Gators left staring at Spartans' speed
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- Florida got beat at its own game, unable to match Michigan
State's up-tempo approach with its staple of pressing and running.
But what frustrated the Gators more than anything is that they didn't feel
their effort was at the same high level Monday as it was for most of the season.
|  | | Mike Miller and the Gators had trouble stopping Morris Peterson. |
"Early on I was surprised (at how Michigan State attacked the
press)," Florida senior Kenyan Weaks said after the Spartans' 89-76
national title victory Monday at the RCA Dome. "I think there were times we
gave up and (the Spartans) took advantage of that."
The Gators got beat in transition consistently, mainly by Michigan
State point guard Mateen Cleaves looking for the break up the sideline after
every rebound. Even when the Gators scored, they couldn't deploy their press
in time because the Spartans were pushing the basketball before they could
get set.
"Coach had a great game plan and we didn't execute it," said Florida
sophomore Mike Miller, who only took five shots. "We knew they were going to
go middle to the sideline and we didn't cover it. They kept going and
throwing the ball across us. Anytime you let them go two passes and break
the press (that's not good). Coach had us in the right spots, but we
weren't."
The Gators also gave up too many full-court passes for layups. Cleaves had
the run of the court, too.
"We talked about not letting Mateen Cleaves streak to the lane and we didn't
do that," Florida sophomore Udonis Haslem said. "We made mistakes that we
normally don't make."
The Gators cut the Spartans' lead down to six points when Cleaves went out
with an ankle injury. When he returned, the lead was eight and the Gators
could never get closer.
"We didn't sustain the energy," said Florida sophomore Teddy Dupay, who got
tangled up with Cleaves on a breakaway when Cleaves got hurt. "It's so
disappointing that we got this far and didn't give our best effort. We wish
our transition defense would have been better. They've got good players, but
we didn't expect them to get that many easy baskets."
The easy question for the Gators after the game was to assume that the
Spartans' seniors beat their underclassmen. While it's true that Cleaves,
Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger all had a critical part in the win, they
were still playing in their first national title game, just like the Gators.
"But they were better," Miller said. "When you make it to the Final Four,
you better be ready to play two straight games."
So, now what? If Miller stays, the Gators have the nucleus to make a run at the national title in '01 (Weaks is the only senior). Freshman point guard Brett Nelson said he expects the team to stick
together, learn from its carelessness in the title game and be back for another run.
"These kids had the time of their life and the ride of their life," Donovan
said. "They had the chance to beat Duke, Oklahoma State and Carolina and
play for the national championship."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. |
