When Billy Donovan left Florida Basketball for the NBA, there was a grand debate over the past decade about whether the Gators were good only because of Donovan or whether Florida as a program is a place where you can be elite.
Before this year, Florida had made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament just once since their 2014 Final Four run and had missed the tournament five times while making it just five.
In the eyes of some, Florida fans needed to be happy with making the tournament every now and again and should view a 20-win season with a second-round exit as a success.
But now that Florida is back in the Final Four as a No. 1 seed after winning the SEC Tournament, it is safe to say Florida never needs to lower their standards ever again.
Florida Basketball: Golden Ticket
Todd Golden was far from a slam dunk for Florida when he was hired to replace Mike White. Golden had a lot of good ideas on paper, but he was still a young hire who had never been out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament either as a player, assistant, or head coach.
And to be honest, if this year had gone south, it would have been fair to ramp up the heat on Golden and question if he needed to go.
But the entire point is that once someone reveals they aren't the guy capable of getting you to a Final Four, they need to go.
The problem with White is that making the Round of 32 was his ceiling. His lone Elite Eight appearance came after blowing a lead against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16, only to have Chris Chiozza bail him out. The bigger problem with White is that people tried to claim the Round of 32 was as good as it would ever get in Gainesville and that Donovan was a one-time enigma.
What's done is done, and this Final Four appearance can officially put a lid on the Mike White Era we never need to cling to again.
It doesn't mean Golden is going to make the Final Four every year, and even Donovan missed the NCAA Tournament the year after winning back-to-back titles.
But never let anyone convince you ever again that going over a decade without a Final Four appearance with just one Elite Eight appearance is normal in Gainesville.
The bar doesn't move.