UF likely won't get NCAA invite

About six weeks ago, Florida players expected today to be merely a formality.

The young Gators would hear their names on the NCAA Tournament Selection show, capping a remarkable season in which they overcame the loss of five starters from back-to-back national championship teams.

But with four straight losses to cap a 3-8 stretch to close the season, Florida appears resigned to the fact that its string of nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances will end tonight.

"I think there are two ways you can look at it," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "You could say, losing five starters, winning 21 games, who would have thought (it)? Or you could say when you lose four straight at the end of the season, you still have a long way to go."

Florida fell to 73 in the Ratings Percentage Index following its 80-69 loss to Alabama in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament. Florida is 2-8 against the RPI 50, with home wins against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. That could change to 1-8 today depending on if Kentucky falls out of the top 50 following its SEC

Tournament quarterfinal loss to Georgia.

The Gators are 4-8 in their last 12 games, another measuring stick the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee evaluates when determining at-large bids. Florida also didn't get help from a soft non-conference schedule that dragged its overall strength of schedule to 88th.

Florida's best non-conference win was an 88-70 defeat of Temple (56 RPI) last Dec. 29 at a home-neutral site (BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise). The Gators lost at Ohio State and at home to Florida State in their only other major non-conference tests.

Asked if he felt a stronger non-conference schedule would have helped the team prepare for March, Donovan responded: "I don't know how many lessons we could have learned because it wasn't like we went into the league and our non-conference schedule gave us a bad start."

Florida started 5-1 in SEC play and banked on a winning record in the league providing enough for its tournament resume. But Florida fell to a combined 3-8 in February and March to drop to 8-9 in the league.

Around the country, Florida got help when bubble teams like Arizona State, Ohio State and Syracuse lost in opening-round conference tournament games. But with St. Joseph's upset of top-seed Xavier in the Atlantic 10 conference tournament, it appears the A-10 will get at least three tournament bids. Likewise, the West Coast Conference became a three-bid league when San Diego upset Gonzaga in the conference tournament final.

The 10-member tournament selection committee includes Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive, who will chair the committee next season. This season's chair is Tom O'Connor, the athletic director at George Mason University.

If Florida somehow gets the benefit of the doubt based on its history, it will continue an impressive string of success. The Gators are currently tied for sixth with Gonzaga and Texas for most current consecutive tournament appearances with nine. Arizona holds the longest current string with 23 straight appearances, followed by Kansas (18 straight), Kentucky (16), Duke (12) and Michigan State (10).

But it appears more likely that Florida will become the first defending national champion since Kansas in 1989 not to make the tournament.

"It's still hard to believe," Florida sophomore forward Jonathan Mitchell said. "We didn't expect this. It's like a bad dream."