Billy Donovan offered advice to Todd Golden on how to handle quest for repeat
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It took Billy Donovan a decade to bring Florida an NCAA basketball championship. Todd Golden checked that item off his list in just his third season with the Gators. Technically speaking, he’d be ahead of Donovan’s pace if he won another title 7 years from now. But matching Donovan’s lore, by winning back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, is a much tougher task.
Golden is well aware that repeating isn’t easy. So, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, he consulted Donovan over the summer about the challenges that arise after you’ve reached the mountain top. On College GameDay, Thamel revealed what Donovan recounted from that conversation.
“[Billy] Donovan… told Golden that, ‘the players have to realize the confetti has stopped falling for this year’s team,'” Thamel said. “He encouraged Golden to, ‘be intentional about [building] a distinct identity for these Gators. They’re going to encounter a different path.'”
Thamel said Golden’s takeaway from the chat with Donovan was that “[we’re] not defending anything.”
Florida may not be defending a championship in its own mind, but it’s defending the hoop as well as anyone. The Gators have the fourth-best defensive efficiency in the nation, per KenPom. Their strength on that end of the court has given their offense time to jell, turning them into legitimate championship contenders after a 5-4 start.
Kalshi gives Florida the fourth-best odds (9%) of winning the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Gators can clinch a share of the SEC regular season title Saturday versus Arkansas (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
