Two time national-championship winning former Florida head coach Billy Donovan joined Paul Finebaum on The Paul Finebaum Show to discuss Florida's unforgettable national championship victory and postseason run.
Donovan praised recently-extended head coach Todd Golden and his team, most impressed with their resiliency and comeback mentality.
Texas Tech scare
In the Elite Eight, the Gators faced off against the third-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders, who posed the arguably most daunting challenge since the end of the regular season.
The game was full of point swings and back-and-forth action, but as time dwindled down, the Gators suddenly found themselves down ten points with just a few minutes remaining.
Donovan offered his thoughts, suggesting that such a pivotal moment would ultimately define the team.
“It was interesting, we had an NBA game and there was an official who was from Florida, had some ties to Florida,” Billy Donovan said. “And he came over to me before the game, I think it was maybe when they were playing in the tournament. And he says, ‘Billy, doesn’t look good for the Gators here, I think we’re down by 10 with like three minutes to go.’
Then, Florida did the unthinkable.
Led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. and Pennsylvania native sophomore Thomas Haugh, the Gators pulled off a miraculous comeback, defeating the Red Raiders 84-79.
Donovan recalled the moment he was informed of the score. "It was the first TV timeout and he [the referee] came back to our huddle and he said, ‘They pulled it out, they were able to win.’
“I think it speaks to a lot when you have a group of guys that can overcome that kind of adversity. Because any of those games could have gone either direction for them. So that was the thing for me that stood out that was so impressive.”
That comeback mentality
And what was evident in the Texas Tech victory was obvious throughout the season: the Gators were just a team that never stopped fighting.
“I think the one thing that really stood out to me, and I think you realize this when you go through the NCAA Tournament, especially if you’re able to make a deep run, you’re inevitably going to come up to a game or a situation or maybe two games where the game could really go either way and you’ve got to kind of make some plays coming down the stretch to survive,” Donovan said. “And I think the thing that was so impressive, in my opinion, about Todd Golden’s run and the team’s run was their back was against the wall several games in that tournament, and really almost dead in the water.
“I think it speaks to the competitive character of those kids that they found ways on multiple occasions to come from behind and find a way to win the game by making really, really big plays.”
Whether it was against under .500 competition like LSU and South Carolina or the best teams in college basketball like Auburn and Houston, the Gators just had the it factor.
That's why they won the national championship, and that's why they'll forever have a place in the hearts of Gators fans everywhere.