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Before the 2007/2008 college basketball season started, no one knew what to expect from a Florida men's basketball team that lost a ton of talent that led the Gators to back to back national championships.

What we DID know is that the new group would be young...very young, and that head coach Billy Donovan would have to try to mold an almost new group of kids into a cohesive team.

He's done a terrific job.

I love watching this young team play. They make mistakes, and there will be games undoubtedly where this team will not play well. However, one thing we also see in this team is that they play the game with grit, determination, and passion that is sometimes rare to see in young teams.

Donovan has often said one of the worst feelings in the world you can have as a coach is to call a timeout and draw up strategies for the next few minutes and then look into the eyes of your team and see blank stares. Well, he hasn't seen those blank stares and that is a great sign both for the present and the future of this basketball program.

While the Gators did not play the most challenging non-conference schedule, playing the teams they did seems to have allowed this group to build its confidence while winning those games and that has carried over into the SEC season.

The thing I like most about this group is that they don't quit. Down double digits on the road at Alabama in the SEC opener? No problem, they came back to win. Down double digits in the second half at nationally ranked Ole Miss? They came back and almost won the game, losing only by two. Some things you can coach and some you can't and this group, young as it is, seems to have that special something that will not allow them to stay down for long.

I don't know what the end result of this season will be, but I do believe Florida will make the NCAA Tournament and if this team continues to progress as it has, it may be a team that no one wants to play in the postseason.

Some of Florida's kids don't look old enough to shave but their maturation process is starting right now. Donovan and his staff have done a wonderful job of coaching these kids and the future of this program looks awfully bright.

There might be a game or two when the Gators don't look good, and there will be more losses, but as you watch this team play, watch how it is growing.

The things they are learning now could pay off big in a year or two.

Very big.