There is in air of anticipation in Gainesville, Florida this week.  And it’s not because football season is only two months away.  The University of Florida’s athletic program once again looks to go where no school has gone before.

In Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Florida has the potential to see three of its brightest stars get selected within the top ten picks.  No collegiate basketball program has ever experienced such good fortune before.  Not Kentucky.  Not North Carolina.  Not Indiana, Duke, Kansas or UCLA.  If the Big Three (Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer) all get drafted in the top 10, it will be the first time EVER three players from the same school have all been drafted so early.

Some programs have come close.  The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers team, coincidentally the last college basketball team to finish the season undefeated, had three players chosen in the Top 11 picks:  Scott May went second to the Bulls, Quinn Buckner went seventh to the Bucks, and Bob Wilkerson went eleventh to the Sonics.

Similarly the 2005 national champion North Carolina Tar Heels had four players selected in the top 14 picks.  Marvin Williams was selected second by the Hawks, Raymond Felton selected fifth by Charlotte, Sean May thirteenth also by Charlotte and Rashad McCants selected 14th by Minnesota.

This is not the University of Florida’s first brush with draft greatness.  The school has had a total of six first round draft picks in their history, most notably Mike Miller who was selected fifth by the Orlando Magic.  Neal Walk remains U.F.’s highest drafted basketball prospect, selected second overall in 1969, one spot behind Lew Alcindor.  Dwayne Schintzius (1990), Jason Williams (1998), Donnell Harvey (2000) and David Lee (2005) were also selected within the first thirty picks in their respective drafts.

Power forward Al Horford is projected to go as high as third to the Atlanta Hawks with former teammates Noah and Brewer probably following not too far behind him.  Many thought Noah would have been the first player taken in last year’s draft had he left Florida as a sophomore, but he and his teammates opted to return for the junior seasons for another shot at a national title.  Although Noah’s stock may have dropped, he’ll always have that extra championship ring to polish.

The possibility of this team once again making history through the draft should once again indicate how special this group of players was as once again, the Florida Gators stand on the verge of making history.

On Thursday, Gator nation rejoiced as their head basketball coach, Billy Donovan, quickly dispelled all rumors that he was leaving the University of Florida for bluer pastures.  Gator fans were then confronted with a cold and inevitable dose of reality as the four juniors who had brought the program to unprecedented heights all announced that they were leaving school early for the NBA.

For those of you who have any allegiance to the University, or are just a true fan of sports in general, I challenge you to watch that press conference with a dry eye.

To open the press conference, Donovan referred to this moment as both “happy” and “sad.”  Happy because Florida was celebrating consecutive national championships, but sad because he’d never have the opportunity to coach that particular group of kids ever again.

He called Taurean Green, Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer “consummate winners” and then did what any good coach would do.  He outlined how each player was special to him and the team, and how NBA scouts and general managers should jump at the opportunity to draft these four: Green with his leadership, Brewer with his versatility, Horford with his power and Noah with his unlimited ceiling and emotion.

The players were then each given the opportunity to speak.  The oft misunderstood Noah stated that he felt their initial decision to come back to school “was more than just basketball.  We followed our hearts.”  When asked about his decision to leave, Taurean Green said “We came in together, we wanna go out together.” 

Shortly thereafter, Al Horford, all 6-foot-10, 250 pounds of him, lowered his head for minutes trying to hold back the tears.  When a reporter asked him what he was feeling, Horford wiped his eyes and tried to get the words out, calling the day “very emotional.”  Afterwards, Corey Brewer was asked another question and simply couldn’t hold back the tears saying “It’s just hard for all of us because we love each other so much.”  The rarely glum Joakim Noah also wiped his eyes dry.

After a few minutes of silence, only broken by the sniffles heard in the press room, Billy Donovan was quick to point out that this emotion and love for one another is the reason why Florida’s won the last two years.  He then asked the crowd “how many kids do you see make an announcement to go to the NBA break down and cry?”

Far be it from me to rank this Gator basketball team in history.  I can only tell you what it’s meant to me.  I attended the University of Florida.  I remember the days of Norm Sloan and Don Devoe.  I remember Dwayne Schintzius and Livingston Chatman.  I recall our first Final Four ride under Lon Kruger.  I remember Mike Miller’s miracle shot against Butler.  But there was something about this team, both last year and this year.  I watched them every opportunity I got.  I attended every game I could knowing what Donovan had fostered was something unique.

After the press conference, I called my friends who had all watched the announcement as well and each admitted to welling up.  It was most certainly the end of an era, one that we’re incredibly proud to have witnessed and one we know we won’t see again any time soon.  As I washed the shoe-polished “REPEAT” from my rear windshield, I couldn’t help but think how fortunate we are to be parts of something special.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the O’Connell Center to pay my last respects to MY favorite college basketball team of all time.

The Florida Gators have recently been emulating another famous quintet from north Florida… Molly Hatchet.  What else can explain their flirting with disaster?

Nothing has come easy for the defending national champions lately as they have repeatedly gotten off to slow starts, only to somehow still come away victorious.

The same can be said about Wednesday’s Valentine’s Day match-up against conference rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide.  A fifteen-point underdog going into Gainesville’s O’Connell Center, Alabama came out determined to pull off the upset, jumping out to an 11-0 lead.  The SEC Western division co-leaders led by as many as 18 points in the first half.  Florida committed four turnovers before scoring their first basket.

Alabama successfully exploited a size advantage against Florida’s front court early.  And by size, I mean weight.  Richard Hendrix, (6-foot-8, 265 lbs.) scored sixteen points and grabbed eight rebounds while exposing a possible chink in Florida’s armor.  Alabama’s wide-bodied forward scored easily against the taller, yet slighter, 245 lb. Al Horford and 235 lb. Joakim Noah.

Alabama’s guards also held their own, shooting 5-for-12 from distance, as Alabama led 42-31 at the half.  Florida’s careless offense allowed 13 Alabama points off turnovers.

But as has been the way all season, Florida’s experience, depth and leadership prevailed.  Point guard Taurean Green, held scoreless in the first half, scored twenty in the second, including a late three-pointer that sealed the victory for Florida.  Corey Brewer followed up his solid performance at Kentucky with sixteen points and five rebounds against the Tide.

The Gators now boast a 17-game winning streak, the longest in the nation.  They are undefeated at home and in conference play this season.  Florida still has five games remaining, including three road games against Vanderbilt, LSU and Tennessee.  If they continue at this dangerous pace, they may soon switch from southern rockin’ to singing the blues.

In a highly contested and anticipated match-up, the defending national champion Florida Gators (goodness, I like saying that) walked into Rupp Arena and pulled out their fifth consecutive victory over traditional Southeastern Conference powerhouse, University of Kentucky.  The Gators led from start to finish.

In front of a record crowd of nearly 25,000 rabid, blue-clad fans, the Gators managed to eke out a victory, despite limited minutes from their front court tandem of Joakim Noah and Al Horford.  In their absence, back-up forward/center Chris Richard and starting small forward Corey Brewer picked up the slack and successfully sustained Florida’s undefeated conference record.

In the first half, the Gators led by as many as sixteen points, but as expected, the Kentucky Wildcats kept the game close and nearly pulled off the upset of the top-ranked team in the nation.

Going into tonight’s game, Kentucky had never lost to a number one ranked team on their home floor.  Florida added that gold star to yet another they’ve added to their impressive resume.

Florida nearly lost its composure as home-court calls failed to go their way.  Horford, failed to score in the first half.  Noah, consistently heckled at all road games, showed frustration throughout.  Similarly, starting point guard Taurean Green had three turnovers to go with his three assists.

Although Florida shot well under their season field goal percentage, Kentucky also was ineffective shooting behind the arc, making only 3-of-22 from distance.

Florida still faces three difficult road games (at Tennessee, Vanderbilt, LSU) to finish conference play, but the champions from Gainesville went a long way in solidifying a bye in their conference tournament, as well as a number one seed in the big dance.

Keep in mind, in its school history, no team has ever managed six consecutive victories against Kentucky.  The Wildcats will face the Gators in Gainesville on March 4th, their final game of the season, to see if that long-standing record can stand the test of time.

The Florida Gators, accustomed to being the lead on Sportscenter, narrowly avoided that attention in a negative light on Wednesday with a 4 point victory over the feisty Mississippi State Bulldogs.  On a night where every other top-notch SEC contender lost to its opponent, the defending champions proved their mettle and eked out another road victory to keep them undefeated in conference play.  Taurean Green, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer, all with sub-par shooting performances, sweated out a Gator victory on a night where the inexplicable happened:  Arkansas lost to South Carolina, Vanderbilt won at LSU, Kentucky lost at Georgia, and Tennessee lost at Mississippi.

The Gator basketball squad has been inconsistent at best this season, proving that opponents do bring their A-game when facing the number one team in the nation.  Two games ago, Florida broke a forty-year old school record with a 34 point victory at South Carolina, but followed that game up with squeakers at Mississippi and Mississippi State, leaving fans to wonder if this team is able to keep its eyes on the prize.

It took a second half 11-0 run for the Gators, who trailed by as many as eight points early on, to regain the lead, a lead which was once again almost relinquished late in the game.  The Gators, who lead the nation in field goal percentage (54.2%), were held to 42% shooting on the night.

Mississippi State’s front court of 6-foot-8 Charles Rhodes and 6-foot-9 Vernon Goodridge was clearly undersized against the tandem of 6-foot-10 Al Horford and 7-footer Joakim Noah, yet held the ringbearers to a combined eight points under their season scoring averages.  Hot shooting by two-time SEC freshman of the week, Barry Stewart, also kept the Bulldogs in the game.

Yet, the Gators size and depth proved too much in the end as the Gators escaped with another road victory.  They now look ahead to another difficult road match-up at Auburn this Saturday before returning home to play Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

Ohio State Buckeye fan’s worst fears were confirmed Saturday as Thad Matta and his traveling sideshow, Greg Oden, came to Gainesville for what many perceived to be prelude to the B.C.S national championship game.  If the football game provides the same result, Ohio State fans should be heading back to Columbus with their collective  tails between their legs.

The atmosphere in Gainesville was electric, Gator fans clearly understanding what a victory would mean for the campus.  The only available tickets outside the O’Connell Center were being scalped for $200 apiece, as this game was played in front of a sell-out crowd of 12,621, the largest ever in the building.  Fans fortunate enough to be inside the raucous arena were witness to the Gators finest performance since their beat-down of UCLA in last year’s championship game.

Hampered by a high ankle sprain earlier in the week and originally scratched from the lineup, Al Horford, Florida’s most dominant power forward since Udonis Haslem, made his presence known early and often, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.  Burdened with the task of covering Oden the majority of the time, Horford held the man-child to 6 points in the first half, going scoreless himself but grabbing six rebounds.  In the second half, however, the Gators proved to much for Oden and the Buckeyes.  A competitive first half turned into a second half rout, at one point featuring a 31-7 Gator run.  UF shot 74% from the floor in that half, while holding the Buckeyes to 36% for the game.

Gators got solid guard play out of Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey, who set the tone early, scoring seven and ten points respectively in the first half.  Florida guards were able to penetrate, as well as hit the outside jumpers effectively to keep Ohio State on their toes.  But in the second half, when Horford stepped outside to hit a couple of fifteen-foot jump shots, the Gator versatility proved to much for Matta and his fab freshman to handle.  UF out-rebounded OSU by 17.

As was their plan, Florida kept going after Oden, who was held to one point in the second half.  Oden did make his presence felt, blocking four shots, two on one possession, but saw effective  double and triple-teams in the second half.  The Gators limited OSU on the offensive glass for most of the game, as the Buckeyes were often held to one shot per possession.  Any missed shots led to UF fastbreaks, which OSU’s transition defense was unable to contain.  The ability of the Gator big men to push the ball up the floor at a frenetic pace also provided a mismatch for Oden, as he appeared winded at several moments of the game.

The Gators returned to their championship form and now the campus awaits to see if they can make it a clean Buckeye sweep, leading Florida to potential, consecutive championships in both major sports.