Florida=Last Year's Uconn?

Uber talented, but haven't really put in an impressive performance yet. The Gators seem to feel like they can just show up to win a game and play like it in the first 10-15 minutes of every tourney game thus far, similar to what Uconn did last year. They were the overall #1 last year(I believe), just like the Gators are the overall #1 this year. I don't think these Gator players are as selfish and all about improving their draft stock as Uconn was last year, but it seems like they aren't really playing their game. I don't think Uconn played a good game all tourney last year and then lost to the highest remaining Elite 8 seed(just like Oregon is the highest numbered seed still in this tourney)

 

I don't think the parallels are all that strong. For one, last year's UConn team was a hell of a lot more talented than this year's Gators are.

Another thing is, that although the Gators were the #1 overall seed, they didn't deserve it in the way that UConn did but were rather awarded it because of their geographic location. Otherwise, the consensus was that Ohio State was the overall #1 team, as they were in both polls as well as the RPI. If it weren't for UCLA losing in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament, we could have very easily seen Florida bounced from that #1 seed.

I'm not saying that to bash the Gators (although I love to do that at every chance I get ) but rather to illustrate the point that the Huskies had a lot more expectations and seemed like a surer thing to make the Final Four, the title game, and even to win it all. No one called George Mason over UConn, whereas nearly half the brackets out there are predicting that Oregon upsets Florida.

Outside of the selfishness they've shown, I also don't think this team is playing uninspired or without heart. From what I've seen, they've come out of the gate slow simply because of poor rebounding and poor decision making, mostly from guys like Taurean Green, the role players. Last year's UConn team, on the other hand, is the archetype of a team with no heart. Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams, and Denham Brown had amazing skillsets but the knock on just about every one of them was their inconsistency and lack of effort. In all my years of watching college ball, I don't think I've seen a team that uninspired.

I do see your point about the selfishness though. That's one of the things that I've been able to admire about the Gators throughout the success they've had these past two years: their unselfishness. They're not getting much ball movement in the tournament though and are rather running a lot of isolation plays, and we're seeing a lot of guys like Noah play outside of the team concept. Luckily, they're playing an Oregon team that's having the same problems.

<div align="center"><font face=""Franklin Gothic Medium""> ~Voodoo Child~
(Official Gator Hater)</font></div>

 

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I don't think the parallels are all that strong. For one, last year's UConn team was a hell of a lot more talented than this year's Gators are.

Another thing is, that although the Gators were the #1 overall seed, they didn't deserve it in the way that UConn did but were rather awarded it because of their geographic location. Otherwise, the consensus was that Ohio State was the overall #1 team, as they were in both polls as well as the RPI. If it weren't for UCLA losing in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament, we could have very easily seen Florida bounced from that #1 seed.

I'm not saying that to bash the Gators (although I love to do that at every chance I get ) but rather to illustrate the point that the Huskies had a lot more expectations and seemed like a surer thing to make the Final Four, the title game, and even to win it all. No one called George Mason over UConn, whereas nearly half the brackets out there are predicting that Oregon upsets Florida.

Outside of the selfishness they've shown, I also don't think this team is playing uninspired or without heart. From what I've seen, they've come out of the gate slow simply because of poor rebounding and poor decision making, mostly from guys like Taurean Green, the role players. Last year's UConn team, on the other hand, is the archetype of a team with no heart. Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams, and Denham Brown had amazing skillsets but the knock on just about every one of them was their inconsistency and lack of effort. In all my years of watching college ball, I don't think I've seen a team that uninspired.

I do see your point about the selfishness though. That's one of the things that I've been able to admire about the Gators throughout the success they've had these past two years: their unselfishness. They're not getting much ball movement in the tournament though and are rather running a lot of isolation plays, and we're seeing a lot of guys like Noah play outside of the team concept. Luckily, they're playing an Oregon team that's having the same problems.

<div align="center"><font face=""Franklin Gothic Medium""> ~Voodoo Child~
(Official Gator Hater)</font></div></div>

I would say we certainly were the favorites by most analysts and people because we are so experienced and the other favorites really aren't. The expectations were extremely high on both... Basically Final 4 or a disappointing season. I wouldn't say nearly half of everyone picked Oregon to beat Florida in their brackets. Maybe now they do, but if on the brackets you mean nearly half of people had Florida losing in the Elite 8, that might be better, since I'm sure a lot of people had Wiscy in the Elite 8 and possibly beating us.

Yeah, we definitely have more heart then Uconn from last year, but this is a totally different team right now in energy and passion then the beginning of the season and last year.

I don't mind us not passing as much, I just get mad when Horford doesn't get a touch. He has become our go to guy and if they double team him, he normally finds the open man. It seemed like 4 of Green's 5 3's were passes from a big man. Teams can't double team Horford/Noah just because of their passing ability and when a player has to try to guard Horford one on one it normally ends in a negative for them.

I'm worried about Oregon, hopefully Porter got all of his 3's out of his system. They can light it up and we give up several wide open 3's. They spread the floor great which minimizes Horford/Noah's ability to change shots around the basket. As long as we come out with energy and run the offense through the bigs, we should still be able to beat them.

 

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Last year's UConn was taken out by George Mason. All those players on UConn admitted and regret not taking the tournament seriously. They had their sites set on the NBA Draft and were embarrassed.

I don't think the Florida Gators have the same lackluster attitude UConn's team had. These guys all could have went to the pros last year, but they wanted to defend their title and they appear to have a close bond with one another and are genuine about winning as a team and not individual accolades.

The Gators haven't completely dominated an opponent, because they know they can turn the switch on when needed defensively.</div>

That will lead to our downfall and Oregon is just the team to do it unfortunately.

I agree that we aren't as lackluster as Uconn was last year and we do want to win as a team, not individual accolades, but the first 15-20 mins of the game we are very lackluster and then turn it on in the 2nd half, but even when we "turn it on" we haven't really been that dominant.