Gators look to continue their late-season surge
GAINESVILLE — Sitting at 12-11 and facing the distinct possibility of a losing season, the Florida Gators had little hope and two left feet.
Six weeks later, coach Mike White’s squad has found its stride and looks to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, beginning Thursday in Des Moines against Nevada.
“Weird year,” White said this week. “Nice to be in the NCAA Tournament, be dancing, and have the opportunity to accomplish something big.”
It’s been quite a turn of events for the Gators since a Feb. 9 loss at top-ranked Tennessee that left UF one game above .500 so late in the season for the first time since February 2015. Those Gators finished 16-17 during Billy Donovan’s final season on the sidelines.
This time, though, UF rallied, was a questionable call away against Auburn from playing for the SEC Tournament title and now is back in the Big Dance for the third straight season.
Along the way, the Gators benefited from some bold lineup changes by White, the 11th-hour emergence of fifth-year senior Jalen Hudson and the backbone to shake off a three-game losing streak to end the regular season and place UF squarely on the bubble for the 68-team NCAA Tournament field.
Two wins in Nashville were enough for the Gators (19-15) to earn a No. 10 seed and a chance to slip on the glass slipper. NCAA Cinderellas have started from similar positions.
“Everyone in this tournament has the same opportunity,” White said. “Regardless of what you’re seeded, we’ve all got a clean slate.”
To drive home the point to his team, White had a member of his staff research past postseason runs by teams seeded No. 10 or lower.
“I’ve already forgotten the teams, but some of the 10 seeds had huge runs in the NCAA Tournament,” White said.
But it did not take long to find a Cinderella sure to resonate with the Gators.
Early last season, Loyola-Chicago handed the Gators a 65-59 defeat in Gainesville on its way to an eventual run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed, making the Ramblers the darlings of the Big Dance and superfan Sister Jean a cult figure.
“None of that means anything if we’re not really, really locked it,” White allowed. “It’s Nevada. They’ve had a better year than us; it’s why they’re seeded higher.
“We’ve got to play better than them for 40 minutes and we’ll see what happens.”
The Wolf Pack (29-4) is sure to test the Gators’ focus.
Ranked No. 7 in the preseason but victim of a handful of inexplicable losses, including by 30 points at New Mexico, Nevada is explosive and experienced.
The Wolf Pack averages nearly 81 points behind the dynamic backcourt 6-foot-7 identical twins Caleb and Cody Martin, who have combined for 30.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists a game.
“Very versatile. Talented. Great feel,” White said of the Martins. “Good basketball players who are good at a lot. They’ve obviously played together a long time and play well off each other. “They’re really good.” The Gators will not be completely in the dark entering Thursday’s matchup with the Martins. Hudson played on the same AAU team with the twins in Richmond, Va.
When the matchup was announced Sunday, Hudson and the Martins shared a moment.
“Literally like maybe a second after they showed that we were playing each other, I sent them the ‘eyes’ emoji,” Hudson said. “And they both responded immediately. It’s going to be a battle with my boys. It’s going to be fun.”
These days, Hudson can smile and have a little fun, given all he has overcome this season.
Expected to be the Gators’ leader after averaging a team-high 15.5 points last season, the 22-year-old slumped early and eventually was benched after four games.
For much of the SEC schedule, White started three first-year freshmen, including point guard Andrew Nembhard, who averages a team-high 5.1 assists, and forward Keyontae Johnson, who has two double-doubles in the past three games.
But in the past nine outings, including the past five as a starter, Hudson has averaged 15.3 points and has posted as many double-figure scoring games (eight) as he did in the previous 25 outings.
Amid his struggles, Hudson said, he stayed the course set by White.
“We all just bought in,” Hudson said. “Like I said, at that time we were at a point that was kind of like, ‘Oof.’ What we were doing wasn’t working, so we definitely had to find another solution. People kind of made up their minds like, ‘We got to try something new,’ and the things that we tried ended up working.
“So kind of rolled with it.”
The Gators now are rolling into the Big Dance with a pep in their step.
“It’s definitely been a roller coaster; it’s been fun,” Hudson said. “I’m just so excited that we were able to get into the NCAA Tournament. I’m just excited to kind of get things going.” Follow our Gators coverage on Twitter at @osgators and on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/osgators. Edgar can be reached at egthompson@orlando sentinel.com