Mirror, Mirror On The … Gators A Reflection Of Monson’S Zags

When Dan Monson looks at Florida, he sees more of his own team than he would like to see.

Monson’s Bulldogs pride themselves on being skilled and disciplined, able to defend with unwavering intensity.

“And Florida looks a lot like us,” Monson said Monday prior to putting GU (27-6) through an afternoon practice in preparation for Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup against the Gators (22-8) in Phoenix.

“They’re a lot more athletic than you think, but more than anything, they’re skilled. Like us, they’re very balanced, which prevents you from keying on one particular guy.”

Gonzaga, the No. 10 seed in this year’s NCAA West Regional, will be trying to become the first West Coast Conference team to advance to the Elite Eight since 1990 when Loyola Marymount lost to UNLV in the West Regional final.

To do so, the Bulldogs will have to protect the ball against the full-court defensive pressure of the 6th-seeded Gators, who finished third in the East Division of the Southeast Conference before being bounced out in the second round of the SEC tournament by Arkansas.

Thursday’s tipoff is set for 4:55 p.m. PST at the America West Arena in Phoenix. Top-seeded Connecticut (30-2) and 5th-seeded Iowa (20-9) will meet 30 minutes after the GU-Florida game concludes. The West Regional final will be played Saturday afternoon.

Florida coach Billy Donovan played college ball under current Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino at Providence.

“It’s Rick Pitino’s style,” Monson said of the Gators’ up-tempo preferences. “They’re going to press and give us multiple looks - four or five - out of their press.

“They try to disrupt your offensive flow with pressure, which is something we haven’t seen much of this year. They’re going to try to get us going really fast, even faster than we like to play, so we’re going to have to make sure we stay selective and maybe even pass up some good shots in order to get great shots.”

Matt Santangelo, one of two players Monson alternates at the point, said he and several of his teammates watched the first half of Florida’s second-round overtime win over Weber State in Seattle on Saturday.

“They’re very athletic, very explosive and they like the up-tempo game,” he said. “They’re going to press us more than we’ve been pressed this year, but if we handle the ball and are able to get into our offense - and if we have the same defensive effort we had last week - we’ll be O.K.”

The Gators are young and every bit as fearless as GU when it comes to shooting the basketball. Three of Donovan’s players - senior forward Greg Stolt, freshman guard Teddy Dupay and junior guard Kenyan Weeks - have made at least 40 3-pointers.

Those three, along with freshmen forwards Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, averaged more than 10 points per game during the regular season. The Gators shot 47.5 percent from the field and outscored their opponents by an average of more than 10 points a game (80.7-70.3).

Haslem, a 6-foot-7, 265-pounder from Miami, was one of three players to average more than five rebounds a game.

“It’s really their overall balance that concerns me the most,” Monson said. “You’ve got to be able to guard all five guys that are on the floor, because all five can catch and shoot the basketball.

“They’ve started as many as three freshmen (Haslem, Miller and Dupay), but they’re very, very talented freshman. And this time of the year, I’m not so sure you can consider kids freshmen.”