The Tournament Bubble. A place the Gators would love to avoid. The bubble has not been kind to Billy Donovan’s Boys the last couple of years. It’s a place they would love to steer clear of.

It looked like they would do this when they raced off to an 8-0 start. Wins over FSU, Michigan State and Rutgers made for an impressive early season resume. A loss to highly regarded Syracuse was no reason to panic either. The Gators hung tough in that game. But then after a week off to take final exams and some of the guys battling injuries, a serious tumble happened over the weekend. The Gators lost. To Richmond. OUCH!

Not only did they lose, they looked awful doing it. It took them all bight just to get to 50 points. They shot poorly. They stood around and watched guys dribble. They did not guard the three point line at all. It was a pitiful performance.

There was one good stretch when UF took a 32-19 lead last in the half. But then it seemed as if they expected Richmond to roll over at that point. The Spiders scored the last five points of the half to cut the lead to 8. Then the Spiders ran off the first 9 points of the second half to take the lead. By the time it was over, Richmond built a 9 point lead midway through the second half. Florida was then it a battle. The Gators came back to tie the game 49-49. With 1:30 left, Richmond struck again from deep. They hit a deep three to take a 52-49 lead. Erving Walker tried to answer from 35 feet with too much time still on the shot clock. The shot clanked off the rim and was rebounded by Richmond. Game over.

Now Florida must regroup. Suddenly beating NC State on the road looks a bit tougher. So does a double digit win total in the SEC. The Gators need to accomplish those to get back off the bubble. And as we all know from the last two years. That’s a pace we need to get away from.

By: James Folsom