Florida Has Lost Their Mojo

Losing in Baton Rouge to cellar dweller LSU? The Gators have lost their mojo.

It's the only explanation which makes sense, really. The Gators have looked like crap two out of their last three games.

It seemed to start in the first half of the Gators' home game against Alabama. The February 14th matchup seemed to favor the Tide in every respect during the first twenty, as the Gators went into the half with a 42-31 deficit. An amazing second half rally saved their hide, but in retrospect it was the first warning shot.

The second came in the waning moments of the Gators' hyped-up grudge match with Kentucky in Lexington. The Gators had an 9-point advantage with 25 seconds remaining -- which melted into a nailbiting 3-point margin after a series of turnovers and missed free throws.

Then came the Vanderbilt game, in which Florida's defense appeared to take the night off, allowing the 'Dores 57% field goal shooting and 48% from 3-point land.

Against South Carolina, the Gators appeared motivated to defend again, but they still seemed offensively challenged, allowing the Gamecocks to hang around far longer than they should have.

Now this -- losing to the SEC's worst (or second worst) team... a team who didn't even have their star player, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, on the court.

The worst part is, Donovan's kids didn't seem to play with passion or energy. In fact, they didn't seem to really care much about losing. The fact that Noah sat on the bench extensively in the second half, with walk-on Brett Swanson getting a number of second half minutes, seemed to be a clear message from the head coach to his star players: if you don't show up to play, you're going to ride the pine.

Ugly, ugly loss. Meanwhile, for LSU, it is one very bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. They deserve to enjoy this victory, which was well-earned.

The Gators have to get it turned around in a hurry if they want to win the SEC tournament and then go on to make a repeat splash in the Big Dance. They hardly look the part of a defending national champion right now.