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Florida Basketball: Florida Gators 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Piasecki

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Florida Gators

2014-2015 Record: 16-17 (8-10, SEC)
Postseason: SEC Tournament – Quarter-finals

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The Florida Gators will begin the 2015-2016 season without the guidance of former head coach Billy Donovan for the first time since 1996.

The two-time NCAA Champion head coach left in the offseason to coach the Oklahoma City Thunder, leaving the Gators in the capable hands of Mike White, former coach of Louisiana Tech. White boasts a 101-40 record while coaching the Bulldogs and brings an expertise in recruiting in Florida and the South.

Florida will also have to deal with the loss of key contributors Michael Frazier II, Jon Horford and Eli Carter. With all the turnover and change, expectations will be low for the Florida Gators.

But I would not sleep on the Gators. With a top SEC talent in Dorian Finney-Smith returning and former 5-star recruits Kasey Hill and Devin Robinson prime to breakout, Florida is led by NBA caliber talent in a fairly weak SEC conference.

If they can fare well in SEC play and win a couple key non-conference games against teams such as the Miami Hurricanes, Michigan State Spartans, and Florida State Seminoles–the Gators will find themselves playing meaningful playoff basketball in March.

Newcomers

G – KeVaughn Allen (#63 247Sports)
C – Kevarrius Hayes (#111 247Sports)
F – Keith Stone (#84 247Sports)

Key Non-Conference Games

Dec. 8 @ Miami – The two Florida basketball powerhouse schools find themselves coming off similarly disappointing 2014-15 seasons. Both teams will return with experienced scorers and a couple of strong new recruits that should make for an interesting match-up and early non-conference challenge for the Florida Gators.

Dec. 12 @ Michigan State – Immediately following the Miami game, Florida’s most difficult non-conference game will be an important step in proving to the selection committee that the Gators are a tournament worthy team.

The Spartans are #13 in the preseason rankings, but one would be foolish to bet against a Tom Izzo led team on making a deep tournament run. Florida matches up well against the Spartans, but Mike White will have his toughest challenge of the young season when he travels up to East Lansing.

Key Players

Dorian Finney-Smith – In the 2013-14 season, Finney-Smith won SEC Sixth Man of the Year and was dubbed the next great Florida star. And yet in the 2014-2015 campaign, Finney-Smith disappointed many fans and experts alike, despite leading the Gators in scoring at 13.1 ppg and hitting over 42% of his 3pt attempts. Dorian Finney-Smith will look to continue to build on his previous seasons of success in his senior year, using his athleticism and scoring ability to lead Florida to a NCAA tournament berth.

Kasey Hill – Hill, the former elite recruit will be key to the Gators success in the 2015-16 season. Hill led the Gators in assists (4.5 apg) and will be expected to take on a larger role in the offense with the loss of Michael Frazier II. Finney-Smith will need help leading this team, and Hill seems the perfect fit for the role of Robin to Finney-Smith’s Batman.

Season Outlook

Following a past 12 months that have seen the Florida Gators basketball program lose their longtime head coach to the NBA, finish in the lower half of the SEC and miss both the NIT and NCAA tournaments, no-one expects much from the Gators in this time of transition.

Though undoubtedly there will be struggles to score at times, I believe that Florida will rebound sooner than most believe. Dorian Finney-Smith is a legitimate NBA prospect and the rest of the squad is deep with emerging young talent (Devin Robinson and Kasey Hill) and solid veterans (Alex Murphy). Mike White’s squad may pile up early losses with a difficult non-conference schedule, but come conference play, don’t be shocked to see Florida hitting their stride and making a run for March Madness.

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