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UF, and UF alone, saw it coming

An inexperienced Gators squad insists it always saw itself as a threat to beat the odds and play for a title.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published March 26, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS - Before the season, Florida coach Billy Donovan said he could guarantee only three things: His young team would compete as hard as it could, it would play unselfishly and it would be fun to watch.

His players said they would have taken that one further: They would be a team that would compete for championships.

As Florida prepares to play Villanova today in the NCAA Elite Eight, the Gators say they know they are among the few not surprised by their deep run into the NCAA Tournament.

"We've seen ourselves in this spot," sophomore center Al Horford said. "Ever since we got here, we felt like it was just a matter of time. People expected us to not be that strong because we lost most of our scoring (from last season), but we knew what we had. We knew we were going to come out and make this run."

"I think we probably exceeded expectations from everybody outside, but within the team we felt we had a chance to be a really good team," junior guard Lee Humphrey said. "Our expectations going into the year was to win an SEC championship. And one of our goals was to be one of the best teams in the country. That's still one of our goals."

On paper, this is a rematch of last year's second-round game, which the Wildcats won 76-65.

In reality, it is two teams meeting for the second straight season. A rematch would suggest they are similar, if not exactly alike.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Villanova returned four of its five starters from a team that began last season unnoticed, then went to the Sweet 16, and began this season ranked among the Top 5 in the nation.

"I think our roles are reversed this year," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "For us it's been a different kind of challenge. We know we're getting everybody's best game every night."

Florida lost three starters from last season, began unranked and is playing with a starting lineup that includes four sophomores. Yet it has advanced further than any Florida team in the past five seasons.

"This is not a Florida team that anywhere close to resembles the one that Villanova faced last year," CBS color commentator Jim Nantz said. "It's a great matchup. I think CBS weights it as the best matchup of the weekend and that's why they put it in the last window (today)."

Both sides say that little from last year's game is useful, but the memory is a strong reminder for the Gators of what can happen if they don't play well.

"They physically killed us," sophomore guard Taurean Green said. "They got every rebound, they got every loose ball, we didn't defend very well last year. But that was last year. We've got different personnel this year and everybody's got different roles. Everything is different."

What remains the same is Villanova's reputation for playing one of the most physical brands of basketball in the college game. Its guards aren't big (at 6 feet 4 Randy Foye is the tallest), but it compensates with speed and power.

"The biggest thing to me is not only the quickness, but the physicality," Donovan said. "They are probably even more physical this year than they were a year ago. ... I can't imagine any team in the country more physical than they are."

Though much is made of Villanova's unusual four-guard lineup and the matchup of Gator and Wildcat guards, sophomore forward Joakim Noah said that's not the only facet that will be critical.

"They have a lot of good forwards, too, who are really underrated," Noah said. "They are a great team and we just have to be ready to go. Now it's all about winning, it's do or die. It's our time right now. It doesn't matter who wins the games most of the time, it's who wins the game (today). ... There are mismatches both ways."

Few players on either side were willing to look beyond today. But everyone knows what's on the line. And the prospect of going to the Final Four is what is driving all of them.

"It's very exciting, man, because you always dreamed of being at this point," Horford said. "Everybody dreams of being in the Final Four. With one more win, we're at that point."

[Last modified March 26, 2006, 00:26:15]