No. 3 Florida begins title defense with revamped backcourt and stacked frontcourt
No. 3 Florida (36-4, 14-4 SEC)
The Gators won their third national championship and first since 2007 thanks partly to Walter Clayton, who repeatedly delivered tough shots and clutch plays while averaging 22.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in six NCAA Tournament games. Coach Todd Golden built a roster that could win inside or out, with offense or defense, and one that has the potential to repeat despite losing Clayton and fellow guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard to the NBA. Golden turned to the portal to land Boogie Fland from Arkansas, Xaivian Lee from Princeton and AJ Brown from Ohio as backcourt replacements. But Golden believes the team’s strength is its returning frontcourt: 6-foot-11 Alex Condon, 6-foot-9 Thomas Haugh, 6-foot-10 Rueben Chinyelu and 7-foot-1 Micah Handlogten.
Players to watch
Condon averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds last season. The hard-nosed Australian finished with 103 offensive rebounds and 49 blocked shots. Florida’s offense is likely to run through the junior who tested NBA waters before returning to college.
Haugh and his tireless motor prompted Golden to dump his three-guard lineup to get the scrappy junior on the floor at small forward. He averaged 9.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists off the bench last season.
Fland could be the key to Florida’s season. He averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds for the Razorbacks as a freshman despite missing two months with a wrist injury.
The world’s tallest teenager, 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux, will make his collegiate debut after redshirting last season. The 19-year-old Rioux played for Team Canada in the U19 FIBA World Cup this summer.
Departures and arrivals
Lee was a stat-sheet stuffer at Princeton, averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assist as a junior. He’s unlikely to put up similar numbers with the Gators, but the 6-foot-4 Canadian will get a chance to distribute and shoot 3-pointers like never before as he fills a role that Denzel Aberdeen relinquished when he transferred to Kentucky. Freshmen guards Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram also should factor into the mix along with the Brown brothers, AJ and Isaiah.
Top games
Florida opens the season against No. 13 Arizona in Las Vegas on Nov. 3. The Gators could face No. 24 Wisconsin in the championship game of a Thanksgiving tournament in San Diego. They also play at No. 6 Duke on Dec. 2 in the SEC/ACC Challenge and against fourth-ranked UConn a week later in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Facts and figures
Golden signed a contract extension in May that now pays him $6 million a year. … The Gators averaged 84.8 points a game last season, down slightly from the previous year. But their defense was much improved and figures to be stout again.
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