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Column: Three ways the Phil Knight Invitational helped Florida’s bid for a national title

After a thrilling double-overtime win against No. 17 Gonzaga on Friday, the Gators played No. 1 Duke in the Phil Knight Invitational championship game on Sunday.

While the contest ran too late for us to put a game recap in the paper, one thing I can tell you is that Florida’s performance helped its national championship aspirations in three ways:

No. 7 Gators fall to No. 1 Duke, 87-84, in final of Phil Knight Invitational

(1) It built its resume for the NCAA Tournament, (2) it showed the nation what kind of team Florida has and (3) it proved to White and UF fans that the Gators can compete with any team it faces.