Kim Klement- USA TODAY Sports
Revenge is always sweet and it was no different for the Florida Gators. Their dominating 71-54 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks solidified the Gators position atop the SEC, but Florida is looking for more this season.
In a year in which the SEC is having a down year, Florida’s conference title won’t mean as much. If the Gators want to reclaim their glory from the mid-2000′s, it must position themselves for a top seed in the NCAA tournament. It all seems possible now with all the chaos at the top, but Florida cannot focus on the chaos and must instead work on solidifying their position.
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The win over the Razorbacks helped the Gators immensely. After not being competitive with Arkansas on Feb. 5, Florida looked like a completely different team Saturday night. In the first matchup, Florida had four players in double figures, but too many players played a lot of minutes and were just inefficient. On Saturday, the Gators also had four players in double figures, but the surrounding players were much more efficient, mostly because of the use of Billy Donovan‘s short bench.
There is no doubt injuries have played a role and changed the trajectory of the Gators’ season. However, Florida has continuously found ways to adapt and as long as it continues to find ways to win in a weak SEC, it will be in position to be a No. 1 seed in March. Two of the key players they lost to injury, forward Will Yeguete and guard Michael Frazier II, both should be back before the conference tournament, so they will factor into the equation come Selection Sunday.
If Saturday’s win showed anything, it was that Florida is ready to capture a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament despite the injuries and the chaos at the top.
