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Florida basketball fell short of its repeat national championship hopes this past year, but now that the NCAA Tournament is over, everything resets and hope once again springs eternal.
Unlike the previous offseason, when the Gators lost all three star guards to the NBA draft, the program has a good chance of bringing back its roster mostly intact, setting the foundation for another potentially prolific campaign. Thomas Haugh is a foregone conclusion in the draft, while Xaivian Lee is out of eligibility and Micah Handlogten — if he can convince the NCAA to restore his medical redshirt from the 2024-25 season — is heading out the transfer portal.
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Not to mention Olivier Rioux, the towering 7-foot-9-inch center whose contributions have been minimal in Gainesville over the past two years, is also seeking greener pastures through the portal. But otherwise, plenty of key players are returning next season.
This spring, all eyes are on Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, who anchored what was arguably the best frontcourt in college basketball last season. So far, most prognostications are predicated on the return of the two to the Orange and Blue.
In The Athletic writer CJ Moore’s way-too-early rankings following the conclusion of March Madness, Florida comes in at No. 4 overall. Todd Golden’s team sits behind the top-ranked Illinois Illini, Michigan Wolverines and Arizona Wildcats, respectively.
“The Gators will likely add some portal help and one or two of those additions could be starter-level guards, along with some added depth to the frontcourt. Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are projected back because they can likely make more next year at Florida than the NBA. Condon is probably more up in the air than Chinyelu,” Moore explains.
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“If they’re both back, that’ll likely be the best starting frontcourt in the country. The Gators could roll this roster out and likely be preseason top 10 without any additions, and that has to be a great feeling for coach…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/where-does-florida-rank-way-110250610.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-09 11:02:00
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