SEC Tip-Off Media Poll Slots Gators to Finish No. 8 in 2023-24
As the 2023-24 college basketball season quickly approaches, the Gators were picked to finish No. 8 in the league per the SEC Tip-Off Media Poll released on Tuesday.
Florida sits behind Tennessee, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State in the preseason projections.
The Gators’ eight-place finish comes after an active offseason of roster building by head coach Todd Golden and his staff. Golden has vastly reconstructed the unit’s personnel from a season ago to align with his desired style heading into year two of his tenure.
Bringing in six transfers and eight total newcomers following a mass exodus of talent this offseason, Florida retooled its backcourt with several multifaceted guard prospects who can score, facilitate and control the offense in an effective manner.
Notably, UC Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin and Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. joining returning star Riley Kugel to present a threatening scoring trio expected to operate from the starting lineup.
Wing Will Richard will take the hardwood in orange and blue for the second season in a row. He’ll look to maintain the success he saw down the stretch of the 2022-23 season as a shooter while providing the athleticism and length that earned him praise on the defensive end in his first year in from Belmont.
He’s expected to be a hefty contributor for Florida, although it may come as the first man off the bench.
Denzel Aberdeen, Julian Rishwain and Kajus Kublickas make up the depth pieces at guard, with the former expected to receiver an uptick in playing time from a season ago due to his year one to year two progression.
In the frontcourt, the Gators were tasked with filling the large shoes of Colin Castleton. They did so by committee.
Targeting long-limbed, athletic bigs, Florida quickly sought after the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, Micah Handlogten and Seton Hall transfer Tyrese Samuel to occupy time in rotation at the five.
True freshmen Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh are expected to man the four following the unexpected stepping away of EJ Jarvis, who previously joined the program as a grad transfer from Yale this offseason.
Sophomore forward Aleks Szymczyk is expected to miss the first month of the season as he rehabilitates a broken foot suffered in practice this summer. The timetable for his return is slated for late November or early December depending on the acclimation process.
However, there is the luxury of versatility within the four available players down low — namely with Condon and Samuel — for Golden to move them interchangeably between the spots based on the situation.
The influx of new faces has seemingly bolstered the talent on the Gators’ roster, but presents a factor of unknown for a program three campaigns removed from its last NCAA Tournament appearance, hence their projected finish.
Florida will get its first opportunity to showcase its new personnel against Loyola Maryland on Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. ET inside Exactech Arena.
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