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Gators Handle Dolphins

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2007

GAINESVILLE - University of Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan seems close to discerning the identity of his young team. And while that identity may not be exactly what Donovan had envisioned, he probably will have to live with it for the remainder of the season.

After a closer-than-the-score 88-72 win against the Jacksonville Dolphins on Monday, Donovan ticked off the positive and negative traits he has discovered after coaching this group for nine games.

•Opponents will have a difficult time guarding the Gators (8-1), who have eight regulars capable of scoring in double figures on a given night.

•Some opponents - especially more physical Southeastern Conference foes - will bully Florida in the paint, grabbing rebounds and getting position for easy baskets. Jacksonville, which only had one player heavier than 225 pounds, pounded the scrawny Gators inside to keep the game from getting out of hand.

"There's nothing we can do," 6-foot-9, 205-pound Florida forward Chandler Parsons said. "It's not like we can go in the weight room and lift more weights. We work out as much as anyone in the country. We've got to go out there and play harder than everyone else."

•Florida's freshmen are smart, and they seem capable of correcting their mistakes quickly.

•Sophomore center Marreese Speights, despite leading the team in scoring and rebounding, basically is playing out of position - he is more of a finesse player, Donovan said - and can't be relied upon in the SEC season to carry the team in the paint.

With guard Nick Calathes (24 points Monday) and Parsons (17 points) on the floor with Dan Werner and guards Walter Hodge and Jai Lucas, the Gators could cause matchup nightmares for themselves and their opponents. Such is life for Donovan, who, as Bill Belichick coached the Patriots on a television in the next room, stole a line from the (un)quotable Belichick.

"It is what it is," Donovan said.

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