2016–17 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators, led by second year head coach Mike White, competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and played their home games at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They finished the season 27–9, 14–4 in SEC play to finish in second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Vanderbilt. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated East Tennessee State, Virginia, and Wisconsin before losing to fellow SEC member South Carolina in the Elite Eight.

2016–17 Florida Gators men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 20
Record	27–9 (14–4 SEC)
Head coach	Mike White (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	Dusty May Jordan Mincy Darris Nichols
Home arena	Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center

2016–17 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 5 Kentucky †	16	–	2		.889			32	–	6		.842
No. 10 Florida	14	–	4		.778			27	–	9		.750
Arkansas	12	–	6		.667			26	–	10		.722
No. 6 South Carolina	12	–	6		.667			26	–	11		.703
Ole Miss	10	–	8		.556			22	–	14		.611
Alabama	10	–	8		.556			19	–	15		.559
Vanderbilt	10	–	8		.556			19	–	16		.543
Georgia	9	–	9		.500			19	–	15		.559
Texas A&M	8	–	10		.444			16	–	15		.516
Tennessee	8	–	10		.444			16	–	16		.500
Auburn	7	–	11		.389			18	–	14		.563
Mississippi State	6	–	12		.333			16	–	16		.500
LSU	2	–	16		.111			10	–	21		.323
Missouri	2	–	16		.111			8	–	24		.250
† 2017 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Gators finished the 2015–16 season 21–15, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost to Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated North Florida and Ohio State to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to George Washington.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
DeVon Walker	1	G/F	6'6"	203	RS Junior	Winter Haven, FL	Graduate transferred to Troy
Brandone Francis	2	G	6'5"	205	RS Freshman	La Romana, Dominican Republic	Transferred to Texas Tech
Alex Murphy	5	F	6'8"	225	RS Senior	Wakefield, RI	Graduate transferred to Northeastern
Dorian Finney-Smith	10	F	6'8"	220	RS Senior	Portsmouth, VA	Graduated
Zach Hodskins	12	G	6'4"	203	Sophomore	Alpharetta, GA	Walk-on; didn't return
Lexx Edwards	14	G	6'2"	220	RS Senior	Orlando, FL	Walk-on; graduated
Jhonny Victor	20	G	6'4"	178	RS Freshman	Orlando, FL	Walk-on; didn't return

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Jalen Hudson	3	G	6'5"	195	Junior	Akron, OH	Transferred from Virginia Tech. Under NCAA transfer rules, Hudson did not play for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Canyon Barry	24	G	6'6"	205	RS Senior	Colorado Springs, CO	Transferred from College of Charleston. Was eligible to play one season as a graduate transfer.

2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Gorjok Gak No. 20 C	Bradenton, FL	Victory Rock Prep	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Apr 24, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Eric Hester No. 33 PG	Oldsmar, FL	Oldsmar Christian High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Aug 14, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 79
Dontay Bassett No. 63 PF	Oldsmar, FL	Oldsmar Christian High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Oct 12, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 72
Overall recruiting rankings:
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: "2016 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016.

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
DeAundre Ballard SF	Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy	Atlanta, GA	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Apr 18, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 85
Chase Johnson PF	Ripley, WV	Huntington Prep	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Oct 3, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 80
Isaiah Stokes C	Memphis, TN	IMG Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Nov 30, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 85
Mike Okauru PG	Raleigh, NC	Brewster Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Dec 22, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:
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: "2017 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016.

Roster

Tip off between the Florida Gators and the Seton Hall Pirates at the 2016 AdvoCare Invitational.

2016–17 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Kasey Hill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Montverde Academy Umatilla, Florida F 1 Devin Robinson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Christchurch School Chesterfield, Virginia G 2 Eric Hester 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Fr Oldsmar Christian School Clearwater, Florida G 3 Jalen Hudson (I)  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Virginia Tech Richmond, Virginia G 5 KeVaughn Allen 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) So North Little Rock High School Little Rock, Arkansas G 11 Chris Chiozza 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Jr White Station High School Memphis, Tennessee F/C 12 Gorjok Gak 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 231 lb (105 kg) Fr Victory Rock Prep Sydney, Australia F/C 13 Kevarrius Hayes 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 218 lb (99 kg) So Suwannee High School Live Oak, Florida C 15 John Egbunu  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS Jr University of South Florida Bauchi, Nigeria F 21 Dontay Bassett 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Fr Oldsmar Christian School Oakland, California F 23 Justin Leon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Sr Shawnee Community College Conway, Arkansas G 24 Canyon Barry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS College of Charleston Colorado Springs, Colorado F 25 Keith Stone 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Zion Lutheran Christian School Deerfield Beach, Florida C 32 Schuyler Rimmer 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 249 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Stanford University Orlando, Florida	Head coach Mike White (Mississippi) Assistant coach(es) Dusty May (Indiana) Jordan Mincy (Kent State) Darris Nichols (West Virginia) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2016* 7:00 pm		vs. Eckerd	W 91–63	–	18 – Egbunu	13 – Egbunu	4 – Chiozza	Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (1,122) Jacksonville, FL
Regular season
November 11, 2016* 7:30 pm		vs. Florida Gulf Coast	W 80–59	1–0	14 – Robinson	8 – Egbunu	4 – Tied	Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (5,212) Jacksonville, FL
November 13, 2016* 8:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. Mercer	W 76–54	2–0	17 – Leon	9 – Robinson	5 – Allen	Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (3,716) Jacksonville, FL
November 17, 2016* 7:00 pm		vs. St. Bonaventure Lakeland Showcase	W 73–66	3–0	16 – Tied	10 – Egbunu	4 – Hill	Lakeland Center (4,133) Lakeland, FL
November 21, 2016* 7:00 pm, SECN		vs. Belmont AdvoCare Invitational opening round	W 78–61	4–0	17 – Barry	8 – Egbunu	5 – Hill	Amalie Arena (6,650) Tampa, FL
November 24, 2016* 8:30 pm, ESPN2		vs. Seton Hall AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinals	W 81–76	5–0	21 – Allen	10 – Egbunu	2 – Tied	HP Field House (1,949) Lake Buena Vista, FL
November 25, 2016* 9:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. No. 11 Gonzaga AdvoCare Invitational semifinals	L 72–77	5–1	18 – Robinson	7 – Egbunu	7 – Hill	HP Field House (2,941) Lake Buena Vista, FL
November 27, 2016* 4:30 pm, ESPN2		vs. Miami (FL) AdvoCare Invitational 3rd place game	W 65–56	6–1	16 – Hill	8 – Stone	5 – Chiozza	HP Field House (2,305) Lake Buena Vista, FL
December 1, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 24	at North Florida	W 91–60	7–1	16 – Chiozza	6 – Robinson	9 – Chiozza	UNF Arena (4,113) Jacksonville, FL
December 6, 2016* 9:00 pm, ESPN	No. 21	vs. No. 5 Duke Jimmy V Classic	L 74–84	7–2	21 – Allen	12 – Egbunu	6 – Hill	Madison Square Garden (15,294) New York City, NY
December 11, 2016* 4:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 21	at Florida State Rivalry	L 78–83	7–3	21 – Hill	7 – Hayes	4 – Chiozza	Donald L. Tucker Center (10,029) Tallahassee, FL
December 17, 2016* 4:00 pm, FS2		vs. Charlotte Orange Bowl Classic	W 87–46	8–3	16 – Barry	9 – Robinson	5 – Hill	BB&T Center  Sunrise, FL
December 21, 2016* 7:00 pm, SECN		Little Rock	W 94–71	9–3	21 – Robinson	8 – Hayes	11 – Hill	O'Connell Center (10,655) Gainesville, FL
December 29, 2016 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 25	at Arkansas	W 81–72	10–3 (1–0)	21 – Allen	11 – Egbunu	6 – Hill	Bud Walton Arena (16,035) Fayetteville, AR
January 3, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 24	Ole Miss	W 70–63	11–3 (2–0)	20 – Barry	5 – 4 tied	5 – Hill	O'Connell Center (10,423) Gainesville, FL
January 7, 2017 5:15 pm, ESPN2	No. 24	Tennessee	W 83–70	12–3 (3–0)	23 – Allen	6 – Leon	7 – Hill	O'Connell Center (10,843) Gainesville, FL
January 10, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 23	at Alabama	W 80–67	13–3 (4–0)	14 – Stone	6 – Robinson	4 – Hill	Coleman Coliseum (12,923) Tuscaloosa, AL
January 14, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 23	Georgia	W 80–76 OT	14–3 (5–0)	27 – Barry	11 – Egbunu	4 – Tied	O'Connell Center (10,376) Gainesville, FL
January 18, 2017 6:30 pm, SECN	No. 19	at No. 24 South Carolina	L 53–57	14–4 (5–1)	13 – Barry	10 – Robinson	4 – Chiozza	Colonial Life Arena (15,638) Columbia, SC
January 21, 2017 12:00 pm, CBS	No. 19	Vanderbilt	L 66–68	14–5 (5–2)	29 – Allen	6 – Tied	7 – Hill	O'Connell Center (10,523) Gainesville, FL
January 25, 2017 9:00 pm, SECN	No. 25	at LSU	W 106–71	15–5 (6–2)	24 – Robinson	8 – Robinson	10 – Chiozza	Maravich Center (7,009) Baton Rouge, LA
January 28, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN	No. 25	at Oklahoma Big 12/SEC Challenge	W 84–52	16–5 (6–2)	20 – Hayes	9 – Hayes	8 – Hill	Lloyd Noble Center (7,970) Norman, OK
February 2, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 24	Missouri	W 93–54	17–5 (7–2)	17 – Barry	12 – Chiozza	10 – Chiozza	O'Connell Center (10,153) Gainesville, FL
February 4, 2017 8:15 pm, ESPN	No. 24	No. 8 Kentucky Rivalry, College GameDay	W 88–66	18–5 (8–2)	21 – Hill	9 – Tied	9 – Chiozza	O'Connell Center (11,171) Gainesville, FL
February 7, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 17	at Georgia	W 72–60	19–5 (9–2)	15 – Chiozza	7 – Leon	5 – Hill	Stegeman Coliseum (7,605) Atlanta, GA
February 11, 2017 12:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 17	Texas A&M	W 71–62	20–5 (10–2)	18 – Leon	10 – Egbunu	5 – Tied	O'Connell Center (10,732) Gainesville, FL
February 14, 2017 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 15	at Auburn	W 114–95	21–5 (11–2)	30 – Barry	8 – Leon	12 – Hill	Auburn Arena (7,572) Auburn, AL
February 18, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPN	No. 15	at Mississippi State	W 57–52	22–5 (12–2)	14 – Chiozza	10 – Tied	2 – Tied	Humphrey Coliseum (7,980) Starkville, MS
February 21, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 13	South Carolina	W 81–66	23–5 (13–2)	26 – Allen	7 – Allen	4 – Chiozza	O'Connell Center (11,051) Gainesville, FL
February 25, 2017 2:00 pm, CBS	No. 13	at No. 11 Kentucky Rivalry	L 66–76	23–6 (13–3)	24 – Allen	11 – Robinson	5 – Chiozza	Rupp Arena (24,431) Lexington, KY
March 1, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 12	Arkansas	W 78–65	24–6 (14–3)	14 – Barry	8 – Hayes	4 – Hill	O'Connell Center (10,978) Gainesville, FL
March 4, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPN	No. 12	at Vanderbilt	L 71–73	24–7 (14–4)	15 – Barry	6 – Robinson	4 – Chiozza	Memorial Gymnasium (10,431) Nashville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 10, 2017 7:00 pm, SECN	(2) No. 17	vs. (7) Vanderbilt Quarterfinals	L 62–72 OT	24–8	16 – Allen	10 – Robinson	2 – Hill	Bridgestone Arena (14,227) Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2017 3:10 pm, truTV	(4 E) No. 20	vs. (13 E) East Tennessee State First Round	W 80–65	25–8	24 – Robinson	7 – Tied	5 – Hill	Amway Center (15,037) Orlando, FL
March 18, 2017 8:40 pm, TNT	(4 E) No. 20	vs. (5 E) No. 24 Virginia Second Round	W 65–39	26–8	14 – Robinson	11 – Robinson	5 – Chiozza	Amway Center (17,308) Orlando, FL
March 24, 2017 9:59 pm, TBS	(4 E) No. 20	vs. (8 E) No. 25 Wisconsin Sweet Sixteen	W 84–83 OT	27–8	35 – Allen	8 – Leon	5 – Chiozza	Madison Square Garden (20,047) New York City, NY
March 26, 2017 2:20 pm, CBS	(4 E) No. 20	vs. (7 E) South Carolina Elite Eight	L 70–77	27–9	18 – Leon	7 – Leon	5 – Hill	Madison Square Garden (20,047) New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East Region. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	24	21	RV	RV	25	24	23	19	25	24	17	15	13	12	17	20	Not released
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	21	RV	RV	RV	24	23	19	25	23	17	13	12	12	13	17	10

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

See also

• 2016–17 Florida Gators women's basketball team