Florida Gators
SEC (19-14, 9-9)
Florida has played a very tough schedule this season. In nonconference action they lost to Purdue, Miami, Michigan State and Florida State. They managed to pick up wins against St. Joseph’s, Richmond, Oklahoma State and West Virginia in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. In SEC action, it was more of the same with some nice wins sprinkled in with expected losses.
Big Wins: 11/21 vs St. Joseph’s (74-63), 1/30 West Virginia (88-71), 2/16 at Georgia (57-53)
Bad Losses: 1/6 at Tennessee (69-83), 2/13 Alabama (55-61), 2/27 at LSU (91-96)
Coach: Michael White
Why They Can Surprise:
The Gators are strong on the glass, mostly due to small forward Dorian Finney-Smith. He flirted with the NBA after his junior year, but came back to lead the Gators. On top of his 8.2 rebounds per game, Finney-Smith leads the team with 14.8 points per game and adds 2.1 assists. Finney-Smith spends plenty of time on the perimeter, but that does not change his impressive rebounding. The interior play has been boosted by John Egbunu, Devin Robinson and Justin Leon. Egbunu transferred in from South Florida and made an immediate impact with his size and strength. At 6-11 and 266 pounds, he is a big body in the paint. Egbunu is also a strong rebounder, an efficient scorer and the team’s best shot blocker. Robinson has had a big sophomore season, averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. His scoring and minutes have dipped in SEC play, but Robinson is still capable of having big games as a scorer and rebounder.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Most of Florida’s troubles stem from youth in the backcourt. Kasey Hill is a junior and a very fast point guard, but his turnovers are a big problem and he is not a consistent scorer or shooter either. Hill’s inconsistency has opened the door for sophomore Chris Chiozza to play a bigger role. Chiozza is not much of a scorer either, but he has dished out a team high 4.2 assists. KeVaughn Allen adds to Florida’s inconsistent shooting. He is the team’s second leading scorer behind Finney-Smith, but he hits just 30.8 percent of his long range attempts. The result is often a very one-dimensional offense that revolves around Finney-Smith. If he is not getting any help, Florida will be in deep trouble offensively.
Probable Starters:
Kasey Hill, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 3.2 apg
KeVaughn Allen, Freshman, Guard, 11.4 ppg, 1.6 apg
Dorian Finney-Smith, Senior, Forward, 14.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.1 apg
Justin Leon, Junior, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg
John Egbunu, Sophomore, Center, 11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Chris Chiozza, Sophomore, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.0 rpg
Schuyler Rimmer, Junior, Forward, 1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Devin Robinson, Sophomore, Forward, 9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.0 (151st in nation, 10th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.7 (101, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.4 (253, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.1 (64, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (165, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.4 (300, 13)
Free-Throw Percentage: 64.3 (330, 13)
Rebound Margin: 2.3 (108, 5)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (179, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (57, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Albany
2014 NCAA Third Round win over Pittsburgh
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over UCLA
2014 NCAA Regional Final win over Dayton
2014 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Northwestern State
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Minnesota
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Florida Gulf Coast
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Michigan
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Virginia
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Norfolk State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Marquette
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Louisville
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over UCLA
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over BYU
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Butler
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to BYU
2009 NIT First Round win over Jacksonville
2009 NIT Second Round win over Miami
2009 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Penn State
2008 NIT First Round win over San Diego State
2008 NIT Second Round win over Creighton
2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Arizona State
2008 NIT Semifinal loss to Massachusetts
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Jackson State
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Butler
2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Oregon
2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over UCLA
2007 NCAA National Final win over Ohio State
*all team stats through 3/6
