Florida coach digs analyst’s dig at Gators
Seth Davis again calls for Florida to fall in first round.
GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Mike White seemed to appreciate analyst Seth Davis’ dig at the Gators during the live NCAA tournament selection show Sunday on TBS. Again.
As it was revealed that the No. 6-seeded Gators will play the winner of No. 11 seeds St. Bonaventure and UCLA, who meet in the First Four tonight, Davis quickly declared that either of those teams will beat Florida. Davis made a similar call last year before the Gators’ opening game with East Tennessee State. Of course, that Florida team rolled all the way to the Elite Eight.
“I was appreciative of Seth. He helped us last year. We’ll use it again,” White said Monday. “Who knows how much of a factor it will be with these guys. These guys are hard to tick off. My guys, I’m not sure I’ve found the button that produces a bunch of edge, but we’ll throw it at the wall, for sure.”
Florida (20-12) heads into the NCAA tournament on the heels of a deflating 80-72 loss to Arkansas in the SEC quarterfinals. Prior to that, the Gators posted three straight impressive wins over fellow NCAA tourney teams Auburn, Alabama and Kentucky.
White flew back separately from the SEC tournament and was back in his office Sunday watching the selection show while the team remained stuck in St. Louis until Sunday night. The players learned their tournament draw just before the plane took off, he said.
“I was able to call the staff thinking that I was letting them know. I was in the office, watching it,” White said. “But I guess somebody on the plane had it right before they took off, it had hit the internet, so they were aware literally as they were taking off that we play the winner of these two teams.”
UCLA (21-11) and St. Bonaventure (25-7) were two of the last four teams into the 68-team field.
Ultimately, White said, he understands where Davis or others are coming from in targeting the Gators as a potential upset pick.
“Either team is going to be a really tough test for us, of course, and I don’t disagree with these national guys that come out and say, ‘I’m picking anybody over the Gators.’ I don’t blame them,” he said. “We’ve been average and we’ve been really good. We’re going to have to be really good to beat one of these teams.”
The Bruins have had an up-and-down season like Florida, while the Bonnies reeled off 13 wins in a row before losing in the Atlantic 10 semifinals to Davidson.
Florida played a tight game with St. Bonaventure last season in Lakeland, winning 73-66. St. Bonaventure, which has wins over NCAA tourney teams Syracuse, Rhode Island and Davidson, is led by senior guards Jaylen Adams (19.8 points per game, 45.7 percent from 3-point range) and Matt Mobley (18.5 PPG, 38.3 percent from 3). They combine to average 6.1 3s per game. Overall, the Bonnies average 77.9 points per game and give up 71.0.
UCLA has lost three of its last five games, including a 78-67 overtime loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament. The Bruins are led by guards Aaron Holiday (20.3 PPG), Kris Wilkes (13.8 PPG) and 7-foot center Thomas Welsh (13.0 PPG, 10.7 rebounds per game). Overall, the team averages 81.9 points and gives up 76.3.