Coach Amanda Butler and the Gators are looking to make a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
To accomplish the feat, Florida must follow the blueprint it created last season: consistently win against lesser competition and hold its own against the nation’s elite.
Florida finished the regular season 19-12 a year ago and earned a No. 9 seed. Against teams that finished with an RPI of 50 or better, the Gators were just 3-11. But UF’s consistent success against the rest of the country earned the team a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Florida was 16-1 against teams with an RPI worse than 50, finishing the season with the nation’s 14th-ranked strength of schedule and an RPI of 41.
This season, results have been similar.
Butler’s squad is just 1-5 against teams with an RPI of 50 or better, but the Gators are 12-1 against all other teams. Arizona State is the only team with an RPI worse than 50 to defeat Florida, doing so in a 74-58 victory in Las Vegas on Nov. 25.
Entering Thursday, Florida’s RPI was 45, and the Gators ranked 37th in strength of schedule.
“We have to get it a lot lower than that,” Carlie Needles said of UF’s RPI. “We have to believe in each other, and we have to believe in a common goal.”
Florida’s blueprint makes tonight’s game against Ole Miss at 7 in the O’Connell Center critical.
First-year Rebels coach Brett Frank inherited a nightmarish situation during the offseason.
Former Ole Miss coach Adrian Wiggins was fired on Oct. 22 after the school investigated allegations of impermissible recruiting contact and academic misconduct by two of his assistant coaches.
Ole Miss self-imposed a postseason ban this year after dismissing Wiggins as well as assistants Kenya and Michael Landers.
The Rebels have since stumbled to a 7-11 record, including a five-game losing streak to begin Southeastern Conference play.
Florida can ill afford to blemish its resume with a loss to Ole Miss. The Rebels have an RPI of 274 and have looked overmatched in conference play.
Needles said UF understands the importance of taking care of business at home but admitted the Gators could be in for a battle despite the two teams’ differing records.
“Even though Ole Miss hasn’t won a conference game yet, they really have nothing to lose,” Needles said. “That makes them a really, really dangerous team. They’re just playing for each other, and that’s really scary.”
Butler refuses to label the matchup a trap game. She has spent the week imploring her team to prepare as it would for any other conference opponent.
Despite Ole Miss floundering near the bottom of the conference, Butler knows one misstep could greatly damage her team’s chances of earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“[The Rebels] are a team that plays fearlessly, and it probably is because they have nothing to lose,” Butler said. “[Ole Miss] is really impressive with how inspired they are. We’ve got to handle our business.”
Contact Phillip Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org
Coach Amanda Butler watches during Florida’s 52-44 loss to South Carolina on Sunday in the O’Connell Center.
