Florida Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Gators

Season Outlook

We’ve touched briefly on some of the talent missing from last season in Gainesville, but it’s not just transfers or seniors lost. 7-foot center Micah Handlogten suffered a terrible injury late last season and takes a medical redshirt this season, weakening the Gators’ depth in the frontcourt. Regardless, there’s reason to believe that the talent Golden and company has assembled can do significant damage.

Florida shed both Riley Kugel and Zyon Pullin in the offseason, but the return of Clayton provide great strength in this backcourt. Not only should Richard be in line for another breakthrough but the addition of Martin gives not only veteran leadership but postseason experience on this roster. There’s a very real chance the offense takes a slight step back, but the team as a whole should be in better competitive shape.

A lot of that promise comes in the frontcourt, a unit set up for success even without Handlogten this season. Condon and Chinyelu are both underclassmen and likely will have growing pains, but either of them could be in line for massive steps forward in their own careers. Adding a weapon like Alexis who has started as a mid-major is an excellent move for the bench while Rioux and his size will clearly not go unnoticed.

Ever since Billy Donovan left the program in 2015, the Gators haven’t really been in the same shape, especially as the SEC has strengthened around them. They’re honestly playing a decades-worth of catch up, especially with the rise of Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and a few other conference rivals during that time. Regardless, there’s raw talent in the frontcourt and intriguing weapons leading the charge among these guards and this team will have a say in the SEC conference race.

This Florida team could be slightly better than last season if that young frontcourt can find its footing. The bottom line is that these Gators should be able to win games, but might not be as consistently successful as some of the top-tier SEC teams this season. Having a weapon like Clayton is a valuable asset and this season should likely end in the NCAA Tournament, but can the Gators really do better than last year’s 7-seed?