2017–18 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators were led by third year head coach Mike White and played their home games in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus as members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Arkansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated St. Bonaventure in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Texas Tech.

2017–18 Florida Gators men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 23
Record21–13 (11–7 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaExactech Arena
at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center
Seasons
2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Auburn 13 5   .722 26 8   .765
No. 13 Tennessee 13 5   .722 26 9   .743
No. 23 Florida 11 7   .611 21 13   .618
No. 18 Kentucky 10 8   .556 26 11   .703
Missouri 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
Arkansas 10 8   .556 23 12   .657
Mississippi State 9 9   .500 25 12   .676
Texas A&M 9 9   .500 22 13   .629
Alabama 8 10   .444 20 16   .556
LSU 8 10   .444 18 15   .545
Georgia 7 11   .389 18 15   .545
South Carolina 7 11   .389 17 16   .515
Vanderbilt 6 12   .333 12 20   .375
Ole Miss 5 13   .278 12 20   .375
2018 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Gators finished the 2016–17 season 27–9, 14–4 in SEC play to finish in second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament in overtime to 7-seed Vanderbilt.[1][2] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the East Region's No. 4 seed. They defeated 13-seed East Tennessee State[3] and 5-seed Virginia to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[4] In the Sweet Sixteen, they defeated 8-seed Wisconsin with a three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to earn a trip to the Elite Eight.[5][6] In the Elite Eight, they lost to fellow SEC member 7-seed South Carolina.[7]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Kasey Hill 0 G 6'1" 175 Senior Umatilla, FL Graduated
Devin Robinson 1 F 6'8" 200 Junior Chesterfield, VA Declare for 2017 NBA draft
Eric Hester 2 G 6'3" 167 Freshman Clearwater, FL Transferred to Akron
Justin Leon 23 F 6'8" 206 Senior Conway, AR Graduated
Canyon Barry 24 G 6'6" 215 RS Senior Colorado Springs, CO Completed athletic eligibility; graduated from Charleston in 2016
Schuyler Rimmer 32 C 6'10" 249 RS Senior Orlando, FL Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Egor Koulechov 4 G/F 6'5" 210 RS Senior Volgograd, Russia Graduate transferred from Rice

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
DeAundre Ballard
SF
Atlanta, GA Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy 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: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/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

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2017–18 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Mike Okauru 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Raleigh, North Carolina
F 1 Chase Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Huntington Prep School Ripley, West Virginia
F 2 Isaiah Stokes 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 270 lb (122 kg) Fr IMG Academy Memphis, Tennessee
G 3 Jalen Hudson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Virginia Tech Richmond, Virginia
G/F 4 Egor Koulechov 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Rice Volgograd, Russia
G 5 KeVaughn Allen 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Jr North Little Rock High School Little Rock, Arkansas
G 11 Chris Chiozza 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr White Station High School Memphis, Tennessee
F/C 12 Gorjok Gak 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Victory Rock Prep Sydney, Australia
F/C 13 Kevarrius Hayes 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Suwannee High School Live Oak, Florida
G 14 Mak Krause (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr St. Pius X Catholic High School Atlanta, Georgia
C 15 John Egbunu 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) RS Sr South Florida Bauchi, Nigeria
F 21 Dontay Bassett 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Oldsmar Christian School Oakland, California
G 22 Andrew Fava (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Loyola Blakefield Baltimore, Maryland
G 24 Deaundrae Ballard 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy Atlanta, Georgia
F 25 Keith Stone 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS So Zion Lutheran Christian School Deerfield Beach, Florida
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2017*
7:00 pm
No. 8 at Jacksonville
Fundraiser for Florida's First Coast Relief Fund
W 88–47 
 21  Hudson   9  Bassett   6  Allen  Swisher Gym (1,542)
Jacksonville, FL
November 5, 2017*
2:00 pm, SECN+
No. 8 Tampa W 94–57 
 18  Hudson   7  Tied   4  Allen  O'Connell Center (8,023)
Gainesville, FL
Regular season
November 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 8 Gardner–Webb W 116–74  1–0
 34  Koulechov   7  Gak   6  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (8,604)
Gainesville, FL
November 16, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 8 North Florida W 108–68  2–0
 18  Allen   10  Koulechov   7  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (9,151)
Gainesville, FL
November 19, 2017*
6:00 pm, SECN
No. 8 New Hampshire
Phil Knight Invitational Campus Game
W 70–63  3–0
 26  Hudson   10  Koulechov   1  3 tied  O'Connell Center (9,501)
Gainesville, FL
November 23, 2017*
10:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 7 vs. Stanford
Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket Quarterfinals
W 108–87  4–0
 26  Koulechov   4  Allen   11  Chiozza  Veterans Memorial Coliseum (7,878)
Portland, OR
November 24, 2017*
11:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 7 vs. No. 17 Gonzaga
Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket Semifinals
W 111–105 2OT 5–0
 35  Hudson   9  Koulechov   10  Chiozza  Moda Center (14,274)
Portland, OR
November 26, 2017*
10:30 pm, ESPN
No. 7 vs. No. 1 Duke
Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket Championship
L 84–87  5–1
 24  Hudson   10  Hudson   7  Chiozza  Moda Center (15,365)
Portland, OR
December 4, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 Florida State
Rivalry
L 66–83  5–2
 16  Hudson   9  Ballard   4  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (10,425)
Gainesville, FL
December 6, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN
No. 5 Loyola–Chicago L 59–65  5–3
 9  Chiozza   9  Koulechov   4  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (9,012)
Gainesville, FL
December 9, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 vs. No. 17 Cincinnati
Never Forget Tribute Classic
W 66–60  6–3
 21  Koulechov   7  Koulechov   6  Chiozza  Prudential Center (9,112)
Newark, NJ
December 16, 2017*
4:30 pm, FS2/FSFL
No. 22 vs. Clemson
Orange Bowl Classic
L 69–71  6–4
 23  Hudson   9  Koulechov   3  Tied  BB&T Center (9,152)
Sunrise, FL
December 20, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN
James Madison W 72–63  7–4
 19  Chiozza   7  Hayes   7  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (8,203)
Gainesville, FL
December 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN
Incarnate Word W 75–60  8–4
 16  Chozza   8  Hayes   6  Hudson  O'Connell Center (8,021)
Gainesville, FL
December 30, 2017
4:00 pm, ESPN2
Vanderbilt W 81–74  9–4
(1–0)
 22  Koulechov   8  Koulechov   3  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (10,274)
Gainesville, FL
January 2, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 11 Texas A&M W 83–66  10–4
(2–0)
 19  Koulechov   7  Hayes   9  Chiozza  Reed Arena (12,524)
College Station, TX
January 6, 2018
1:00 pm, CBS
at Missouri W 77–75  11–4
(3–0)
 16  Hudson   8  Koulechov   6  Chiozza  Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Columbia, MO
January 10, 2018
7:00 pm, SECN
Mississippi State W 71–54  12–4
(4–0)
 23  Koulechov   8  Tied   7  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (9,917)
Gainesville, FL
January 13, 2018
1:00 pm, CBS
at Ole Miss L 72–78  12–5
(4–1)
 23  Stone   11  Koulechov   4  Chiozza  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (6,457)
Oxford, MS
January 17, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
Arkansas W 88–73  13–5
(5–1)
 28  Allen   9  Hudson   9  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (9,929)
Gainesville, FL
January 20, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN
at No. 18 Kentucky
Rivalry/College Gameday
W 66–64  14–5
(6–1)
 17  Hudson   9  Tied   8  Chiozza  Rupp Arena (24,394)
Lexington, KY
January 24, 2018
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 20 South Carolina L 72–77  14–6
(6–2)
 16  Tied   8  Koulechov   8  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (10,151)
Gainesville, FL
January 27, 2018*
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 20 Baylor
Big 12/SEC Challenge
W 81–60  15–6
 20  Chiozza   8  Koulechov   6  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (10,623)
Gainesville, FL
January 30, 2018
7:00 pm, SECN
No. 23 at Georgia L 60–72  15–7
(6–3)
 15  Chiozza   7  Koulechov   6  Chiozza  Stegeman Coliseum (8,779)
Athens, GA
February 3, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN
No. 23 Alabama L 50–68  15–8
(6–4)
 16  Allen   5  Tied   4  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (10,845)
Gainesville, FL
February 7, 2018
6:30 pm, SECN
LSU W 73–64  16–8
(7–4)
 18  Hudson   9  Hudson   6  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (9,833)
Gainesville, FL
February 10, 2018
12:00 pm, CBS
at South Carolina W 65–41  17–8
(8–4)
 12  Tied   7  3 tied   3  Tied  Colonial Life Arena (14,629)
Columbia, SC
February 14, 2018
9:00 pm, SECN
Georgia L 69–72 OT 17–9
(8–5)
 19  Tied   7  Hayes   5  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (9,497)
Gainesville, FL
February 17, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN2
at Vanderbilt L 68–71  17–10
(8–6)
 20  Stone   7  Koulechov   6  Chiozza  Memorial Gymnasium (10,346)
Nashville, TN
February 21, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 19 Tennessee L 57–62  17–11
(8–7)
 13  Hudson   8  Hayes   9  Chiozza  Thompson–Boling Arena (16,016)
Knoxville, FL
February 24, 2018
8:30 pm, SECN
No. 12 Auburn W 72–66  18–11
(9–7)
 24  Allen   6  Tied   12  Chiozza  O'Connell Center (10,503)
Gainesville, FL
February 27, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN
at Alabama W 73–52  19–11
(10–7)
 27  Hudson   9  Chiozza   4  Chiozza  Coleman Coliseum (12,282)
Tuscaloosa, AL
March 3, 2018
12:00 pm, CBS
No. 23 Kentucky
Rivalry
W 80–67  20–11
(11–7)
 22  Hudson   7  Allen   7  Allen  O'Connell Center (10,558)
Gainesville, FL
SEC Tournament
March 9, 2018
9:30 pm, SECN
(3) No. 23 vs. (6) Arkansas
Quarterfinals
L 72–80  20–12
 22  Stone   6  Koulechov   6  Chiozza  Scottrade Center (14,596)
St. Louis, MO
NCAA tournament
March 15, 2018*
9:57 pm, truTV
(6 E) No. 23 vs. (11 E) St. Bonaventure
First Round
W 77–62  21–12
 20  Koulechov   8  Stone   11  Chiozza  American Airlines Center (18,703)
Dallas, Texas
March 17, 2018*
8:40 pm, TNT
(6 E) No. 23 vs. (3 E) No. 14 Texas Tech
Second Round
L 66–69  21–13
 23  Hudson   10  Stone   4  Allen  American Airlines Center (18,642)
Dallas, Texas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[8]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP8876522RVRVRVRV2023RVRVRV2323Not released
Coaches7 (1)776522RVRVRVRVRV2224RVRVRV2324RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

See also

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References

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