The Florida Gators have been in the top five of the Associated Press poll all season. They were ranked fourth in the most recent poll. They were also 27-4 during the regular season. They have won 9 of their last 10 basketball games. The Florida Gators finished second in the tough Southeastern Conference. The Florida Gators may also be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They are a well-balanced basketball team, but they may not be the best team in their conference. Do you think the Florida Gators will win the SEC?
Florida Gators Men’s Basketball Roster
Walter Clayton Jr. is a senior guard who is the leading scorer for the Florida Gators. He is averaging 17.2 points a game. He is 6-foot-3 and from Florida. It is rare to see a senior do so well. Stars usually turn professional in basketball before their senior year. Clayton Jr. averaged 17.6 points last season, so he did very well. The second scorer for the Florida Gators is Alijah Martin. He is also a senior guard. He averaged 14.5 points this season. It is worth pointing out that teams with a senior backcourt usually do well in the NCAA Tournament.
The third leading scorer for Florida is Guard Will Richard. He is also a senior and averaged 13.3 points a game this season. Forward Alex Condon is the fourth-leading scorer for the Florida Gators. He notched a double-double in the game against Mississippi. He averages almost a double-double a game at 11.4 points and 8.0 rebounds. He is from Washington and gives the Gators some size at 6-foot 11 inches tall.
Thomas Haugh is a 6-foot-9-inch sophomore forward who averages 9.4 points per game. He is from Pennsylvania. Denzel Aberdeen is a 6-foot 5-inch junior guard who started five games for the Gators in February. He is from Orlando, Florida. Rueben Chinyelu is a 6-foot 10-inch sophomore center who averaged 6.0 points for the Gators this year. He is from Nigeria.
The bench for the Florida Gators is Sam Alexis, Urban Klavzar, Micah Handlogten, Isaih Brown, Kajus Kublickas, Bennett Andersen, Cooper Josefsberg, Kevin Pazmino, and Viktor Mikic. The bench for the Florida Gators has an international fair.
Main Storylines
Many of the top stories on the Florida website have to do with bracketology or the postseason tournaments. The Florida Gators are highly ranked and many project they will be the fourth No. 1 seeded team. That is a little strange to think about as the Gators could lose in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and still get a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. That would happen if the loss is a “good” loss. The conference is difficult and is projected to get as many as thirteen teams in the Tournament.
Apart from the many stories about the NCAA Tournament, there is a story about the Gators’ 90-71 win over Mississippi. The win only strengthened their case for the No. 1 seed for the Gators. Clayton Jr. scored 23 points, and Condon got his second straight double-double. He had 17 points and 15 rebounds. These are two names that could become well-known this month. The game took place on March 8.
Finally, there is a story, that is probably on the website of many teams. The story lists all the all-NCAA tournament teams in history. It is interesting to read the names on that list. There are a few who went on to bigger and better things in professional basketball. However, most of the names on the list had “one shining moment” to coin a phrase and then disappeared. It is striking how heavily titled the teams are to the eventual winners of the tournament.
Conclusion
The Florida Gators had a very good year at 27-4 but were not even the best team in the Southeastern Conference. They finished second in the conference in the regular season. They have three senior guards who play a bunch. Teams with senior backcourt leadership tend to do well in the NCAA Tournament.
