Great news for Florida fans: your Gators clinched an SCC title with their 66-40 blowout over Vanderbilt in front of the hometown crowd at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
It wouldn't have mattered if they needed to make shots from the parking lot; everything Florida was tossing up went in including a couple of 26-footers from beyond the arc.
It was that kind of night for Florida, a team who knew what was at stake and got the job done. That's the kind of performance you want to see out of your ball club as they enter the NCAA Tournament.
Things weren't always easy for the Gators this season, but they battled adversity and earned their right to swing the net around their heads like Kenny Boynton did after cutting the final string.
"It felt good," Boynton said. "I definitely want that feeling again. In order to get it, we've definitely got to keep winning."
Donovan credited his players for persevering through numerous injuries and said they definitely overachieved this season.
"They put a common goal out there in front of them and strived and reached for it together, and the amount of sacrifice that goes into it all the way around," Donovan said. "There's a lot to be learned from this team for each other before they go onto the next step."
It was a rough night for the Commodores. When your jump shot runs cold your defense has to pick up the slack. But when your defense runs cold alongside your shot, well it's best just to close your eyes and pray for the best.
Fourteen first half points on the road in the first half spells disaster, but going 26 percent from the field is enough to send anyone into a panic. That frustration became clear when Vanderbilt's Sheldon Jeter was called for a charge and immediately got in the face of the referee, earning him a technical.
Not the finest hour for Vanderbilt, but it wasn't their night; Wednesday belonged to the Gators.
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