** This thread discusses the Content article: Alabama Game A Must Win For Florida Gators **

Quite a few things have changed since last Tuesday. Prior to tip-off of the nationally-televised Kentucky game, ESPN proclaimed the Gators a possible number two seed in the NCAA tournament. Then Jodie Meeks ruined that Tuesday, and then on Saturday, the University of Georgia ruined Florida’s season. Sure, it was only one loss, and I know this isn’t football, but I can just hear the “bracketologists” saying it for the next few weekends: “Florida: blah, blah, blah, KEY LOSSES: @ Georgia”. Ouch, then a commentator will reference that UGA finished the conference schedule with only one win (certainly possible at this point). What are the other “blahs”?



“Florida: RPI: 46.” Well, this is literally all that is keeping the young Gators in the discussion (also, some great achievements as of late always keep UF in the discussion). That magic RPI should stay below 65 if Billy Donovan’s club can pick up a few big wins against a tough remaining SEC schedule.



“Florida: SOS: 99” Soft football season schedule? In December, the Gators beat Georgia Southern and their stunning RPI rank of 295. Again, the SOS should improve down the stretch with road games at LSU and Mississippi State, and home games against Kentucky and Tennessee.



“Florida: KEY WINS: Washington (neutral site), South Carolina, NC State”  Yes, I said the same thing when I saw this as well: Not impressive. However, Washington has an RPI of 22 and South Carolina has an RPI of 40. South Carolina has won 7 of its last 8 and is the new team of the week on ESPN. LSU would look nice on the KEY WIN list in a few weeks.



“Florida: LEGIT LOSSES: Syracuse(RPI: 19) @Tennessee(RPI: 18) @FSU(RPI: 20)” At least only the Georgia loss was significant. But is all this in vain? Will the Gators even help themselves down the stretch?



There is not much point at looking into all of this if Florida continues to drop games. My prediction is that the Gators can afford no more than 2 losses to any team named UK, UT, LSU and Miss St. With a loss against Alabama or Vanderbilt at home, it may mean home games for tournament play (i.e. NIT). Which leads me to my point: The Alabama game this Wednesday IS A MUST WIN GAME.



Luckily UF has not lost at home all year. 4 out of the last 6 conference games are at home. Billy Donovan opened up an extra 500 student seats for the Alabama game, as he knows the crowd may be the biggest ally of the Gator’s run to the NCAA tournament. I know I will be there screaming tomorrow night.



And even if the Gators play themselves out of the tournament during the last six games, there is always a miracle run through the SEC tournament, and what the hell, it’s in Tampa this year. 

I agree, definitely a 'must win'.

Also, Billy D probably would prefer more students at every game. From the time he came in and made student admission free he's shown that sort of commitment.

My thinking is it was an easier sell to Foley because the game wasn't going to sell out anyways.

This is part of why I thought everyone was dumb for suggesting we needed a 'new, bigger O'Dome' 2 years ago.

Remember Teddy Dupay (I know, now a despicable rapist who is rightly an outcast and should be scorned, but don't act like you didn't love him when he was in school) blasting the fans when the didn't turn out for the first home game after that first run to the national title game?

I've been going to games for too long to expect our newfound 'basketball tradition' to catch on that quickly. Having something other than a pansy-ass NIT team to watch these last couple of years might have helped, too. Billy D, please take that last sentence and print it on a banner in the weight room. Or throw them out of that weight room again. Because these guys think they know better than our all-time winningest, 3-time Final Four, 2-time National Champion head coach. And as hard as it can be to get worked up for a game at Athens against what Clay Travis called 'one of the worst college basketball teams of the modern era'... you shouldn't have to be worked up. And you shouldn't need 500 more students to beat Alabama at home to reverse a 2-game losing streak. But, we do, and so I couldn't be more excited for next year. Because if we make the tournament at all this year(which we need to, to get the experience for the run we could make next year), we won't be around long enough to screw with anyone's bracket.