Tuesday was supposed to be the dream night for the Florida men’s basketball team.
It was going to be the night the Gators got another win after dropping five of their last six, relishing in the final score after 40 minutes worth of playing on the court.
And it should have been the night Billy Donovan won his 500th career game, becoming the second-youngest head coach in Division I history to accomplish the milestone.
But that dream quickly turned into a nightmare after the Gators lost yet again, this time on the road to a Missouri Tigers team that had just one Southeastern Conference victory all season and had lost 13 straight heading into the game.
And now, it looks like Billy D might have to wait until next season to get his 500th win.
The Tigers had absolutely nothing going their way heading into the game at Mizzou Arena.
Missouri was ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in every statistical category except for three-pointers made.
But that didn’t stop the Tigers from clawing their way into the win column for the first time since Jan. 8.
This Gators team isn’t going anywhere.
And with UF two games below .500 with three games left, Donovan is almost certain to post his first losing record since his inaugural year as the UF team’s headman unless his team can put a run together in the SEC tournament.
Florida’s best chance at a win will come Saturday against Tennessee.
The Volunteers are in a similar situation as the Gators, as UT has dropped five of its last six.
But if any of Tennessee’s top scorers in Josh Richardson, Kevin Punter or Armani Moore goes off against UF’s defense, the Gators will be in deep trouble, especially with Florida’s top scorer in Michael Frazier, II (ankle) expected to be out and Dorian Finney-Smith’s suspension situation still up in the air.
And UF’s final two regular season opponents — Texas A&M and Kentucky — are no joke.
Texas A&M already bested Florida once this year — a 63-62 toppling in College Station, Texas — in a game where Florida’s offense actually found a rare outburst of success.
And Kentucky is, well, Kentucky.
Tuesday’s game against Missouri looked to be Florida’s last guaranteed chance to secure Billy Donovan’s 500th win.
But these Gators proved once again that a win is anything but guaranteed when they step on the court.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Billy Donovan looks down the court during Florida's 72-47 win against Mississippi State on Jan. 10 in the O'Connell Center. Florida dropped its first SEC home game when on Tuesday, losing 79-61 to LSU.
