COACH: Billy Donovan, 14 years at Florida, 10 years in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid.
GO-TO GUYS: The Gators have several ways to get to an opponent with four players averaging in double figures. Junior PG Erving Walker led them in scoring (14.5 points per game) in the regular season while dishing out 103 assists. He and sophomore G Kenny Boynton (13.7 points per game) and senior F Chandler Parsons (11.4 points per game) are the main scoring threats on the perimeter. Senior C Vernon Macklin and senior F Alex Tyus handle the load inside. Freshman F Patric Young adds muscle off the bench.
X FACTOR: He hasn't hit any 75-foot shots to win games like he did a year ago at North Carolina State, but senior F Chandler Parsons does all the little things and many not-so-little ones to help the Gators click. He can get the key rebound, block the big shot, and make the key steal as well as score inside or outside (39.3 on 3-point shots). About the only thing he doesn't do well is shoot free throws. He is below 60 percent for his career below 55 percent this season.
STRENGTHS: This is a well-balanced club at both ends of the court. The Gators averaged nearly 72 points per game and held opponents to only 62 while shooting 46 percent, four points better than their opponents. They dominated their foes on the boards by more than six rebounds a game. The Gators are solid in close games, going 9-3 in the regular season in games decided by six points or fewer (3-0 in overtime games in conference play). Experience -- the Gators start three seniors, a junior, and a sophomore -- and depth (three subs off the bench are all putting in double digits in minutes) are big assets.
WEAKNESSES: The Gators have issues at the free throw line, shooting only 67 percent in the regular season as a team with two starters (Macklin and Parsons) and a key reserve (freshman G Scottie Wilbeken) all under 55 percent for the regular season. The shooting has to hold up for the Gators to make a deep run in the postseason, particularly with Walker, who had some clunker games from 3-point range over the second half of the conference season.
