Gator Basketball vs. Tennessee

In the second leg of their 2007 Champions League Semifinal, Liverpool defeated Chelsea 1-0 and advanced on penalties. Prior to the start of the game, the notoriously brutal Liverpool crowd sang, "F--- off Chelsea, You ain't got no history."

So why the hell would I mention a soccer game from last May in a Gator Basketball preview? Like Liverpool, Florida has absolutely no chance of winning this game. Tennessee is clearly the class of the league and can score in an up tempo game or grind it out. They lead the SEC in 3-point offense and defense and lead the league in rebounding. They have defeated West Virginia, Xavier, Ohio State, and Memphis, leading to an outside shot at a number one seed. I don't have to describe the Gators weak out of conference slate or recent inability to score against teams that actually play defense.

But Florida has a home building for a rivalry game, which should be cranked up since we might not even make the tournament. The Gators also have history. We're the ones with nine consecutive NCAA appearances, four Final Fours, three consecutive SEC Tournament titles, and two National Championships. Our arena has banners for men's basketball, which must be a strange sight for UT fans.

Tennessee, to keep up with the history of UF and Kentucky, has been doing everything possible to get their nose in the action. Their players have been accused of yelling at UK fans during warm ups, they ripped off UF in naming their student section, their publicity seeking missile of a coach used the `stop short' move on a Gator alum on live television, and now he thinks tonight's game is the reverse of last February's UF-UT game in Knoxville. How Brucey sees a comparison to a '07 Gator team reaching for history and a Tennessee team looking to make a repeat trip to the Sweet 16 is beyond me. He must have been dehydrated from sweating and didn't realize his delusions of grandeur.

That's what tonight is really about. Florida is holding on for dear life the relevancy they earned in the past seven seasons. Tennessee is trying to meet the standards set by their football and women's basketball programs. A win by either team will set up the rest of their season just as a loss will inspire questions about that team's qualifications. The Gators are not playing tonight for themselves or even the name on the front of the jersey. They are playing for Justin Hamilton, Udonis Haslem, David Lee, Lee Humphrey and the Oh-Fours. Those guys built something and it's up to the guys on the floor to keep it going. Winning tonight would help that cause and keep our history growing.

For the record, I don't hate the state of Tennessee, just their football and men's basketball teams. Three of my favorite people are from Tennessee; Corey Brewer, Lee Humphrey, and Jack Daniel.