UF rolling heading into SEC tourney

GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Mike White has a forbidden phrase for his staff, a rule implemented just a few weeks ago.

No one is allowed to say “PK80” in front of the team. Florida played well in the late-November tournament in Portland, Oregon, the Phil Knight Invitational, a 16-team tourney that celebrated the Nike co-founder’s 80th birthday. The Gators vaulted to No. 5 in the AP poll.

After losing six of eight in conference play, White decided he didn’t want to hear about the tournament any more. It’s banned in scouting breakdowns, video sessions and practices.

“All the noise that our guys hear is, ‘Well, you guys were so good then,’ ” White said, referring to the lateNovember tournament in Portland, Oregon, that helped vault the Gators to No. 5 in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll. “We were horrific defensively.

“We were playing really, really fast and we were getting open looks, and that’s before people started grinding that thing out against us. We looked a little bit different. All the reminders that our guys get, all the exterior noise about, ‘PK80 this, PK80 that,’ I didn’t think it was healthy for our guys to continue to hear that. Let’s just focus on today. Let’s focus on getting better.”

White’s new directive coincided with the start of a significant turnaround for the 23rd-ranked Gators (20-11, 11-7 SEC), who are back in the poll after winning three in a row.

Florida is playing its best basketball of the season heading into the SEC Tournament in St. Louis. White’s team beat then-No. 12 Auburn , thumped Alabama on the road and handled then-No. 23 Kentucky in the regular-season finale.

Those victories helped the Gators earn the No. 3 seed in the 14-team tournament. Florida will play Arkansas, South Carolina or Mississippi in the quarterfinals Friday night.