Business as usual, both sides say, for a white reunion

Gainesville, Fla. – No matter what he says or thinks or says he thinks, this will be different. The feeling is temporary and will eventually give way to actual play, but it will definitely be different. It can even be boring.

Mike White loved Ole Miss, but returning to Oxford to play for the team where he was the starting point guard for four seasons in the 1990s didn’t always seem like a stretch. White is humble and humble, so I don’t like those games because people who talk about those games usually want to make the story about him.

 

So he’s bringing his Georgia Bulldogs (11-3, 1-0), even this revamped, ride-high version, to ExTech Arena/O’Connell for Saturday’s contest. Todd Golden And the Florida Gators (7-7, 0-2) could test White’s comfort level. It shouldn’t be. White left UF with its third win in program history last March, leading the Gators to a 142-88 record (.617 winning percentage) and six wins in four NCAA Tournament games, second only to Billy Donovan by UF coach.

But for whatever reason, White looked for something better last spring and found it at one of Florida’s biggest rivals.

“Business. That’s it,” White told reporters in Athens, Ga., when asked about his thoughts on returning to Odom after the Bulldogs’ upset of 22nd-ranked Auburn on Wednesday night. “That’s the place. [wife Kira] And I and ours [five] Children, beloved. We had a great time there. I will always be grateful. I look forward to seeing some family and some friends; A lot of people in those stands that I’m excited to see, that I’m nervous about. People throughout the community…”

Then came the coach’s speaker’s disclaimer.

“That said, when there’s a shootout, you’re going to get arrested. I have a model and when it’s revealed, we’re going to go down there to see if we can get a little bit better. We’re going to put ourselves out there for steals down the road. That’s the name of the game in this league.”

[Read senior writer Chris Harry’s “Pregame Stuff” setup here]

It should come as no surprise that the Goldens and Gators, including eight of White’s former players (six scholarship juniors, two walk-ons), are trying to take a similar approach.

“He’s coaching them well and doing what he needs to do — but it’s going to be another game,” said the UF fifth-year senior. Colin Caston, who played two seasons for White, including a second-team All-Southeast campaign last year. “We have to win. That’s the bottom line. Who comes here, who coaches, who plays. We have to win games.”

Yes, they saved it. UF is currently on a three-game losing skid, with each loss coming down to the performance of the last game the opponents have done better. The Gators were on a nine-game losing streak before Christmas with just over two minutes left in the Jumpman Invitational against Oklahoma in a three-point game. They were in a tie game with just over a minute left in Auburn and were down by three. They lost by three at home against Texas A&M on Wednesday night with less than a minute to play.

It didn’t matter if Porter Moser, Bruce Pearl or Booth Williams were the coaches on the opposite bench in those games. And it’s no problem for White to line up in the visiting side on Saturday.

By the time the game’s outcome is decided, any stress will be gone and any Florida fan will be longing for the white meat (in whatever form of words it may take).

“We have to worry about ourselves and make sure we’re doing what we can to win the game,” Golden said Friday. “Obviously, there might be a little more motivation for some of our guys, but definitely not an emphasis from my point of view. For us, I want to make sure we focus on ourselves and what we’re doing. To put our best foot forward.”

The Gators did that against A&M on a couple fronts, especially when it came to shooting the basketball. UF shot nearly 47 percent from the floor, including 7-for-19 from the 3-point line, after going through a two-game clanging fest when it went down five of 41 long shots.

Unfortunately, they made up for some shooting mistakes that night, as the Gators turned the ball over a season-worst 20 times (leading to 21 A&M points) and surrendered 13 offensive rebounds. Those second-chance opportunities allowed the Aggies to make 61 field goal attempts (to UF’s 44) and win one possession despite shooting just 37.7 percent for the game, 12.5 percent from long range (2-for-16) and 64.3 from the free throw line.

“You can’t do that against a team like A&M and give them a chance to win the game,” Golden said.

 

Just once, Florida’s staff wants to see its players play solid across the board against major opponents — UF has lost five straight to power conference teams — instead of playing whack-a-mole. Random places that go from good to bad overnight.

There is a faction of Gators (in uniforms), for sure, that like to do this to the other guy on Saturday.

“Even the guys who don’t play that much are excited because they know what kind of defense he plays and they want to beat him,” the junior guard said. Trey Bonhamwho transferred to UF last season from Virginia Military Institute. “[But] Coach Golden is definitely going to move on. [the emotions element] Earlier. . . . On top of that, I feel like it makes sure we stay on top of our game.

After all, as White says, it’s just business, right?

Exactly.