Fans could feel the hum of the game’s final buzzer in the pit of their stomachs, and the jubilation Tiger fans experienced in the first half of the contest felt like a distant memory.
For the first time in almost a month, the LSU men’s basketball was left with the bitter taste of defeat after an early exit in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. To make matters worse, the opponent that defeated the Tigers was none other than the Florida Gators.
When LSU fans think of rivalries, the Alabama Crimson Tide is probably the first program that comes to mind. It always seems that Alabama’s program is the one that has spoiled almost every LSU football season since 2011.
In the midst of the hatred for all things crimson and houndstooth, some fans have overlooked the impact the Florida Gators have had across many of LSU’s sports. I’m not a superstitious person, but it certainly seems that the Gators have put a curse on the Tigers for quite a while. It appears Florida has had LSU’s number consistently since the 2015 LSU gymnastics team finished second to Florida at the NCAA championships. A little more than a month later, Florida’s softball team handed the LSU softball team their first loss in the Women’s College World Series before the Gators went on to claim the national championship.
While both were extremely unfortunate events, many fans probably chalked up these back-to-back disappointments as bad luck.
However, suspicions should’ve risen in 2016 with the great Hurricane Matthew debacle. When LSU’s football game with Florida was relocated from Gainesville to Baton Rouge due to the storm, the contest ended when the Tigers were stuffed on the Gators’ one-yard line giving Florida a 16-10 victory. The following year, the Gators bested the Tigers in the 2017 College World Series National Championship.
It was at this point that being a Florida Gator definitely started to sound pretty great. I understand that Florida doesn’t hold a daunting grip on LSU’s sports like Alabama does in football, but is Alabama as relevant to LSU across several major sports?
It sure looks like Florida is, especially since the Gators have shown to be such a thorn in the Tigers’ side in this most recent men’s basketball season winning two of three matchups.
Like I said, I’m not one to believe in curses, but if curses did exist, it would look a lot like Florida. The good news is, it appears that this year’s LSU gymnastics and softball teams could take the first steps in removing the Gator-sized thorn from everyone’s backs.
The softball team took the first steps this weekend when they took two of three games from Florida, including a thrilling walk-off delivered by senior infielder Amanda Sanchez that scored junior outfielder Aliyah Andrews from first base.
The LSU gymnastics team has a chance to follow softball’s early success in the upcoming SEC gymnastics championships where the Tigers are the No. 1 seed to the Gators’ No. 2 seed.
Again, I’m not saying there is a curse. However, it would make sense that the sports that Florida first began to terrorize LSU in would also lead the charge to changing the Tigers’ luck.
The LSU softball team has been quite the wrecking crew with the opponents on their schedule, and if the gymnastics team succeeds in the SEC championships this weekend, the trophy will represent LSU’s third-straight conference title.
LSU’s softball and gymnastics teams are premier programs that are both ranked in the top 10 this year. Both programs are respectively led by Beth Torina and D-D Breaux, two of the most successful coaches in Tiger athletic history.
I’m confident that the state of LSU sports is in good hands, and I’m hopeful the rest of the Tigers’ athletic programs follow the examples set by LSU’s softball and gymnastics teams.
Hopefully, being a Florida Gator won’t sound so great coming soon.

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Mitchell Scaglione

LSU all-around senior Sarah Finnegan celebrates after a routine on the bars during the Tigers' 197.500-197.425 loss to Florida on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 in the PMAC.