Losing Handlogten will force Florida to do what it does best

Florida’s dream basketball weekend literally came crashing down early Sunday afternoon. Approximately five hours later, the next phase began.

That’s when the Gators found out they were playing Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Or maybe it’ll be Boise State.

That question will be answered Wednesday night, when those teams meet in a First Four play-in game. But a bigger question now hovers over March Madness for the Gators.

Is there life after Micah Handlogten?

The answer will be yes, probably, it’s iffy, probably not.

That’s how the next four games should shake out for Florida. The Gators are still capable of making it to the tournament’s second week, though we shouldn’t minimize what losing Handlogten means to their chances.

Before we get into that, we also shouldn’t minimize how Handlogten was lost.

You might have witnessed it live or a replay. If you haven’t, don’t.

It was one of those turn-your-head injuries that makes you forget about X’s and O’s and think in human terms. The 7-foot-1 Handlogten came down wrong on his left leg, which snapped into a bloody mess.

Medical personnel rushed onto the floor. Todd Golden put his arm around Handlogten’s mother as her son was loaded onto a stretcher.

Auburn probably would have won anyway. But Florida’s loss of basketball focus was understandable.

“We had guys, whether it was players or staff members, in tears on the sideline, just trying to kind of compose ourselves,” Golden said,

Talent Hunt:How much more money did Florida athletics put into recruiting last school year?

Cashing in:Breaking down UF football assistant coaching salaries in 2024

After about 15 minutes of funereal silence, the game went on. And now, every one of them could be the last.

Florida looked like a Sweet 16 team as it stormed into the SEC championship game. That holds true because Handlogten’s injury will require the Gators to do something they’ve been really good at.

Namely, not missing a beat

When somebody’s having a bad game, somebody else has often made up for it. For opposing teams, it’s like playing Whac-A-Mole. One guy gets beaten down; another pops up.

We saw in the SEC Tournament semifinal with Denzel Aberdeen. He came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points and help Florida erase an 18-point deficit to Alabama.

We saw it when freshman Thomas Haugh had 17 points and seven rebounds at Georgia. We saw it all season with Will Richard.

When he’s not playing well, Florida’s backcourt makes up for it. If one of the perimeter players is struggling, Richard’s likely to pop in 23 points, as he did when UF beat Alabama in its final home game.

“We’re deep,” Golden said. “It’s part of why we’re good.”

It’s certainly made things less stressful for UF fans. The past couple of seasons, if Colin Castleton went down, so did the Gators.

They’ve been a four-headed monster down low this year. When Handlogten or Tyrese Samuel went to the bench, there was often little or no drop-off with Haugh or fellow freshman Alex Condon.

That said, it would be dumb to say Handlogten won’t be missed.

“Yeah, it's tough, man, 'cause he's a great kid,” Golden said after Sunday’s game. “You just hate to see it for him because he does everything the right way. He works hard. That's a super fluky injury that you don't see very often in this game.”

The coach got choked up, and it wasn’t due to the loss of Handlogten’s rebounding. The Gators’ resiliency is founded in the team’s chummy chemistry, and the lanky transfer from Marshall’s been a big ingredient.

“We really care about him. He's part of our family,” Samuel said. “We’re going to go out there next week and keep on playing for him.”

“Win One for the Micah” would have made a nice storyline against Auburn, but basketball reality intruded. The Gators didn’t play well against a really good team.

There aren’t any bad teams in March Madness, but Florida won’t face one as good as Auburn this coming weekend.

“It’s like a new season now,” Samuel said.

Going far would have been easier with Handlogten. But there’s no reason it can’t be done without him.

David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DavidEWhitley