Minnesota's Smith and Florida's Donovan old friends, rivals from SEC, meet in NCAA tournament

Published March 23, 2013 7:44pm EDT | Updated January 13, 2015 12:18pm EST

AUSTIN, Texas – Sunday may feel like old times for Minnesota's Tubby Smith and Florida's Billy Donovan. They certainly are familiar with each other.

The two coaches have three national championships between them and a history of intense head-to-head competition in the Southeastern Conference dating to the late 1990s when Smith was at Georgia and Kentucky and Donovan started at Florida.

They'll renew the rivalry for one game when Donovan's Gators (27-7), the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament South Regional, face Smith's No. 11 Gophers (21-12). The winner advances to the round of 16.