but don’t be fooled.