Maybe it was fitting that the Pac-10's team of tomorrow had its season ended by the nation's powerhouse of yesterday.

Florida, which won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and '07, halted Arizona State's run through the NIT with a 70-57 victory at Wells Fargo Arena.

The game itself didn't matter much. This season really has been about preparing for next year and beyond for the Sun Devils.

And they came a long way.

The Pac-10's last-place finisher just a year ago, ASU zoomed to the middle of the pack and gave everyone fits.

The Devils' loss to confirmed a few things:

--The ASU community has embraced this team on the rise. A crowd of 12,306 watched an NIT third-round game in a town that often has yawned when the Sun Devils play.

--ASU still must get better offensively. Heavily reliant on the 3-point shot, the Devils converted only 29 percent from beyond the arc against the Gators.

"You can be as much of a mad scientist as you want," coach Herb Sendek said. "You can X-and-O all over a napkin. But you still have to make shots."

ASU should improve there, too, by next season. Incoming freshman Johnny Coy, a 6-foot-7 wing from St. Joseph, Mo., is regarded as an excellent deep shooter.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.