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2015-16 Florida Gators men's basketball preview

 
Florida forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) shoots over Alabama guard Justin Coleman (5) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Thursday, March 12, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. Florida won 69-61. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) TNMS130
Florida forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) shoots over Alabama guard Justin Coleman (5) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Thursday, March 12, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. Florida won 69-61. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) TNMS130
Published Nov. 8, 2015

The skinny

The Gators have plenty of new faces as they try to rebound from last season's 16-17 disappointment. F Dorian Finney-Smith led UF in scoring (13.1 points per game) and rebounds (6.2), and is the only Gator on the preseason All-SEC team. G Kasey Hill led UF in assists (4.5), and G/F DeVon Walker is ready to make an impact as he returns from a torn ACL. UF's array of newcomers starts with first-year coach Mike White and includes center John Egbunu, who started 31 games at USF and sat out last season after transferring to the Gators. F Alex Murphy suffered a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Who's in charge?

For the first time since 1995-96, the answer is not Billy Donovan, who now leads the NBA's Thunder. White, a Dunedin native, takes over after posting a 101-40 record at Louisiana Tech, where he won three consecutive regular-season conference titles and was Conference USA's coach of the year last year. On-court leaders include three players — Finney-Smith, Hill and Walker — with multiple years in the program, along with Murphy, a senior.

Who's missing?

G Michael Frazier, a Tampa native, left early for the NBA. That opens a spot in the lineup, potentially for freshman G KeVaughn Allen, Arkansas' two-time high school player of the year and ESPN's No. 56 recruit. Stanford transfer Schuyler Rimmer was expected to be ineligible for the first semester, but the 6-foot-10 forward/center was given immediate clearance and provides size in the frontcourt.

Bracketology

Last season was frustrating for a program that expects NCAA Tournament appearances and deep runs. There is reason for optimism if Finney-Smith and Hill continue to progress and F Devin Robinson and G Chris Chiozza build on solid freshman seasons. But no one is quite sure what to expect from the Gators or how long White will need to build his program. UF is projected to finish sixth in the SEC, and a second consecutive season without a trip to the NCAA Tournament would not be a surprise.

The last word

"Let's not question how good we are. 'We know we're better than this, and these are the areas that we need to fix, that we can improve upon' — that's more the approach that we've taken, challenging our guys rather than questioning our abilities. … We're a different team. We're a new staff. We're going to have a bunch of new ways of doing things." — coach Mike White

Roster

No. Player Pos. Ht. Cl.

0 Kasey Hill G 6-1 Jr.

1 DeVon Walker G/F 6-6 R-Jr.

2 B. Francis-Ramirez G 6-5 R-Fr.

3 Devin Robinson F 6-8 So.

4 KeVaughn Allen G 6-2 Fr.

5 Alex Murphy F 6-8 R-Sr.

10 D. Finney-Smith F 6-8 R-Sr.

11 Chris Chiozza G 6-0 So.

12 Zach Hodskins G 6-4 So.

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13 Kevarrius Hayes F 6-9 Fr.

14 Lexx Edwards G 6-2 R-Sr.

15 John Egbunu C 6-11 R-So.

20 Jhonny Victor G 6-4 R-Fr.

23 Keith Stone F 6-8 Fr.

24 Justin Leon F 6-8 Jr.

32 Schuyler Rimmer F/C 6-10 Jr.

Schedule

November — 13 at Navy, 9:30; 16 North Carolina A&T, 8; Naismith Tipoff tournament at Uncasville, Ct.: 21 St. Joseph's, 2:30; 22 Purdue/Old Dominion, TBA; 25 Vermont, 3; 27 FGCU, 6:30

December — 1 Richmond, 7; 8 at Miami, 7; 12 at Michigan State, 6; 19 Oklahoma State at Sunrise, 8; 22 Jacksonville, 7; 29 Florida State, 7

January — 2 Georgia, 8*; 6 at Tennessee, 7*; 9 LSU, TBA*; 12 at Texas A&M, 7*; 16 at Ole Miss, 8* 19 Mississippi State, 7*; 23 Auburn, 8*; 26 at Vanderbilt, 9*; 30 West Virginia, 12

February — 3 Arkansas, 7*; 6 at Kentucky, 4*; 9 Ole Miss, 9*; 13 Alabama, 5:30*; 16 at Georgia, 9*; 20 at South Carolina, 12*; 23 Vanderbilt, 7*; 27 at LSU, TBA*

March — 1 Kentucky, 7*; 5 at Missouri, 7:30*; 9-13 SEC Tournament

* SEC game

Matt Baker, Times staff writer