Florida basketball is projected to be a top-5 team in the country. How will the Gators respond to expectations in their season-opener versus North Florida?
Florida basketball is facing extremely high expectations heading into this coming season as a result of a superb returning core and plenty of intriguing newcomers. Head coach Mike White has clearly put together an elite roster with a high ceiling and the Gators are rightfully regarded as a preseason top-10 team in the country. Florida is fresh off reaching the NCAA Tournament a year ago and has been one of the most successful programs in the nation over the last several seasons.
Leading the way for this squad will likely be a tremendous trio of rising sophomores. Andrew Nembhard, Noah Locke, and Keyontae Johnson all played significant roles last season and should be full-time starters during this campaign. Nembhard is an elite-level floor general, Locke is a strong perimeter threat, and Johnson is the ultimate undersized glue-guy at the power forward slot.
On the whole, the Gators will be an extremely young team this season but they will feature an upperclassman star in Kerry Blackshear Jr. Arguably the best offseason addition by any program in the nation, Blackshear is an All-American caliber big man with the ability to provide inside-out scoring and veteran leadership to the rotation. He will be an integral part of this young roster both on and off the court.
Additionally, Coach White is bringing in a tremendous crop of freshmen. Florida’s 2019 recruiting class was ranked at No. 4 in the entire nation and featured a pair of five-star prospects. Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann will be focal points of the rotation as freshmen and can hopefully push the program to new heights before taking their talents to the NBA level.
Now that the regular-season is finally ready to begin, fans will get their first look at this young Gators’ squad. Florida’s season opener will come at home against an in-state program in the North Florida Ospreys. UNF is ranked at No. 184 in the preseason KenPom rankings and should not prove to be a major threat to the Gators. Nonetheless, it will be intriguing to see the squad in action while learning how Coach White will manage the rotation.
So, with tip-off approaching at 7:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 5th (SEC Network), let’s dive into some keys to success and storylines to watch for Florida basketball in their season-opener.