Florida basketball: Huge test awaits Mike White

Mike White and the Florida Gators will be welcomed into the new year with a gauntlet first three games in SEC play. The Gators went 9-3 in non-conference play to start the season, a few good wins were sprinkled in with a few bad losses.

When the season began it felt as if Mike White was on thin ice, many called for his job after the Gators second-round exit to Oral Roberts in the NCAA tournament. The Gators started off the year on fire and won their first six games and the temperature seemed to cool around the “fire Mike White” talk. However, Florida would lose three of their next four games, including an inexcusable loss to then winless Texas Southern. With those losses the early victories were washed away, and we have arrived back to the hot temperature the season began with.

The real test is about to begin for White and the Florida Gators. SEC conference play is set to open for Florida on Wednesday night, White seemingly needs to at least punch another ticket to the NCAA tournament to keep his job. But the first three games of the conference schedule might flatten White and Florida before they can even get going. They host #15 Alabama, travel to #9 Auburn, and then finish out the stretch with a home game against #21 LSU.

It’s pretty simple here, if Florida Gators can’t record at least one win in these three games, White has no business being on the sideline next season. It is a tough schedule, but with two games on their home floor there should be no excuse for an 0-3 stretch.

It’s tough to know what to expect out of this team heading into conference play. You may have thought that White had this team heading in the right direction, then it all came crashing down in a span of a week. The good news, we will know after these next three games if this basketball team is capable of accomplishing anything of significance.

Mike White can’t save his job fully at this point, he can absolutely lose it in these next three games though. If Mike White can’t post at least a .500 record in conference play we should not see him for the 2022-2023 season.