Why ESPN's Snubbing of Todd Golden from Coach of the Year Contenders 'Doesn't Mean S***' to Gators HC

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden, despite leading Florida to a first-place standing in the SEC with an 11-2 conference record, was not included on ESPN's top 12 midseason Coach of the Year Contenders.

He does not care.

"It doesn't really mean s***," he said on Friday. "You know, we just want to be in the best position possible. We want to try to win the league. We want to be the highest seed possible and go as deep in March as we can."

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden, once again, has the program as a national contender in his fourth season. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Golden went from one of the best up-and-coming head coaches after leading San Francisco to an NCAA Tournament appearance to one of the best head coaches in the entire country after last year's national title, the Gators' first in 19 years. With mounting expectations in the preseason, Florida struggled in a brutal non-conference slate.

Through nine games, the Gators were 5-4 with losses to now-No. 4 Arizona by six, TCU by four, now-No. 3 Duke by one on the road, and now-No. 5 UConn by four in a neutral site. Those four losses matched the Gators' total from a year ago and moved the Gators from a preseason No. 3 ranking to being unranked.

Since then, though, Florida has gone 15-2 while winning each of its last six games and winning its last five road games, a tough test to pass in the SEC.

"We had a lot of expectations this year. We were preseason top five. Most everybody had us there," Golden said. "And I think because we didn't win all of our games early, and we kind of slid back, people just didn't think we were having a successful season, and probably haven't watched us very closely over the last month or two, where we have been playing like a top-five team."

While Golden may not be receiving the credit he deserves, even though he does not care, others around the program have garnered national praise. Center Rueben Chinyelu is considered a strong contender for Defensive Player of the Year, while wing Thomas Haugh was named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Late-Season Team.

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Golden admitted that Haugh's naming is an "incredible accomplishment" and a great sign that his program is "healthy and heading in the right direction," but also emphasized that it is a reflection of the entire team. It also does not surpass the team's goals of making another deep run in March.

So, at the end of the day, "it doesn't really mean s***," Golden said.

"It can’t affect how each individual guy approaches their day-to-day," he said. "Just because Tommy’s on that list doesn’t mean he gets to shoot more balls than he normally does or take selfish shots. It’s just a reflection of the success of the team, and I try reminding our guys of that.”

That mindset is also a microcosm of the team's recent mindset to not look too far ahead into the future. After a five-game win streak, with three wins against ranked teams, Florida began to buy into the national hype into the program. The result? A 76-67 upset at home against a struggling Auburn team, marking the program's first home loss in over a year.

That loss humbled the team and reset the mindset, and as a result, Florida has won six-straight games. The Gators are now battling a new outside hype towards the program: a regular season SEC title.

Sitting at first place in the SEC, the Gators control its own destiny as it looks to win its first regular season conference title in 12 seasons. Yet, as they are treating any outside hype, midseason awards and other accolades, it does not matter in the short-term.

"You’re in a spot where you have five league games left, and you have a two-game lead in the league, which is an incredible spot to be in. But we can't necessarily focus on that or worry about it," Golden said. "The reality is, at the same time, having that goal in front of us, we still have to approach and focus on our day-to-day, just getting better."

It starts with Saturday's road game at Ole Miss, a team on the opposite end of the spectrum with a 3-10 record in the SEC and an eight-game losing streak. Once again, though, Florida is keeping focused on its short-term goals.

"Just as good of a position as we're in today, if we don't take care of business... and play well, we're gonna be in a tough spot," he said. "So it's just taking one game at a time and trying to continue to keep ourselves in a really good position.”