Florida Gators
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #28
Conference Rank: #6 SEC
Florida had another successful campaign in 2017-2018, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. Once there the Gators beat St. Bonaventure in the first round before falling to Texas Tech. Coach Mike White has done a great job at Florida so far and his fourth season could be his best yet. The Gators are now an experienced squad and return all but two players from their regular rotation.
2017-18 Record: 21-13, 11-7
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Mike White
Coach Record: 69-37 at Florida, 170-77 overall
Key Departed Players:
Egor Koulechov, Guard, 13.8 ppg
Chris Chiozza, Guard, 11.1 ppg
Key Returning Players:
KeVaughn Allen, Senior, Guard, 11.0 ppg
Keith Stone, Junior, Forward, 8.8 ppg
Kevarrius Hayes, Senior, Center, 4.8 ppg
Jalen Hudson, Senior, Guard, 15.5 ppg
Mike Okauru, Sophomore, Guard, 3.8 ppg
Deaundrae Ballard, Sophomore, Guard, 3.7 ppg
Gorjok Gak, Junior, Center, 2.2 ppg
Dontay Bassett, Sophomore, Forward, 1.7 ppg
Chase Johnson, Sophomore, Forward, 4.3 ppg
Key New Players:
Keyontae Johnson, Freshman, Forward
Noah Locke, Freshman, Guard
Andrew Nembhard, Freshman, Guard
Isaiah Stokes, Junior, Forward
Projection:
Upperclassmen KeVaughn Allen and Jalen Hudson will lead the backcourt. Allen averaged 11.0 points per game and is a big guard who is more capable of shooting better than he did last season. Hudson led the team with 15.5 points per game and shot an impressive 40.4 percent from beyond the arc. Those two will make the backcourt formidable, but the addition of freshman Andrew Nembhard could make this one of the best backcourts in the nation. Nembhard is a big 6-5 point guard who can do it all. If he lives up to expectations, Florida will be in great shape. The frontcourt does return both starters in Keith Stone and Kevarrius Hayes. Stone was actually the team’s most efficient three-point shooter, connecting on 42.4 percent of his 92 three-point attempts. The return of Chase Johnson and Isaiah Stokes from injury, and the addition of freshman Keyontae Johnson, adds more than enough depth. The backcourt should be enough to get Florida into the NCAA Tournament. If the frontcourt can surprise, the Gators could be a serious contender in the SEC.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.8 (116th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.2 (94, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.2 (251, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.8 (103, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.1 (56, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.0 (80, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.8 (153, 7)
Rebound Margin: -2.2 (276, 14)
Assists Per Game: 13.1 (211, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.8 (6, 1)
Madness 2018 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#22 Andrew Nembhard
#62 Keyontae Johnson
#69 Noah Locke
