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Players get to see Big Easy from windows

By JOANNE KORTH

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 18, 2001

NEW ORLEANS -- There is not much chance the Florida basketball team will get into a Bourbon Street brawl, as members of the football team did with Miami before the Sugar Bowl.

The Gators are strictly business.

"We can't leave our rooms," UF forward Matt Bonner said.

Coach Billy Donovan has not so much imposed a curfew for players as confined them to their hotel rooms -- all day. No one is allowed to wander around, let alone enjoy the New Orleans night life.

Bonner, whose sister, Becky, plays for Stanford, would have liked to have watched the Cardinal's second-round game Saturday night, but ESPN2 is not available in his hotel room. And striking out in search of a television with cable is out of the question.

"We get about two channels, and ESPN2 isn't one of them," he said. "Since I can't leave the room, I'll probably just go to sleep."

PREMIUM POSITION: Donovan and Temple coach John Chaney were point guards in their playing days, which means both have high standards for the players who fill those roles.

"Great point guards are guys who think about being in charge, being the ultimate team leader," Chaney said. "It's someone who shoots well, knowing he will only get a few shots. I think I may be harder on point guards than other players."

Though Donovan claimed not to be harder on point guards than other players, he admitted the role was special for him.

"A good point guard makes everyone else around him better," Donovan said. "He is a motivating player. A point guard is an extension of the head coach."

SUDDEN SUCCESS: Donovan is 8-2 in the NCAA Tournament, his .800 winning percentage second among active coaches behind Michigan State's Tom Izzo, who is 13-2. Donovan's victories are one more than Florida had in its history before his arrival. Former coach Lon Kruger won four games in two appearances, guiding UF to the 1994 Final Four, and Norm Sloan won three first-round games.

MARATHON MAN: Temple point guard Lynn Greer leads the nation in minutes played, 1,345 of a possible 1,370. Though he played "only" 33 minutes because of foul trouble in the first round against Texas, he averages 39.6.

"Fatigue is not a factor," Greer said. "If I were on the playground, I wouldn't be asking for a substitution."

STIMULATING CONVERSATION: Florida guard Teddy Dupay talked with members of the media Saturday while lying face down on a training table, a massage machine hooked up to his lower back. Dupay, who had surgery for a herniated disc Jan. 10, gets two or three such treatments a day.

"It's to stimulate the muscles," he said. "I'm pretty stiff in the morning, but as the day goes on sometimes I loosen up. This is normal."

Florida vs. Temple

WHEN/WHERE: 2:30 today; Superdome, New Orleans.

TV/RADIO: Ch. 10; WDAE-AM 620.

RECORDS: UF 24-6, Temple 22-12.

COACHES: UF -- Billy Donovan (102-55, fifth season; 137-75 overall). Temple -- John Chaney (429-178, 19th season; 654-237).

KEY PLAYERS: UF -- Matt Bonner, F, 6-9 So. (13.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg); Udonis Haslem, C, 6-8 Jr. (16.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg); Brett Nelson, G, 6-3 So. (15.4 ppg, 4.3 apg); Teddy Dupay, G, 5-8 Jr. (13.7 ppg, 2.2 apg). Temple -- David Hawkins, F, 6-4 Fr. (10.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg); Kevin Lyde, C, 6-9 Jr. (12.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg); Lynn Greer, G, 6-1 Jr. (18.0 ppg, 5.5 apg); Quincy Wadley, G, 6-4 Sr. (15.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg).

NOTES: Temple leads the series 3-0, but this is the first meeting since 1992, first in the NCAA Tournament and first between Donovan and Chaney. ... Florida, which reached the national championship game last season, is looking to make its third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. The Gators have won nine of their past 10 and 13 of 15. ... Temple, which received an automatic NCAA bid as the Atlantic 10 tournament champion, is in the tournament for the 17th time under Chaney. The Owls have won eight straight. ... Neither team has a deep bench. Three Temple starters played 40 minutes in Friday's win against Texas, and only two players came off the bench for a combined 17 minutes. Four of Florida's starters played at least 30 minutes in Friday's win against Western Kentucky. ... A contest of contrasting styles, Florida will try to push the tempo, Temple to slow it.

- Compiled by Joanne Korth.

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