After surviving a heavyweight clash in the Final Four, the Florida Gators are off to the national title game on Monday at 8:50 PM.
After the game, Todd Golden took to the podium and answered questions in a post-game press conference. Here are five of his more notable comments.
Florida Basketball: Still Dancing
"We're alive, man. We're playing for this national championship on Monday night."
It's April, and Florida is still dancing. Not since 2007 has Florida made it to the national title game. The magic of this particular Gator squad is they just keep finding a way to keep dancing.
"The main message at halftime was we have to get back to doing what we do."
That's a nice way to put it because we know from previous games that Todd Golden is prone to use words we can't repeat on this site, and he is also prone to break a whiteboard or two.
Even Alex Condon admitted that after the game, the messaging was a bit blunter.
"All three facets — defending, rebounding, taking care of the ball — that led to that run and victory."
Golden emphasized the importance of fundamentals in turning the game around. As we have seen all year, when Florida gets itself into trouble, it has a tendency to neglect the basic things.
But when they are locked in, they are almost impossible to stop.
"A guy like Walt gets asked all the questions, all the attention for a great effort like tonight, but there's no animosity there, no one concerned about that. These guys are just trying to win a championship."
One thing that has stood out for this team is the fact there are no real egos, at least publically, who sulk and whine if they aren't playing or if they aren't getting the ball.
Everyone on this squad seems happy for each other, and one just needs to look at bench reactions as proof of that.
"He raised the bar pretty high at Florida."
Reflecting on Billy Donovan's Hall of Fame induction on the same day, Golden expressed gratitude and admiration for the legendary coach. While Florida had success here and there before Donovan, it wasn't until his arrival that he proved what was possible in Gainesville.