Florida Gators – March Madness Team Predictions, Odds and Preview 2017

Florida Gators (Overall: 24-8, Conf: 14-4)

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Team Strengths:

Defense is what the Gators preach. It’s where they generate and create rhythm for their offense. They have a handful of aggressive defenders that will pester, get the ball, and then outrun you to the other side for a score.

Through speedsters Kevaughn Allen, Kasey Hill, Devin Robinson, and Chris Chiozza, who all have a nose for the ball and average at least one steal per contest, Florida (+3,000) finished the regular season ranking 39th in the nation in steals.

It’s also good that their main options can collectively contribute from anywhere on the floor, particularly Allen and Robinson, as both possess a threat when driving to the hoop or stepping out for a jumper.

Team Weaknesses:

Rim protection. Period. John Egbunu’s knee injury was simply frustrating. The junior was arguably one of the best defensive bigs in the SEC, so him not being there is leaving a huge hole.

Although they still have Kevarrius Hayes, who can be really good when he’s on (1.6 BPG in just 16.4 MPG), he obviously won’t be enough to counter the premiere low post players down the line.

In four of the five games after Egbunu went down, the Gators had problems containing players who mostly played inside. Sidnarius Thornwell, Bam Adebayo, Moses Kingsley, and Luke Kornet all had an easy day operating in the paint, and their production equated to 20.5 points and 10 rebounds.

Team Stats:

CATEGORY | STAT / G | NCAA RANK
Points | 78.8 | 57th
Rebounds | 37.1 | 114th
Assists | 12.7 | 227th
Steals | 7.6 | 39th
Blocks | 4.7 | 42nd
Field goal percentage | 45.4 | 127th
Three-point percentage | 36.6 | 111th
Free throw percentage | 72.7 | 97th
Turnovers | 11.9 | 75th

Starting Lineup:

POSITION | NAME | PPG
C | Kevarrius Hayes | 6.1
F | Justin Leon | 7.1
F | Devin Robinson | 10.9
G | Kasey Hill | 9.6
G | Kevaughn Allen | 13.9

Writer’s Prediction:

The Gators (+3,000) will reach the Sweet 16.

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