- Mar 19, 2006
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By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA, STATS Senior Writer
Of all the skills Florida's talented core players have, resiliency is proving to be their biggest asset.
A late-season stumble didn't stop the sixth-ranked Gators from winning a national title last year, and one this season only seems to have spurred them on as they find themselves in position to win their third straight Southeastern Conference title when they face Arkansas on Sunday.
After winning the title last season, Florida (28-5) stars Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah were projected as first-round picks in the NBA draft. Instead, they returned together for their junior season and helped put the team in position to be a legitimate contender for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament despite a poor end to the regular season.
"Here's a group of kids that chose the University of Florida, one another, playing with each other, and happiness over all the materialistic things that are out there," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "To me, it's an unbelievable story."
Despite losing two straight and three of its last four regular-season games, Florida has outscored its opponents by nearly 19 points per game and will play in its fourth straight SEC title game.
Last season, the Gators lost three straight and six of 11 before winning their final two regular-season contests, then won nine straight by an average margin of 13.0 points en route to conference crown and eventually the national championship.
"I think we play our best basketball when tournament season starts," said Brewer, who had a team-high 22 points in an 80-59 win over Mississippi in the semifinals Saturday.
Florida has won the last two SEC championships and has a chance to be the first team since Kentucky in 1997-99 to win three straight conference titles.
"We went through a tough stretch," Gators guard Lee Humphrey said. "We weren't executing on offense and defense. But we're starting to put it together."
Humphrey added 17 points Saturday and was especially accurate from the perimeter, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Brewer went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, which opened up the rest of his versatile game.
"When I'm making my outside shots, teams have to pressure me and I can drive to the basket," said Brewer, averaging 18.5 points in his last two games.
Arkansas (21-12) may have played its way into the NCAA tournament field with an 81-72 win over Mississippi State in Saturday's other semifinal matchup. But the Razorbacks say their focus is solely on the Gators.
"We're really not worried about that," Arkansas forward Sonny Weems said of his team's tourney hopes. "We're taking this SEC championship real serious. That's one step we have to go through to make it to the NCAA tournament. But right now we're focused on the SEC championship."
Arkansas has advanced to its first SEC title game since 2000, when it beat Auburn.
"I'm real proud of these guys," Razorbacks coach Stan Heath said. "They've showed the heart of a champion. We're playing our best basketball right now."
Gary Ervin scored 15 points Saturday after hitting the game-winning driving jumper for Arkansas in its 72-71 win over Vanderbilt on Friday. Charles Thomas had 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, while Weems also had 18 points the Razorbacks.
Patrick Beverley, who leads Arkansas with 14.0 points per game, was held to eight on 3-of-9 shooting against Mississippi State. The freshman guard managed just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting in a 79-72 loss to the Gators on Jan. 9.
Florida and Arkansas have split their two SEC tournament matchups. The Gators beat the Razorbacks 74-71 in last season's quarterfinals, while Arkansas won 75-74 in the 1999 quarterfinals.
Updated on Saturday, Mar 10, 2007 11:18 pm EST
Of all the skills Florida's talented core players have, resiliency is proving to be their biggest asset.
A late-season stumble didn't stop the sixth-ranked Gators from winning a national title last year, and one this season only seems to have spurred them on as they find themselves in position to win their third straight Southeastern Conference title when they face Arkansas on Sunday.
After winning the title last season, Florida (28-5) stars Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah were projected as first-round picks in the NBA draft. Instead, they returned together for their junior season and helped put the team in position to be a legitimate contender for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament despite a poor end to the regular season.
"Here's a group of kids that chose the University of Florida, one another, playing with each other, and happiness over all the materialistic things that are out there," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "To me, it's an unbelievable story."
Despite losing two straight and three of its last four regular-season games, Florida has outscored its opponents by nearly 19 points per game and will play in its fourth straight SEC title game.
Last season, the Gators lost three straight and six of 11 before winning their final two regular-season contests, then won nine straight by an average margin of 13.0 points en route to conference crown and eventually the national championship.
"I think we play our best basketball when tournament season starts," said Brewer, who had a team-high 22 points in an 80-59 win over Mississippi in the semifinals Saturday.
Florida has won the last two SEC championships and has a chance to be the first team since Kentucky in 1997-99 to win three straight conference titles.
"We went through a tough stretch," Gators guard Lee Humphrey said. "We weren't executing on offense and defense. But we're starting to put it together."
Humphrey added 17 points Saturday and was especially accurate from the perimeter, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Brewer went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, which opened up the rest of his versatile game.
"When I'm making my outside shots, teams have to pressure me and I can drive to the basket," said Brewer, averaging 18.5 points in his last two games.
Arkansas (21-12) may have played its way into the NCAA tournament field with an 81-72 win over Mississippi State in Saturday's other semifinal matchup. But the Razorbacks say their focus is solely on the Gators.
"We're really not worried about that," Arkansas forward Sonny Weems said of his team's tourney hopes. "We're taking this SEC championship real serious. That's one step we have to go through to make it to the NCAA tournament. But right now we're focused on the SEC championship."
Arkansas has advanced to its first SEC title game since 2000, when it beat Auburn.
"I'm real proud of these guys," Razorbacks coach Stan Heath said. "They've showed the heart of a champion. We're playing our best basketball right now."
Gary Ervin scored 15 points Saturday after hitting the game-winning driving jumper for Arkansas in its 72-71 win over Vanderbilt on Friday. Charles Thomas had 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, while Weems also had 18 points the Razorbacks.
Patrick Beverley, who leads Arkansas with 14.0 points per game, was held to eight on 3-of-9 shooting against Mississippi State. The freshman guard managed just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting in a 79-72 loss to the Gators on Jan. 9.
Florida and Arkansas have split their two SEC tournament matchups. The Gators beat the Razorbacks 74-71 in last season's quarterfinals, while Arkansas won 75-74 in the 1999 quarterfinals.
Updated on Saturday, Mar 10, 2007 11:18 pm EST
