# 2015–16 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the Gators' first season since 1995-96 without long-time head coach Billy Donovan, as he left the Gators to become the new head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. The Gators, led by first year head coach Mike White, competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. They finished the season 21–15, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost to Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated North Florida and Ohio State to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to George Washington.

## Previous season

The Gators finished the 2014–15 season 16–17, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament where they lost to Kentucky. They did not participate in a postseason tournament for the first time in 17 years.

## Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Eli Carter | 1 | G | 6'2" | 200 | RS Junior | Paterson, NJ | Graduate transferred to Boston College |
| Michael Frazier II | 20 | G | 6'4" | 194 | Junior | Tampa, FL | Declared for 2015 NBA draft |
| Jon Horford | 21 | F | 6'10" | 240 | RS Senior | Grand Ledge, MI | Graduated |
| Chris Walker | 23 | F | 6'10" | 220 | Sophomore | Bonifay, FL | Declared for 2015 NBA draft |
| Billy Donovan, Jr. | 42 | G | 6'2" | 192 | Senior | Gainesville, FL | Walk on; graduated |

## Recruiting class of 2015

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| KeVaughn Allen SG | North Little Rock High School | North Little Rock, AR | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Apr 30, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 4 ||||||
| Kevarrius Hayes PF | Suwannee High School | Live Oak, FL | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jun 17, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 4 ||||||
| Keith Stone PF | Zion Lutheran Christian School | Deerfield Beach, FL | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Oct 20, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 4 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11 Rivals: 11 ESPN: 13 ||||||
| 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: "2015 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015. ||||||

### Recruiting class of 2016

College recruiting information (2016) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| John Mooney PF | Lake Brantley High School | Altamonte Springs, FL | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 28, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| 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: "2016 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 5* 7:00 pm | | Palm Beach Atlantic | W 89–42 | – | 12 – Tied | 10 – Robinson | 7 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (8,123) Gainesville, FL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 13* 9:30 pm, CBSSN | | at Navy Veterans Classic | W 59–41 | 1–0 | 13 – Robinson | 12 – Finney-Smith | 5 – Hill | Alumni Hall (5,710) Annapolis, MD |
| November 16* 8:00 pm | | North Carolina A&T Hall of Fame Tip Off | W 104–54 | 2–0 | 15 – Tied | 10 – Finney-Smith | 8 – Hill | O'Connell Center (8,605) Gainesville, FL |
| November 21* 2:30 pm, ESPN3 | | vs. Saint Joseph's Hall of Fame Tip Off | W 74–63 | 3–0 | 13 – Tied | 10 – Robinson | 4 – Chiozza | Mohegan Sun Arena (4,507) Uncasville, CT |
| November 22* 5:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 21 Purdue Hall of Fame Tip Off | L 70–85 | 3–1 | 19 – Egbunu | 8 – Finney-Smith | 4 – Finney-Smith | Mohegan Sun Arena (3,813) Uncasville, CT |
| November 25* 3:00 pm, SECN | | Vermont Hall of Fame Tip Off | W 86–62 | 4–1 | 20 – Finney-Smith | 8 – Robinson | 6 – Finney-Smith | O'Connell Center (8,003) Gainesville, FL |
| November 27* 6:30 pm, SECN | | Florida Gulf Coast | W 70–50 | 5–1 | 23 – Finney-Smith | 11 – Egbunu | 3 – Tied | O'Connell Center (10,323) Gainesville, FL |
| December 1* 7:00 pm, SECN | | Richmond | W 76–56 | 6–1 | 17 – Egbunu | 14 – Egbunu | 7 – Finney-Smith | O'Connell Center (8,231) Gainesville, FL |
| December 8* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 17 Miami (FL) | L 55–66 | 6–2 | 14 – Egbunu | 6 – Tied | 3 – Chiozza | BankUnited Center (7,972) Coral Gables, FL |
| December 12* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 1 Michigan State | L 52–58 | 6–3 | 13 – Tied | 9 – Robinson | 3 – Tied | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| December 19* 8:00 pm, FS1 | | vs. Oklahoma State Orange Bowl Classic | W 72–70 | 7–3 | 16 – Finney-Smith | 9 – Finney-Smith | 8 – Hill | BB&T Center (9,483) Sunrise, FL |
| December 22* 7:00 pm | | Jacksonville | W 89–65 | 8–3 | 15 – Allen | 7 – Hayes | 7 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (9,083) Gainesville, FL |
| December 29* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Florida State Rivalry | L 71–73 | 8–4 | 32 – Allen | 7 – Tied | 5 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (10,121) Gainesville, FL |
| January 2 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Georgia | W 77–63 | 9–4 (1–0) | 18 – Allen | 12 – Egbunu | 6 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (9,053) Gainesville, FL |
| January 6 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Tennessee | L 69–83 | 9–5 (1–1) | 18 – Allen | 11 – Finney-Smith | 5 – Hill | Thompson–Boling Arena (14,387) Knoxville, TN |
| January 9 1:30 pm, CBS | | LSU | W 68–62 | 10–5 (2–1) | 14 – Tied | 9 – Leon | 8 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (11,350) Gainesville, FL |
| January 12 7:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 15 Texas A&M | L 68–71 | 10–6 (2–2) | 17 – Finney-Smith | 12 – Finney-Smith | 8 – Chiozza | Reed Arena (9,766) College Station, TX |
| January 16 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Ole Miss | W 80–71 | 11–6 (3–2) | 27 – Allen | 10 – Finney-Smith | 9 – Chiozza | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,333) Oxford, MS |
| January 19 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Mississippi State | W 81–78 | 12–6 (4–2) | 20 – Finney-Smith | 13 – Finney-Smith | 5 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (8,250) Gainesville, FL |
| January 23 8:00 pm, SECN | | Auburn | W 95–63 | 13–6 (5–2) | 24 – Finney-Smith | 9 – Egbunu | 8 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (11,230) Gainesville, FL |
| January 26 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Vanderbilt | L 59–60 | 13–7 (5–3) | 16 – Allen | 14 – Finney-Smith | 3 – Chiozza | Memorial Gymnasium (11,351) Nashville, TN |
| January 30* 12:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 9 West Virginia Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 88–71 | 14–7 | 24 – Finney-Smith | 6 – Rimmer | 6 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (11,611) Gainesville, FL |
| February 3 7:00 pm, SECN | | Arkansas | W 87–83 | 15–7 (6–3) | 22 – Finney-Smith | 9 – Finney-Smith | 8 – Chiozza | O'Connell Center (9,013) Gainesville, FL |
| February 6 4:00 pm, CBS | | at No. 20 Kentucky Rivalry | L 61–80 | 15–8 (6–4) | 24 – Finney-Smith | 8 – Finney-Smith | 4 – Chiozza | Rupp Arena (24,406) Lexington, KY |
| February 9 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Ole Miss | W 77–72 | 16–8 (7–4) | 16 – Finney-Smith | 10 – Egbunu | 6 – Hill | O'Connell Center (8,345) Gainesville, FL |
| February 13 5:30 pm, SECN | | Alabama | L 55–61 | 16–9 (7–5) | 12 – Tied | 12 – Robinson | 2 – Tied | O'Connell Center (12,045) Gainesville, FL |
| February 16 9:00 pm, ESPN | | at Georgia | W 57–53 | 17–9 (8–5) | 19 – Allen | 8 – Leon | 5 – Hill | Stegeman Coliseum (8,021) Athens, GA |
| February 20 12:00 pm, SECN | | at South Carolina | L 69–73 $^{OT}$ | 17–10 (8–6) | 18 – Finney-Smith | 13 – Finney-Smith | 7 – Hill | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| February 23 7:00 pm, SECN | | Vanderbilt | L 74–87 | 17–11 (8–7) | 15 – Leon | 11 – Finney-Smith | 5 – Hill | O'Connell Center (9,035) Gainesville, FL |
| February 27 8:30 pm, ESPN | | at LSU | L 91–96 | 17–12 (8–8) | 22 – Egbunu | 7 – Finney-Smith | 7 – Chiozza | Maravich Center (13,468) Baton Rouge, LA |
| March 1 7:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 22 Kentucky Rivalry | L 79–88 | 17–13 (8–9) | 27 – Egbunu | 5 – Tied | 5 – Finney-Smith | O'Connell Center (10,684) Gainesville, FL |
| March 5 7:30 pm, SECN | | at Missouri | W 82–72 | 18–13 (9–9) | 20 – Finney-Smith | 7 – Tied | 8 – Chiozza | Mizzou Arena (7,013) Columbia, MO |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 10 1:00 pm, SECN | (8) | vs. (9) Arkansas Second Round | W 68–61 | 19–13 | 18 – Hill | 9 – Tied | 5 – Hill | Bridgestone Arena (12,270) Nashville, TN |
| March 11 1:00 pm, SECN | (8) | vs. (1) No. 17 Texas A&M Quarterfinals | L 66–72 | 19–14 | 18 – Hill | 9 – Finney-Smith | 2 – Hill | Bridgestone Arena (15,222) Nashville, TN |
| National Invitation Tournament |||||||||
| March 15* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | (2) | at (7) North Florida First Round – Monmouth Bracket | W 97–68 | 20–14 | 15 – Finney-Smith | 10 – Egbunu | 7 – Chiozza | UNF Arena (6,011) Jacksonville, FL |
| March 20* Noon, ESPN | (2) | at (3) Ohio State Second Round – Monmouth Bracket | W 74–66 | 21–14 | 16 – Finney-Smith | 12 – Finney-Smith | 5 – Hill | Value City Arena (8,185) Columbus, OH |
| March 23* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (2) | at (4) George Washington Quarterfinals – Monmouth Bracket | L 77–82 | 21–15 | 22 – Allen | 8 – Finney-Smith | 7 – Hill | Charles E. Smith Center (3,399) Washington, D.C. |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||