Busting Brackets
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SEC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2022-23 season

By Joey Loose

Mar 12, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Uros Plavsic (33) defends Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) during the second half at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Uros Plavsic (33) defends Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) during the second half at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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SEC Basketball Colin Castleton Florida Gators (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /

7. Florida

Golden days are ahead for the Gators, who watched Mike White flee and brought phenomenal young coach Todd Golden in from San Francisco. This was a senior-laden Florida lineup that disappointed last season, finishing 20-14 and failing to reach the NCAA Tournament. However, Golden has put a few pieces together to make his first Florida team look like a potential contender.

First and foremost, forward Colin Castleton is back for one final season after an impressive campaign with 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Then, the Gators landed an impressive target in the Transfer Portal, nabbing talented point guard Kyle Lofton from St. Bonaventure. Golden will also get another year out of Myreon Jones (8.5 ppg last year) and hope players like Kowacie Reeves and former Belmont wing Will Richard take big steps in their sophomore years.

A one-two punch of Castleton and Lofton is a great start for Golden, who has his work cut out for him in Gainesville. Mere appearances in the NCAA Tournament won’t be enough for a program that won multiple titles under Billy Donovan nearly two decades ago. This likely won’t be the team that takes Florida back to the Promised Land, but it’s a very good start and has more talent than it seems.

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