January 19th is a looooooooong way off.

Let's revisit this topic in '08.

I'm not going to say that the Gators are definitely going to beat the Cats this year, but I will grant you that there is a distinct possibility of the Gators winning at Gainesville on January 19.  A short 8 weeks away with our injured players just coming back, I don't think it is unreasonable to give the young but talented Gators a shot at beating UK.  But don't even think about a sweep this year.  The UK team that is going to show up on senior day, with any luck, is going to look completely different than the team we saw on Nov. 7.  

BTW - don't act like you don't know you're trying to create a maelstrom.  If you are going to smack talk, do it with style.

Okay, I'll take the bait.

Calathes, Parsons, Tyus, Lucas, and Allen are all terrific freshman.

I am on record here at ASoB as saying that Florida will be much better than the so-called experts think.

Even though the Gators will be relying on freshmen to contribute a tremendous amount of minutes, that doesn't necessarily translate into a rebuilding year in Gainesville.

15-20 years ago a 4 year high school player would play 110-140 games during his career. A high percentage of those games would be against mediocre competition. Today though, with the evolution of AAU ball, these same players are playing an additional 30-50 games against elite competition. This fact tends to expose the pretenders, and make the legitimate blue chips even better players. So, for this reason, Florida relying on youngsters isn't a bad thing. It just means they will probably be very good for a long time.

Calathes is a legitimate big time player, and will probably be Florida's leading scorer, but Parsons will be just as dangerous. At 6'9, with the ability to drain 3's, and a good inside game, he will be what all coaches desire in players: Hard to guard. His ability to float on the perimeter brings a big defender out, away from the basket, leaving Speights in a one on one situation. Or, he can post up on the block, presenting a high percentage shot opportunity.

Enjoying a prosperous year also depends on Hodge's ability to control tempo, and distribute the rock on the break. Keeping everyone involved is a major hurdle to overcome. It is easier said than done. The old man of the group as a junior, Hodge will also have to provide leadership to his younger teammates. Once again easier said than done.

Speights' play will also be key to a successful year. He hasn't had many opportunities to showcase his abilities because of the enormous talent of the Gators last year. He will be a focal point of the offense this year though. While I do not anticipate Speights leading the Gators in scoring, I feel the offense will probably run through him. If I were Donovan, in the half-court, I would run the high post. If this is the case, Speights' decision making will be of the utmost importance. Kicking out, and ball reversal will fall under his umbrella of responsibilties. This will be new to him, so his ability to find the mismatch and to make pin point passes, will be tested.  

The secondary break should bring bountiful point scoring opportunities this year for UFA. With Calathes and Parsons, Donovan has two big spot up shooters. The secondary break, which relies on mismatches for easy scoring opportunities, will prove to go hand in hand with UFA's team makeup. This is where Hodge's decision making comes into play. Finding the right shooter, before the D has a chance to set, will be his primary concern. If he proves adept at this task, UFA will once again put up large numbers offensively.

This Florida team reminds me somewhat of a mid '90's UK team. Long, and athletic with solid point guard play. Calathes, Parsons, Tyus, Werner, and Allen are all 6'6 or bigger. They all can shoot the ball, and are interchangeable. The designation of positions will not be an important factor. They are all basically swing players which, with solid point play, can lead to some entertaining basketball.

Overall, I think the Gators will challenge for the SEC East title. Simply too much talent not to. They will encounter some tough times, but in the end game their talent is simply too great to struggle for very long. I love the makeup of the roster. The mix of size, and athleticism is what wins games. Donovan will not have to dig too deep into the playbook to uncover a plethora of mismatches available to him on any given night.

As far as UFA versus UK, I'll reserve judgment until after the first of the year. But if you put a gun to my head I would prognosticate a split.

LOL.

I appreciate GP's interest.

Thanks, Tru.