Florida coach Billy Donovan and his players tried hard Thursday to leave the impression they’ve put the LaDarius Halton-Brett Nelson fight behind them.
But if the rest of the Midwest Regional field at the United Center thinks the Gators are ready to take their frustrations out on somebody this weekend, Florida wouldn’t mind leaving that impression too.
“Practice got a little physical. That kind of stuff happens when emotions are on edge,” said Nelson, whose face was still puffed up from the surgery he underwent Tuesday to repair a broken cheekbone caused by Halton’s punch. “I don’t think it changed a thing. If anything, we’re a closer basketball team now.”
Nelson, a junior guard, practiced Thursday and said his vision was 20-20.
“Emotions got the best of them,” said Donovan, who had said his team lacked heart after its loss to Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference quarterfinals. “If Brett didn’t have surgery it wouldn’t have been a big deal. LaDarius feels bad about it. Brett feels bad about it. Do I condone that? Absolutely not. But if you’re looking for me to say the team was affected by the incident, I won’t. Our team is fine.”
Creighton forward Kyle Korver said he didn’t think Florida’s problems would help his team in their Friday matchup. “We’ve had some scuffles,” he said. “But no one has gotten their face broken. Every team has their run-ins. I just look at it like they’re all getting fired up, ready to play. It’s not necessarily bad team chemistry.”
Pressure’s on Doc: Georgia’s starter Steve Thomas woke up Thursday morning with a 102-degree fever, but Bulldogs coach Jim Harrick expects the sophomore to be fine by Friday night’s tipoff against Murray State.
“We have our doctor with us,” Harrick said. “That is what he gets paid for.”
Rise and shine: One reason Murray State is in the tournament, according to some of its players, is the 6 a.m. practices.
“They were tough . . . with wind sprints. That got our attention,” forward Antoine Whelchel said. “We used those practices as a motivation to put things together.”
