24. Florida (6-4)
Tremendous pressure always falls on the national champion to repeat the following season and it’s probably not the best sign that we keep repeating that refrain about these Gators. Florida has wasted several opportunities in nonconference play, including close losses against Arizona and Duke that really would have stood out this season.
Unfortunately, Florida added another painful loss on Tuesday, falling 77-73 to UConn in New York. Xaivian Lee had one of his best efforts with 19 points while Thomas Haugh added 18 points but the Gators just couldn’t complete the comeback in the end. The effort on Saturday was better, as the Gators prevailed 80-70 over George Washington. Lee surpassed his earlier performance with a 24-point effort while Haugh added 19 points and 7 rebounds to get Florida back in the win column again.
The record is underwhelming and opportunities have been missed, but we’re far from out on these Gators, especially with months of SEC play ahead. Lee is starting to come into his own and it’s only a matter of time before someone like Boogie Fland has that same type of effort in a big matchup. For now, there aren’t any big matchups until league play in early January, leaving Florida with a matchup against Saint Francis this week.