If UF wants to be successful in the postseason, then it knows it will have to win back-to-back games at some point.
The Gators got a taste of what it's like with wins at then-No. 22 FSU on Sunday and Savannah State on Monday.
Their week doesn't get any easier, however, as they travel to the Bahamas for the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport on Friday and Saturday.
UF (4-1) will face Southern Illinois (2-0) on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
The winner of that game will play the winner of No. 21 Arizona State (2-1) and Hofstra (0-2) on Saturday at 2:45 p.m., and the losers will play at 12:30 p.m.
Winning two games in two days is something UF coach Amanda Butler knows will be a challenge but can benefit her team later in the season, especially the postseason.
"The back-to-back preparation is one of the things (that helps) because this is a team that obviously we think we're very capable of winning the (Southeastern Conference) Tournament," Butler said. "In order to win the SEC Tournament you've got to win back-to-back games."
Butler said her team didn't react that well on Monday night when playing just 27 hours after winning in Tallahassee.
The Gators had 23 turnovers and only outrebounded an overmatched Tigers team by one.
"It was the first time that we had experienced it," Butler said of playing two games in a row.
One of the things she said was not a problem in that game and should not be a cause for concern for her team in the Bahamas is fatigue.
Butler rested a lot of the starters in the second half and shuffled the lineup to get some balanced minutes from her bench.
But she said even if the starters had played two 40-minute games back-to-back, tiredness would still not be an issue.
"They're in great shape and take a lot of pride in their bodies and have a lot of confidence in their preseason workouts that I don't think fatigue will be a factor at all," Butler said.
Sharielle Smith, who has scored 15 points in each of the last two games, said she's ready to take a trip to the Bahamas and isn't too worried about travelling out of the country for a few days.
"It's going to be like any other away game," Smith said. "It's going to be a new place we've never been before, but we're going to have to keep our focus just like any other away games."
