NEW YORK – Just two seasons into his tenure as the Gators basketball coach, Mike White has brought Florida two wins away from the Final Four, with a chance to redefine the Florida basketball program under his watch in basketball's most famous arena.
The fourth-seeded Gators will face eighth-seeded Wisconsin Friday night at Madison Square Garden in the Sweet 16. It's not that Florida hasn't been here before; it's just that, with one exception, these Gators have never been here before.
Florida has played 10 times in a Sweet 16, eight of those visits during Billy Donovan's tenure as head coach. When White was hired, he had limited experience. He was the head coach at Louisiana Tech for four years, but he won a conference championship in each of his final two years in Ruston, Louisiana.
There was hope when White was hired, but even the most optimistic Gator fan wouldn't have predicted a Sweet 16 run in year two. White's Gators have accomplished that, and they have the chance to accomplish even more on Friday.
"This is our first time through it, so I don't claim to have all the right answers," White said. "My personal answer, our answer as a staff has just been the next one. It' not about the basketball down the road, it's not about the bracket and who we may play."
The only player on the Florida roster who has postseason experience is senior guard Kasey Hill, the only four- year senior on the Gators' roster.
"I wouldn't say its more of a disadvantage," said Florida center Kevarrius Hayes. "They just have more experience than we do as far as NCAA play, but I feel like we're all competitive. We're still going to come out here and play as hard."
The matchup with Wisconsin isn't the one that most anticipated when the brackets were released, but the Badgers upset the top seed and defending champions Villanova in the second round to earn a trip to New York.
Wisconsin, one of three Big Ten teams to make the Sweet 16 (Michigan and Purdue also advanced), are led by seniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes and with junior Ethan Happ. Koenig is the leading scorer for the Badgers, averaging over 14 points per game. But in the two games in the tournament, the sharpshooting guard has scored 45 points in two games, including 17 against Villanova.
Hayes could offer the most difficult matchup for Florida. After an injury to John Egbunu, Florida's interior defense has suffered and Hayes, a lean 6' 8" forwards, has been lethal lately, scoring in double figures in his last eight games, and recording four double-doubles in that stretch.
Wisconsin's experience is also substantial. Six seniors highlight the roster, and nine players on this year's Badgers squad were on the roster two years ago when Wisconsin surprised Kentucky in the Final Four and advanced to the national championship game before losing to Duke. Happ and guard T.J. Schlundt redshirted that season while Hayes and Koenig played key roles for the team. Hayes was the third leading scorer and Koening was the top three-point shooter on the team.
"Every run feels different, every season has its own adversity," Koening said. "I feel like our class and out team has faced dang near any adversity that a team could possibly face. Want to go out with nothing to lose and just have fun, really."
Adding Wisconsin's size advantage to their experience advantage and they have more than just a puncher's chance against the Gators. Despite making the Sweet 16 six times in the last seven years, this year's run wasn't a given for the Badgers.
"I didn't think that we would have the amount of success that we've had," said Hayes. "As far as experience, I think it helps in some situations, but at the end of the day, it's up to the players on the floor to make the plays."
If Florida wins Friday, it will advance to the east regional finals, where it would face the winner of Friday's early game between South Carolina and Baylor.