Sit back and watch Florida roll -- again

"This is a rare group, and I couldn't imagine going through the type of challenges we have with a different group of guys," Donovan said. "We're about as mature as you can imagine at handling all this stuff."

2. Impressive continuity : It's not unusual for individual agendas to surface when NBA Draft status is at stake. Look no further than Kansas for proof, particularly in last week's loss to Texas Tech that prompted coach Bill Self to use the word "selfish" and claim "the ball was stuck in guys' hands." For whatever reason, this is not an issue at Florida. Noah never seems upset when he's missing shots as long as Horford is making them, and Horford never seems upset when he's getting out-rebounded as long as Noah's covering for him. Bottom line, the only thing that matters is the bottom line.

"They've put winning as the most important thing, they love playing with one another and I think the biggest thing is that they're having fun," Donovan said. "I can always look at practice and they're smiling, happy to be there, they want to work. I think those are good things. You know, we're not a perfect team, but we're a team. All the parts have to work together for us to be really good, but when we're all playing together and in sync we look really good."

3. Unmatched motivation: Despite all the accolades, attention and guaranteed millions of dollars just a few months away, the Gators show no signs of slowing. They don't always shoot well, guard well or perform well, in general, but even when it happens the source is rarely a lack of preparation or effort. They practice hard and play harder, and that's not to be discounted considering this is a roster that was probably good enough to compete for a national title even if it didn't improve but merely stayed as it was last season.

"The thing we've talked about is 'How do we expect to come to practice? How do we expect to play? What's the standard we want to set?'" Donovan said. "We're trying to reach our potential as a team, and trying to play to the best of our abilities."

So chalk Wednesday up as another win for the Gators, who appear to be the only certain thing in a league of uncertainty. They're mature enough to handle the circus that surrounds them, together enough to push toward the greater good, motivated enough to make it all happen. And, oh yeah, the confident swagger doesn't hurt, either.

"When we come on edge, we're the No. 1 team in the country," Noah said. "When we come ready to play, I feel like we're the team to beat."

Hard to argue against that, and I wouldn't try anyway. So Mac Holland, if you're reading, be sure to pull that new recliner in front of the TV in March to see it all go down. The Gators are shaping up to make a serious run at history, and you'd be wise to settle in and watch.