The Sports Bank’s college basketball season previews undergo a face lift this season. Rather than counting down the top 111 teams in 111 days, we will go conference-by-conference. I’ve already counted down the Pac-12 and Big 12 now we turn our attention to the SEC.
After running the slate in the SEC and earning the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Florida Gators figure to take a small step back this season as they look to replace four starters.
FLORIDA GATORS
Last Season: 1st, 18-0 in SEC, 36-3 overall
Predicted SEC Finish: 2nd
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Jon Horford (Sr)
PF: Chris Walker (So)/Alex Murphy (So)/Jacob Kurtz (Sr)
F: Dorrian Finney-Smith (Jr)/Devin Robinson (Fr)
SG: Michael Frazier (Jr)/Eli Carter (Jr)/Dillon Graham (Jr)/Zach Hodskins (Fr)
PG: Kasey Hill (So)/Chris Chiozza (Fr)
Gone: PG-Scottie Wilbekin, G/F-Casey Prather, C-Patric Young, PF-Will Yeguette
2014-2015 Outlook:
The lone returning starter for Billy Donovan is Michael Frazier. The 6-4 shooting guard is deadly from downtown and catch fire from deep as quickly as any player in college hoops. Coming off a pedestrian freshman campaign, Kasey Hill steps into the starting point guard role and is the true distributor that Florida has been missing the past couple of seasons.
Rutgers transfer Eli Carter adds backcourt depth as he can play either guard position. He played a minimal role a year ago before being sidelined for the majority of the year due to a leg injury. Chris Chiozza is a top 100 recruit who should somehow factor into the rotation as well since fellow top 100 recruit, Brandone Francis won’t play this season due to academic reasons and DeVon Walker is expected to miss the entire season due to a torn ACL.
For the Gators to even compete with Kentucky atop the SEC, Chris Walker needs to have a breakout sophomore campaign. He struggled to find his niche after sitting out the first half of last season and will miss the first three games of this year but has the athleticism and versatility to be a major factor on both ends of the floor. Dorrian Finney-Smith must also step into the spotlight. A key contributor off the bench a year ago, DF-S can play either forward position and causes mismatches for opposing defenses.
A trio of newcomers provide needed depth up-front. Michigan transfer jon Horford is likely to start at center and while he brings good energy to the floor, shouldn’t see a ton of playing time. Freshman Devin Robinson figures to be an immediate contributor and is an inside/outside threat while Duke transfer Alex Murphy is a face-up four man who should stretch defenses once he becomes eligible after the first semester.
Donovan brings in more size to his roster with the addition of South Florida transfer, John Egbunu. The 6-11, 266 pounder must sit out this season but should bring the physicality to the paint that the Gators lack this year.
While this year’s Florida Gators team lacks the experience of last season’s squad, Donovan should still have a good amount of balance on the offensive end. The development young guys like Hill and Walker will determine how far Florida can advance come tourney time.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/17 vs. Miami (FL)
11/26 vs. Georgetown (Battle 4 Atlantis)
11/27 vs. Wisconsin/UAB (Battle 4 Atlantis)
11/28 vs. North Carolina/Butler/UCLA/Oklahoma (Battle 4 Atlantis)
12/5 at Kansas
12/20 vs. Wake Forest
12/30 at Florida State
1/3 vs. UConn
OTHER SEC PREVIEWS:
BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#1 KANSAS JAYHAWKS
#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.