The top ranked Florida Gators are not shy about their goals for this season-winning the national championship after three straight appearances in the Elite Eight. And despite their winning streak, the Gators want more.
Center Patric Young, on assessing what has been an impressive season for the Gators, told Florida.247Sports.com: "I'd have to say it's a 9.9 as for now and for it to be 10 it would be nice to finish it out with a national championship, so hopefully we can get that .1 percent," Young said.
The Gators have been dominant all-season long, winning 18 consecutive games. Their record was nearly in peril against Missouri in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Friday, when the Tigers played well in the first half only to falter in the second half. Outscoring their opponents 43-20 in the second half, the Gators opened the SEC tourney in impressive fashion.
Once again, the backcourt combo of Scottie Wilbekin and Michael Frazier II led the Gators' suffocating defense as they tallied a combined four steals. They also spearheaded the Gators offense with 15 markers a piece while Dorian Finney-Smith came off the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds.
After the game, Gators coach Billy Donovan deflected the credit to his players, telling The Associated Press via Yahoo! Sports: "We've got a group that's pretty cerebral and they're pretty good at making adjustments."
Florida's strengths include its balanced offensive attack, with five of its players averaging nine or more points a game. As Missouri coach Frank Haith told AP: ''They move the ball so well. They really share the ball.'' His player,Jabari Brown also gave his assessment on the play of the Gators, saying: "They play in tandem with each other well. They always know where their teammates are going to be at. They're a disciplined team.''
With their win over Missouri, Florida moves on to face the winner of the South Carolina-Tennessee quarterfinals match-up The Gators look to keep their unbeaten streak alive, and win their 25th game in a row.
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