Steve Spurrier downplays how national hype will impact Florida in NCAA Tournament

Florida is coming off a conference tournament championship and sports the best record in the SEC heading into the NCAA Tournament. Many are picking the Gators to win it all.

Can Todd Golden‘s team handle the hype? That might be the key question for the group.

“I don’t think the talk’s going to affect this team, the way they seem to handle it,” former Florida football coach Steve Spurrier said on Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “They don’t act overconfident or anything. And I like the way Todd Golden and his staff has really handled the whole situation so far. So I think we’ve got a really good attitude about it and we’ll play as well as we can.”

Handling the hype will be key. Florida has been a top-ranked team all year, but it has played second fiddle to programs like Auburn and Alabama for most of the season.

Now, coming of the tournament title and having racked up a 30-4 overall record — vs. the 28-5 tally regular season champion and fellow No. 1 seed Auburn amassed — the only real question is whether Florida can handle the pressure in the NCAA Tournament. It’ll be ratcheted up to a whole different level.

And the team spent a good deal of time after Sunday’s win over rival Tennessee celebrating. Can they rein it in in time?

“Little celebration, but it’s not the end of the road,” Spurrier said. “Hopefully the end of the road is, what, two or three weeks from now, whenever the finals are.”

Many have already pointed out Florida has a potentially tricky road. First up is a very winnable game against Norfolk State. Barring a disaster, Florida will be expected to take care of business to start the NCAA Tournament action.

Following that a potentially tricky matchup with defending national champion UConn could loom. The Huskies and excellent coach Dan Hurley must first get by Oklahoma.

There are other tough challenges in the bracket, too. St. John’s looks like a particularly strong two-seed, potentially looming in the Elite Eight round.

In any case, Spurrier believes Florida will be locked in. And he knows a thing or two about championship-caliber teams.