Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Mike White has UF surging at right time
Florida Gators coach Mike White has been a bit of a soothsayer lately.
He peers into his crystal ball and figures out exactly what the Gators need to do to be successful. His clairvoyance is uncanny, and his players are latching onto the message at the perfect time.
The Gators limped into Orlando for the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament, then delivered two double-digit wins to reach the Sweet 16.
The roots of the routs that surprised most of the college basketball world can be traced back to White’s motivational messages.
White said last week he would have felt much better heading into the NCAA Tournament if the Gators were riding the momentum of a win streak. Instead, UF was reeling, coming off back-to-back losses to Vanderbilt. The team had lost three of its final four games ahead of the Big Dance, and some questioned whether No. 4 seed UF would even survive the tournament opener against a balanced East Tennessee State lineup.
White quickly noted the string of losses could be a good thing, preventing the talented Gators from thinking too highly of themselves.
“We need a ‘W’ in the worst way,” White said ahead of the NCAA Tournament. “I think that [if ] we’re coming in having won seven in a row by a margin of 10 points a game feeling great about ourselves, it would present a danger.
“We’re as hungry as they are. If we’re not, shame on us.”
He clearly got his players’ attention, convincing them it would take every ounce of effort to prove their critics wrong.
They delivered Saturday night when Florida pummeled Virginia, roughing up the nation’s stingiest defense and rolling to a 65-39 victory at Amway Center.
“Yeah, it was very tough. Going into the postseason, we were in a tough place, and we played really hard in those two Vandy losses,” White said after his team punched its ticket to the Sweet 16. “You take a hit a little bit, obviously, with your momentum … and your confidence to a certain extent. I thought we gained a little bit of confidence there the way we started [Thursday night against East Tennessee State.]”
Now the Gators are confident as they prepare to take on tougher competition. Next up is No. 8 seed Wisconsin, which upset defending national champion Villanova, in the East Region semifinals at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
UF has won over many of its critics.
Against Virginia, Florida played one of its best games of the season, showing its defense deserved the hype lavished on the Cavaliers and the Gators’ offense was capable of overwhelming Virginia.
“I’m really proud. I guess it’s a group I’ve been proud of all year,” White said. “This group, we might miss some shots. We might mess up some execution. We might have a lack of communication or an error in following the scouting report from time to time or what have you, but this group plays really hard. They play for each other. They play the right way.”
“I think anyone that would have watched us play [Saturday night] would recognize how hard my guys play defensively.”
White continues to lead the Gators in the right direction. Come Friday night, his brand of Florida basketball could move them one step closer to the Final Four.