Florida and Uconn at 6:00 for a shot at the Finals

[Ga8or22]

(1) FLORIDA GATORS (7) CONNECTICUT HUSKIES
Head Coach: Billy Donovan Head Coach: Kevin Ollie
Record: 36-2 Record: 30-8
Conference: Southeastern Conference: American
Odds: Florida -6 | O/U: 127

HISTORY, STATS AND STREAKS

» Florida is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history, holding a 10-0 record overall with that seed winning the national title the previous time it held the ranking entering the tournament (2007).
» The Gators won the outright 2014 SEC regular-season title for the second-straight year and third time in the last four seasons. UF then went on to win the 2014 SEC Tournament Championship for the first time since 2007.
» The Huskies earned the right to play in the Final Four by defeating (4) Michigan State 60-54 in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
» Florida has played 58 games in 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, holding a 42-16 all-time in the event. The Gators have played 46 of those 58 games under Donovan, going 35-11 in those contests over 15 NCAA Tournaments.
» UF is 3-1 in Final Four games all-time, 3-0 under Donovan with national title game appearances in 2000, 2006-07. The Gators, which are making their first appearance in the Final Four since 2007, have not played for the national championship since.
» Florida is 1-1 all-time against UConn, 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament (1994) and 0-1 under Donovan. The Gators fell to the Huskies 65-64 earlier this season, dropping a road contest in Stoors, CT on Dec. 2, 2013.
» UF has not lost since that defeat and enters Saturday’s Final Four on a program-record 30-game winning streak with victories in 35 of its last 36 games.
» Florida is the fourth team since 1979 to enter the Final Four with a win streak of 30+ games. None of the previous three teams went on to win the national title (via ESPN).
» UF is the third team in NCAA Tournament history to enter the Final Four with four tournament wins by double figures while simultaneously holding its opponents under 70 points per game.
» The Gators are 86-9 since the beginning of the 2011-12 season when holding an opponent under 71 points in a game.
» UF is 15-2 this season in single-digit decisions after going 0-6 in such contests during the 2012-13 campaign. Florida is also 1-0 in overtime games.
» The Gators are 9-0 in neutral-site games this season.
» Florida is 25-5 playing as the top team in the country.
» The Gators won 30+ games prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history and set a school record for most wins in a single season by defeating Dayton in the Elite Eight and advancing to the Final Four (36).

 

[Ga8or22]

Well CRAP the Gators never got it into Gear and LOST - I will root for UK GO SEC. UCONN still has a team of cheaters

 

[miltongator]

Proud of the team! They had a good run.

 

[DRU2012]

Sorry mg: I'm just not that kinda "good sport". You don't put together this kind of team, work so long and hard to put yourselves in this position, and have everything finally in place at the end to get it done, then fail-to-fire--and get to pat yourselves on the back and say, "Nice run"...Not in my world, at any rate. Guess I'm applying "Football-standards", though; It's a lot easier when I remind myself, "Well, it IS only basketball, after all..."
Real surprise--and a major drag--was watching a Billy Donovan-coached Gator team not ready to play, and unable to adjust to a choppy, cramped defensive scheme as the game wore on. For a football-guy like me, it was a lot like watching a 6-turnover performance against Georgia in the Cocktail Party. 'Bout 5 miunutes into the 2nd half I blurted out, "FUCK! We aren't gonna 'snap outta this' t'night--and THEY'RE the ones hittin' the 3's...ForGET it: We're SUNK!"--at which point, I left and went home, not at all surprised at the actual outcome that ensued unmonitored by me in the meantime.
Man, I tell y'all: Crappy as it was to witness, and disappointed as I may be, it's just a fore-echoing warning, a HINT of how it'd feel to see "the REAL Gators" (sorry Foley: We're STILL a "football school", and you KNOW it) get to "the Final Four-to-be", where it really counts, and pull a choke-fade like that one. Maybe we'd take it this Fall after that 2013 season...but remember how it felt in Tevow's senior season, goin' after the back-to-back, when something similar happened in the SEC-Championship vs. the Tide?
Bad time for a Bad Game. Screw that: Sucks BIG TIME.

 

[DRU2012]

@miltongator, --AFTER noting above reaction/comments:
...On the OTHER hand, that pretty well DOES echo my own feelings as I turn the page on basketball, something that is fairly easy for me in the first place ANYWAY...To wit,
"Nice run, boys...Now let's ditch the distractions and focus on the IMPORTANT stuff: How far are we along just a couple of weeks away from the Spring Game, scrimmage, "Orange and Blue Revue" or whatever they're calling it now? There's a lot of work to get done at each stage in mounting the campaign to return the TRUE "Fightin' Gators" to domination and glory."

 

[Leakfan12]

Hey, I'm happy they actually made it to the Final Four after two chokes and a blowout in the Elite Eight the pervious three years. However, they should have won that game, they lead 16-4 halfway through the first half. Well next season though I think we're more concern about the upcoming football season.

 

[DRU2012]

Hey, I'm happy they actually made it to the Final Four after two chokes and a blowout in the Elite Eight the pervious three years. However, they should have won that game, they lead 16-4 halfway through the first half. Well next season though I think we're more concern about the upcoming football season.

Damn straight.