Busting Brackets
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Florida Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Gators

By Lukas Harkins

Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images /
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GAINESVILLE, FL – NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Mike White of the Florida Gators speaks with Allen.
GAINESVILLE, FL – NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Mike White of the Florida Gators speaks with Allen. /

Starting Lineup

Projected Starters: Nembhard, Allen, Hudson, Stone, Hayes

Florida basketball has some major returning talent this year but replacing seniors Egor Koulechov and Chris Chiozza will not be easy. And while there are returning pieces that will make up for the loss of Koulechov, Florida will likely need to rely on the play of a freshman at point guard. Chiozza was one of the most consistent players in the country last season and therefore Andrew Nembhard will have some serious shoes to fill.

And while this may seem daunting, Nembhard is coming in ranked as the No. 23 recruit in the 2018 class (No. 6 point guard). He sees the floor tremendously well and could be an all-around stud right away. When asked about which freshman could be the most exciting this year, Fawcett lent some words about Nembhard:

"“I’m definitely most excited about Andrew Nembhard. I have never seen an incoming freshman who can pass as well as him, and Gator fans who got used to seeing Chris Chiozza thread beautiful passes will have a seamless transition to watching Nembhard set up his teammates. He played for Canada’s senior men’s national team this summer with and against NBA competition and held his own, so I think he’ll be ready to contribute from day 1.”"

Still, despite this high praise, it is important to mention that Nembhard is still going to be just a freshman. There are bound to be struggles along the way this season and that is why the rest of this experienced starting lineup will be so important. For starters, Nembhard’s backcourt partner in crime, KeVaughn Allen, is one of the more experienced players in the SEC. Now a senior, Allen has started 99 of his 106 total games as a Gator and should provide some much-needed poise on the court. He averaged 11.0 points per game last season.

Next, the frontcourt features two more seniors in Jalen Hudson (15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds) and Kevarrius Hayes (4.8 points, 5.0 rebounds) as well junior Keith Stone (8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds). This experienced frontcourt is extremely talented and, although not the best in terms of securing rebounds, will be very consistently productive for the team.

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