ORLANDO, Fla. - Don’t tell top-seeded Florida that its NCAA Tournament opener should be a lopsided laugher.
The Gators don’t want to hear it after eking out back to-back, grind-it-out games against Tennessee and Kentucky in the SEC Tournament.
So forget the 26-game winning streak. Disregard being 21½-point favorites against 16th-seeded Albany. Coach Billy Donovan has gotten in his players ears, and they listened.
“Coach D does a good job reminding us that no matter what the rankings are every year, there are upsets,” guard Scottie Wilbekin said. “So it really doesn’t matter once the ball goes up. Anything can happen. Anybody can beat anybody, so we’ve got to be on our toes.”
The Gators (32-2), the No. 1 seed in the South Region, open tournament play today against the Great Danes (19-14), who beat Mount St. Mary’s 71-64 in the First Four on Tuesday night.
No. 1 seeds are 116-0 in opening games since the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The majority of those have been essentially over shortly after they tipped.
Florida seemingly has the Great Danes out manned at every position. And just about everyone agrees: Just after Albany’s first NCAA tournament victory, Coach Will Brown got a question about the daunting match up - from his 11-year-old son.
“Within 15 minutes after the game, he said, ‘Dad, do we play Florida now?’ I said yes. He goes, ‘Are we going to get killed?’ ” Brown said. “I looked at him, smiled and said, ‘We’ll be OK, buddy. I’ll watch some film, but I’ll let you know how we’re going to do.’ ”
The Gators refused to buy into the mismatch mentality.
“They definitely can beat us,” forward Casey Prather said. “Anybody can beat us in this tournament, so we got to be ready from the get-go.”
Florida backup point guard Kasey Hill is dealing with turf toe on his right foot and could be limited, if even available, against Albany. Hill, who averages 5.5 points and 3.1 assists in 22-plus minutes a game, will be re-evaluated following a shoot around this morning.
Donovan had high praise for senior center Patric Young, calling him one of the best post defenders he’s had in his 18 seasons in Gainesville and one of the most reliable players on and off the court.
“His intelligence level has got a lot to do with it, too,” Donovan said. “He can see things happening before they happen.”
Albany likes to play a slow tempo, has struggled with turnovers and doesn’t shoot three-pointers particularly well. That’s not exactly the blueprint for beating Florida.
Adding to Albany’s problems, the team left Dayton, Ohio, around 11 p.m. Central and arrived at the hotel in Orlando around 2:30 a.m. Central Wednesday. The Danes, who only played seven guys in the First Four, were back on the court for an open practice in the afternoon.
“I probably went to sleep around 4:30, but actually I couldn’t even really sleep because I was so anxious to play,” guard DJ Evans said.
Albany’s team has a definite international flavor. There are four players from Australia, including captains Hooley, Luke Devlin and Sam Rowley. The fourth is Rowley’s younger brother, Michael. And the international flavor hardly stops at the outback. The Great Danes also have guard Anders Haas from Denmark and forward Levan Shengelia from the Republic of Georgia.
Today’s games
All times Central
EAST REGIONAL At Buffalo, N.Y.
UConn (26-8) vs. Saint Joseph’s (24-9), 5:55 p.m.
Villanova (28-4) vs. Milwaukee (21-13), 30 minutes following At Spokane, Wash.
Cincinnati (27-6) vs. Harvard (26-4), 1:10 p.m.
Michigan State (26-8) vs. Delaware (25-9), 30 minutes following
SOUTH REGIONAL At Buffalo, N.Y.
Ohio State (25-9) vs. Dayton (23-10), 11:15 p.m.
Syracuse (27-5) vs. Western Michigan (23-9), 30 minutes following At Orlando, Fla.
Colorado (23-11) vs. Pittsburgh (25-9), 12:40 p.m.
Florida (32-2) vs. Albany (N.Y.) (19-14), 30 minutes following
MIDWEST REGIONAL At Orlando, Fla.
Saint Louis (26-6) vs. N.C. State (22-13), 6:20 p.m Louisville (29-5) vs. Manhattan (25-7), 30 minutes following At Milwaukee Michigan (25-8) vs. Wofford (20-12), 6:10 p.m.
Texas (23-10) vs. Arizona State (21-11), 30 minutes following
WEST REGIONAL At Milwaukee Wisconsin (26-7) vs. American (20-12), 11:40 a.m.
Oregon (23-9) vs. BYU (23-11), 30 minutes following At Spokane, Wash.
Oklahoma (23-9) vs. North Dakota State (25-6), 6:27 p.m.
San Diego State (29-4) vs. New Mexico State (26-9), 30 minutes following
Sports, Pages 19 on 03/20/2014