2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball team

2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball
Conference Southeastern Conference
2014–15 record 16–17 (8–10 SEC)
Head coach Billy Donovan (19th year)
Assistant coach Rashon Burno
Assistant coach Matt McCall
Assistant coach John Pelphrey
Home arena O'Connell Center
2014–15 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#1 Kentucky 18 0   1.000     38 1   .974
#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 nineteenth-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.

The Gators did not participate in a postseason tournament for the first time in 17 years. The Gators' 63.7 points-per-game were their lowest in the 19-year coaching tenure of Billy Donovan. After the season, Donovan accepted an offer to coach the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. He would leave Florida as the winningest coach in program history and coached the Gators to more NCAA tournament appearances and more SEC championships than all other coaches in program history combined.

Previous season

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, Connecticut in the Final Four.

Offseason

Departures

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

Incoming transfers

Name No. Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Horford, JonJon 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.
Egbunu, JohnJohn 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

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 
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 
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 
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 
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:

Personnel

Roster

2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Home town
G 0 Hill, KaseyKasey Hill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Umatilla, Florida
G 1 Carter, EliEli Carter 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Paterson, New Jersey
G 2 Francis, BrandoneBrandone Francis (I) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr La Romana, Dominican Republic
F 3 Robinson, DevinDevin Robinson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Fr Chesterfield, Virginia
F 5 Murphy, AlexAlex Murphy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Wakefield, Rhode Island
F 10 Finney-Smith, DorianDorian Finney-Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS Jr Portsmouth, Virginia
G 11 Chiozza, ChrisChris Chiozza 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Memphis, Tennessee
G 14 Edwards, LexxLexx Edwards (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Orlando, Florida
C 15 Egbunu, JohnJohn Egbunu  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 266 lb (121 kg) So Bauchi, Nigeria
G 20 Frazier II, MichaelMichael Frazier II 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Jr Tampa, Florida
F 21 Horford, JonJon Horford 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Grand Ledge, Michigan
F 23 Walker, ChrisChris Walker 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Bonifay, Florida
G 24 Hodskins, ZachZach Hodskins (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Fr Alpharetta, Georgia
G/F 25 Walker, DeVonDeVon Walker  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Jr Winter Haven, Florida
F 30 Kurtz, JacobJacob Kurtz (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Oviedo, Florida
G 42 Donovan Jr., BillyBilly Donovan Jr. (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

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
Connecticut 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
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

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". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  2. Harry, Chris. "Dillon Graham opts to transfer". GatorZone.com. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  3. Brockway, Kevin. "Graham transferring to Embry-Riddle". Gatorsports.com. The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. Schedule
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