I’m not sure who those kids in the blue uniforms were last night, playing against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, but there was something very familiar about the way they played.

All kidding aside, it was a very pleasant surprise to hang in there for the second half before bed, and see the Gators offense and defense look like a Donovan-coached team as they ended up beating the Tide almost handily 90-83. Almost everyone stood out at times on both ends of the court, which was reminiscent of the two-year run just culminated last March in Atlanta with a second straight NCAA title.

To start with, at least for the second half, the hustle was back. A full-court press created a tempo which seems to suit the young Gators much more than a half-court game, bringing transition scoring opportunites to some very gifted passers and shooters. I was most impressed with the guard play. Nick Calathes and Jai Lucas seemed to grow up before my eyes in the face of their first SEC competition. Calathes probably more so with his passing and game management, and Lucas for his dead-eye, no conscience shooting, in clutch moments. Calathes had some absolutely beautiful passes to back-door cutters, and Lucas was coming off screens and drilling three point shots like Taurean Green did so well.

Not to diminish his play on the offensive end, Calathes did show flashes of real talent at times getting in close to the bucket and either dishing it off or making a well-timed pass for an assist. Oh, and let’s not forget Dan Werner, who seems to have become Mr. Everything for this team. He has an uncanny ability to be in the perfect position for key rebounds,  is shooting better,  and has an urgency to his game I haven’t seen previously. Hats off to him for the improvement. Speights had some nice moments in the paint, as did Chandler Parsons (needs some meat on his bones), and Alex Tyus (likewise w/the meat).

Not every moment was rosy. The first half was sloppy and inconsistent, full of turnovers and dumb fouls, which I’ve seen some of already this season, notably against Ohio State. But the second half goes a long way to proving, to me at least, that it is GREAT to have Billy Donovan back from his flirtation with the NBA.