The Tao of the Florida Gators

The unusual and oddly predictable, undulating path of the Gator leads now to a national championship rematch with Ohio State.

If you're a Gator, there has been a rhythmic symmetry to University of Florida sports these last two years. Like a magic show which is real, or an illusionist who really can make the Statue of Liberty disappear, Florida fans quietly but carefully expected an unheard of level of greatness from its football and basketball teams in 2006 and 2007. Never taking anything for granted -- the Zook era ended only two short years ago -- the Gator Nation couldn't help but believe that 2006 brought with it two Teams of Destiny. One now plays on.

The story of the last two seasons of University of Florida athletics reads like an epic poem. It rhymes; it features fluid parallels and themes of glory; antagonists who doubt the ability of the Great Ones to achieve; mighty individual athletes who've found mecca at the very ends of their journeys; and young coaches who've grown into immortal legends.

Even if you don't like Florida -- even if you despise the Gators -- you will be forced to grudgingly admit that the story of Florida football in 2006 was like something out of a fairy tale. A quarterback who struggled all year, and a placekicker who couldn't kick, squared off against the Goliath of college football that year -- the Ohio State Buckeyes -- in a game which no one thought they could win. But at the end of sixty minutes, Ohio State had been utterly demolished by the Gators, held to 82 yards of total offense, and whipped 41-14.

And likewise, the 2006 Florida basketball season started with pundits openly wondering whether Florida could even make the N.I.T. After all, three of the starting five -- Anthony Roberson, David Lee, and Matt Walsh -- were gone, and with them the vast majority of Florida's ability to score. Billy Donovan was asked in late 2005 how the Gators would replace that scoring output. "We are going to score through unselfishness," was Donovan's earnest reply -- and it turned out to be a prophetic one. The starting five of Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey, and Corey Brewer brought basketball back to an almost forgotten era in which team play really did take front stage. They erupted in a 17-game winning streak to start the season. Finding their stride toward the end of SEC play, they beat arch-rival Kentucky before going on a post-season winning streak that never did end. Florida won the SEC Tournament and then ripped through the NCAA field like a scythe through wheat, struggling only against Georgetown before beating the UCLA Bruins 73-57 in the title game.

Two young coaches, both in their early forties, brought titles home to Florida within 8 months of each other.

A year later, the Gators' second undefeated postseason run -- after defeating the Bruins yet again, 76-66 -- stands at eight straight games (seventeen across the past two seasons.) And Billy Donovan has a chance to pull off the trifecta for the University of Florida.

These young Gators -- four juniors, a senior, and 'the best sixth man in the country,' Chris Richard, also a senior -- have achieved the status of being one of the best college basketball teams of all time.

Their play has been described by many as joyful to watch. "They honor the game by the way they play it," said Tennessee's Bruce Pearl.

And now, the rematch of rematches: Ohio State. Again.

This will be the third meeting between the two schools in less than 5 months. In December, Florida hosted the young Buckeyes, whom many felt were so talented, so good, and so big inside thanks to Greg Oden, that they stood an excellent chance of beating the Gators on their own court.

Instead, a gimpy Al Horford and his four fellow Gator starters sent the Bucks home with an 86-60 blowout loss. Mike Conley Jr. said after the game, "I never knew it was possible for us to get beaten like that." Three weeks later, Florida's football team embarassed Ohio State in similar fashion with their desert romp in Glendale.

The third time around, no one is picking Ohio State to win. No one thinks the Buckeyes are invincible, unbeatable. It took CBS' Seth Davis and Clark Kellogg all of two seconds to predict a Gator victory after watching Florida systematically dismantle the Bruins for the second time. This time, Florida is the Goliath, and Ohio State has the slingshot.

Which, of course, is a big, fat, healthy plus for the Buckeyes. Yes, Florida is favored. Yes, Ohio State is the underdog. But unlike Florida in the BCS National Championship game, Ohio State will not be doubted. They are a solid basketball team, much improved from their earlier incarnation in December. Greg Oden is healthy. They are unbelievably talented. They are one of the very best teams in college basketball, and on Monday night, if they play to the height of their ability, they will have a very good chance of handing Florida its only loss to the Bucks in the last three tries.

Tao is an ancient Chinese concept which, loosely translated, means "Way" or "Path," but is often referred to as the "Great Way." The Great Way was thought to be the source of order that can be found in nature and the cosmos. Among other things, Tao promotes the notion that we humans live our lives in accordance with the natural order of things.

The Florida Gators have done everything required of them to live in harmony with the events unfolding around them. The stars have certainly aligned for these young players and their coaches, and the path has been illuminated by the bright lights of the world stage. These Gators have accepted their roles with humility, diligence, and a high ethical standard. (Did anyone see Corey Brewer give UCLA's Aaron Afflalo a hug as he fouled out in Saturday night's semifinal match?) This epic path must end on Monday night. It's up to the Gators to finish it. Should Florida win, they will be the first team since Duke in 1992 to win back to back championships -- in a sport in which achieving such a feat is almost immeasurably difficult.