Florida Gators
SEC (23-10, 10-6)
Florida has had some questionable losses this season, not just on the road, but they have also had some pretty impressive victories. Even a couple of their losses, most notably at Ohio State and at Syracuse came right down to the end. Those may be quality losses, but now a loss means their season is over and the Gators and Coach Billy Donovan have to find a way to win those close games and remain consistent throughout their journey in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/22 Florida State (82-64), 2/4 Vanderbilt (73-65), 2/14 at Alabama (61-52)
Bad Losses: 12/29 at Rutgers (83-85), 2/11 Tennessee (70-75), 2/25 at Georgia (62-76)
Coach: Billy Donovan (16 seasons at Florida)
Why They Can Surprise:
Florida has those quality wins and those questionable losses since they rely very heavily on their outside shooting. When the shot is not falling, the Gators can lose to anybody. When the shots are falling, which is more often the case, they can beat anybody in the nation. Point guard Ervin Walker makes the offense tick and is one of many players who hoist up some long balls. Walker’s duty first and foremost comes as the point guard, but he can score in bunches and in a variety of ways. Walker is the typical floor leader who can also score. But on this team Walker has the luxury of concentrating more on handling the ball and less on scoring when necessary. Kenny Boynton can handle the ball too, but he is the pure scorer of the team. Boynton will hoist up nearly eight three-pointers per game, but that is fine since he connects on so many of them. Freshman Bradley Beal is only 6-3, thus leaving this as a pretty small backcourt, but he is an explosive athlete who does a great job on the glass and has quickly learned how to attack the basket and at least get to the free-throw line. Reserve Mike Rosario is a big time scorer, but he just does not get to play that often. Yet, when one of the starting guards needs a break, Rosario is ready to step right in without much of a drop in production. The amazing thing about this backcourt is how few turnovers they commit. For the amount of points this team scores, their turnover numbers are amazing.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Power forward Erik Murphy is another shooter and he can stretch out the defense with his outside shot. Murphy has plenty of size at 6-10 and 230 pounds, but he does spend a lot of his time out on the perimeter. That leaves a lot of pressure on Patric Young to remain a consistent scorer, rebounder and defender under the basket. At least Florida has another option in 6-7 sophomore Will Yeguete. Yeguete is a fine rebounder and his presence on the glass has saved the Gators from getting consistently outrebounded, but he is likely out for the NCAA Tournament with a foot injury. But for Florida it all comes down to the play of the great guards. If they can score, the Gators can win, but eventually they will need help from the big guys to stop the opposition from guarding the perimeter and not feeling the need to double team anybody under the basket.
Probable Starters:
Erving Walker, Senior, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 4.7 apg
Kenny Boynton, Junior, Guard, 16.3 ppg, 2.5 apg
Bradley Beal, Freshman, Guard, 14.6 ppg, 2.2 apg, 6.5 rpg
Erik Murphy, Junior, Forward, 10.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Patric Young, Sophomore, Center, 10.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Mike Rosario, Junior, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 1.0 apg
Scottie Wilbekin, Sophomore, Guard, 2.5 ppg, 1.7 apg
Will Yeguete, Sophomore, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.1 (76.8, 23rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.9 (138, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.2 (63, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.0 (165 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.9 (1, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.9 (21, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.7 (108, 3)
Rebound Margin: 2.8 (85, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.9 (38, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.2 (23, 2)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Florida 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over UC-Santa Barbara
Florida 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over UCLA
Florida 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over BYU
Florida 2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Butler
Florida 2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to BYU
Florida 2009 NIT First Round win over Jacksonville
Florida 2009 NIT Second Round win over Miami
Florida 2009 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Penn State
Florida 2008 NIT First Round win over San Diego State
Florida 2008 NIT Second Round win over Creighton
Florida 2008 NIT Quarterfinal win over Arizona State
Florida 2008 NIT Semifinal loss to Massachusetts
Florida 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Jackson State
Florida 2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
Florida 2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Butler
Florida 2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Oregon
Florida 2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over UCLA
Florida 2007 NCAA National Final win over Ohio State
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
