Saturday night’s Final Four matchup between two No. 1 seeds, Auburn and Florida, isn’t for all the marbles, but it sure is close. The winner will play either Duke or Houston in the NCAA Championship game.
It’s a big moment, and sometimes, it can feel too much for players. Florida head coach Todd Golden says that won’t be the case, though. He believes his team has a winning mindset heading into the Final Four, meaning failure is not an option.
“Our guys are not going to be satisfied going home Saturday night. I think going in, the mentality is that — obviously, it will be a great season regardless, but if we lose on Saturday, we’ll have a bad taste in our mouths,” Golden told the media (h/t On3).
Florida went 34-4 this season and finished second in the stacked SEC behind the very Auburn team they’ll play Saturday. The Gators won the SEC Tournament by beating Tennessee, 86-77, and then made a run through the tournament that saw them beat No. 16 Norfolk State, No. 8 UConn, No. 4 Maryland and No. 3 Texas Tech.
The Gators are battle-tested and focused entering play Saturday.
“Our guys have put in the work. We didn’t make it here by accident. We earned the opportunity to be here and to compete. Our guys enjoy doing that on a nightly basis,” Golden said. “I think they understand what’s at stake, but at the same time they want to enjoy being here and enjoy the fruits of the labor that we’ve had all year.”
