If being manhandled 65-51 on its home floor by Florida State wasn't enough, the UF men's basketball team will have some extra motivation from its coach heading into tonight's game against Stetson.
"I thought we were really soft," UF coach Billy Donovan said. "I didn't think we had physical toughness."
Some of the players have taken the criticism as a personal challenge. Among them is forward Dan Werner, who was hampered by two first-half fouls in the loss.
"Personally, I don't like being called soft," Werner said. "In practice we came out and tried to change Coach's opinion."
The Gators were outrebounded 39-28 in the loss and were physically dominated all night. Werner said the rough contest could help the team moving forward and serve as a teaching point for some of the younger players.
"They were bigger and stronger than any team we had played, so it was kind of a wake-up call," he said. "They definitely pushed us around a little bit."
Donovan said the team responded well in practice following the loss and seemed humbled by the experience. The Gators headed into the game ranked No. 25 but have now dropped out of the polls.
"I prefer as a coach to work through winning," Donovan said. "Someone made a comment to me after the game that it's been a while since we've lost. So this is the first time I've experienced this with them, but I thought on Saturday that they came out with the right disposition and worked hard."
With the loss, the Gators' school-record streak of 24 consecutive home wins came to a close, as did their 15-straight overall win streak.
If history is on the Gators' side, tonight's game against Stetson should help the team get back on track. UF has won 13-straight games against the Hatters.
Guard Nick Calathes, who spent an unusually long time on the bench Friday, will also look to rebound. Donovan said afterward that he thought Calathes was taking ill-advised shots and would benefit from watching the game from the bench.
"Coach sat me down, and I have to learn a lesson," Calathes said. "I did take some stupid shots in the beginning, and I need to be ready before the next game."
Calathes said he couldn't remember the last time he'd been benched during a game. The experience, he said, has changed not only his outlook but that of his teammates as well.
"It definitely humbled our team," he said. "We were probably a little cocky out there, 5-0 and top 25. But now we're definitely trying to get better and look forward because in the past is just a memory."
Calathes admitted that the Gators failed to compete against the Seminoles physically. The loss was the first at home against FSU since 1992 and a tough one to swallow for the young squad.
"Now we know what the physical is like and we just have to go out and play tough," Calathes said. "We let them push us around, but I don't think we're going to let that happen again."
