# 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.

## 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

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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.

## 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 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | 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

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 | 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.