NCAA Brackets 2011: Can Billy Donovan Get Florida Back to the Final Four?

In the 2011 NCAA brackets, momentum is very important. So is leadership at the coaching and skill positions. All of that adds up very well for Billy Donovan and the No. 2 seed Florida Gators in the Southeast region.

Looking to win his third national championship, Donovan and his Gators are the highest ranked seed remaining in their region of the bracket. It will not be an easy road, but they do match up fairly well with the teams remaining in the Southeast.

Donovan will lead his team against one of the best scorers in the game today, when they take on No. 3 seed BYU and Jimmer Fredette on Thursday night. The Gators have rolled past No. 15 seed UCSB and escaped with a hard fought victory against No. 7 seed UCLA. This will be their first matchup with a team not located in California.

Which is ironic, because Fredette could play this game against Florida in New Orleans, but probably be within his shooting range by staying out west. He is that good.

Obviously, that is an exaggeration, but you get the point.

Thanks to some solid recruiting by Donovan, however, the Gators are back in the Sweet 16. But according to Andy Katz of ESPN, it was not an easy road.

"This group can now have its own legacy in Gainesville, Fla., something Parsons and Tyus said was a must in the preseason," says Katz. "Getting back to the Sweet 16 is a sign that the Gators have returned to the national stage after a three-year hiatus."

Florida is playing great ball and is coached by a man who knows a thing or two - literally - about winning national championships. While I do not feel that this team has quite enough to make it number three, they will advance past No. 3 seed BYU and then the winner of the No. 4 seed Wisconsin and No. 8 seed Butler matchup.

While many people will be rooting for Fredette and his Cougars, if Donovan's Gators do advance, I'm sure everyone would be looking forward to a tournament rematch with the Bulldogs. Florida will get back to the Final Four in Houston either way.

For more on March Madness 2011, make sure to check in with Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Matt Regaw, who previews BYU vs. Florida Predictions: Can the Gators Nip Jimmer Fredette's Cougars?

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/642438-ncaa-tournament-2011-bold-predictions-for-every-coach-in-sweet-16-round/entry/55580-ncaa-brackets-2011-can-billy-donovan-get-florida-back-to-the-final-four

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