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November 7th,
2006
By Joel Welser
jwelser@collegehoops.net
Broadcast Basketball
Florida
Gators
Overall Rank:
#1
Conference
Rank:
#1 SEC
2005-06:
33-6, 10-6, 2nd East
2005-06
postseason: NCAA
 With five
starters returning from a national championship team, it is
difficult to place
Florida anywhere else but at the top spot. A
year older and wiser, Coach Billy Donovan’s squad remains
relatively intact and is as dangerous as ever.
Who’s Out:
Adrian Moss provided some depth up front as a senior, averaging
3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds. Instead of having a senior option,
Moss will have to be replaced by incoming freshmen. Guard David
Huertas saw action in 35 games and started one contest before
opting to transfer.
Who’s In:
A talented
group of newcomers will challenge the returning starters for
minutes. Center Marreese Speights averaged a double-double last
year at the famed Hargrove Military Academy in Virginia. The
6-10, 245 pound St. Petersburg, Florida native is big and strong
and, even as a freshman, can battle underneath. Dan Werner, a
sharpshooting forward can stretch out the defense and has
garnered comparisons to former Gator Matt Bonner. Jonathan
Mitchell is an athletic and versatile small forward who can hit
the long ball or mix it up in the paint and grab rebounds.
Shooting guard Brandon Powell is a great scorer. He can hit
from behind the arc with consistency and is strong enough to get
to the basket and finish. Powell will need to give the starters
a rest on the wings and if he can become a sharpshooting threat
off the bench, Florida won’t lose much when the starters need a
breather.
Who to Watch:
Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey and Corey Brewers started most of
the games on the perimeter. Green is a steady point guard and
averaged 13.3 points and 4.7 assists as a sophomore. Humphrey
is a three-point machine. He averaged three long balls per game
and shot nearly 46 percent from long range. Brewer is a dynamic
small forward and is tough to guard. He’ll knock down the
outside shot and drive to the hole. On the other end of the
floor, the 6-9 Brewer uses that same athleticism to lock down
the opposition. Walter Hodge will once again be the first
perimeter player off the bench. As a freshman last year, Hodge
earned eight starts and averaged 3.8 points, 1.2 assists and 1.1
rebounds on the campaign.
Final
Projection:
Along with
Brewer, Joakiam Noah and Al Horford turned down virtual
guarantees to go in the first round of the NBA draft. Their
return is great news for Florida fans and horrible news for
everybody else. Noah averaged 14.2 points and 7.1 boards on the
season. Horford put up similar numbers at 11.3 points and 7.6
rebounds; however, presumably due to the lack of hair or maybe
the lack of shot blocking, was much more underappreciated on the
national scene. In any event, the duo can dominate the paint
against just about any team in the land. Chris Richard is a
talented big man who was very effective off the bench. The 6-9
senior will have to come off the bench once again. The Gators
should be better than they were last year. That doesn’t mean
they are winning the National Championship again. As we all
know, anything can happen in March, but heading into the season
Florida has the best shot at cutting down the nets in Atlanta.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected
Starting Five:
Taurean Green,
Junior, Guard, 13.3 points per game
Lee Humphrey,
Senior, Guard, 10.9 points per game
Corey Brewer,
Junior, Forward, 12.7 points per game
Al Horford,
Junior, Forward, 11.3 points per game
Joakim Noah,
Junior, Forward, 14.2 points per game
Also:
Complete
SEC Preview & Ranking
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