Ken Davis

One year ago, at this same stage of the college basketball season, the Florida Gators weren’t exactly the favorites to win the NCAA championship. Looking back, that was understandable.

But right now, with the Gators holding such a convincing grip on No. 1 in both polls, shouldn’t there be a little more chatter about the powerhouse coach Billy Donovan has constructed at Florida? We talk about how difficult it is for a program to repeat as national champion in this day and age of college basketball, yet the Gators have a legitimate chance of doing just that.

Maybe around Gainesville, the Gators are constantly reminded that they are the defending national champions. Perhaps around the Southeastern Conference, there is so much talk about the basketball and football championships won by Florida, that fans are sick of hearing about the Gators.

But where is the national awe?

“There’s still a long way to go and we’re just trying to get better each day, but it’s certainly always flattering to be No. 1 in the nation,” Donovan said Monday after Florida became the first unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press poll in nearly two years.

Donovan knows a little humble pie is the best thing for his team with a month remaining in the regular season. Last year, the Gators surprised the nation with a 17-0 start. But before playing so well in the NCAA Tournament, Donovan’s team sputtered with a 6-4 record — including a three-game losing streak — in the final 10 games of the regular season.

There’s no indication that history will repeat itself, even though the Gators have three regular season road games remaining. It’s a tough stretch ahead, with road games at Vanderbilt, LSU and Tennessee. The home schedule isn’t much softer, with Alabama, South Carolina, and Kentucky due to visit.

But who is better prepared for the stretch run? The Gators have their fingerprints all over this week’s NCAA statistics. Through games of Feb. 4, Florida leads all Division I teams in field goal percentage (54.1 percent) and scoring margin (23.0), and ranks second in three-point field goal percentage (43.8) and rebound margin (9.3).

Since UCLA’s amazing run under coach John Wooden ended in 1975, only one school has managed to win back-to-back championships. That was Duke in 1991-92.

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“It’s harder [to repeat] now than it was back then,” said television analyst Jay Bilas, who was an assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski on those Duke teams. “The hardest thing for any coach now is to keep a team together from year to year, especially when the team has great success and the players are coveted by the NBA draft. For Billy Donovan to have an opportunity to coach essentially the same team after winning a title [is unusual].”

The Florida frontcourt of Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer is probably the best in the nation. It’s certainly the most feared by opposing coaches who have to figure out a way to battle them. They are athletic, they cause enormous matchup headaches, they pass well and they are monsters on the offensive glass.

Noah elevated his play during the NCAA Tournament last season and received a great deal of credit for the team’s play. That was totally justified. But the Gators are most dangerous when guards Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey are playing their best.

If you think Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has a great relationship with coach Tony Dungy, take a look at the freedom Green receives from Donovan. Green is tough, kind of like a former Providence player known as Billy The Kid, who was given a lot of freedom from his coach, Rick Pitino.

Humphrey is shooting better than 65 percent from three-point range in SEC games. He is the fifth-leading scorer overall on the team but trails only Noah in conference play. All five starters are averaging at least 12.4 points in SEC games and Noah leads at 14.6.

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That illustrates the type of team Florida has again this season. There is no MVP. You could argue that Noah deserves a little love in the national Player of the Year discussion that now focuses on Alando Tucker of Wisconsin and Kevin Durant of Texas. But Noah doesn’t lead his team in scoring or rebounding. His 13.1 scoring average is second to Green (13.8) and his 8.3 rebounds are second to Horford (8.9). Noah even averages 2.6 assists, but that’s behind Green (3.8) and Brewer (3.4).

Talk to Noah just once and you know he isn’t interested in personal awards. He turned down millions from the NBA to win another NCAA title. With four juniors and Humphrey as the lone senior, this team is better equipped to do that than any of the teams running around with freshmen in their lineups.

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If complacency is an issue with this team, it certainly hasn’t shown to this point. The Gators lost to Kansas 82-80 in overtime on a neutral court and they lost at Florida State 70-66. That loss to the Seminoles came on Dec. 3 and the Gators have won 16 straight since.

You get the feeling that the BCS Championship won by the football Gators reminded the basketball players of their mission. Is there a team out there that can block Florida’s path? Sure, there may be several. But when the tournament begins, do yourself a favor.

Don’t forget the Gators.

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