Gators Glad To Be Dancing

There were no anxious moments for the Florida women's basketball team this time around.

A year after being left out of the NCAA Tournament field, the Gators sat together and watched as their name was called on ESPN on Monday night.

No. 22 UF (23-7, 9-5 Southeastern Conference) earned a No. 8 seed in the Trenton (N.J.) Region and will travel to Storrs, Conn., to play No. 9 seed Temple in the first round Sunday.

"To have a chance to sit here this year and watch the selection show, not wondering or hoping that we're in, but knowing that we're in, speaks a lot about how far this program has come in a short amount of time," UF coach Amanda Butler said.

The Gators had been projected as high as a No. 3 seed earlier this season but fell back to the pack after losing five of their last six games.

"Do I think that we're better than an eight seed? Absolutely," Butler said. "But for us to be able to say that we need to back it up. If you're better than an eight seed, you'll win and advance and get a chance to prove that."

Temple (21-9) earned an at-large bid out of the Atlantic-10 Conference.

Florida's last trip to the NCAA Tournament came in 2006, but ended with an 83-59 first-round loss to New Mexico.

The Gators are led by seniors Sha Brooks (16.6 points per game) and Marshae Dotson (13.7 points per game).

"We worked so hard," Brooks said. "To see ourselves in the NCAA Tournament is just a great feeling."

The Gators are 9-11 all-time in the tournament.

If UF advances past the first round, the Gators likely would face No. 1 overall seed Connecticut next.

The Huskies (33-0) are considered the favorites to win the national championship.

If Florida does make it to the second round, the game would be played on UConn's home court.

"I'm taking it one game at a time," Brooks said. "Temple is the team to beat right now. You can't look past a team, because when you look past a team that's when you get beat."

The SEC tied the Big East for the most tournament bids with seven, and defending national champion Tennessee was given a No. 5 seed, the lowest seed in school history.