Barring a spectacular run to the SEC Tournament title, the Florida Gators are not going to make the NCAA Tournament. Unless they lose — and badly, by 30 or more — today, and the bubble contracts, Mississippi State Bulldogs should not be sweating their inclusion on Selection Sunday too hard.
So motivation should be no problem for Florida’s Colin Castleton-less band of brothers in Nashville on Thursday afternoon.
The problem is that Mississippi State should find ways to exploit Castleton’s absence even more than it did his presence.
Castleton, recently voted a First-Team All-SEC selection, generally ceded size or strength to many of the league’s bigs, but had a significant advantage in agility that often made up for those deficits.