# 2018–19 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators were led by fourth-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 20-16, 9-9 to finish 8th please. In the SEC Tournament, they defeated Arkansas, beat LSU in quarterfinals before losing to Auburn in the semifinals. They received a at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Nevada in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Michigan.

## Previous season

The Gators finished the 2017–18 season 21–13, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Arkansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated St. Bonaventure in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Texas Tech.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Egor Koulechov | 4 | G/F | 6'5" | 205 | RS SR | Volgograd, Russia | Graduated |
| John Egbunu | 15 | C | 6'11" | 265 | RS SR | Bauchi, Nigeria | Graduated |
| Chris Chiozza | 11 | G | 6'0" | 175 | SR | Memphis, Tennessee | Graduated |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Andrew Nembhard PG | Aurora, ON | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 2, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Noah Locke SG | Owings Mills, MD | McDonogh School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Oct 3, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Keyontae Johnson SF | Norfolk, VA | Oak Hill Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Nov 10, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| 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: "2018 Florida Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2017 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 |||||||||
| October 30, 2018* 7:00 pm | | Florida Southern | W 95–70 | – | 14 – Hudson | 10 – Stone | 4 – Tied | O'Connell Center (8,025) Gainesville, FL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 17 Florida State Sunshine Showdown | L 60–81 | 0–1 | 13 – Ballard | 8 – Stone | 4 – Nembhard | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,103) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 9, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Charleston Southern Battle 4 Atlantis campus game | W 76–46 | 1–1 | 14 – Allen | 7 – Nembhard | 6 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (10,072) Gainesville, FL |
| November 14, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | La Salle | W 82–69 | 2–1 | 15 – Hudson | 6 – Hayes | 7 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (8,450) Gainesville, FL |
| November 21, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. Oklahoma Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinal | L 60–65 | 2–2 | 14 – Bassett | 7 – Tied | 6 – Nembhard | Imperial Arena (1,401) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 22, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Stanford Battle 4 Atlantis consolation round | W 72–49 | 3–2 | 19 – Ballard | 8 – Hayes | 5 – Nembhard | Imperial Arena (1,109) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 23, 2018* 9:30 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Butler Battle 4 Atlantis 5th place game | L 54–61 | 3–3 | 11 – Tied | 6 – Hayes | 7 – Nembhard | Imperial Arena (1,140) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 27, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN | | North Florida | W 98–66 | 4–3 | 18 – Locke | 6 – Hudson | 11 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (8,505) Gainesville, FL |
| December 4, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. West Virginia Jimmy V Classic | W 66–56 | 5–3 | 19 – Allen | 8 – Stone | 7 – Nembhard | Madison Square Garden (8,499) New York, NY |
| December 8, 2018* 12:00 pm, CBS | | No. 10 Michigan State | L 59–63 | 5–4 | 13 – Tied | 8 – Hayes | 3 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (10,423) Gainesville, FL |
| December 18, 2018* 8:00 pm, SECN | | Mercer | W 71–63 | 6–4 | 18 – Locke | 11 – Hayes | 7 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (8,043) Gainesville, FL |
| December 22, 2018* 5:00 pm, FS2/FSSUN | | vs. Florida Gulf Coast Orange Bowl Classic | W 77–56 | 7–4 | 15 – Locke | 7 – Hayes | 4 – Nembhard | BB&T Center (8,914) Sunrise, FL |
| December 29, 2018* 4:00 pm, ESPNU | | Butler | W 77–43 | 8–4 | 12 – Tied | 8 – Johnson | 3 – Tied | O'Connell Center (9,814) Gainesville, FL |
| January 5, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | South Carolina | L 69–71 | 8–5 (0–1) | 17 – Locke | 6 – Johnson | 7 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (10,230) Gainesville, FL |
| January 9, 2019 8:30 pm, SECN | | at Arkansas | W 57–51 | 9–5 (1–1) | 19 – Allen | 6 – Hudson | 4 – Nembhard | Bud Walton Arena (17,160) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 12, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 3 Tennessee | L 67–78 | 9–6 (1–2) | 18 – Allen | 7 – Hayes | 5 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (10,923) Gainesville, FL |
| January 15, 2019 7:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 24 Mississippi State | L 68–71 | 9–7 (1–3) | 17 – Allen | 8 – Hayes | 8 – Nembhard | Humphrey Coliseum (7,501) Starkville, MS |
| January 19, 2019 12:00 pm, CBS | | at Georgia | W 62–52 | 10–7 (2–3) | 13 – Allen | 9 – Hayes | 5 – Nembhard | Stegeman Coliseum (10,023) Athens, GA |
| January 22, 2019 8:30 pm, SECN | | Texas A&M | W 81–72 | 11–7 (3–3) | 31 – Allen | 9 – Johnson | 11 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (9,063) Gainesville, FL |
| January 26, 2019* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at TCU Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 50–55 | 11–8 | 11 – Allen | 8 – Johnson | 5 – Allen | Schollmaier Arena (6,682) Fort Worth, TX |
| January 30, 2019 6:30 pm, SECN | | Ole Miss | W 90–86 $^{OT}$ | 12–8 (4–3) | 22 – Locke | 8 – Hayes | 6 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (9,380) Gainesville, FL |
| February 2, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 7 Kentucky Rivalry | L 54–65 | 12–9 (4–4) | 12 – Nembhard | 10 – Johnson | 3 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (10,763) Gainesville, FL |
| February 5, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Auburn | L 62–76 | 12–10 (4–5) | 11 – Hayes | 10 – Johnson | 3 – Allen | Auburn Arena (7,714) Auburn, AL |
| February 9, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 1 Tennessee | L 61–73 | 12–11 (4–6) | 17 – Locke | 9 – Hayes | 5 – Nembhard | Thompson–Boling Arena (22,261) Knoxville, TN |
| February 13, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Vanderbilt | W 66–57 | 13–11 (5–6) | 15 – Johnson | 9 – Johnson | 1 – Tied | O'Connell Center (9,007) Gainesville, FL |
| February 16, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Alabama | W 71–53 | 14–11 (6–6) | 21 – Nembhard | 13 – Johnson | 3 – Allen | Coleman Coliseum (12,148) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 20, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 13 LSU | W 82–77 $^{OT}$ | 15–11 (7–6) | 21 – Allen | 7 – Hayes | 8 – Nembhard | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,976) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 23, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPNU | | Missouri | W 64–60 | 16–11 (8–6) | 17 – Allen | 7 – Johnson | 4 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (10,450) Gainesville, FL |
| February 27, 2019 9:00 pm, SECN | | at Vanderbilt | W 71–55 | 17–11 (9–6) | 19 – Nembhard | 6 – Johnson | 3 – Locke | Memorial Gymnasium (8,583) Nashville, TN |
| March 2, 2019 8:30 pm, SECN | | Georgia | L 55–61 | 17–12 (9–7) | 13 – Hudson | 6 – Hayes | 4 – Tied | O'Connell Center (9,328) Gainesville, FL |
| March 6, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 10 LSU | L 78–79 $^{OT}$ | 17–13 (9–8) | 33 – Hudson | 15 – Hayes | 4 – Nembhard | O'Connell Center (9,550) Gainesville, FL |
| March 9, 2019 2:00 pm, CBS | | at No. 6 Kentucky Rivalry | L 57–66 | 17–14 (9–9) | 19 – Hayes | 6 – Hudson | 8 – Nembhard | Rupp Arena (24,456) Lexington, KY |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 1:00 pm, SECN | (8) | vs. (9) Arkansas Second Round | W 66–50 | 18–14 | 20 – Johnson | 12 – Johnson | 8 – Nembhard | Bridgestone Arena (12,720) Nashville, TN |
| March 15, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN | (8) | vs. (1) No. 9 LSU Quarterfinals | W 76–73 | 19–14 | 20 – Nembhard | 10 – Johnson | 6 – Nembhard | Bridgestone Arena (16,490) Nashville, TN |
| March 16, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN | (8) | vs. (5) No. 22 Auburn Semifinals | L 62–65 | 19–15 | 16 – Tied | 12 – Hayes | 5 – Nembhard | Bridgestone Arena (20,933) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2019* 6:50 pm, TNT | (10 W) | vs. (7 W) No. 20 Nevada First Round | W 70–61 | 20–15 | 16 – Hayes | 10 – Johnson | 6 – Nembhard | Wells Fargo Arena (16,360) Des Moines, IA |
| March 23, 2019* 5:15 pm, CBS | (10 W) | vs. (2 W) No. 8 Michigan Second Round | L 49–64 | 20–16 | 11 – Hudson | 9 – Johnson | 8 – Nembhard | Wells Fargo Arena (16,770) Des Moines, IA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. 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 |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | RV | RV |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings