2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball team

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.

2014–15 Florida Gators men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
2014–15 record16–17 (8–10 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaO'Connell Center
2014–15 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 1 Kentucky180 1.000  381  .974
No. 21 Arkansas135 .722  279  .750
LSU117 .611  2211  .667
Georgia117 .611  2112  .636
Texas A&M117 .611  2112  .636
Ole Miss117 .611  2113  .618
Vanderbilt99 .500  2114  .600
Alabama810 .444  1915  .559
Florida810 .444  1617  .485
Tennessee711 .389  1616  .500
South Carolina612 .333  1716  .515
Mississippi State612 .333  1319  .406
Auburn414 .222  1520  .429
Missouri315 .167  923  .281
2015 SEC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

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.

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, UConn in the Final Four.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Casey Prather24G/F6’6”212SeniorJackson, TennesseeGraduated
Scottie Wilbekin5G6’2”176SeniorGainesville, FloridaGraduated
Will Yeguete15F6’8”230SeniorBordeaux, FranceGraduated
Patric Young4C6’9”240SeniorJacksonville, FloridaGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNo.Pos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Jon Horford21F6’10”250RS Sr.Lansing, MichiganTransfer from Michigan.
Younger brother of former Gators and current Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford.
Will play in the 2014–15 season.
John Egbunu15C6’10”245RS So.Bauchi, NigeriaTransfer from South Florida.
Will sit out a season and play in 2015–16.

Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brandone Francis
SG
Jacksonville, FL Arlington Country Day School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Oct 28, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Devin Robinson
SF
Chesterfield, VA Christchurch School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 15, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
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
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    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  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  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

    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

    Ranking movement
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. (RV) Received votes but unranked. (NR) Not ranked.
    PollPreWk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18Wk 19Final
    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 27 November 2014.
    3. Brockway, Kevin. "Graham transferring to Embry-Riddle". Gatorsports.com. The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
    4. "Schedule". Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
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