SB Nation User Blog: Gatorpilot

How do 'Nole Fans feel about Florida's recent success?

Gatorpilot — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:49:44 -0000

Please know that I am not trying to instigate a flame war. Just an honest exchange of views.

Florida is arguably at their all-time height of success. Playing for two national titles in the last three years. Heisman Trophies. Top 3 recruiting classes. Massive national press and love for our quarterback.

Meanwhile FSU is at a true nadir. Academic scandals, NCAA sanctions looming, terrible player development and a product on the field that is frankly barely above average in the realm of college football. After a long stretch of representing the ELITE of the sport, the 'Noles are now just another name in a crowded bucket filed with average teams.

And of course it doesn't help that FSU has only been competitive in one game against the Gators during Meyer's 4-year reign. (A game they lost, obviously.)

What is the general consensus here? Is Florida's success driving FSU fans crazy? Is it making it more difficult to be patient for a program turnaround, one which seems indefinitely delayed so long as Bobby Bowden hangs around as a figurehead leader?

I have seen positive signs under Jimbo Fisher but they are only small glints of what the future may bring. Is Florida's success making it more difficult for FSU to return to the elite level of college football?

Thanks for CIVIL discussion on this topic. I am genuinely curious.

Kentucky's not a bad team

Gatorpilot — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:26:52 -0000

Now that I've had a good 36 hours or so to get over the rivalry-oriented stuff I can look at Kentucky again with total objectivity. I re-watched the UF-UK game and realized this team has improved approximately 100% since the start of conference play. They do lots of things really well, primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Despite my criticisms of Gillispie's exclusive man coverage (did I see a couple of zone looks from UK in that game?) it does seem to be working. Kentucky has been holding the score down, and the Gators only made it to 80 points due to OT and FTs.

Turnovers are obviously still a big problem. Ramel Bradley only had three of them in this game but even though 15 is an improvement over the average of 17, it's hard to win when you give the other team so many opportunities. I believe the turnover problem will remain as an inherent flaw in this team but will be mitigated as these kids get more comfortable in Gillispie's system (and there's evidence of that happening already.) I think the average could drop a bit more, maybe down to 12-13 a game.

Offensively, the team's biggest challenge is learning how to feed the ball to Patterson. On the occasions they were successful in that endeavor, Patterson had opportunities against Florida but was again intimidated by a bigger defender who was blocking his shots. This kid is really a superb player and is simply going through a bit of a freshman slump. He also needs to learn that you can't just go straight to the rim like he did in high school. I'm betting that some of his slump is due to sharp scouting by the opposing coaches. Florida correctly deduced how to frustrate the big guy. Patterson is too good not to figure this out, and will probably do so in the next few games. He'll be a holy terror when he does.

Perry Stevenson didn't have one of his better games but he was really good against Vandy. He seems to play a role similar to UF's Dan Werner -- kind of a key cog that comes up with rebounds, denies the pass to the post, that sort of thing, although Werner has been doing it more consistently. Stevenson needs to keep providing his team with second chances on offense and sealing off the low post on defense.

Joe Crawford had a bad shooting night, and I do think Florida defended him really well; but how many of those treys went down and rimmed back out? He was just a couple of shots away from winning the game for UK.

This team would blow GW, UAB and San Diego out of the water. They won't have that opportunity this year, of course, but they're vastly improved from just a few months ago.

Obviously, Meeks and Jasper being out this whole time has really hurt the 'Cats. They need those guys ready to contribute. This will be a more complete team in all areas of offense and defense when they return. The pressure on Patrick Patterson will be vastly reduced as both are legitimate threats from beyond the arc, which is going to make things a lot tougher for defenders. As it stands, opponents simply need to guard P-Pat, Bradley and Crawford because the other guys on the floor can't score.

I see a team that is figuring things out and moving puzzle pieces around. They are NOT a bad team and they're not getting worse. They are getting better. They've come up against some really good competition and they didn't win those games, but there are a lot of logical reasons for that.

One more thing. These guys don't pack it in. They fight tooth and nail to the buzzer. As a fan, you've always got to appreciate that.

Winning the SEC tourney is not an unrealistic goal, in my opinion. It would seem from afar that Tennessee is a lock to win it, but Kentucky will probably be a better team by that point and you never know when the Vols will slump.

Anyway, this all comes from (as you know) the mouth of a Gator so I don't suffer from the "my own team has more warts than any other" syndrome that affects fans who are talking about their own team. I really think you're on to something with this group and Gillispie is definitely on the right track.

Apology

Gatorpilot — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:37:29 -0000

Hey gang,

I think my giddiness got the better of me last night. Tru chastised me -- and rightly so -- for a diary entry that was supposed to be lighthearted but definitely came across (after 8 hours of sleep anyway) as anything but. I deleted it.

I haven't been nearly as gracious as Tru has been in both victory and defeat and that's something I could stand to work on. While I don't 'retract' what I write on my site, please understand that my 7-in-a-row post is written from the perspective of a guy who suffered under your Cats' reign of terror. It seemed damn near impossible to beat Kentucky back in the day, no matter how big the lead and no matter where the game was played, and it's a compliment to how much prestige your program has gained over the decades that we take such pride in defeating the 'Cats even in one of their down years. Maybe a little too much pride on my part.

Seeing that I really 'tested Tru's goodwill' with what I wrote negated any happy feelings I had about our win. Friendships are more important to me.

I'd like to caution that some of my writings (at my site) are for the benefit of the smack-talking contingent and should be viewed purely as entertainment. They are NOT directed at readers of ASeaofBlue.com. Once in awhile I get a Catpause.com invasion when someone links one of my posts on the message board, and those people show up -- sometimes in force -- to lay down their own smack talk. That post was for their benefit, not yours.

I wrote the first of those two posts about the game at 1:00AM in the morning and in retrospect, I wouldn't have written it quite like that. Attribute it to a few bottles of Rolling Rock and only a few hours sleep from the night before. Like I said, giddy. The second one was written after a full night's sleep and hopefully you can see the difference between a fully functional GP vs.a semi-conscious one.

Again, I apologize and I'll try to be a better sport for the next game (which, being that it's at Rupp and Meeks and Jasper will be healthy, I'm pretty sure we'll lose.)

I must bid you adieu for a short while, my friends.

Gatorpilot — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 04:45:28 -0000

That time has come; that three, sometimes four-time per year occurrence when my Gators take on your 'Cats.

I enjoy spending time with you and have made many good friendships here. The vast majority of you are kind, honorable, generous folk who can talk basketball with the best of them.

The rest of you (I guess that's BeatUL, pretty much), well, I'm sure you're glad to see me disappear.

I promise you that no matter how it goes on Saturday, we will remain friends. But I will be a lot friendlier if my Gators win.

I think we're looking at about a 50/50 chance of beating your Cats. Unlike Mississippi State, we don't have a shot blocker like Varnado and therefore won't have such a convenient answer to Patrick Patterson (who should have been a Gator, dammit!) If our frosh and sophs can score from the perimeter, I think we'll win. If our shots aren't falling, I think Kentucky takes it. In a defensive struggle, I think the Cats take it. In an uptempo scoring game with transition points, I think it's the Gators' game to lose.

I am seeing improvement from Kentucky and I believe Billy G. when he says his team will keep improving. Our kids are getting better, too, and will really want to keep the 'streak' alive (even though our b-ball streak over you is a lot shorter than the football version).

Good luck finding your way to the arena, but once you're inside, I wish you nothing but turnovers, Ramel Bradley ballhog possessions, dribbling off the foot, Billy G. technicals, and complete and total frustration.

If things proceed as desired (by Gator Nation), we can resume our friendship immediately following the game.

If we lose, I might need a day or two. No offense.

Farewell, my friends, and I will see you on the other side.

FSU stuff

Gatorpilot — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:34:58 -0000

Tru, when are we gonna start seeing some articles about that "other" sport UK plays?

I expect Kentucky to kick FSU's hindquarters in the MCB. You know me as a friend (more often than not, anyway) of UK athletics... well, let's just say the ENTIRE Gator Nation is standing firmly with you against FSU.

FSU is our version of Louisville, Duke, and North Carolina rolled up into one steaming, stinking pile 'o worthless crap.

Beat them into oblivion. Earn Andre Woodson a 1st-round draft pick. Send your seniors out proud. But no matter what, show no mercy!

Is it true?

Gatorpilot — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 03:13:16 -0000

Is Billy Gillispie really dating a 19-year old in Lexington?

Not trying to stir anything up... I just read something about Gillispie's honeymoon being "over" and his dating habits were mentioned with regards to the "morals clause" in his yet-to-be-signed contract at UK.

(300 characters? I have to keep typing? I can't think of anything else to say. The 300 character requirement for the diary seems a bit much!)

UK fans: I say my young Gators beat your 'Cats...

Gatorpilot — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:04:18 -0000

... and I definitely wouldn't have predicted that pre-season.

Our fellas have played and won three games. They just finished blowing out NC Central, 105-51. None of the teams they've played are even remotely close to top-flight competition, but I'm pretty sure that North Dakota State would have beaten Gardner-Webb without too much difficulty.

For all the world, I didn't expect to see this, but here's what we've got at Florida -- a crew of freshmen and sophomores who play together beautifully, pass the ball with the best of them, and are all great shooters. Seriously, they've looked really good these past two games. Physically they resemble frosh in some respects (Chandler Parsons in particular) but they play like they've got a lot of games under their belt. They're smooth, they don't lag behind the game and they're all very much involved both offensively and defensively.

I wasn't expecting this, but I think right now Florida stands a good chance of sweeping your Billy G squad this year, unless Kentucky makes some wholesale improvements in the near term (which is a distinct possibility.) Have any of you seen Florida play yet? They're good!

Poll

Will Florida beat UK in hoops this year?

Yes - once

30 votes

Yes - twice

7 votes

No - UK will sweep them

25 votes

62 votes | Poll has closed

I'm coming to Lexington!

Gatorpilot — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:05:27 -0000

Like General McArthur's promise to Manila (I SHALL RETURN), I hereby decree that I shall be present for the UK-UF football game.

All right, I'm coming up to Lexington. I need the full visitor's guide. What to do, where to go, etc. Will I be showered with refuse as I enter the stadium? Will fans be dangling noosed stuffed Gator toys in front of us?

And finally, where will Tru's tailgate be held? We would like some free food and refreshments.

CAN'T WAIT!!!