2011-12 Florida Basketball Predictions

2010-11 Results:

Overall: 29-8 (14-3 H, 8-2 A, 7-3 N)
SEC: 13-3 (7-1 H, 6-2 A)
Conference Tournament: Champion
Postseason: Lost in Regional Finals

Florida finished the year with a 29-8 mark, making its 11th NCAA Tournament in 13 years while reaching the 20-win mark for the 13th consecutive year, the longest streak in the SEC and the fifth-longest streak in the nation. Florida won its third outright Southeastern Conference Championship in school history.

It was just the fifth overall SEC title in the 92-year history of the program, with four of the five coming in the Billy Donovan era. Billy Donovan was named SEC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career

Roster

Returning Starters
Erving Walker
Kenny Boynton

Other Returning Players
Erik Murphy
Casey Prather
Scottie Wilbekin
Will Yeguete
Patric Young

Newcomers
Bradley Bea
Cody Larson
Walter Pitchford
Mike Rosario

Head Coach
Billy Donovan

Key Losses

The biggest losses this season for the Gators are Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus. Parsons averaged 11.3 points and 7.8 boards per game and became the first Gator in the 79-year history of the SEC to be named SEC Player of the Year. Macklin posted 11.6 points per game and was the team’s third leading rebounder. Tyus averaged 9.1 ppg last season.

Schedule

DATE	OPPONENT
Fri, Nov 11	Jackson State
Tue, Nov 15	@ Ohio State
Thu, Nov 17	North Florida
Mon, Nov 21	@ Wright State
Fri, Nov 25	Jacksonville
Mon, Nov 28	@ Stetson
Fri, Dec 2	@ Syracuse
Wed, Dec 7	Arizona
Fri, Dec 9	@ Rider
Sat, Dec 17	@ Texas A&M
Mon, Dec 19	Mississippi Valley State
Thu, Dec 22	Florida State
Thu, Dec 29	@ Rutgers
Sat, Dec 31	Yale
Tue, Jan 3	UAB
Sat, Jan 7	@ Tennessee *
Tue, Jan 10	Georgia *
Sat, Jan 14	@ South Carolina *
Sat, Jan 21	LSU *
Thu, Jan 26	@ Ole Miss *
Sat, Jan 28	Mississippi State *
Thu, Feb 2	South Carolina *
Sat, Feb 4	Vanderbilt *
Tue, Feb 7	@ Kentucky *
Sat, Feb 11	Tennessee *
Tue, Feb 14	@ Alabama *
Sat, Feb 18	@ Arkansas *
Tue, Feb 21	Auburn *
Sat, Feb 25	@ Georgia *
Tue, Feb 28	@ Vanderbilt *
Sun, Mar 4	Kentucky *
Mar 8 – 11	SEC Tournament
*Conference Game

2011-12 Preview

The expectations for the Florida Gators are high this season, especially after becoming SEC champions for the third time in their school history. They fell short in the NCAA tournament when they lost in the Regional Finals but are looking to bounce back in the 2011-12 season.

Backcourt

Returning starters for the Florida Gators this year are Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker. Boynton was named to the All-SEC Second Team in 2010-11 and tallied 14.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He also had the highest free-throw percentage on the team, hitting 82%.

Walker, meanwhile, is a cerebral point guard who can penetrate and breakdown defenses with his rapid first step. He was named to the 2010-11 Second Team All-SEC team. Last season he led the team in points (539) and steals (41), averaging a team-best 14 .6 points along with 2 .9 rebounds and 3 .4 rebounds per game in 37 games.

Newcomer Bradley Beal will try to provide backup in the backcourt. Beal was named the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year after an impressive senior season in which he averaged 32.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.8 apg and 2.7 steals.

Frontcourt

The Gators’ frontline this season will feature returning players Erik Murphy, Casey Prather and Patric Young. Murphy averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 33 games. Prather is a hard-working athletic forward who loves physical play and rebounding on both ends of the floor.

Young is an effective low-post defender who is an impressive looking big man with the potential to become one of the dominant frontcourt players in the SEC with his build, intimidating style of play and above the rim approach. Last season, he averaged 3.4 points and 3.8 rebounds while blocking a team-high 31 shots in 37 games.

Other Resources on Gators Basketball

More SEC Basketball Predictions

Kentucky Wildcats	Florida Gators	Vanderbilt Commodores	Tennessee Volunteers
Alabama Crimson Tide	Mississippi State Bulldogs	Ole Miss Rebels	LSU Tigers
Arkansas Razorbacks	Auburn Tigers	Georgia Bulldogs	South Carolina Gamecocks

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