Florida Gators NCAA Basketball Betting
There is talent missing from last season in Gainesville, but it’s not just transfers or seniors lost. 7-foot center Micah Handlogten suffered a terrible injury late last season and took a medical redshirt this season, weakening the Gators’ depth in the frontcourt. Regardless, there’s reason to believe that the talent Golden and company have assembled can do significant damage.
Florida shed both Riley Kugel and Zyon Pullin in the offseason, but the return of Clayton provides great strength in this backcourt. Not only should Richard be in line for another breakthrough but the addition of Martin gives not only veteran leadership but postseason experience on this roster. There’s a very real chance the offense takes a slight step back, but the team as a whole should be in better competitive shape.
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A lot of that promise comes in the frontcourt, a unit set up for success even without Handlogten this season. Condon and Chinyelu are both underclassmen and likely will have growing pains, but either of them could be in line for massive steps forward in their careers. Adding a weapon like Alexis who has started as a mid-major is an excellent move for the bench while Rioux and his size will clearly be noticed.
Ever since Billy Donovan left the program in 2015, the Gators haven’t really been in the same shape, especially as the SEC has strengthened around them. They’re honestly playing a decades-worth of catch-up, especially with the rise of Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and a few other conference rivals during that time. Regardless, there’s raw talent in the frontcourt and intriguing weapons leading the charge among these guards, and this team will have a say in the SEC conference race.
This Florida team could be slightly better than last season if that young frontcourt can find its footing. The bottom line is that these Gators should be able to win games, but might not be as consistently successful as some of the top-tier SEC teams this season. Having a weapon like Clayton is a valuable asset, and this season should likely end in the NCAA Tournament, but can the Gators really do better than last year’s 7-seed?
Florida certainly isn’t living in those glory days. A lot has happened since those national titles during the 2000s, but Todd Golden’s first two seasons as head coach in Gainesville have been productive. He has the Gators trending in a good direction against a strong and relatively deep SEC.
This Florida program used to be one of the very best in the league but now sits a tier or two behind a number of programs. Last season was a step forward, with 24 wins, a 6th place finish, and a return to the NCAA Tournament. The Gators actually finished below .500 in Golden’s first season, though obviously, just making the Big Dance isn’t the end goal in Gainesville.
Florida boasted one of the nation’s top offenses last season, but it’s the defense that let them down time and time again. Golden has coached a few solid defenses in his young head coaching career. With a number of offseason changes in this roster, things will look pretty different next season, but have the Gators added enough talent to make a noticeable difference and compete for an SEC title?
There’s no question that this program is currently below Alabama, Auburn, and Tennessee in the SEC hierarchy, with programs like Arkansas and Kentucky certainly faring better than them in the recent past as well. With hopes that this changes this season, the Gators put together quite the rotation, and we’ll look closely at each of those players and what’s ahead on the year.
Florida has never been the same since Billy Donovan left. If they can start winning consistently they might provide good value as an ignored team.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2024 |
Lost First Round vs. (10) Colorado 100–102 |
| 2021 |
Lost Second Round vs. (15) Oral Roberts, 78–81 |
| 2019 |
Lost Second Round vs. (2) Michigan, 49–64 |
| 2018 |
Lost Second Round vs. (3) Texas Tech, 66–69 |
| 2017 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (7) South Carolina, 70–77 |
| 2014 |
Lost Final Four vs. (7) Connecticut, 53–63 |
| 2013 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (4) Michigan, 59–79 |
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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