2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball team

2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record16–17 (8–10 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaO'Connell Center
Seasons
2014–15 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Kentucky † 18 – 0   1.000 38 – 1   .974
No. 21 Arkansas 13 – 5   .722 27 – 9   .750
LSU 11 – 7   .611 22 – 11   .667
Georgia 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
Texas A&M 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
Ole Miss 11 – 7   .611 21 – 13   .618
Vanderbilt 9 – 9   .500 21 – 14   .600
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 19 – 15   .559
Florida 8 – 10   .444 16 – 17   .485
Tennessee 7 – 11   .389 16 – 16   .500
South Carolina 6 – 12   .333 17 – 16   .515
Mississippi State 6 – 12   .333 13 – 19   .406
Auburn 4 – 14   .222 15 – 20   .429
Missouri 3 – 15   .167 9 – 23   .281
† 2015 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by nineteen-year head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They finished the season 16–17, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament where they lost to Kentucky.

Gator non-participation in a postseason tournament had been 17 years before. The Gators' 63.7 points-per-game had been their lowest during Billy Donovan's 19-year coaching tenure. After the season, Donovan accepted an offer to coach the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. He would leave the Gators as the regular season games' winningest head coach in the program's history and while at the helm coached the Gators to more NCAA tournament appearances, and more SEC championships, than the combined totals of all the other head coaches in the program's history.[citation needed]

Previous season

Main article: 2013–14 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The Gators finished the 2013–14 season as the SEC regular-season champions with an overall record of 36–3, 18–0 record in conference play, the first SEC team to ever accomplish the feat, after the SEC re-expanded to an 18-game regular-season schedule prior to the 2012–13 season.[1] In doing so, the Gators won their seventh SEC regular season championship, and their third in four seasons. The Gators beat the Kentucky Wildcats 61–60 to claim the SEC Tournament championship. As a No. 1 seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament's South Region, Florida won its four tournament games, defeating 16-seed Albany, 8-seed Pittsburgh, 4-seed UCLA and 11-seed Dayton. The Gators' season ended with a loss to 7-seed, and eventual national champion, UConn in the Final Four.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Casey Prather 24 G/F 6’6” 212 Senior Jackson, Tennessee Graduated
Scottie Wilbekin 5 G 6’2” 176 Senior Gainesville, Florida Graduated
Will Yeguete 15 F 6’8” 230 Senior Bordeaux, France Graduated
Patric Young 4 C 6’9” 240 Senior Jacksonville, Florida Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name No. Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jon Horford 21 F 6’10” 250 RS Sr. Lansing, Michigan Transfer from Michigan.
Younger brother of former Gators and current Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford.
Will play in the 2014–15 season.
John Egbunu 15 C 6’10” 245 RS So. Bauchi, Nigeria Transfer from South Florida.
Will sit out a season and play in 2015–16.

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Zach Hodskins
SG 		Alpharetta, GA Milton High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Oct 20, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Chris Chiozza
PG 		Memphis, TN White Station High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Aug 17, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Brandone Francis
SG 		Jacksonville, FL Arlington Country Day School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Oct 28, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Devin Robinson
SF 		Chesterfield, VA Christchurch School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 15, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #11   Rivals: #11  ESPN: #13
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2014 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 28, 2014.

Personnel

Roster

2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 0 Kasey Hill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Umatilla, Florida
G 1 Eli Carter 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Paterson, New Jersey
G 2 Brandone Francis (I) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr La Romana, Dominican Republic
F 3 Devin Robinson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Fr Chesterfield, Virginia
F 5 Alex Murphy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Wakefield, Rhode Island
F 10 Dorian Finney-Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS Jr Portsmouth, Virginia
G 11 Chris Chiozza 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Memphis, Tennessee
G 14 Lexx Edwards (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Orlando, Florida
C 15 John Egbunu Current redshirt 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 266 lb (121 kg) So Bauchi, Nigeria
G 20 Michael Frazier II 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Jr Tampa, Florida
F 21 Jon Horford 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Grand Ledge, Michigan
F 23 Chris Walker 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Bonifay, Florida
G 24 Zach Hodskins (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Fr Alpharetta, Georgia
G/F 25 DeVon Walker Injured 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Jr Winter Haven, Florida
F 30 Jacob Kurtz (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Oviedo, Florida
G 42 William Donovan III (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) RS Sr Gainesville, Florida
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Rashon Burno (3rd year)
  • Matt McCall (4th year)
  • John Pelphrey (4th year)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 27, 2014

Notes

Coaches

Name Position College Graduating year
Billy Donovan Head coach Providence College 1987
Matt McCall Associate head coach University of Florida 2005
John Pelphrey Assistant coach University of Kentucky 1992
Rashon Burno Assistant coach DePaul University 2002
Darren Hertz Assistant to the head coach University of Florida 1997
Oliver Winterbone Video coordinator Rutgers University 2005
Preston Greene Strength and conditioning coordinator Clemson University 1999
Dave Werner Athletic Trainer Eastern Kentucky University 1991
Tom Williams Academic Counselor University of Florida 1978

Team statistics

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov. 6, 2014*
7:00 p.m. 		No. 7 Barry W 79–70  –
 O'Connell Center (9,016)
Gainesville, FL
Regular season (non-conference play)
Nov. 14, 2014*
6:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 7 William & Mary W 68–45  1–0
 O'Connell Center (10,861)
Gainesville, FL
Nov. 17, 2014*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 8 Miami (FL) L 67–69  1–1
 O'Connell Center (11,156)
Gainesville, FL
Nov. 21, 2014*
8:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 8 Louisiana–Monroe
Battle 4 Atlantis opening round 		W 61–56 OT 2–1
 O'Connell Center (11,003)
Gainesville, FL
Nov. 26, 2014*
9:30 p.m., AXS TV 		No. 18 vs. Georgetown
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals 		L 65–66 OT 2–2
 Imperial Arena (3,240)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov. 27, 2014*
9:30 p.m., AXS TV 		No. 18 vs. UAB
Battle 4 Atlantis consolation round 		W 56–47  3–2
 Imperial Arena (2,408)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov. 28, 2014*
8:00 p.m., AXS TV 		No. 18 vs. No. 5 North Carolina
Battle 4 Atlantis 5th place game 		L 64–75  3–3
 Imperial Arena (3,298)
Nassau, Bahamas
Dec. 5, 2014*
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 11 Kansas
Big 12/SEC Challenge 		L 65–71  3–4
 Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
Dec. 8, 2014*
7:00 p.m., SECN 		Yale W 85–47  4–4
 O'Connell Center (8,711)
Gainesville, FL
Dec. 12, 2014*
7:00 p.m., SECN 		Texas Southern W 75–50  5–4
 O'Connell Center (9,212)
Gainesville, FL
Dec. 14, 2014*
4:00 p.m., FSN 		Jacksonville W 79–34  6–4
 O'Connell Center (10,123)
Gainesville, FL
Dec. 20, 2014*
5:00 p.m., FS1 		vs. Wake Forest
Orange Bowl Classic 		W 63–50  7–4
 BB&T Center (10,175)
Sunrise, FL
Dec 30, 2014*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Florida State L 63–65  7–5
 Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (8,273)
Tallahassee, FL
Jan. 3, 2015*
2:00 p.m., CBS 		UConn L 59–63  7–6
 O'Connell Center (11,041)
Gainesville, FL
Regular season (SEC conference play)
Jan. 7, 2015
7:00 p.m., SECN 		at South Carolina W 72–68  8–6 (1–0)
 Colonial Life Arena (12,181)
Columbia, SC
Jan. 10, 2015
7:00 p.m., FSN 		Mississippi State W 72–47  9–6 (2–0)
 O'Connell Center (11,966)
Gainesville, FL
Jan. 15, 2015
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Auburn W 75–55  10–6 (3–0)
 O'Connell Center (10,346)
Gainesville, FL
Jan. 17, 2015
2:00 p.m., CBS 		at Georgia L 61–73  10–7 (3–1)
 Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
Jan. 20, 2015
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		LSU L 61–79  10–8 (3–2)
 O'Connell Center (10,160)
Gainesville, FL
Jan. 24, 2015
8:00 p.m., SECN 		at Ole Miss L 71–72  10–9 (3–3)
 Tad Smith Coliseum (8,812)
Oxford, MS
Jan. 27, 2015
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Alabama W 52–50  11–9 (4–3)
 Coleman Coliseum (10,759)
Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan. 31, 2015
1:00 p.m., CBS 		Arkansas W 57–56  12–9 (5–3)
 O'Connell Center (11,861)
Gainesville, FL
Feb. 3, 2015
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Vanderbilt L 61–67  12–10 (5–4)
 Memorial Gymnasium (9,815)
Nashville, TN
Feb. 7, 2015
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 1 Kentucky
Rivalry and ESPN College GameDay 		L 61–68  12–11 (5–5)
 O'Connell Center (12,578)
Gainesville, FL
Feb. 12, 2015
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		Ole Miss L 61–62  12–12 (5–6)
 O'Connell Center (10,291)
Gainesville, FL
Feb. 14, 2015
6:30 p.m., SECN 		at Texas A&M L 62–63  12–13 (5–7)
 Reed Arena (9,418)
College Station, TX
Feb. 18, 2015
7:00 p.m., SECN 		Vanderbilt W 50–47  13–13 (6–7)
 O'Connell Center (9,417)
Gainesville, FL
Feb. 21, 2015
1:00 p.m., CBS 		at LSU L 63–70  13–14 (6–8)
 Maravich Center (9,203)
Baton Rouge, LA
Feb. 24, 2015
9:00 p.m., SECN 		at Missouri L 52–64  13–15 (6–9)
 Mizzou Arena (7,631)
Columbia, MO
Feb. 28, 2015
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Tennessee W 66–49  14–15 (7–9)
 O'Connell Center (11,970)
Gainesville, FL
Mar. 3, 2015
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Texas A&M W 66–62  15–15 (8–9)
 O'Connell Center (8,591)
Gainesville, FL
Mar. 7, 2015
2:00 p.m., CBS 		at No. 1 Kentucky
Rivalry 		L 50–67  15–16 (8–10)
 Rupp Arena (24,428)
Lexington, KY
SEC tournament
Mar. 12, 2015
1:00 p.m., SECN 		vs. Alabama
Second round 		W 69–61  16–16
 Bridgestone Arena (10,563)
Nashville, TN
Mar. 13, 2015
1:00 p.m., SECN 		vs. No. 1 Kentucky
Quarterfinals 		L 49–64  16–17
 Bridgestone Arena (18,205)
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source:[4]

Rankings

See also: 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. (RV) Received votes but unranked. (NR) Not ranked.
Poll Pre Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Wk 19 Final
AP 7 8 18 RV NR NR RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR N/A
Coaches 7 7 16 24 RV RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

See also

References

  1. ^ Spousta, Tom (March 8, 2014). "Gators Overwhelm Wildcats to Cap SEC's First 18-0 Season". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  2. ^ Harry, Chris. "Dillon Graham opts to transfer". GatorZone.com. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  3. ^ Brockway, Kevin. "Graham transferring to Embry-Riddle". Gatorsports.com. The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  4. ^ "Schedule". Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2014.