Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but I had been having some problems getting on.

This will not be a full preview, as I will not be in Gainesville, (we'll do one for Tuesday's Home Opener), but a condensed version of some previews already out there, with some personal comments on the season at the end.

Don't forget the earlier than usual start (6 PM) on the SEC Network and on Tribe Radio 92,3 FM and on tribeathletics.com .

I have to work, Charlie has a conflict and Jay & Matt will be in route to Baltimore, so Wesley Kempton (TribeTV, Tribe Women's BBall) will be on the call tonight.



University of Florida Gators - ranked 7th nationally

Coach Billy Donovan took his Florida team to yet another Final Four. The Gators cruised through the SEC with a perfect 18-0 record and ended up winning an amazing 36 games. The Final Four loss to Connecticut was disappointing, but nobody at Florida can feel bad about the accomplishments this team had during the 2013-2014 campaign

2013-14 Record: 36-3, 18-0
2013-14 Postseason: NCAA



Who’s Out:

With four senior starters gone, Florida will look quite a bit different. Casey Prather was the team’s top scorer, averaging 13.8 points per game. Patric Young and Will Yeguete joined Prather as starters in the frontcourt. Young was another double-digit scorer and led the team with 41 blocks on the year. Yeguete was never much of a scorer, but he was a strong rebounder and defender. The loss on the perimeter is Scottie Wilbekin. He averaged 13.1 points per game and took a lot of the big shots from the Gators. DeVon Walker was set for a much bigger role this season, but a torn ACL will keep him out for the year.

Who’s In:

Coach Donovan does have some more nice freshmen coming into the program, but there are some more experienced options coming into the program too, through transfers. Eli Carter was a big time scorer during his time at Rutgers, but is still dealing with a foot injury that kept him sidelined last season. Jon Horford and Alex Murphy are a couple of forwards who Florida fans will recognize because both of their brothers are former Gators. Horford is eligible to play immediately after spending the last four years at Michigan. The 6-10 forward was never a big scorer for the Wolverines, but he is very tough on the glass.

The group of incoming freshmen is impressive, led by forward Devin Robinson. He is a versatile player who excels in the open floor. Shooting guard Brandone Francis should be able to find a spot in the regular rotation and Chris Chiozza will step into the backup point guard role.

Who to Watch:

Despite losing four starters and bringing in a quality group of newcomers, Florida will mostly rely on their returning players to fill out the starting five.
Michael Frazier is the team’s lone returning starter and he will be the new leader of the team. Frazier knocked down an amazing 44.7 percent of his 264 three-point attempts last season.
Kasey Hill showed flashes of his potential as a freshman. He did dish out 3.1 assists per game and played some great basketball during the NCAA Tournament, especially against UCLA in the Sweet 16. His shooting will need to improve, but Hill is a great ballhandler who can run this team.
Dorian Finney-Smith was the SEC’s best sixth man last year, averaging 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. The big 6-8 wing will keep Florida strong on the glass and can boost his scoring output too.
Chris Walker did not see much action as a freshman, playing just 87 minutes all season, but that had more to do with the talent in front of him than anything else. He has the talent to be a double digit scorer and one of the better rebounders on the team. (Walker will miss the first two games of the season)

Florida picked up a 79-70 exhibition win over Barry on Nov. 6. Junior guard Eli Carter, a Rutgers transfer, led the Gators with 21 points on 5-of-9 from 3-point range, while Finney-Smith posted a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds. Florida connected on 12-of-37 from 3-point range and was outrebounded by Barry, 42-39.


Projection:

This Florida team may not have as much experience as the group last season, but there is potentially more talent and more depth. The injury to Walker will put more pressure on Robinson to play major minutes as a freshman or even step into a starting role, but Coach Donovan has options. He could run a three guard lineup and start Carter or Francis or slide Finney-Smith to the three spot and put a player like Horford or Murphy into the starting lineup beside Walker.


Starting Five:
Kasey Hill, Sophomore, Guard, 5.5 points per game
Michael Frazier, Junior, Guard, 12.4 points per game
Devin Robinson, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Dorian Finney-Smith, Junior, Forward, 8.7 points per game
Chris Walker, Sophomore, Forward, 1.9 points per game (suspended 2 games)



Thoughts on the season:

This will be a talented group, but any team that loses three starters and lots of leadership will take some time to jell into a cohesive unit. There is no question that our strength is in the back court, with lots of scorers and the inimitable Marcus "MT for Three" Thornton.
The biggest question marks will be inside depth and how quickly six - eight newcomers can mix smoothly with the returners.
The lack of inside depth will cause concern on what types of defense we will play (we WILL be short, at times, underneath) and can Sean battle inside without too many fouls.
A faster pace should be possible with this many players who can run the floor.

Thoughts on tonight's Game:

This is one heck of a tough test for an opener (what, wasn't Duke available...), but it will give some good tape to study afterwards.
It should be fun to watch Marcus and Frazier do battle. Both squads will be thin inside, but Sean will have to do serious work on the boards (as he will all season).
Not having Tarpey and Schlotman will be tough, but where there is disappointment, there is also opportunity. Tot and Rowley may get early chances to shine.

No prediction, but I would love to see a strong showing, if not the upset, to give a measure of confidence going into the season.

Oh, by the way, both Walk-Ons, Jamison Glover (#1), a 6'0" Guard and Tyler Johnson (#33) a 6'6" F, were added to the Tribe roster to add some more depth over the season.


Get home early, settle in, watch some B-Ball.

Go Tribe!!