Florida Gators
Southeastern Conference (29-5, 13-3)
Seed: #1
Midwest Region
RPI: 6
Big Wins:
12/23 Ohio State (86-60), 2/3 Tennessee (94-78), 2/10 at Kentucky (64-61)
Bad Losses:
12/3 at Florida State (66-70), 2/17 at Vanderbilt (70-83), 2/24 at LSU
(56-66)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, National Champions
Coach:
Billy Donovan (16-7 in 8 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Taurean Green,
Junior, Guard, 13.1 ppg, 3.5 apg
Lee Humphrey,
Senior, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 1.4 apg
Corey Brewer,
Junior, Forward, 12.7 ppg, 3.1 apg, 4.5 rpg
Joakim Noah,
Junior, Forward, 12.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Al Horford,
Junior, Center, 13.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Walter Hodge,
Sophomore, Guard, 6.4 ppg, 1.5 apg
Dan Werner,
Freshman, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Chris Richard,
Senior, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
All five
starters nearly average ten points per game and the danger starts
with the best frontcourt in the nation. Small forward Corey Brewer is a
prolific scorer and a versatile defender. The 6-9 junior is a match-up
nightmare and can easily shoot over most small forwards he faces. Joakim
Noah is scoring a little less than he did last year, but his passion and
team leadership skills have not diminished. Like Noah, Al Horford is another
great rebounder and a major scoring presence in the post.
As a team, the
Gators shoot nearly 53% from the floor. That is the best in the nation and a
testament to the smart, efficient offense that Coach Billy Donovan employs.
What makes that 53% even more impressive is the fact that Florida is not
opposed to taking quite a few three-pointers; they just happen to make 40.8%
of those they take. Very rarely will anybody put up a bad shot.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
It is not easy
to find something bad about the reigning national champions that returned
five starters. But if we look hard enough, we will find the free-throw
shooting numbers. Shooting 68 % from the charity stripe is not that great.
The two players that get to the line the most, Noah and Horford, shoot under
66%. In Florida’s first three loses on the season, Horford had his
worst games, shooting 3 for 8 against Kansas, scoring just four points at
Florida State and going 1 for 7 from the floor against Vanderbilt. If the
inside presence is not established, the Gators weakness on the offensive end
is exposed.
Who To
Watch:
Somehow the
backcourt is still underappreciated. Taurean Green runs the show and keeps
the offensive machine running smoothly. Not only that, but he does average
more points per game than Brewer, Noah and Horford. His backcourt mate, Lee
Humphrey, is the catch and shoot three-point marksman who will make the
opposition pay for dropping down in the paint to stop the frontcourt. Speedy
guard Walter Hodge has increased his production as a sophomore and, if the
starting five was not scary enough, provides another threat off the bench.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: National Champs
