2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators were led by fifth-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 19–12, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They were set to take on Georgia in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the SEC Tournament and all other postseason tournaments were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball
Charleston Classic champions
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	19–12 (11–7 SEC)
Head coach	Mike White (5th season)
Assistant coaches	Al Pinkins Jordan Mincy Darris Nichols
Home arena	Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center

2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 8 Kentucky	15	–	3		.833			25	–	6		.806
No. 20 Auburn	12	–	6		.667			25	–	6		.806
LSU	12	–	6		.667			21	–	10		.677
Mississippi State	11	–	7		.611			20	–	11		.645
Florida	11	–	7		.611			19	–	12		.613
South Carolina	10	–	8		.556			18	–	13		.581
Texas A&M	10	–	8		.556			16	–	14		.533
Tennessee	9	–	9		.500			17	–	14		.548
Alabama	8	–	10		.444			16	–	15		.516
Arkansas	7	–	11		.389			20	–	12		.625
Missouri	7	–	11		.389			15	–	16		.484
Ole Miss	6	–	12		.333			15	–	17		.469
Georgia	5	–	13		.278			16	–	16		.500
Vanderbilt	3	–	15		.167			11	–	21		.344
Note: The 2020 SEC tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Gators finished the 2018–19 season 20–16, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Arkansas in the second round, LSU in the quarterfinals before losing to Auburn in the semifinals of the SEC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Nevada in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Michigan.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Mike Okauru	0	G	6'3"	184	Sophomore	Raleigh, NC	Transferred to UNC Wilmington
Chase Johnson	1	F	6'9"	219	RS Freshman	Ripley, WV	Transferred to Dayton
Jalen Hudson	3	G	6'6"	195	RS Senior	Richmond, VA	Graduated
KeVaughn Allen	5	G	6'2"	193	Senior	Little Rock, AR	Graduated
Kevarrius Hayes	13	C	6'9"	227	Senior	Live Oak, FL	Graduated
Mak Krause	14	G	6'2"	172	Senior	Atlanta, GA	Walk-on; graduated
Isaiah Stokes	15	F	6'8"	270	RS Freshman	Aurora, ON	Transferred to Memphis
Andrew Fava	22	G	5'10"	171	Sophomore	Baltimore, MD	Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Deaundrae Ballard	24	G	6'5"	197	Sophomore	Atlanta, GA	Transferred to South Alabama
Keith Stone	25	F	6'8"	253	RS Junior	Deerfield Beach, FL	Graduate Transferred to Miami (FL)

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Anthony Duruji	4	F	6'7"	215	Junior	Germantown, MD	Louisiana Tech
Tyree Appleby	22	G	6'1"	165	Junior	Jacksonville, AR	Cleveland State
Kerry Blackshear Jr.	24	F	6'10"	250	Senior	Orlando, FL	Virginia Tech

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Scottie Lewis SF	Colts Neck, NJ	Ranney School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Oct 2, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 96
Tre Mann PG	The Villages, FL	The Villages Charter High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Aug 28, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 89
Omar Payne C	Kissimmee, FL	Montverde Academy	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Oct 1, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 88
Jason Jitoboh C	Chattanooga, TN	Hamilton Heights Christian Academy	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Mar 28, 2019
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Alex Klatsky PG	Tinton Falls, NJ	Ranney School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	Sep 11, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 60
Jacques Glover PG	Knoxville, TN	Bearden High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Apr 1, 2019
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
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: "2019 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team
1	Kentucky
2	Florida
3	LSU
4	Auburn
5	Tennessee
6	Alabama
7	Mississippi State
8	Ole Miss
9	Georgia
10	South Carolina
11	Arkansas
12	Texas A&M
13	Missouri
14	Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Gators had two players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

SEC Player of the Year

Kerry Blackshear

First Team

Kerry Blackshear

Second Team

Andrew Nembhard

Roster

2019–20 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Ques Glover 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Fr Bearden High School Knoxville, Tennessee G 1 Tre Mann 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Fr The Villages Charter Schools Gainesville, Florida G 2 Andrew Nembhard 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) So Montverde Academy Aurora, Ontario G 3 Alex Klatsky 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Fr Ranney School Colts Neck, New Jersey F 4 Anthony Duruji  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Jr Louisiana Tech Germantown, Maryland F 5 Omar Payne 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Kissimmee, Florida G 10 Noah Locke 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So McDonogh School Randallstown, Maryland F 11 Keyontae Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 231 lb (105 kg) So Oak Hill Academy Norfolk, Virginia C 12 Gorjok Gak 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 244 lb (111 kg) Sr Victory Rock Prep Sydney, Australia F 21 Dontay Bassett 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 236 lb (107 kg) RS Jr Oldsmar Christian School Oakland, California G 22 Tyree Appleby  6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 163 lb (74 kg) Jr Cleveland State Jacksonville, Arkansas G 23 Scottie Lewis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Ranney School Hazlet, New Jersey F 24 Kerry Blackshear Jr. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 241 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Virginia Tech Orlando, Florida C 33 Jason Jitoboh 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 300 lb (136 kg) Fr Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Abuja, Nigeria	Head coach Mike White (Mississippi) Assistant coach(es) Al Pinkens (NC State) 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 29, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+	No. 6	Lynn	W 89–71	–	17 – Nembhard	10 – Blackshear	6 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (7,593) Gainesville, FL
Regular season
November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN	No. 6	North Florida	W 74–59	1–0	20 – Blackshear	10 – Blackshear	4 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (9,685) Gainesville, FL
November 10, 2019* 1:00 pm, ESPN	No. 6	Florida State Sunshine Showdown	L 51–63	1–1	19 – Johnson	13 – Blackshear	3 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (10,851) Gainesville, FL
November 14, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 15	Towson Charleston Classic non bracket game	W 66–60	2–1	15 – Lewis	13 – Blackshear	9 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (8,055) Gainesville, FL
November 17, 2019* 3:00 pm, ESPN	No. 15	at UConn	L 59–62	2–2	15 – Blackshear	8 – Blackshear	7 – Nembhard	Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, CT
November 21, 2019* 2:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. Saint Joseph's Charleston Classic quarterfinals	W 70–62	3–2	22 – Johnson	12 – Johnson	3 – Blackshear	TD Arena (2,914) Charleston, SC
November 22, 2019* 12:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. Miami (FL) Charleston Classic semifinals	W 78–58	4–2	20 – Blackshear	11 – Blackshear	9 – Nembhard	TD Arena (3,245) Charleston, SC
November 24, 2019* 8:30 pm, ESPN		vs. No. 18 Xavier Charleston Classic championship game	W 70–65	5–2	15 – 2 tied	10 – Blackshear	4 – Nembhard	TD Arena (4,233) Charleston, SC
November 29, 2019* 9:00 pm, SECN	No. 24	Marshall	W 73–67	6–2	14 – Glover	7 – 2 tied	4 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (10,583) Gainesville, FL
December 7, 2019* 12:00 pm, FOX		at No. 24 Butler	L 62–76	6–3	17 – Blackshear	5 – 2 tied	5 – Nembhard	Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,303) Indianapolis, IN
December 17, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. Providence Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational	W 83–51	7–3	19 – Johnson	10 – Johnson	7 – Nembhard	Barclays Center (5,064) Brooklyn, NY
December 21, 2019* 2:30 pm, FS1		vs. Utah State Orange Bowl Classic	L 62–65	7–4	22 – Blackshear	14 – Blackshear	4 – Nembhard	BB&T Center (8,927) Sunrise, FL
December 28, 2019* 12:00 pm, SECN		Long Beach State	W 102–63	8–4	21 – 2 tied	10 – Locke	13 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (9,067) Gainesville, FL
January 4, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN2		Alabama	W 104–98 2OT	9–4 (1–0)	25 – Nembhard	16 – Blackshear	4 – 2 tied	O'Connell Center (9,350) Gainesville, FL
January 7, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU		at South Carolina	W 81–68	10–4 (2–0)	21 – Nembhard	9 – 2 tied	10 – Nembhard	Colonial Life Arena (10,651) Columbia, SC
January 11, 2020 8:30 pm, SECN		at Missouri	L 75–91	10–5 (2–1)	22 – Blackshear	5 – Johnson	4 – Nembhard	Mizzou Arena (9,001) Columbia, MO
January 14, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN2		Ole Miss	W 71–55	11–5 (3–1)	15 – Johnson	9 – Blackshear	6 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (9,545) Gainesville, FL
January 18, 2020 1:30 pm, CBS		No. 4 Auburn	W 69–47	12–5 (4–1)	19 – Payne	16 – Blackshear	5 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (10,756) Gainesville, FL
January 21, 2020 7:00 pm, SECN		at LSU	L 82–84	12–6 (4–2)	16 – 2 tied	9 – Johnson	10 – Nembhard	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,479) Baton Rouge, LA
January 25, 2020* 8:00 pm, ESPN		No. 1 Baylor Big 12/SEC Challenge	L 61–72	12–7	20 – Johnson	5 – Johnson	8 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (11,092) Gainesville, FL
January 28, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN2		Mississippi State	L 71–78	12–8 (4–3)	17 – Lewis	7 – Blackshear	3 – 2 tied	O'Connell Center (8,248) Gainesville, FL
February 1, 2020 8:30 pm, SECN		at Vanderbilt	W 61–55	13–8 (5–3)	20 – Johnson	7 – 2 tied	4 – Nembhard	Memorial Gymnasium (9,582) Nashville, TN
February 5, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU		Georgia	W 81–75	14–8 (6–3)	25 – Nembhard	9 – Lewis	3 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (9,889) Gainesville, FL
February 8, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN2		at Ole Miss	L 51–68	14–9 (6–4)	16 – Johnson	10 – Johnson	3 – 2 tied	The Pavilion at Ole Miss (7,760) Oxford, MS
February 12, 2020 8:30 pm, SECN		at Texas A&M	W 78–61	15–9 (7–4)	24 – Nembhard	10 – Johnson	6 – Johnson	Reed Arena (6,237) College Station, TX
February 15, 2020 8:00 pm, SECN		Vanderbilt	W 84–66	16–9 (8–4)	19 – Locke	6 – 2 tied	5 – Blackshear	O'Connell Center (10,151) Gainesville, FL
February 18, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU		Arkansas	W 73–59	17–9 (9–4)	24 – Johnson	10 – Johnson	4 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (9,023) Gainesville, FL
February 22, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN		at No. 10 Kentucky Rivalry	L 59–65	17–10 (9–5)	19 – Johnson	9 – Johnson	6 – Nembhard	Rupp Arena (20,489) Lexington, KY
February 26, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPN2		LSU	W 81–66	18–10 (10–5)	25 – Johnson	11 – Johnson	5 – Johnson	O'Connell Center (10,002) Gainesville, FL
February 29, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN2		at Tennessee	L 58–63	18–11 (10–6)	20 – Blackshear Jr.	9 – Blackshear Jr.	7 – Nembhard	Thompson–Boling Arena (19,743) Knoxville, TN
March 4, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU		at Georgia	W 68–54	19–11 (11–6)	18 – Johnson	11 – Johnson	6 – Nembhard	Stegeman Coliseum (10,007) Athens, GA
March 7, 2020 1:00 pm, CBS		No. 6 Kentucky Rivalry	L 70–71	19–12 (11–7)	19 – Lewis	5 – 2 tied	8 – Nembhard	O'Connell Center (9,767) Gainesville, FL
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2020 3:30 pm, SECN	(5)	vs. (13) Georgia Second round	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source

Rankings

See also: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked 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	6	15	RV	24	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	—	—	RV	RV	—	—	RV	RV	—	RV	—
Coaches	6	6^	RV	25	RV	RV	—	—	RV	RV	—	RV	—	—	—	RV	—	—	—	—

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a poll this week.