SEC tournament crash and burn but still NCAA tourney bound...

[Gator Fever]

Well after another Coach White special - being outscored by 25 pts after taking a 14 pt lead at one point in the game we are stumbling into the SEC tourney. Got destroyed by giving up so many offensive rebounds to Tennessee.

Not sure what I am hoping for here as even a real good run here might only result in a 7 seed at most. Maybe the best thing for making the Sweet 16 is losing to the A&M/Vandy winner and dropping to an 11 seed. Definitely want to avoid the 8/9 seed and those teams in the 5/6 seed area are all pretty beatable in a first game.

 

[TheRealDonBrasco29]

 

[PacoGator19]

Not quite sure what the point of your post is. Hamilton sucks too. He’s made like 1 Elite 8 in like 18 years at FSU. White has done that at UF. He wins the tallest midget contest over white I guess??

 

[Gator Fever]

Not quite sure what the point of your post is. Hamilton sucks too. He’s made like 1 Elite 8 in like 18 years at FSU. White has done that at UF. He wins the tallest midget contest over white I guess??

FSU just blew a 2 seed also dropping their final one costing them the ACC. Probably only a 4 seed at this point after that screwup.

 

[TEBOW TIME]

Coach has got to go

 

[Gator Fever]

Coach has got to go

I see Coach White is 40-30 the last 4 years in SEC regular season games and 2-2 in the SEC tournament games so far.

Finishes of 3, 8, 5 & 5 in SEC regular season play.

Yep since the one good season that isn't cutting it so far. Short of a Sweet 16 this season he needs to be on a very hot seat next season imo.

 

[ocalaman]

Doubt I'll even watch the SEC tournament. I'm just more interested in the spring sports where we are in contention for championships, like baseball, softball, lacrosse and gymnastics. Have ya'll noticed how the UF gymnastics team overcame the loss of 4 of their best gymnasts, including Trinity Thomas (one of the best in the world), due to Covid protocols to beat Kentucky a couple of weeks ago? This was done with some athletes having all time best scores and others who normally don't make the rotation step up to get the job done. And this past Friday night, Trinity Thomas sprained an ankle in warm-ups and was scratched from the meet just minutes before it started at #6 Alabama. Our coach had to scramble to replace Trinity in the 4 rotations and then get the girls focused to compete. And the #1 Gators did just that, handling the stress, a hostile crowd, judges in an away gym and the loss of their leader to beat Bama by .2, win the SEC title outright and maintain their undefeated #1 ranking. That's what I enjoy watching, not a group of underachieving guys who don't know the meaning of focus and consistency.

 

[Gator Fever]

Doubt I'll even watch the SEC tournament. I'm just more interested in the spring sports where we are in contention for championships, like baseball, softball, lacrosse and gymnastics. Have ya'll noticed how the UF gymnastics team overcame the loss of 4 of their best gymnasts, including Trinity Thomas (one of the best in the world), due to Covid protocols to beat Kentucky a couple of weeks ago? This was done with some athletes having all time best scores and others who normally don't make the rotation step up to get the job done. And this past Friday night, Trinity Thomas sprained an ankle in warm-ups and was scratched from the meet just minutes before it started at #6 Alabama. Our coach had to scramble to replace Trinity in the 4 rotations and then get the girls focused to compete. And the #1 Gators did just that, handling the stress, a hostile crowd, judges in an away gym and the loss of their leader to beat Bama by .2, win the SEC title outright and maintain their undefeated #1 ranking. That's what I enjoy watching, not a group of underachieving guys who don't know the meaning of focus and consistency.

I will have hope I guess no matter how foolish that may be come NCAA tournament time but even though it sounds crazy I will be rooting for a result in the SECT that keeps us off that 8/9 seed line. I am thinking now 1 or 2 wins probably gets us an 8 or 9 seed. I am looking for 0 wins or 3/4 wins in the SECT.

 

[PacoGator19]

I will have hope I guess no matter how foolish that may be come NCAA tournament time but even though it sounds crazy I will be rooting for a result in the SECT that keeps us off that 8/9 seed line. I am thinking now 1 or 2 wins probably gets us an 8 or 9 seed. I am looking for 0 wins or 3/4 wins in the SECT.

I can’t believe I’m saying this being the diehard UF sports fan that I am but I’ve pretty much lost all hope with the UF men’s basketball team as long as White is around. I just see average/mediocre and he’s gonna have to win something or do something somewhat impressive to make me a believer again. It’s unfortunate because I do like him but he’s just not a winner.

 

[sadgator]

Maybe the best thing for making the Sweet 16...

Lol....

 

[sadgator]

It’s funny how Fever creates a totally unrealistic and fantastical scenario for this team and then will undoubtedly lambaste White for not meeting that expectation once the season is over...

 

[PacoGator19]

It’s funny how Fever creates a totally unrealistic and fantastical scenario for this team and then will undoubtedly lambaste White for not meeting that expectation once the season is over...

I do think White has to get to the Sweet 16 either this year or next year or he’s a goner.

 

[Gator Fever]

It’s funny how Fever creates a totally unrealistic and fantastical scenario for this team and then will undoubtedly lambaste White for not meeting that expectation once the season is over...

Making the Sweet 16 is not asking a lot for the last 4 years and having no success with winning the conference etc. Just think he should be on a real hot seat next season if he doesn't and fired if no real improvement is made.

I actually think this team has the talent to make the Sweet 16 without any big upset in reality if we can just avoid catching a Gonzaga powerhouse like team in the 2nd game.

 

[gatordad3]

What's so hard to understand about this team close to being Final Four talent? Definitely Elite 8 talent. Mike White is either a cheap imitation of John Calipari or our hoops version of Kirby Dumb.

 

[Gator Fever]

What's so hard to understand about this team close to being Final Four talent? Definitely Elite 8 talent. Mike White is either a cheap imitation of John Calipari or our hoops version of Kirby Dumb.

He also doesn't have the issue some of the blue bloods have of the one and done players creating crazy scenarios. White has to be the top recruiting coach over the last 6 years not to have one NBA draft pick also. If any coach has had more highly ranked players than him over the past 6 years with no NBA draft pick I would like to see it. I know that doesn't mean nearly as much anymore with how the system is now but I think it may have reached a point where it could hurt his recruiting a little going forward.

 

[ocalaman]

Think about Colin Castleton. He barely saw the floor at Michigan, so transferred to Florida where he's one of our main guys. Is that because he's improved so much or because there's such a talent disparity between UF & Michigan? It seems that Mike White had recruited pretty well and has either avoided the one & dones or hasn't been able to sign any of them. So is the issue poor player development, the inability to adapt your game to the talent on hand each year or is it 30 - 40 teams simply having better players than us? However we look at it, the program is not where it should be and there's no reasonable expectation that it's going to improve to the point where Florida is a perennial SEC contender and a Top 15 team every year like it should be.

 

[Gator Fever]

Think about Colin Castleton. He barely saw the floor at Michigan, so transferred to Florida where he's one of our main guys. Is that because he's improved so much or because there's such a talent disparity between UF & Michigan? It seems that Mike White had recruited pretty well and has either avoided the one & dones or hasn't been able to sign any of them. So is the issue poor player development, the inability to adapt your game to the talent on hand each year or is it 30 - 40 teams simply having better players than us? However we look at it, the program is not where it should be and there's no reasonable expectation that it's going to improve to the point where Florida is a perennial SEC contender and a Top 15 team every year like it should be.

I think with Hunter Dickinson coming to Michigan Castleton figured he might get the short end of the stick on starting this season but he has improved a lot and could be a real force with about 20 more pounds on his frame. He kind of disappointed me in that Tennessee game however after having some good games.

I don't like the trajectory right now either. Averaging around #5 in the SEC isn't cutting it with what he has had to work with.

 

[Countygator1]

White has never had a recruited player drafted?? Damn, missed that somehow. He will need to pick up the pace on that front. Looks like Mann is projected to be drafted, Johnson was probably going to be a late 2nd but that's all up in the air now.

 

[Nicktheslick]

Women’s basketball on the rise men’s basketball nope.

 

[gatorbuilderorlando]

I do think White has to get to the Sweet 16 either this year or next year or he’s a goner.

I'm ready to move on from the Mike White era. Truth is his teams are a bit soft and can't give a good effort for more than 2-3 games in a row. They'll win a big game and then lose one that should have been a lay up.

 

[Gator Fever]

White has never had a recruited player drafted?? Damn, missed that somehow. He will need to pick up the pace on that front. Looks like Mann is projected to be drafted, Johnson was probably going to be a late 2nd but that's all up in the air now.

I don't think we have any players that are better than 50/50 to be drafted now. Not sure how that FSU coach does it but they are projected to have 2 more sure NBA draft picks in 2021 which could make 9 NBA draft picks to White's 0 in the last 6 years. Good thing the FSU coach doesn't know how to coach the games that good.

Not sure what Mann is going to do. He put his name in I think last year but with the option he could return if not drafted. Most mock drafts don't have him being drafted. I wonder if he wasn't drafted again would he go the free agent route or would he play one more season.

 

[Nicktheslick]

I don't think we have any players that are better than 50/50 to be drafted now. Not sure how that FSU coach does it but they are projected to have 2 more sure NBA draft picks in 2021 which could make 9 NBA draft picks to White's 0 in the last 6 years. Good thing the FSU coach doesn't know how to coach the games that good.

Not sure what Mann is going to do. He put his name in I think last year but with the option he could return if not drafted. Most mock drafts don't have him being drafted. I wonder if he wasn't drafted again would he go the free agent route or would he play one more season.

Mann has improved drastically over last year. The pure shooting ability he was touted for has materialized. I would love to see this entire team return with Keyonte. But I’m afraid it would just end in frustration.

 

[PacoGator19]

I’m just about ready to offer you guys John Calipari if you’ll assume his lifetime contract.

No thanks. You can keep him. Isn’t his buyout some ridiculous crazy amount?

 

[Countygator1]

I’ve heard it’s something on the order of ~ $50MM...

Wow!

 

[grommit]

I’ve heard it’s something on the order of ~ $50MM...

How many millions is that per national championship?

I am not throwing stones here, we pay White millions and we'll never get anywhere close to a national title like this.

 

[PacoGator19]

How many millions is that per national championship?

I am not throwing stones here, we pay White millions and we'll never get anywhere close to a national title like this.

All that money for a coach that has only won 1 national title in 29 years of coaching in college.

 

[ocalaman]

To me Calipari is a self-promoting mercenary who ruined 2 programs (UMass & Memphis) by cheating. And by keeping Kentucky in prominence with the proliferation of 1 & dones he's shown little to no interest in the educational aspects of his players or his university. In no way would I want UF to even consider replacing Mike White with the likes of this guy.

 

[gatorbuilderorlando]

I've always like Calipari to be honest. He doesn't pretend to be anything that he's really not....salesman? Yes - so what?

Sure he cheats a little but there's some of that going on everywhere.

 

[Gator Fever]

John Calipari vs Kentucky: Is recruiting Reed Sheppard the answer? - Sports Illustrated

This is a great article about UK basketball. It's kind of a long read with a fairly deep dive into the culture and history surrounding the program.

It's become apparent that the one and done mentality is no longer sustainable. For years, Cal has been able to sell recruits on getting them to the NBA, and he's been wildly successful at doing that.

Other programs have since copied Cal's strategy. Between that, the pandemic, and getting caught without a truly elite PG on the roster has exposed Cal big time.

The article points out that Cal is at a crossroads. Interestingly, Reed Sheppard is the son of Jeff Sheppard, a member of the 1998 NC team. The kid is only a sophomore, but he is already attracting a lot of in-state attention. Cal has mostly turned up his nose at recruiting in-state players, which has become another extremely sore subject with a lot of the fanbase. If Cal doesn't go to the mat and recruit this young man, it could get ugly.

To be fair, Cal does care about his players and the university, although it's certainly not apparent to those outside the program. Thank you for letting me share this on your board.

How will Cal handle these very top recruits going straight to G-League and that other option that may be opening next season? It would seem that will mostly finish off a team making a Final Four with a lot of freshman starting since the real big possible game changing ones would mostly be skipping college now.

 

[gatordad3]

If you notice the Rat Face Mike Krzyzewski has been recruiting one and done players for the past several years as well. Looks like Puke University will soon be a distant memory once The Rat Face retires and the part time(Duke fans during hoops season only) Puke fans will have to find a new team to cheer for.

 

[martycat1]

How will Cal handle these very top recruits going straight to G-League and that other option that may be opening next season? It would seem that will mostly finish off a team making a Final Four with a lot of freshman starting since the real big possible game changing ones would mostly be skipping college now.

He will sprinkle in some transfers while also bringing in young talent.

 

[Gator Fever]

He is definitely starting to do that. As bad as UK has been this season I hate to think where this team would be without Davion Mintz.

Maybe one more loss. Curious to see if starting Mintz at PG finally will get you in the tournament. I think Cal does crazier mess than White at times. Not sure if you make it but that other PG seemed to be the main issue.

 

[Gator Fever]

Vandy it is...

 

[ocalaman]

Pippin is a beast. If they get contributions from a couple of other guys, they could be tough. Realistically, the Gators should blow them out.

 

[PacoGator19]

Pippin is a beast. If they get contributions from a couple of other guys, they could be tough. Realistically, the Gators should blow them out.

Pippen has been a great player for Vandy 2 years in a row. He doesn’t get any support which is why they have been one of the worst teams in the SEC. Surprised he hasn’t transferred to be honest but at least he is getting a good education.

 

[sadgator]

We should never lose to Vanderbilt in any sport...ever...except baseball...well, actually baseball too...

 

[Gator Fever]

Not going to stress too much if we blow this game. Hopefully it would drop us to that 10/11 seed area. Just want to avoid having a 2nd game against Gonzaga or Baylor if we decide to show up and play good. Would be nice to avoid Michigan also as they seem to have our number in the NCAA tourney.

 

[Gator Fever]

KY getting pounded inside and on the glass and their coach won't make defensive adjustments hardly at all. Think he is even worse than the mess White pulls on offense late in some games.

 

[PacoGator19]

KY getting pounded inside and on the glass and their coach won't make defensive adjustments hardly at all. Think he is even worse than the mess White pulls on offense late in some games.

What a terrible year for UK. That is because Cal can’t coach. He can recruit. His idea of in game coaching is just yelling whether it is at the player or the refs or just whoever.

 

[Countygator1]

After being up 12 at the half, we are now down 1. Vandy has had so many wide open looks at threes. Lose this one and we are probably out, and deservedly so. Why can't we guard the 3 point line?