By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

For the last, oh I don’t know, however many years John Calipari has been at Kentucky, the Wildcats have been far and away the best team in the SEC.

They almost always have the most talent, and as much as Calipari annoys me with most everything he says and does when searching for a microphone to put in front of that smug face of his, he is one hell of coach.

This year however, it’s a little different. To me, the best team in the conference, and certainly the team playing the best right now, are the Florida Gators.

When Florida hired Mike White to lead their basketball after Billy Donovan bolted for the NBA’s version of Hatfields vs. McCoys in Oklahoma City, most fans probably had no idea who White was. I can’t really blame them.

To be honest, when I heard the name Mike White I actually thought of this guy (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_White_(filmmaker).

When you’ve had the type of success that Donovan had in Gainesville, hiring someone that nobody has heard of isn’t always the most popular choice.

Regardless of his anonymity, White is making Jeremy Foley look like a genius. In only his second year, the Gators are not only neck and neck with Kentucky for the SEC regular season crown, but are doing so with a bunch players nobody has really heard of.

When I watched Florida play Duke earlier this season I knew of Kasey Hill, but the remaining roster might have been made up of the Lost Boys from Neverland, for all I could tell.

While I’m disappointed there still isn’t a Rufio on the team, the only name I might remember besides Hill is KeVaughn Allen.

The lack of individual attention makes sense though when you look at their statistics. Besides Hill being in the Top 5 in assists and steals, they don’t have a single player in the Top 10 in points, rebounds, or field goal percentage. They are truly the antithesis of a team like Kentucky.

You don’t have to watch them play for very long to understand they are well coached. They play tough defense, move the ball well on offense, and most importantly, they don’t seem to beat themselves.

Besides their two point loss to Vanderbilt earlier this year, which is a bit of a head scratcher, their other losses have been to teams they weren’t favored against. And even those games could’ve gone the Gators way.

The University of Florida has always been, and will probably always continue to be, a football school. They have a rich history of Hall of Fame players and coaches who have come through their program. They reside in a state that takes great pride in being a hotbed for young football talent.

Plus, they play in a conference that directly associates your manhood with what college team you root for. (Admit it, have you ever met a Vanderbilt fan that you didn’t think you could beat the crap out of?)

What Billy Donovan was able to do there was nothing short of phenomenal. The expectations aren’t for Mike White to excel in the way Donovan did, but if I’m a Gators fan I’m excited about the bright future that lies ahead.

If this year’s team is any indication of what to expect out of Gainesville over the next few year there’s one thing I know for certain; there will be mistaking which Mike White is responsible for the Gators success.