3 hours Ago By Edgar Thompson
GAINESVILLE — March Madness has begun for the No. 3 Florida Gators.Todd Golden’s team, and its fans, are ready as college basketball’s biggest month arrives.
UF students camped out Friday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center as ESPN College GameDay arrived in Gainesville for the first time since 2017 ahead of Saturday night’s visit from No. 12 Texas A&M.
Florida leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. watches from the bench during the Gators’ stunning loss Feb. 25 at Georgia.
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Following a stunning loss Tuesday night at unranked Georgia, the Gators (24-4, 11-4 SEC) expect to rise to the occasion.“We have a very mature group, and I’m not worried about this group competing the right way,” Golden said Friday. “You got to be able to deal with some adversity and trust what this team has shown over the last 28 games.
We’ve done enough to prove to ourselves that we have a chance to play deep into March.“We’ll just continue to get as good as we can before that, and let the chips fall wherever they may.”The stakes are high.
The Gators have three games, including Tuesday’s trip to No. 6 Alabama and a March 8 visit from Ole Miss, to earn a double bye for the SEC Tournament and make their case for a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tourney.
If forced to pick one, Golden would favor a bye into the conference quarterfinals March 14. The 39-year-old also said he’d prefer both.“I’d love the 1 seed,” he said.
“But I like the double bye. Not playing until the Friday of the SEC Tournament ..
. we would have the opportunity to stay a little fresher for the NCAA tournament. That’d be my answer.
“I’ll take double bye for 500, please.”Joking aside, the Gators have reason to feel greedy.Prior their stumble at Georgia on the heels of a lackluster win at LSU, Florida’s talent, depth and grit inspired comparisons with the ’04s, the nickname for the back-to-back national champions led by a 2004 class featuring All-American post players Joakim Noah and Al Horford.
The ’24s, led by the formidable veteran guard trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin, now must prove themselves to be Final Four material.March is their chance.
A sold-out O’Connell Center is the perfect place to start. UF is 13-1, including 6-1 in SEC play while winning by an average of 23 points.“The closer it gets to March Madness, just the more exciting each game gets,” sophomore forward Alex Condon said.
“It’s important to finish the right way. We’ve done a great job in SEC play just bringing it every night.“We’ve got to do that going forward.
”Florida guard Will Richard is frustrated after his 30 points were not enough during the Gators’ Feb. 25 loss at Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)The 6-foot-11 Condon will be key against A&M.
The Aggies (20-8, 9-6) lead the nation with an average of 15.9 offensive rebounds and sit atop the SEC with a rebounding margin of 9.1.
The Gators are next with at 8.2.“Just initiating the contact tomorrow night is going to be really important and not playing scared or timid,” Condon said.
“You’ve just got to bring it to them because that’s the way they generate extra possessions.”Condon leads UF with an average of 7.6 boards but has been banged up as he prepares to bang with one of the nation’s most physical teams.
He missed three games with an ankle injury suffered during the opening minute of a Feb. 11 win at Mississippi State. The rust showed when he returned during an 88-83 loss at Georgia, where Condon absorbed a stray elbow during the second half that knocked loose his two front teeth.
“Got them straightened out yesterday in Gainesville,” the 20-year-old said.Raised by an Australian Rule Football star, Condon plans to wear a mouth guard for the first time and eventually will require two root-canal surgeries.For now, it’s winning time for players and programs aiming to be heard.
“We’ve done some really good things so far,” Golden said. “Now it’s, ‘OK, how can we make that adjustment from being the hunters to the hunted?’ That’s where we are right now. It’s a little more, I’d say, mentally taxing, just making sure that you’re prepared day in and day out.
“But that’s what being the best requires.”Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected] next .
..No.
12 Texas A&M at No. 3 FloridaWhen: 8:30 p.m.
, Stephen C. O’Connell CenterTV: SEC Network.
