Every Once in a While

It finally happened.

No, I don’t believe it either.

Florida defeated Kentucky. A Billy Donovan-coached team defeated a better team late in the season in a close game!If a Billy Donovan-coached team defeated any team late in the season in a close game, I’d be shocked. Hell, if a Billy Donovan-coached team beat any team late in the season I’d be shocked.

But all of these at once? What happened? Did he become GOOD?!?

No, he did not. It was only a fluke.

Billy Donovan is a horrible game coach and has been so his entire tenure at Florida. Since March 2002, I have been the lead (and only) vocalist in the campaign for his removal as Florida head coach. The only deterrents were when Florida lost in football to everyone last October and I focused on Zook and when the Super Bowl was on.

Other than that, I have been obsessed with the dismissal of Ron Zook.

And yesterday does not change that. It makes me even more furious in my quest.

Since reaching the title game in 2000, Florida has a mark of 11-12 in March and 2-4 in the NCAA Tournament. That includes a 2-0 mark this year. The losses have come to Kentucky (4 times), Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Manhattan, Michigan State, Creighton, and Temple. Michigan State (7) was the only of the tournament losses not to a double-digit seed.

By comparison, Kentucky, who has been talentwise about the Gator’s equal overall over the last 5 years, have compiled a mark of 24-7 in March, including 8-4 in the NCAA Tournament.

Is Kentucky THAT much better than Florida? Of course not.

Yes, Florida upset Kentucky yesterday, but upsets happen.

Every once in a while. Every once in a while.

But even before March, Florida has failed to win close games against equal or near-equal competition.

In 2001, Florida struggled in conference play at the beginning of the year. They lost by one at a South Carolina team that went 15-14 and 6-10 in the SEC. They lost by 3 at home to a competitive Georgia team that went 16-14 and 9-7 in the SEC. They lost by 2 at home to a Vanderbilt team that went 14-15 and 4-12 in the SEC. With the exception of Georgia, the other two teams were lousy. And Florida lost to them in close game. AND THE LOSS TO VANDY WAS AT HOME!

They got a close win (65-63) over 17-13 Auburn, who went 7-9 in the conference. But shortly thereafter, BOOM. Kentucky wins 72-71. Yes, Kentucky was better. But that is just another close loss.

They beat 13-16 LSU by 7 and 22-10 Tennessee by 6. Not bad wins, especially on the road.

And in Billy Donovan style, they smoked a top 15 team in Ole Miss 75-55. But that was February. When it became march, BAM. Ole Miss wins by 5 in the SEC tournament.

Previously, they beat Kentucky 94-86. March 4, 2001. Boy that win last Sunday was a long time coming…..

Every once in a while. Every once in a while.

A chance occurred in 2002 for Florida to prove themselves before it actually became 2002 when they went to New York for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Well, they beat Temple, but losing to Arizona by 4 was anything but classic. Correction, it was classic…. Billy Donovan coaching.

I remember that game. I was furious. But hey, he led Florida to a title game only 20 months before!

Come March, this was the game I turned to as the first sign. Mismanaging the bench. Keeping players in with 3 fouls. Not calling time outs when it was clear Arizona had moment and the fresher bodies in the final minutes when they still had three time outs left. This was a classic Billy Donovan flop.

There have been many since.

The next month, they finally beat Michigan State, but it was a home game (74-70).

When conference play started, they took care of South Carolina (69-60) and Tennessee (104-100), both average wins.

But then the #2-ranked Gators they lost at home to Georgia 84-79, an Arkansas team that was 10-8 and on their way to a losing record 94-92, and of course Kentucky 70-68, in Gainesville. And he botched each of those games.

Yet in true Billy Donovan style, they beat a top-ten team in Mississippi State 76-48 to end the three game skid.

How do they suddenly play good basketball?

But down the stretch they lost by 1 at Alabama and by three at, guess who, KENTUCKY! Not bad losses, but still close losses in games they should have won.

So we reached 2002-2003 and Florida was back to its old tricks.

They lost by 4 to a good Stanford team in New York. Remember last November Florida? Sounds somewhat familiar. They beat Kansas though 83-73. How???

But to make matters worse, they head to a mediocre West Virginia team and lose 68-66!

Then they win a 1-point game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes!!!!!!!

They beat rival Florida State in Tallahassee 58-57! Florida State winds up an impressive (for them) 14-15 and 4-12 in the ACC.

But this is a new Billy Donovan. They beat Maryland on the road by 5 somehow, and then head to Miami to take on the Canes.

Miami, on their way to only 11 wins, forces Florida to play 50 minutes, but falls to Florida 94-93. 2 one point wins in one year?

Every once in a while. Every once in a while.

With this new spring of confidence, they beat the cheaters (Georgia) by 3 and mediocre South Carolina by 2. Amazing, I know.

But this is Billy Donovan, and upon receiving the #1 ranking, they lay an egg against, guess what, Kentucky, 70-55! The next week they lost by 7 at Tennessee. Tennessee finished 17-11.

They then proved that Billy Donovan knew how to win close games by defeating Vanderbilt, then 10-12 on their way to 11-18, in overtime 77-74. They also beat a decent Auburn team by three.

But they botched the final two games completely. They blew huge leads to lose by one to the cheaters Georgia and by 2 to Kentucky. Each game they were up double digits and each they lost in Billy Donovan style in March: due to coaching.

He mismanaged those games. He mismanages every game. Then they lost by 4 to a decent LSU team in the conference tournament.

Last year, they beat Arizona by one early on to reach #1 in the nation.

But then they lost…. twice.

They lost by 1 to Maryland and lost by 8 to Louisville. They are 1-3 under Billy Donovan when ranked #1.

They continued with the necessity to win by 3 to South Carolina. They continued to show the necessity to lose to Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. But to make matters more realistic, they decided to lose by 2 to a weak Tennessee team and then by 3 to, guess who, KEN-FRICKEN-TUCKY. At least this one they only got back into late in the game, but same result, as always…..

They lost by 3 to mediocre LSU and 14 to more mediocre Georgia. They struggle to beat a weak Arkansas team by 5, and lose in their regular season finale to, guess who, KENTUCKY, by TWENTY POINTS!

And after beating ‘Bama in overtime in the tourney, they go down in the finals to, take a wild guess, KEN-FHJFHGHKJFDJJKJSDLSKJD-TUCKY!

But this year is the worst.

They lost by seven AT HOME to a Miami team that lost to SOUTH CAROLINA…. STATE! They lost by four AT HOME to a Louisville team that lost to, guess who, KENTUCKY! But the icing on the cake was a non-showing against weak Florida State, who lost to Texas-A&M Corpus-Christi and Florida International in non-upsets!

That loss to FSU dropped them to LAST among the three major Florida schools. Terrible…..

They beat a losing Auburn team in overtime, somehow. They lost to a losing Tennessee team in overtime.  They lost by three to, take a wild, unthinkable guess, KENTUCKY! Then they lost a close one to LSU. But to be Florida, they have to struggle to beat South Carolina 66-65.

Look at that record. Many losses to worse teams and few close wins against better teams.

So ignore yesterday’s Florida win 53-52 finally over Kentucky. It defies all the rules of Billy Donovan Ball.

Hey, bad coaches coach a good game.

Every once in a while. Every once in a while.