Florida crunch time

SCOUTING REPORT

If you want to know how to beat Florida, get a copy of its SEC tournament game against LSU. Taking an early lead and forcing the Gators to play catchup is key.

Florida won a school-record 24 regular-season games with a starting lineup that includes two freshmen, a sophomore and two seniors. The freshmen have been phenomenal but of late have shown signs of fatigue.

Senior forward Matt Bonner is the leading scorer but has an injury to his right foot that requires rest at a time when rest is not an option. He says when he's on the floor, it's not an issue. Senior guard Brett Nelson has been hampered all season by a broken bone in his foot and hasn't been the offensive threat he once was.

Florida's forte is its outside shot, but the shots haven't been falling as much in the past three games. Its Achilles' heel is defending in the post. The way to take the Gators out? Slow the game down and defend the 3s.

CRUNCH TIME

When the game is on the line, who do you want ...

TAKING THE LAST SHOT: Anthony Roberson. The freshman averages just 1.9 turnovers and is cool and confident in the clutch. In the first meeting against Georgia, he won the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and he nearly helped the Gators upset Kentucky at home, bringing it coast to coast before missing at the buzzer.

AT THE FREE-THROW LINE: Brett Nelson. Roberson leads the team in free-throw percentage (.831), but Nelson is an 82 percent shooter with an intangible Roberson doesn't have: tournament experience. Nelson was a member of the Gators team that made it to the national championship game and knows how to play under pressure.

HANDLING THE BALL: Christian Drejer. One of his best skills is his ability to handle the ball and find the open man. He has made some passes that sent the crowd into a frenzy. He has had some turnovers in critical situations, but for the purpose of setting things up for the key shooters, he has the skills.

GUARDING THE OPPONENT'S BEST PLAYER: Justin Hamilton. He is considered among the league's top defenders.

Who do you not want ...

TAKING THE LAST SHOT: David Lee. No offense to Lee, but the last thing Florida wants is the ball in Lee's hands to give the opponent a chance to commit a foul. That would put Lee on the line, which doesn't provide Florida with the best odds.

AT THE FREE-THROW LINE: Lee. Though he has improved all aspects of his game, including his free-throw shooting, he is just a 60 percent shooter, the worst of the starting five. Lee is 6-of-11 from the line in the final three minutes of the game this season, 13-of-24 in his career.

HANDLING THE BALL: Matt Walsh. Even Coach Billy Donovan jokes that reporters should try to find out the freshman record for turnovers. As Donovan puts it, "I'm sure he's going to shatter it." For the record, Walsh has 34.

GUARDING THE OPPONENT'S BEST PLAYER: Brett Nelson. During last season's first-round tournament game against Creighton, Terrell Taylor had a field day from 3-point range, especially late in overtime, with Nelson defending. This season, Nelson has been hampered by a broken bone in his foot and that doesn't help his ability to defend.

THE COACH

If the game is on the line and there are 20 seconds or fewer remaining, don't look for a timeout from Donovan. In two of the biggest games this season -- against Georgia and Kentucky with the final seconds ticking down -- Donovan chose to allow the game to play. Substitutions are frequent and start early. Donovan is demonstrative on the sideline, whistles, stomps his feet, yells and isn't afraid to let officials know what he thinks. In other words, he's quite entertaining.

THE TEAM

Florida is 7-4 in games decided by five points or fewer, which is a far cry better than last season when it went 2-6 in those games. But the past three -- losses to Georgia, Kentucky and LSU -- have been decided by a combined seven points. Keeping it close seems to be an opponent's best option at this point.

HISTORY

Florida is making its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with a 15-9 record. Five of those have come under Donovan.

The Gators have had some memorable NCAA Tournament games. There was the running one-handed layup by Dan Cross with 7.2 seconds remaining that gave the Gators a win over James Madison and propelled them to their first Final Four in 1994. That run also included the 69-60 overtime win over Connecticut in the Sweet 16.

Another thriller was the 73-72 loss to Gonzaga in 1999 when Casey Calvary leaped over UF's Brent Wright and tipped in a missed shot with 4.4 seconds left to advance to the West Region final.

And perhaps most famous of all? Florida's 69-68 overtime win over Butler when Mike Miller hit a driving jumper as time ran out in the first round. Florida ultimately made its first national championship game.

FUN FACT

When the team received its first No. 1 ranking this season, it became the 12th Gators athletic team to be ranked No. 1 in the nation. The men's tennis team is No. 2 and looking to become the 13th top-ranked team.

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