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Billy Donovan Talks Gators' SEC Title, Possible Run in NCAA Tournament

Florida's greatest head basketball coach had high praise for Todd Golden and his Gators squad.

Cam Parker

Mar 11, 2007; Atlanta, GA, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan cuts down the net after the Gators defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 77-56 to win the SEC Tournament championship game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Copyright © 2007 Jason Parkhurst
Mar 11, 2007; Atlanta, GA, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan cuts down the net after the Gators defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 77-56 to win the SEC Tournament championship game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Copyright © 2007 Jason Parkhurst / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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PHOENIX, Az.-- As the Florida Gators gear up as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the program's recent SEC Tournament title has brought back memories of the glory days under head coach Billy Donovan.

Third-year head coach Todd Golden not only led Florida to its first conference title since 2014, Donovan's last as the Gators' head coach, but he also became only the second head coach in program history alongside Donovan to win an SEC title.

In a video shared by University of Florida sports journalism lecturer Ryan Hunt, Donovan, speaking to ESPN WRUF's Regan Roberts, praised the program for its recent success as the team prepares for its matchup against No. 16 Norfolk State in the Round of 64.

"I was really, really happy for them. I mean, I wish I could see more games than I do with our season going on," the current Chicago Bulls head coach said. "There's still a lot of people inside the athletic department, even inside the basketball facility that were around when I was there. To see them get a number one seed and to see them be in the position to really, maybe have a great run in the tournament, certainly I'm very excited for all of them."

Despite it being nine seasons since he departed the program for the head coaching position with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, Donovan remains atop Florida's men's basketball coaching ranks as the program's all-time leader in wins (467) and is the only coach to lead Florida to multiple SEC titles, multiple Final Four appearances and a national championship.

He is also one of eight coaches in NCAA Division One history to lead a program to back-to-back national championships with titles in 2006 and 2007.

Since he left, though, Florida has had minimal success with only one appearance in the NCAA Tournament past the Round of 32, an Elite Eight birth in 2017 under Mike White, and no regular season or tournament conference titles.

In fact, Florida never made it to an SEC Tournament championship game since Donovan left until Golden's second year in 2023-24, when the Gators lost to Auburn and were eventually bounced in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament by Colorado.

Now, though, the tides have change, and the Gators look to be poised for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament with a No. 1 seed, strong depth and talent and tremendous momentum with a six-game winning streak, five of which came against ranked opponents.

Florida will begin a possible run in the tournament on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina against No. 16 Norfolk State. Tipoff is at 6:50 p.m. with television coverage on TNT.

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Cam Parker
CAM PARKER

Cam Parker is a contributing writer at AllGators.com of FanNation-Sports Illustrated and is a recent graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester.

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