March Madness for Florida Basketball is going to get underway on Friday against Norfolk State. The Gators enter that contest as 28.5-point favorites and have the second-best odds of anyone in the country to win the national title.
As we wrote yesterday, there are plenty of reasons to pick Florida to win it all, but this is also March, and there are plenty of ways for the Gators to be tripped up during their journey to San Antonio.
The following are five ways things could go south for the Gators and stop them from winning a national title.
Urban Klavzar gets lit up
Since becoming a mainstay in the rotation, Klavzar has been getting between 8-12 minutes a game. He's been good for a three-pointer a game and can pick an assist or two.
However, what became apparent in the SEC Tournament was that Klavzar could also be a liability on the defensive end. Klavzar struggled mightily closing down shooters, but fortunately for Florida they were able to weather the storm.
But all it takes is one big run while Klavzar gets trapped out there to put Florida in a position it doesn't want to be in.
Walter Clayton goes rouge
Clayton has deserved every accolade that has come his way and if Florida wins it all this season, he will go down as a certified legend in Gainesville with the argument of being the greatest of all time.
But Clayton has this tendency to go out of control for five-minute spurts and tries to play hero ball. When it works, he looks like Steph Curry. When it fails, he gets his pocket picked, resulting in easy, fast break points.
Like Klavzar, one bad run against a team like UConn or St. John's can create problems Florida doesn't want to face.
Todd Golden's inexperience
It's been a magical season for the Gators, and anything short of the Final Four is going to be a huge disappointment.
However, one reality heading into the NCAA Tournament is that Golden has never won an NCAA tournament game, whether as a player at Saint Mary's, an assistant at Columbia or Auburn, or as the head coach at San Francisco or Florida.
It's not to say Golden can't do it, but there is a reason why some coaches get the reputation of being tournament coaches while others have the reputation of choking in March.
Free Throws
The cliche of cliches, but one very real reason Florida could get sent home is because of free throws. UConn, a potential 2nd round opponent for the Gators, fouls a ton.
However, Florida is 202nd in the country in terms of free throw percentage.
As we know, NCAA Tournament games have a way of coming down to free throws when it devolves into a foul fest. If Florida starts missing, it could go south in a hurry.
March Madness Hero
Whether it was Doug Edert with Saint Peter's or Jack Gohlke with Oakland in recent years, March has a way of turning guys you have never heard of into legends.
In two of Florida's four losses this season, Kentucky found a way to magically shoot 48% from three, while Georgia was an astounding 55% from deep.
Add in Caleb Grill going 7/11 the first time Missouri faced Florida only to go 3/10 the second time, and it feels like one of the only ways to stop the Gators is to magically turn into Superman for 40 minutes only to turn back into Clark Kent's assistant once the game ends.