The Gators will get good news on March 15. After a one-year hiatus, they'll be back in the NCAA Tournament. The UF logo will flash on the television screen, and the players and coaching staff will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Their reputation as a prominent basketball program will be back.
But they don't deserve it.
Is it because of their effort? No. Their effort has improved in the past year, and the players are taking losses harder than they did last season. They should be praised for that.
Is it because the Southeastern Conference is as weak as it has been in years? Not entirely, no. A weak conference actually helps the Gators get in, and no team should be judged negatively just because its conference - which is normally among the elite - is having an off year.
What about that lack of size that will surely lead to them getting dominated by bigger, stronger teams in the tourney? No again. Plenty of shooter-heavy teams have made it far based on that ability alone.
It's because they aren't good enough. They've come close to being good enough - on several occasions - but whatever that proverbial sports hump is, this team can't get over it. They can't figure out how to take the next step, at least not as a whole. Nick Calathes is one of the best players in the nation, but he plays for a team with role players who are asked to be starters.
"We actually were outplaying them for a good portion of the game," freshman guard Erving Walker said after UF's 81-75 loss at LSU, the most recent example of the team not having what it takes to be a tournament team.
That's the problem. Walker's right. The Gators did outplay the Tigers for most of the game, and they very well could have won the game. Instead, they looked like a team that doesn't know how to win in the last 10 minutes.
They don't understand how to win a "big game," the game that makes Joe Schmo look up at his TV the next morning while scarfing down Cheerios and watching SportsCenter and say, "Nice win, Florida." That hasn't happened in almost two years now.
I don't know why this is, and I'm not in the locker room or practice facility to know the truth. What I do know, however, is that this team will make the tournament based on its reputation, and they'll lose in the opening weekend because they aren't deserving of that reputation.
There is always something new that it isn't getting. Whether it's defensive intensity, focus in practice or, now, what qualifies as a good shot, this team has not proven it can put the complete package together with a nice bow on top. And teams in the NCAA Tournament shouldn't be given bids without proving this.
"We've played at Florida State, Kentucky, Tennessee," Walker said. "We're not going to use (lack of experience) as an excuse."
Walker is right again. Whether it's a lack of experience or anything else, there are no more reasons for not taking the next step. The reality is, though, that staircase still looks pretty long to the Gators.
