Florida Gators

NEW ORLEANS -- The moment Trevor Lacey's buzzer-beater bricked off the rim and Florida's win against Alabama became final, the thought set in.

The No. 19 Gators put the skids on a three-game losing streak and advanced to the SEC tournament semifinals with a 66-63 win Friday. The only problem is, the menace that awaits them is top-ranked Kentucky, their two-time tormentors from earlier this season. In less than 24 hours, Florida faces the prospect of three losses in three tries to the Wildcats.

"We definitely don't want to be swept," Florida guard Kenny Boynton said. "We've got to come out tomorrow and play hard -- stay focused throughout the whole game."

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ESPNU 150 Watch List linebacker Alexander Anzalone (Wyomissing, Pa. / Wyoming Area) talks with ESPN Midwest Regional Coordinator Jared Shanker about the huge list of offers he's collected and which schools are standing out. Anzalone is planning to visit Florida next weekend and says he grew up a Florida fan after his father went to medical school at Shands.

NEW ORLEANS -- A look at Florida's rugged win against Alabama:

Overview: JaMychal Green made quite a difference in Alabama's SEC quarterfinal rematch with Florida, but it wasn't quite enough.

Green, who missed the teams' first meeting because of a suspension, dominated to the tune of 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Gators. Unfortunately for Green, a missed free throw in the dying seconds will probably offset a fantastic performance, in his mind.

The Crimson Tide buried a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer, cutting a five-point UF lead to 26-24. The Gators tried to pull away in the second half, building a lead that got as big as 12. But the Tide surged back behind the efforts of Green, who took 14 of the Tide's 45 shots and connected on seven.

Turning point: Green went to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game with 21 seconds left. He was superb for Alabama all day, but he connected on only the first of his two shots, leaving the Tide at a 64-63 disadvantage.

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Edna Karr (New Orleans, La.) Class of 2014 defensive end Gerald Willis has a host of offers from some of the nation's most prestigious programs. He lists his top three schools as Florida, LSU and Alabama.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Bradley Beal was answering a question about why Florida’s defense and rebounding has slipped from the first half of the season, but what he was saying pretty much described the Gators’ biggest issue heading into the postseason.

Beal said they sometimes just forget what they’re supposed to do in certain situations because their minds are caught up in other aspects of the game. They’re shooting the ball poorly and worrying about that instead of focusing on playing defense and boxing out on the ensuing possession.

"We forget what our role is on the court and what our job is to do on the court," Beal said. "Sometimes we just get caught up in other things. It’s not necessarily us just not wanting to do it. Sometimes it just happens."

In other words: Florida is an immature team.

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With March Madness upon us, it’s always interesting to examine who has the best football-basketball programs.

In the realm of the SEC, the pickings are slim.

In fact, Florida is the only current SEC team that has been to a bowl game and the NCAA tournament each of the past two years. The Gators played in the 2010 and 2011 NCAA tournaments and have been to 21 straight bowl games, including a 24-17 victory over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl this past season.

The only three SEC teams that played in the NCAA tournament last year and also went to a bowl game following the 2011 season were Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

The 2009 NCAA tournament included just three SEC teams -- LSU, Mississippi State and Tennessee -- and they finished a combined 1-3 that year in the tournament. Of the three, LSU and Tennessee went to bowl games following the 2009 season, but they both lost.

So counting football bowl games and NCAA tournament men’s basketball games that year, the SEC was a combined 1-5.

The last SEC team to go to a bowl game and the Final Four in the same season was Florida. The Gators won back-to-back national championships in basketball in 2006 and 2007 and also won the BCS national championship in football during the 2006 season.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida is apparently in the mix to land offensive lineman Max Garcia, a transfer from Maryland who told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was going to visit Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss and Clemson within the next month or so.

Garcia, who was a three-star offensive tackle out of Norcross (Ga.) High School, signed with Maryland in 2010. He requested his release so he could play closer to home, and will visit Ole Miss on March 20, Georgia on March 23, Florida on March 30, and Clemson at a later date, the AJC reported.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Garcia, who started 12 games for the Terps last season as a sophomore, would have to sit out the 2012 season but would still have two years of eligibility remaining.

Garcia told the AJC that Georgia is the front-runner.