# 2021–22 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Mike White, and played their home games at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 20–14, 9–9 in SEC Play to finish a five-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 9 seed in the SEC tournament, they lost in the second round to Texas A&M. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Iona in the first round before losing to Xavier.
On March 13, 2022, head coach Mike White left the school to take the head coaching position at Georgia. On March 18, the school named San Francisco head coach Todd Golden the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

In a season limited by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Gators finished the 2020–21 season 15–10, 9–7 in SEC play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Vanderbilt in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing to Tennessee in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the South region. There they defeated Virginia Tech before losing to Oral Roberts in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Ques Glover | 0 | G | 5'11" | 182 | Sophomore | Knoxville, TN | Transferred to Samford |
| Tre Mann | 1 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Sophomore | Gainesville, FL | Declare for 2021 NBA draft |
| Samson Ruzhentsev | 2 | F | 6'7" | 192 | Freshman | Moscow, Russia | Signed to play professionally in Serbia with Mega Basket |
| Omar Payne | 5 | F | 6'10" | 230 | Sophomore | Kissimmee, FL | Transferred to Illinois |
| Noah Locke | 10 | G | 6'3" | 203 | Junior | Baltimore, MD | Transferred to Louisville |
| Osayi Osifo | 15 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Junior | Bedworth Park, South Africa | Transferred to Jacksonville |
| Scottie Lewis | 23 | G | 6'5" | 189 | Sophomore | Hazlet, NJ | Declare for 2021 NBA draft |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Myreon Jones | 0 | G | 6'3" | 175 | Senior | Birmingham, AL | Penn State |
| CJ Felder | 1 | F | 6'7" | 231 | Junior | Sumter, SC | Boston College |
| Brandon McKissic | 23 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Graduate Student | Ferguson, MO | Kansas City |
| Phlandrous Fleming Jr. | 24 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Graduate Student | Athens, GA | Charleston Southern |
| Tuongthach Gathek | 32 | F | 6'9" | 172 | Sophomore | Portland, ME | Trinity Valley CC |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kowacie Reeves #14 SF | Macon, GA | Westside High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 30, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Elijah Kennedy SF | Virginia Beach, VA | Green Run High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 2, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: 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: "2021 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Malik Reneau #6 C | Hialeah Gardens, FL | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 |||||||
| Denzel Aberdeen #41 SG | Orlando, FL | Dr. Phillips High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 19, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: "2022 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Embry–Riddle | W 80–57 | | 20 – McKissic | 9 – Castleton | 7 – Appleby | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 8:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Elon | W 74–61 | 1–0 | 20 – Jones | 7 – Duruji | 4 – Castleton | O'Connell Center (9,275) Gainesville, FL |
| November 14, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 20 Florida State Rivalry | W 71–55 | 2–0 | 15 – Tied | 16 – Castleton | 5 – Appleby | O'Connell Center (10,011) Gainesville, FL |
| November 18, 2021* 6:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 24 | Milwaukee Fort Myers Tip-Off campus site-game | W 81–45 | 3–0 | 19 – Castleton | 10 – Castleton | 5 – Tied | O'Connell Center (8,223) Gainesville, FL |
| November 22, 2021* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 23 | vs. California Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division semifinals | W 80–60 | 4–0 | 16 – Castleton | 8 – Castleton | 3 – Tied | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 24, 2021* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 23 | vs. Ohio State Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division championship game | W 71–68 | 5–0 | 19 – Fleming Jr. | 13 – Castleton | 3 – Castleton | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 28, 2021* 12:00 p.m., SECN | No. 23 | Troy | W 84–45 | 6–0 | 12 – Tied | 8 – Castleton | 4 – Jones | O'Connell Center (8,875) Gainesville, FL |
| December 1, 2021* 8:00 p.m., BSSUN/BSFL | No. 14 | at Oklahoma | L 67–74 | 6–1 | 17 – Fleming Jr. | 11 – Castleton | 2 – Tied | Lloyd Noble Center (9,539) Norman, OK |
| December 6, 2021* 6:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 20 | Texas Southern | L 54–69 | 6–2 | 15 – McKissic | 5 – Castleton | 3 – Tied | O'Connell Center (7,623) Gainesville, FL |
| December 8, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 20 | North Florida | W 85–55 | 7–2 | 26 – Castleton | 8 – Castleton | 3 – Tied | O'Connell Center (7,705) Gainesville, FL |
| December 12, 2021* 4:30 p.m., BTN | No. 20 | vs. Maryland Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational | L 68–70 | 7–3 | 15 – Tied | 11 – Fleming Jr. | 4 – Tied | Barclays Center (7,124) Brooklyn, NY |
| December 18, 2021* 1:00 p.m., BSSUN | | vs. South Florida Orange Bowl Classic | W 66–55 | 8–3 | 12 – Castleton | 11 – Castleton | 5 – McKissic | FLA Live Arena Sunrise, FL |
| December 22, 2021* 2:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Stony Brook | W 87–62 | 9–3 | 20 – Fleming Jr. | 7 – Tied | 7 – Appleby | O'Connell Center (8,063) Gainesville, FL |
| January 5, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 15 Alabama | L 70–83 | 9–4 (0–1) | 19 – Castleton | 7 – Tied | 5 – Appleby | O'Connell Center (10,210) Gainesville, FL |
| January 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 9 Auburn | L 73–85 | 9–5 (0–2) | 22 – Castleton | 10 – Castleton | 9 – Appleby | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| January 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 12 LSU | L 58–64 | 9–6 (0–3) | 19 – Castleton | 9 – Castleton | 3 – Jones | O'Connell Center (10,110) Gainesville, FL |
| January 15, 2022 1:00 p.m., SECN | | at South Carolina | W 71–63 | 10–6 (1–3) | 14 – Tied | 7 – Castleton | 6 – Appleby | Colonial Life Arena (10,813) Columbia, SC |
| January 19, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN | | Mississippi State | W 80–72 | 11–6 (2–3) | 22 – Duruji | 5 – McKissic | 5 – Tied | O'Connell Center (10,008) Gainesville, FL |
| January 22, 2022 1:00 p.m., SECN | | Vanderbilt | W 61–42 | 12–6 (3–3) | 11 – Appleby | 10 – Jitoboh | 4 – McKissic | O'Connell Center (10,345) Gainesville, FL |
| January 24, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | at Ole Miss | L 54–70 | 12–7 (3–4) | 12 – Jitoboh | 5 – Jitoboh | 4 – Appleby | SJB Pavilion (6,273) Oxford, MS |
| January 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 18 Tennessee | L 71–78 | 12–8 (3–5) | 16 – Tied | 6 – Duruji | 7 – Appleby | Thompson–Boling Arena (20,789) Knoxville, TN |
| January 29, 2022* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Oklahoma State Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 81–72 | 13–8 | 21 – Appleby | 6 – Fleming Jr. | 4 – Appleby | O'Connell Center (10,056) Gainesville, FL |
| February 2, 2022 3:00 p.m., SECN | | at Missouri | W 66–65 | 14–8 (4–5) | 17 – Appleby | 6 – Fleming Jr. | 3 – Fleming Jr. | Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO |
| February 5, 2022 3:30 p.m., SECN | | Ole Miss | W 62–57 $^{OT}$ | 15–8 (5–5) | 17 – Castleton | 7 – Tied | 10 – Appleby | O'Connell Center (10,007) Gainesville, FL |
| February 9, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN | | Georgia | W 72–63 | 16–8 (6–5) | 23 – Jones | 9 – Castleton | 3 – Appleby | O'Connell Center (9,929) Gainesville, FL |
| February 12, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 5 Kentucky Rivalry | L 57–78 | 16–9 (6–6) | 18 – Castleton | 7 – Castleton | 4 – Castleton | Rupp Arena (20,383) Lexington, KY |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at Texas A&M | L 55–56 | 16–10 (6–7) | 15 – Castleton | 15 – Castleton | 3 – Lane | Reed Arena (6,349) College Station, TX |
| February 19, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 2 Auburn | W 63–62 | 17–10 (7–7) | 26 – Appleby | 8 – Castleton | 5 – Fleming Jr. | O'Connell Center (11,255) Gainesville, FL |
| February 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 18 Arkansas | L 74–82 | 17–11 (7–8) | 29 – Castleton | 8 – Fleming Jr. | 5 – Jones | O'Connell Center (9,023) Gainesville, FL |
| February 26, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Georgia | W 84–72 | 18–11 (8–8) | 27 – Fleming Jr. | 12 – Castleton | 7 – Appleby | Stegeman Coliseum (9,070) Athens, GA |
| March 1, 2022 8:30 p.m., SECN | | at Vanderbilt | W 82–78 | 19–11 (9–8) | 18 – Castleton | 8 – Castleton | 6 – Fleming Jr. | Memorial Gymnasium (6,568) Nashville, TN |
| March 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., CBS | | No. 7 Kentucky Rivalry | L 63–71 | 19–12 (9–9) | 23 – Castleton | 11 – Castleton | 8 – McKissic | O'Connell Center (9,788) Gainesville, FL |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 12:00 p.m., SECN | (9) | vs. (8) Texas A&M Second Round | L 80–83 $^{OT}$ | 19–13 | 21 – Reeves | 9 – Lane | 4 – Fleming Jr. | Amalie Arena (10,295) Tampa, FL |
| NIT tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2022* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (3) | Iona First Round – Dayton Bracket | W 79–74 | 20–13 | 18 – Tied | 13 – Castleton | 5 – Appleby | O'Connell Center (3,023) Gainesville, FL |
| March 20, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPN | (3) | at (2) Xavier Second Round – Dayton Bracket | L 56–72 | 20–14 | 14 – Reeves | 8 – Fleming Jr. | 3 – Tied | Cintas Center (3,437) Cincinnati, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | 24 | 23 | 14 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | Not released |
| Coaches | — | —* | 24 | 12 | 16 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings. No Coaches Poll for Week 1.