23. Florida (7-4)
The record speaks for itself in saying that Florida has blown some chances here in the first few months of this season. We’re ages away from giving up on these Gators, especially with so many valuable pieces from last year’s national champion team. There’s still hope in the halls in Gainesville even after missing out on chances against teams like UConn and Duke, though at least Florida has gotten themselves back in the win column.
A second straight win came in the week’s only contest, as the Gators won 102-61 in a laugher over Saint Francis back on Wednesday night. Florida showed no sign of weakness in what should be their easiest game of the season, shooting 61% from the field as a team. Xaivian Lee continued his rejuvenation with 18 points while Rueben Chinyelu stood out with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Nothing valuable was going to be learned against the Red Flash earlier this week, but it’s at least getting more wins for a Florida team that’s better than their record in all likelihood. The issue here is that the Gators wasted basically every opportunity in nonconference play, though you have to wonder how motivated this team will be once SEC play begins in a few weeks. Colgate comes to town Sunday before the Christmas break.