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2013-2014 Season Preview: No. 8 Florida Gators

Missouri Tigers v Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, FL - JANUARY 19: Fans of the Florida Gators display a huge poster of coach Billy Donovan during play against the Missouri Tigers January 19, 2013 at Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators won 83 - 52 and Donovan scored his 400th win as the Gators coach. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

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All month long, CBT will be rolling out our 2013-2014 season preview. Check back throughout the day, as we’ll be posting three or four preview items every day.

To browse through the preview posts we’ve already published, click here. The rest of our Top 25 Countdown can be found here. For a schedule of our previews for the month, click here.

Last Season: 29-8, 14-4 SEC (1st); Lost to Michigan in the Elite 8

Head Coach: Billy Donovan (18th season at Florida: 415-166 overall, 174-100 SEC)

Key Losses: Mike Rosario, Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton,

Newcomers: Kasey Hill, Damontre Harris, Dorian Finney-Smith, Eli Carter, Chris Walker*

Projected Lineup

- G: Scottie Wilbekin, Sr.
- G: Michael Frazier, So.
- F: Casey Prather, Sr.
- F: Will Yeguete, Sr.
- C: Patric Young, Sr.
- Bench: Kasey Hill, Fr.; Dorian Finney-Smith, So.; Eli Carter, Jr.; Damontre Harris, Jr.; Chris Walker, Fr.

They’ll be good because ...: Florida’s influx of talent in their 2013 recruiting class and from the transfer market is quite impressive. Kasey Hill and Chris Walker -- who’s not yet eligible to play this season -- were both five-star recruits while Dorian Finney-Smith and Damontre Harris are quality additions from Virginia Tech and South Carolina, respectively. Throw in Eli Carter, a cast-off from the Mike Rice soap opera at Rutgers, and the Gators more than replace the loss of their top three scorers.

The strength of this group will be on their front line, where strongman Patric Young will once again anchor a deep and versatile front line. Will Yeguete, who is such an important piece for the Gators’ defensively, will return and will be joined by Finney-Smith, whose offensive versatility will compliment Yeguete nicely. Add in the shot-blocker Harris and a potential lottery pick in Walker, and Florida’s front line will be able to matchup with anyone in the country.

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But they might disappoint because ...: Will the Gators ever get everyone on their roster ready to play? Will Yeguete is still recovering from offseason surgery while Eli Carter has yet to be cleared after suffering a nasty broken leg back in February. Chris Walker’s eligibility status will keep him out until at least December. Scottie Wilbekin has been dealing with an indefinite suspension this offseason and could end up missing some games at the start of the year. Michael Frazier may have mono, and Damontre Harris is battling a hamstring issue. Six of the ten projected rotation players for the Gators are currently question marks, and that’s not where it ends. Reserve Dillon Graham sprained his ankle last week and walk-on Billy Donovan Jr. tore his labrum.

The biggest issue is that these injuries have made it difficult for the Gators to practice, and with five new players expected to see big minutes this season, that will make it just that much more difficult for this team to get used to playing together. It’s not as simple as getting everyone healthy; it’s getting those newly-healthy players to know the offense, to know their defensive rotations and to know how their teammates play.

Outlook: With everyone at 100%, the Gators have a roster that’s talented enough and deep enough to make a run at Kentucky and the SEC title. They’re a legitimate top ten team and Final Four threat, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not without question marks. The way I see it, once Florida is healthy, there are two issues Florida needs to get worked out:


  • Does Florida actually have a go-to scorer? Who do they give the ball to at the end of a clock to create?
  • Will Patric Young ever develop into the kind of post scorer and rebounder that he was expected to be when he arrived at Florida? He’s a physical freak that could star at tight end for Florida, but can he consistently make a jump-hook?

Think about it like this: who on this Florida team scares you? What player on this roster will coaches have to game-plan around? Will anyone compete for SEC Player of the Year honors or a spot on an all-american team? This group reminds me a bit of Arizona from a season ago. There are a lot of quality pieces on this roster, but having a lot of quality pieces does not necessarily make you a title contender.

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