Most Vanderbilt fans would circle Tennessee or Kentucky on their calendars as the big rival game.
For a Florida native, though, going to Gainesville holds that title.
“(The Gators) are my rival, being from Florida. I’m always excited to play in front my family and my peers in Florida,” said point guard Alex Gordon, a native of Pensacola. The senior will travel to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, commonly referred to as the “O-Dome,” for the last time as a Commodore on Sunday. Despite playing in front of friends and family, however, Gordon doesn’t think he’ll treat the game any differently.
“From a mental perspective I’ll treat it like any other game. You always want to keep a level head. If you’re too hyped or too low, that’s when you don’t play your game.”
The Commodores have yet to beat the Gators on the road since he joined the team, but this year has a different look. Florida, after losing all five starters from last year’s championship team, features a lineup primarily consisting of underclassmen. The Dores have benefited from the luxury of starting three experienced seniors. For the first time in years, Vanderbilt travels to Gainesville with the higher ranking.
“We’re the ones ranked this time,” Gordon said, who bounced back from a rough Tennessee game with an 18-point performance against LSU. “When you’re ranked you carry expectations with you, so we’ll have to bring it.”
Vanderbilt (17-2, 2-2 Southeast Conference) sits at #14 in the Associated Press poll despite dropping two of its last three SEC contests. Conversely, the Gators (17-3, 4-1) have played their best basketball since conference play started. After overcoming early growing pains in the beginning of the season, Florida has won four of its first five conference games. On Sunday, both teams will look to better establish themselves in the competitive SEC East division.
In the last meeting between the two programs, Vanderbilt upset the top-ranked Gators in Memorial Gym, snapping Florida’s seven game win streak against the Commodores. Given the recent history between the two programs, don’t expect either team to take Vanderbilt’s superior ranking too seriously.
“For the first few years I was here, we were the underdog. Experiencing both sides of that teaches you to just play hard all the time,” Gordon said. “They know that too, so being favored doesn’t mean much. It’s going to be a good game regardless.”
Over his four-year career, Gordon has represented Vandy as both the favorite and the underdog in big games. That’s why he’s planning to leave it all on the court on Sunday in his final homecoming.
Andrew Barge can be reached at andrew.barge@vanderbilt.edu
