2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball team

2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record19–12 (11–7 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaExactech Arena
at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center
Seasons
2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 25 – 6   .806
No. 20 Auburn 12 – 6   .667 25 – 6   .806
LSU 12 – 6   .667 21 – 10   .677
Mississippi State 11 – 7   .611 20 – 11   .645
Florida 11 – 7   .611 19 – 12   .613
South Carolina 10 – 8   .556 18 – 13   .581
Texas A&M 10 – 8   .556 16 – 14   .533
Tennessee 9 – 9   .500 17 – 14   .548
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 16 – 15   .516
Arkansas 7 – 11   .389 20 – 12   .625
Missouri 7 – 11   .389 15 – 16   .484
Ole Miss 6 – 12   .333 15 – 17   .469
Georgia 5 – 13   .278 16 – 16   .500
Vanderbilt 3 – 15   .167 11 – 21   .344
Note: The 2020 SEC tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

The 2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators were led by fifth-year head coach Mike White and played their home games in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus as members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 19–12, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They were set to take on Georgia in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the SEC Tournament and all other postseason tournaments were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous season

The Gators finished the 2018–19 season 20–16, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Arkansas in the second round, LSU in the quarterfinals before losing to Auburn in the semifinals of the SEC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Nevada in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Michigan.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Mike Okauru 0 G 6'3" 184 Sophomore Raleigh, NC Transferred to UNC Wilmington
Chase Johnson 1 F 6'9" 219 RS Freshman Ripley, WV Transferred to Dayton
Jalen Hudson 3 G 6'6" 195 RS Senior Richmond, VA Graduated
KeVaughn Allen 5 G 6'2" 193 Senior Little Rock, AR Graduated
Kevarrius Hayes 13 C 6'9" 227 Senior Live Oak, FL Graduated
Mak Krause 14 G 6'2" 172 Senior Atlanta, GA Walk-on; graduated
Isaiah Stokes 15 F 6'8" 270 RS Freshman Aurora, ON Transferred to Memphis
Andrew Fava 22 G 5'10" 171 Sophomore Baltimore, MD Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Deaundrae Ballard 24 G 6'5" 197 Sophomore Atlanta, GA Transferred to South Alabama
Keith Stone 25 F 6'8" 253 RS Junior Deerfield Beach, FL Graduate Transferred to Miami (FL)

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Anthony Duruji 4 F 6'7" 215 Junior Germantown, MD Louisiana Tech
Tyree Appleby 22 G 6'1" 165 Junior Jacksonville, AR Cleveland State
Kerry Blackshear Jr. 24 F 6'10" 250 Senior Orlando, FL Virginia Tech

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Scottie Lewis
SF 		Colts Neck, NJ Ranney School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 2, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
Tre Mann
PG 		The Villages, FL The Villages Charter High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 28, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Omar Payne
C 		Kissimmee, FL Montverde Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 1, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Jason Jitoboh
C 		Chattanooga, TN Hamilton Heights Christian Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 270 lb (120 kg) Mar 28, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Alex Klatsky
PG 		Tinton Falls, NJ Ranney School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Sep 11, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:2/5 stars   ESPN grade: 60
Jacques Glover
PG 		Knoxville, TN Bearden High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Apr 1, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • 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:

  • "2019 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.[1]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1 Kentucky
2 Florida
3 LSU
4 Auburn
5 Tennessee
6 Alabama
7 Mississippi State
8 Ole Miss
9 Georgia
10 South Carolina
11 Arkansas
12 Texas A&M
13 Missouri
14 Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Gators had two players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Roster

2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Ques Glover 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Fr Bearden High School Knoxville, Tennessee
G 1 Tre Mann 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Fr The Villages Charter Schools Gainesville, Florida
G 2 Andrew Nembhard 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) So Montverde Academy Aurora, Ontario
G 3 Alex Klatsky 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Fr Ranney School Colts Neck, New Jersey
F 4 Anthony Duruji Current redshirt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Jr Louisiana Tech Germantown, Maryland
F 5 Omar Payne 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Kissimmee, Florida
G 10 Noah Locke 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So McDonogh School Randallstown, Maryland
F 11 Keyontae Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 231 lb (105 kg) So Oak Hill Academy Norfolk, Virginia
C 12 Gorjok Gak 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 244 lb (111 kg) Sr Victory Rock Prep Sydney, Australia
F 21 Dontay Bassett 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 236 lb (107 kg) RS Jr Oldsmar Christian School Oakland, California
G 22 Tyree Appleby Current redshirt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 163 lb (74 kg) Jr Cleveland State Jacksonville, Arkansas
G 23 Scottie Lewis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Ranney School Hazlet, New Jersey
F 24 Kerry Blackshear Jr. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 241 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Virginia Tech Orlando, Florida
C 33 Jason Jitoboh 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 300 lb (136 kg) Fr Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Abuja, Nigeria
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 6 Lynn W 89–71  –
  17 – Nembhard   10 – Blackshear   6 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (7,593)
Gainesville, FL
Regular season
November 5, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 6 North Florida W 74–59  1–0
  20 – Blackshear   10 – Blackshear   4 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (9,685)
Gainesville, FL
November 10, 2019*
1:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 6 Florida State
Sunshine Showdown 		L 51–63  1–1
  19 – Johnson   13 – Blackshear   3 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (10,851)
Gainesville, FL
November 14, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 15 Towson
Charleston Classic non bracket game 		W 66–60  2–1
  15 – Lewis   13 – Blackshear   9 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (8,055)
Gainesville, FL
November 17, 2019*
3:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 15 at UConn L 59–62  2–2
  15 – Blackshear   8 – Blackshear   7 – Nembhard  Gampel Pavilion (10,167)
Storrs, CT
November 21, 2019*
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Saint Joseph's
Charleston Classic quarterfinals 		W 70–62  3–2
  22 – Johnson   12 – Johnson   3 – Blackshear  TD Arena (2,914)
Charleston, SC
November 22, 2019*
12:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Miami (FL)
Charleston Classic semifinals 		W 78–58  4–2
  20 – Blackshear   11 – Blackshear   9 – Nembhard  TD Arena (3,245)
Charleston, SC
November 24, 2019*
8:30 pm, ESPN 		vs. No. 18 Xavier
Charleston Classic championship game 		W 70–65  5–2
  15 – 2 tied   10 – Blackshear   4 – Nembhard  TD Arena (4,233)
Charleston, SC
November 29, 2019*
9:00 pm, SECN 		No. 24 Marshall W 73–67  6–2
  14 – Glover   7 – 2 tied   4 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (10,583)
Gainesville, FL
December 7, 2019*
12:00 pm, FOX 		at No. 24 Butler L 62–76  6–3
  17 – Blackshear   5 – 2 tied   5 – Nembhard  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,303)
Indianapolis, IN
December 17, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Providence
Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational 		W 83–51  7–3
  19 – Johnson   10 – Johnson   7 – Nembhard  Barclays Center (5,064)
Brooklyn, NY
December 21, 2019*
2:30 pm, FS1 		vs. Utah State
Orange Bowl Classic 		L 62–65  7–4
  22 – Blackshear   14 – Blackshear   4 – Nembhard  BB&T Center (8,927)
Sunrise, FL
December 28, 2019*
12:00 pm, SECN 		Long Beach State W 102–63  8–4
  21 – 2 tied   10 – Locke   13 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (9,067)
Gainesville, FL
January 4, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		Alabama W 104–98 2OT 9–4
(1–0) 		 25 – Nembhard   16 – Blackshear   4 – 2 tied  O'Connell Center (9,350)
Gainesville, FL
January 7, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at South Carolina W 81–68  10–4
(2–0) 		 21 – Nembhard   9 – 2 tied   10 – Nembhard  Colonial Life Arena (10,651)
Columbia, SC
January 11, 2020
8:30 pm, SECN 		at Missouri L 75–91  10–5
(2–1) 		 22 – Blackshear   5 – Johnson   4 – Nembhard  Mizzou Arena (9,001)
Columbia, MO
January 14, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		Ole Miss W 71–55  11–5
(3–1) 		 15 – Johnson   9 – Blackshear   6 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (9,545)
Gainesville, FL
January 18, 2020
1:30 pm, CBS 		No. 4 Auburn W 69–47  12–5
(4–1) 		 19 – Payne   16 – Blackshear   5 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (10,756)
Gainesville, FL
January 21, 2020
7:00 pm, SECN 		at LSU L 82–84  12–6
(4–2) 		 16 – 2 tied   9 – Johnson   10 – Nembhard  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,479)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 25, 2020*
8:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 1 Baylor
Big 12/SEC Challenge 		L 61–72  12–7
  20 – Johnson   5 – Johnson   8 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (11,092)
Gainesville, FL
January 28, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		Mississippi State L 71–78  12–8
(4–3) 		 17 – Lewis   7 – Blackshear   3 – 2 tied  O'Connell Center (8,248)
Gainesville, FL
February 1, 2020
8:30 pm, SECN 		at Vanderbilt W 61–55  13–8
(5–3) 		 20 – Johnson   7 – 2 tied   4 – Nembhard  Memorial Gymnasium (9,582)
Nashville, TN
February 5, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		Georgia W 81–75  14–8
(6–3) 		 25 – Nembhard   9 – Lewis   3 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (9,889)
Gainesville, FL
February 8, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Ole Miss L 51–68  14–9
(6–4) 		 16 – Johnson   10 – Johnson   3 – 2 tied  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (7,760)
Oxford, MS
February 12, 2020
8:30 pm, SECN 		at Texas A&M W 78–61  15–9
(7–4) 		 24 – Nembhard   10 – Johnson   6 – Johnson  Reed Arena (6,237)
College Station, TX
February 15, 2020
8:00 pm, SECN 		Vanderbilt W 84–66  16–9
(8–4) 		 19 – Locke   6 – 2 tied   5 – Blackshear  O'Connell Center (10,151)
Gainesville, FL
February 18, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		Arkansas W 73–59  17–9
(9–4) 		 24 – Johnson   10 – Johnson   4 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (9,023)
Gainesville, FL
February 22, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN 		at No. 10 Kentucky
Rivalry 		L 59–65  17–10
(9–5) 		 19 – Johnson   9 – Johnson   6 – Nembhard  Rupp Arena (20,489)
Lexington, KY
February 26, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		LSU W 81–66  18–10
(10–5) 		 25 – Johnson   11 – Johnson   5 – Johnson  O'Connell Center (10,002)
Gainesville, FL
February 29, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Tennessee L 58–63  18–11
(10–6) 		 20 – Blackshear Jr.   9 – Blackshear Jr.   7 – Nembhard  Thompson–Boling Arena (19,743)
Knoxville, TN
March 4, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Georgia W 68–54  19–11
(11–6) 		 18 – Johnson   11 – Johnson   6 – Nembhard  Stegeman Coliseum (10,007)
Athens, GA
March 7, 2020
1:00 pm, CBS 		No. 6 Kentucky
Rivalry 		L 70–71  19–12
(11–7) 		 19 – Lewis   5 – 2 tied   8 – Nembhard  O'Connell Center (9,767)
Gainesville, FL
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2020
3:30 pm, SECN 		(5) vs. (13) Georgia
Second round 		Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[2] Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[3]

Rankings

See also: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP615RV24RVRVRV—RV——RVRV——RVRV—RV—
Coaches66^RV25RVRV——RVRV—RV———RV————

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a poll this week.

References

  1. ^ "UK picked to win 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Championship". SEC Sports. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "2020 SEC Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns".
  3. ^ "2019–20 Men's Basketball Schedule – Florida Gators". floridagators.com.