Given the results, expect Florida to continue to schedule tougher for years to come. Florida has non-conference games at Florida State and at Xavier (the return for the home-and-h0me series) already slated for 2010-11.

Florida associate coach Larry Shyatt, who puts together UF’s schedule each offseason, said the Gators also have home-and-home series with three different top 10 programs coming up over the next three years.

“ We can’t announce them yet but we already have top 10s already scheduled in the next three years, home and homes,” Shyatt said. “One we started away first, two we start home first, but they are all top 10s and they are all games that people are going to be really excited about.”

UF’s stronger non-conference schedule this season came from a summer mandate from Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive. It was passed down through Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley and assistant ad Greg McGarity.

The Gators faced two teams from the ACC (North Carolina State, Florida State). two from the Atlantic 10 (Richmond, Xavier), two from the Big East (Syracuse, Rutgers) and one from the Big 10 (Michigan State) during its non-conference schedule. The Gators went 4-3 in those games.

“Because of what Jeremy and Greg, thank God, encouraged us to do, I think we’ll continue down that road and try to pick and choose the best that we have to give our guys balance,” Shyatt said.

Putting together the non-conference schedule isn’t an easy job. Florida needs to block off an eight to 10-day window each December for final exams. There’s also the concern of  balancing stronger opponents with weaker ones and trying to secure home-and-home series. A few years ago, for example, Florida was interested in setting up a home-and-home with North Carolina but the Tar Heels wanted to play the return game in Jacksonville instead of the O’Connell Center.

“It’s unfair sometimes to the young people in the program because they have to have a sense of balance as well,” Shyatt said. “There have been some evenings in the November-December slate where you may have an opportunity to use your eight through 11 (players in the rotation.) If not, you are really not taking advantage of that time like you should. There are no such time once January hits, in any league.”

Other NCAA Tournament tidbits:

– Don’t expect BYU junior point guard Jimmer Fredette to get easily rattled Thursday against Florida. Fredette, a Glens Falls, N.Y. , native, spent the summer playing against convicts in prisons in upstate New York. Fredette had a next-door neighbor who had a friend who ran the recreational activities and correctional centers. “I don’t know if I could repeat the stuff all the stuff that they would say,” Fredette said. “But they were just kind of heckling you most of the time. They didn’t like you at first, but you would always have a few guys there that would be rooting for you or betting on you … they bet like cigarettes and things like that, little things, so it was kind of fun.”

– Florida sophomore center Kenny Kadji (back) and junior forward Adam Allen (knee) made the trip out with the team despite being out for the year with injuries. Kadji said his back in pain free since undergoing surgery to repair herniated discs last month. He expects to resume basketball activities next month. “I need to do more stuff like shooting, running and see how it feels,” Kadji said.

Donovan came away most impressed with  point guard Jimmer Fredette, BYU’s leading scorer at 21.7 ppg.

“We’ve seen two great point guards in our league in (South Carolina’s Devan) Downey and (Kentucky’s John) Wall, and I’m not so sure those two guys can have the impact in a game like this guy can,” Donovan said. “He goes to Arizona and gets, I think, 49. In the first round of the conference tournament  he gets 45. He is an unbelievable player and they obviously have a lot of  good pieces around him who are very good players.”

While Fredette is a 44.8 percent 3-point shooter, he’sas adept taking the ball to the basket. In BYU’s first round Mountain West Conference Tournament win against TCU, Fredette went to the foul line 24 times, making 23.

“That’s something that’s unheard of,” Donovan said.

The Gators had some time to adjust to Bridgestone Arena during Wednesday afternoon’s shoot-around before its opening-round SEC Tournament matchup Thursday night against Auburn.

Florida has played in three similar arena settings with mixed results. The Gators went 12-for-20 from 3-point range against Jacksonville at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena and 12-for-30 from 3-point range against Syracuse at the St. Pete Times Forum. But against Richmond at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida went just 3-for-15 from beyond the arc against Richmond.

Florida coach Billy Donovan said he didn’t see the shooting background at Bridgestone Arena being as big as an adjustment as playing in previous SEC Tournaments at the Georgia Dome.

“It appears just visually coming in here it’s a good place to shoot,” Donovan said. “I think the depth perception comes from the top of the key when you have a lot of space behind the basket, and I always felt like in domes it almost looked like the basket was suspended in space when you were out on top, just because there was nothing behind the backboard to give you any depth perception.”

Florida comes into tonight’s matchup ranked 11th in the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage at 30.7 percent.

“It’s not as big as Rupp Arena, where we just played,” Florida guard Kenny Boynton said. “I think it’s an OK place to shoot the basketball.”

But if the first two SEC Tournament games are an indication, expect more bricks to be thrown up tonight. South Carolina, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee combined to shoot 13-for-57 from 3-point range in the first two games.

Walker earned All-SEC second-team honors based on his hot 3-point shooting start in league play and the fact that he’s fourth in the league in assists at 5.0 per game.

But an argument could have been made for Florida junior forward Chandler Parsons to make the team instead of Walker because Parsons has played better down the stretch.

UF coach Billy Donovan was asked Wednesday at the SEC Tournament if he felt like Parsons was snubbed.

“He certainly should have been considered,” Donovan said. “I’m sure he was considered, but there’s a lot of good players in our league that maybe some coaches thought maybe were a little deserving than Chandler.”

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl called Parsons “the most improved player in the SEC, if not college basketball” following UF’s 75-62 win over the Vols last Feb. 22. Parsons followed that up with a career-high 29 point performance against Georgia, but was held to just three points against Vanderbilt and nine points against Kentucky.

Still, Donovan said he’s been pleased with the strides Parsons has made physically and mentally this season.

“I wouldn’t trade him,” Donovan said. “I really have enjoyed the strides he’s made, and I think he’s one of the better wing players in our league. I do believe that.”

Shipman scored nine points and nine minutes last Sunday against the Wildcats, but did not return to the game until the closing seconds after being forced out of the game when he took a blow to the mouth with 9:16 left in the game.

“He was playing very, very well,” Donovan said. “He got hit in the mouth. He got taken out of the game, and then you know, he really didn’t get back in there.

“Nothing he did. I think Ray, and the thing he has to deal with right now as a player, a lot of people look at him and the fact that he gave us nine points, but Ray has not been a consistent performer. And the one thing I think with a lot of players, and Ray has got to get better at this, when he plays defense, it energizes him and we need him energized.”

Shipman’s issue throughout his UF career has been turnovers. Not a steady balhandler or passer, Shipman threw a near errant pass during the first half of Sunday’s game against the Wildcats. But after committing turnovers in each of his first three SEC games, Shipman has committed just five turnovers in UF’s last 13 contests.

“Maybe Ray should have played a little bit more, but we had him in the game and he got taken back out,” Donovan said. “I think we were fighting our way back in and I think Ray in the first half clearly had a lot to do with us being down 18 and cutting it to 10. And then in the second half with (Erik) Murphy on the floor, with Vernon Macklin we were down by double digits and then cut it down to two with a bigger lineup.”

Donovan said when Kentucky built the lead back to six points with three minutes remaining, it was hard to get Shipman back in the game. But after scoring 14 points off the bench in UF’s last two games, Shipman may serve an important role off the bench heading into this week’s SEC Tournament.

“We needed a little bit more of an offensive team out there with three minutes to go because we needed some scoring there,” Donovan said. “Ray played well, and we need his effort and we need the things that he’s doing.”

It’s been somewhat of a quirky season for Florida.

But if the Gators have proved anything, it’s that less time between games has equaled better results.

Florida is 5-0 in this season when having two days or less to prepare for an opponent. When having four or more days between games, the Gators are 5-5.

Florida has won six of its nine Southeastern Conference games this season on Thursday-Saturday turnarounds. Granted, five of those six wins came against the weaker SEC West. But Florida also looked much sharper going in the road and beating Ole Miss off a game against Auburn then it did a week later going to Georgia after a Tuesday game against Tennessee.

Florida coach Billy Donovan doesn’t buy into the theory that his team plays better on short rest. Florida junior forward Chandler Parsons, likewise, didn’t have an explanation for it.

“I wish I could tell you,” Parsons said. “It shouldn’t really matter how much rest you have. Obviously, you are not going to get tired with longer rest, you have more legs. But playing Thursday-Saturdays I don’t think fazes us. It’s what we do growing up, playing AAU three games a day.”

If the trend holds up, it doesn’t bode well for Florida’s chances Sunday against No. 3 Kentucky. But it will come in handy the following week when Florida plays in the SEC Tournament and there is only a day between games (provided Florida wins in the first round).

Of course, Florida’s first two opponents in the tournament will come against the SEC West.  The Gators went 6-0 against the west division in the regular season. Again, another positive trend for UF.

The timing is somewhat awkward, considering Werner failed to pull the trigger on a shot in the closing seconds of a critical 78-76 loss last Saturday at Georgia. Werner instead attempted a pass to center Vernon Macklin underneath the basket that was knocked out of bounds with 0.1 seconds remaining. Had the pass made it through, it was still unclear if Macklin would have had enough time to get the shot up.

Werner addressed the media Monday.

“As far as the last play, it happened so fast,” Werner said. “When I got the ball, I thought there was a little more time left. I really didn’t know how much time was left and I was about to shoot it and I saw Vernon’s man run out. I see my teammate wide open under the basket, I’m going to pass it. Obviously, if I had it to do over again, I would shoot it. You can’t change that. You just worry about Vanderbilt.”

Asked if he was afraid to shoot the ball due to his career-long perimeter struggles, Werner responded: “Not at all. When I am out there I am cognisant of stuff and I take into account score, time, what other teams are doing. If they are on a run, I’m not going to come down there, catch the ball with 30 seconds on the shot clock and bomb one up. I’m always thinking about that stuff. It has nothing to do about being afraid of shooting it. It’s just maybe not what’s best for the team at the time.”

Werner also said he’s been seeing a sports psychologist, Miconopy-based Dr. Jim Burrell, since January on the recommendation of Florida coach Billy Donovan. Werner said Burrell has tried to stress the positives in his game.

“He’s told me that people around you,  it doesn’t matter what they think or say,” Werner said. “In the end it’s just a game, just to go out and have fun.”

It also hurt Florida’s chances of securing the No. 3 seed from the East in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

UF and Tennessee are currently tied for third in the SEC East at 9-5. But if the season ended today, the Vols would get the nod at the No. 3 seed because of a better division record (5-5), then the Gators (3-5).  Florida would need to win its final two games against Vanderbilt and at Kentucky to finish 11-5 in the SEC and 5-5 in the division.

If Florida and Tennessee are tied at 11-5, the Gators would get the nod based on a better head-to-head record with Vanderbilt (1-1) then the Vols (0-2). But to accomplish that, Florida would need to upset No. 2 Kentucky at Rupp Arena, where the Wildcats have yet to lose this season.

If Florida and Tennessee both finish 10-6 in the SEC, the Vols would get the nod over Florida based on a better division record (5-5 for UT, 4-6 for UF). Tennessee closes its regular season at home against Arkansas on Wednesday and at Mississippi State on Saturday.

There also is a slim chance for a three-way tie with Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt at 11-5. In that case, Vanderbilt would still wind up the No. 2 seed, Florida would be the No. 3 seed and Tennessee would be the No. 4 seed. After playing Florida on Tuesday night, Vanderbilt closes the season Saturday at home against South Carolina.

As the No. 4 seed in the SEC East, Florida’s likely first-round opponent in the SEC Tournament would either be Alabama or Auburn, depending on how each team finishes league play. If the Gators get the No. 3 seed, they would play No. 6 seed LSU.

More info on SEC Tournament tiebreakers can be found at http://www.secsports.com/news/the-road-to-nashville.aspx

But for a night, at least, Florida coach Billy Donovan had a chance to lash out at critics of his program after the Gators beat Tennessee 72-65 on Tuesday.

With the win, Florida became just the fifth program in the country to win 20 or more games for 12 straight seasons. Donovan has been at the helm for all 12 years. The other programs include Kansas (21 straight seasons), Duke (14 straight), Gonzaga (13 straight) and Syracuse (13 straight). Creighton, at 15-14, will need to rally late to join the group as the sixth team with 20 or more wins for 12 straight years.

Granted, with increased non-conference guarantee games, 20 wins isn’t what it used to be compared to 10 or 20 years ago. But it’s still a notable feat. Donovan launched into a long diatribe when asked about the significance of the streak following Tuesday night’s game.

“Our goal here is to compete for league championships and get into the (NCAA) tournament,” Donovan said. “I’ve always said the NCAA Tournament is like the lottery. You’ve got to be in it to win it. Once you get in it, you have a chance.

“That’s really the goal, to compete for championships here, but clearly our program has lost more players to professional (basketball) the last four years than anyone in the country. And I don’t know if enough credit to our guys that we have not had the kind of dip where we’ve gone 9-20, when in essence, we probably should have when you lose (Joakim) Noah, (Al) Horford, (Corey) Brewer, Lee Humphrey, Chris Richard and Taurean Green. Brewer’s a lottery pick, Noah is a lottery pick, Horford is a lottery pick. Chris Richard goes in the second round. Taurean Green goes in the second round. And Lee Humphrey is the all-time 3-point maker in NCAA Tournament history.”

Coming off a national title last season, North Carolina is in danger of not even making the NIT this season with a 14-14 record. UCLA is rebuilding this season at 12-14  after reaching three straight Final Fours from 2006-2008.

“All those freshman came in (in 2007-08) and they won 24 games,” Donovan said. “We haven’t had that (drop) here and that’s a tribute to those kids. Those guys want to get to the NCAA Tournament. No question about it. So does every team across the country, but give those kids some credit that in two years going into this season they’ve won 49 games.  You know what, when you look at other programs out there that quote-unquote have some phenomenal traditions and at great programs — our guys have been able to overcome the departures and have played pretty hard and are really, really competitive. I think it’s a tribute to our guys because I know the programs that have lost a number of players that we’ve lost. It’s really, really hard to sustain and hard to overcome some of that stuff.

“And that’s just kind of the nature of the beast of college basketball, but I’m proud of our guys and what they’ve done the last two years and the way they’ve grown and the position they are in right now. To me, it’s never been about me, it’s been about those guys and I feel like as a coach  it’s a great chance for me to be a part of them growing and maturing and seeing a lot of that in front of my own eyes.”

“

Pearl entered Tuesday night’s matchup with Florida 8-1 in his career against Donovan. Five of UF’s losses, though, were in games decided by five points or less.

But what fans may not know is what began as a frosty relationship between the two has thawed over the years. Last month, when Pearl called upon Donovan for a charity function to benefit the University of Tennessee’s cancer screening center, Donovan agreed to attend. Together, Pearl and Donovan raised close to $60.000  less than 24 hours before they were to coach against each other on the court the following Sunday.

“I don’t think I ever met (Pearl) before he came into the league,” Donovan said. “And then certainly the SEC spring meetings, we as coaches spend two days together, talk about our league issues and things like that. competing against our teams and then seeing him in July recruiting.

“I have great respect for him and his teams and the way they play. He reached out to me in the beginning of January before the conference started and explained the situation with (former UT guard) Chris Lofton (who was diagnosed with testicular cancer during his senior season) and what he went through and what the doctors at the Tenn. medical center did for him, there was a young man on their staff, a manager, that was really involved. And I told him that I would do that.”

Pearl ruffled some feathers in the coaching fraternity in his first year at Tennessee with a showmanship that some felt bordered on bombast. Everyone, for example, remembered Pearl showing up bare-chested in body paint to a Tennessee women’s basketball game that was televised on ESPN. But for Pearl, it was a way to market a Tennessee men’s basketball program that only had pockets of success in previous seasons.

Few could argue with Pearl’s results on the court. In four seasons, he’s let the Vols to four straight NCAA Tournaments, two Sweet 16s and one Southeastern Conference regular season title.

“I think competition in anything you do in life makes you better,” Donovan said. “I don’t think you can ever shy away from competition because competition is the one thing that allows you to strive and get better … Competing against his teams, has hopefully made me a better coach, just like competing against Stallings’ teams (at Vanderbilt) or Calipari’s teams (at Kentucky). I always look at the competition for me personally as a great opportunity to grow and get better. And I think competition is the greatest thing for self improvement if you are really talking about trying to become the best that you can become.”