Harry Fodder: Game-by-Game Gators Basketball Breakdown

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Fresh off the release of Florida's 2016-17 basketball schedule Tuesday, it's never too early to delve into hoops, right?

The squad is heavy into preseason training and preseason practice will begin in about three weeks. After that, it'll be about six weeks until the ball is tossed to tip off the second season under Coach Mike White, who's looking — with the help of four returning starters in guards Kasey Hill and KeVaughn Allen, plus center John Egbunu and forward Devin Robinson — to build on last year's 21-15 record and NIT run with much bigger goals for '16-17.

And it'll all be here sooner than you think … but it won't be in its usual place.

With the O'Connell Center undergoing its $64.5 million renovation, what would normally be the season's first five home games will be played at various venues across the state, with the sparkling new version of the O'Dome due for a grand opening in late December, which happens to be the same month the Southeastern Conference schedule will open (a tad earlier this year, as you'll see below).

Here's a game-by-game breakdown. Note: some tip-off times for the nonconference games are still to come.

Nov. 11: Florida Gulf Coast (at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.), 7:30 p.m.
The buzz: The Eagles are on the schedule for the second straight year, with the Gators winning 70-50 at home the day after Thanksgiving. FGCU, of course, made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons last March by winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The Eagles, who went 21-13, won a First Four game against Farleigh Dickinson, then got matched against No. 1 seed North Carolina. They lost that game 85-67, but it was 41-40 at the half of a 1-vs-16-seed game. FGCU returns three starters, led by 6-8 forward and A-Sun Tournament MVP Marc-Eddy Norella (17.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg), and has a quartet of transfers by way of Michigan, Pittsburgh, UNLV and UCF eligible this season.

The first two games of UF's season will be played at Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena.

Nov. 13: Mercer (at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena), 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: The Bears return 6-6 forward Stephon Jelks, their second-leading scorer (11.7 ppg) and top rebounder (8.4 pg). They went 19-15 last season, including a 8-10 mark in the Southern Conference, and split two games against the SEC, beating Arkansas and losing to Auburn, both on the road. Mercer has three NCAA berths in its history, including an shocking upset of Jabari Parker and third-seeded Duke in second-round play in 2014.

Nov. 17: St. Bonaventure (at Lakeland Center, Lakeland, Fla.), 7 p.m.
The buzz: SBU returns just one starter from a squad that went 22-9 overall and tied Dayton and VCU for the regular-season title in the Atlantic-10, but a first-round loss in the league tournament sent them to the NIT. The Bonnies got a No. 1 seed in the NIT filed, but lost in the first round at home to Wagner.

Nov. 21: Belmont (at Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla.), 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: UF has made occasional trips to Tampa in recent years, including twice for the NCAA Tournament's first weekend (2003 and 2011), but most recently on Nov. 18, 2012 when the Gators defeated Middle Tennessee State 66-45 at the same downtown venue once known as the St. Pete Times Forum. As for this trip and opponent, Anyone that has paid attention to the NCAA bracket the last decade knows the Bruins show up every now and then. Seven times since 2006, in fact, thanks to tournament titles in both the Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley conferences. They went 22-12 last season, won their division in the OVC, but ended up a first-round NIT loser at Georgia. Senior guard Taylor Barnette is the only returning starter who averaged in double figures (10.5 ppg), but the Bruins are always dangerous offensively. Witness their 49.5 percent shooting from the floor and 36.3 from distance last season.

Nov. 24-27: Advocate Tournament (at ESPN's Wide World of Sports, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.) on ESPN2
The buzz: The Gators drew Seton Hall in a prime-time first-round matchup — Thanksgiving night at 8:30 — from a field that also features Gonzaga, Indiana State, Iowa State, Miami, Stanford and Quinnipiac. The Pirates, coached by Kevin Willard, went 25-9 and were a No. 6 seed in the NCAA field after winning the Big East Conference Tournament — in case you forgot — by upsetting both Xavier and then eventual national champion Villanova in the league title game (see video below). The Hall is loaded coming back, returning four of five starters (all but guard and leading scorer Isaiah Whitehead). FYI: Florida will play either Gonzaga or Quinnipiac in second-round play, with all teams getting Saturday off and finishing the tourney Sunday.

Dec. 1: at North Florida, TBA
The buzz: A rare true in-state road game at a place other than Florida State or Miami. The Gators, of course, went to Jacksonville to play at UNF on March 15 in opening-round play of the NIT because of the O'Dome renovations had begun — and UF was actually the "home" team for that game. Played like it too. The Gators shot a ridiculous 16-for-32 from the 3-point line against the most prolific 3-point shooting team in the country and won going away 99-68. The Ospreys (aka "Birds of Trey") lost just one starter off its 22-12 team — leading scorer Dallas Moore (19.8 ppg, 39.8 percent from 3) is one of them — that won the regular season Atlantic Sun crown.

Mike White (center) with his parents (mother Jane; father Kevin) at his first UF news conference

Dec. 6: Duke (Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, New York), 9 p.m. (ESPN)
The buzz: The Blue Devils and Gators will play for the 17th time. Duke owns a 4-12 edge in the series that dates to 1921, back when it was called Trinity. The game will make for the first meeting since the 2000 NCAA Tournament when the Gators — in Billy Donovan's fourth season — shocked the No. 1 overall seed 87-78 in a Sweet 16 matchup at Syracuse, N.Y. One very interested observer in the house figures to be Duke athletic director Kevin White, whose son is the Florida head coach. Of more importance, the Blue Devils are again loaded and signed three of the nation's top 10 (and four of the top 16) incoming freshmen, led by forwards Harry Giles, the No. 1 overall prospect (and slam-dunk NBA lottery pick), and Jayson Tatum.

Dec. 11: at Florida State, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: The Seminoles are riding their first two-game winning streak in the series since winning three straight from '06-08. Each of the previous two have gone down to the final possession, with the infamous Jake Kurtz "own goal" coming in '14 and freshman guard Duane Bacon hitting a pull-up jumper with four seconds left at the O'Dome last December. Bacon flirted with going to the NBA, but is back. Backcourt mate Malik Beasley did go out early, but guards Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Devon Bookert are back and joined by one of the nation's best recruiting classes, led by five-star 6-10 forward Jonathan Isaac.

Dec. 17: UNC Charlotte (MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic, Sunrise, Fla.), TBA
The buzz: The Gators are back in the OBC for the 18th time in the event's 21-year history and for the 10th straight year. UF is 15-2 all-time in the event, with six straight wins, including last December's 72-70 defeat of Oklahoma State at the BB&T Center. The 49ers, in their first season under former NBA star Mark Price, went 14-19 last season, with a 9-9 record in Conference USA. Their leading scorer will be a familiar face to UF fans. Fifth-year senior guard Braxton Ogbueze (14.5 pg, 42.7 percent 3-point) was a little-used freshman on Florida's 2012-13 team, opting to transfer upon the pending arrival of Kasey Hill. He scored 19 points as a Gator, but has 785 as a Niner. As customary the last few years, the game will be a double-header with FSU. The Seminoles will face Manhattan in the early game.

Dec. 21: Arkansas-Little Rock (Gainesville), 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: This is the targeted debut game for the new O'Dome's unveiling. Though it may not seem like a very sexy matchup — and it's not a very convenient date, given its proximity to Christmas — the Trojans went 30-5 last season, got an at-large NCAA berth, shocked No. 5 seed Purdue in the first round (the Boilermakers stomped the Gators by 20 during the regular season, by the way) before being eliminated in the second round by fourth-seeded Iowa State. UALR lost its best player, but returns its next three scorers. As a mid-major foe serving as the grand opening opponent, it's a good idea to get a game under the dome operations folks' belts before SEC play tips off.

Dec. 29: at Arkansas, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: UF's first trip to Fayetteville since the second SEC game of that unbeaten championship season in 2014. The Razorbacks went 9-9 in the league last season and tied UF for eighth in the SEC standings, but they were 16-16 overall, with a pair of losses to the Gators (during the regular season at Gainesville and in second-round play of the league tournament). The Hogs return 6-10 power forward Moses Kingsley (15.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg). This is a critical season to show progress for Coach Mike Anderson.

Jan. 3: Mississippi, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: OK, the real O'Dome opener, complete with conference opponent and all the Rowdy Reptiles, will be against White's alma mater. That storyline, of course, played out twice last year, complete with a trip to Oxford, as the Gators swept the Rebels. Stefan Moody, the SEC scoring leader at 23.5 points per game last season, has moved on, so the team will be in the hands of forward Sebastian Saiz, guard Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey and incoming four-star freshman guard J.J. Smith.

Jan. 7: Tennessee, 5:15 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: The Gators played one of their worst (certainly their least inspired) games in a loss at Knoxville the first week of the conference season. The Volunteers, in their first year under Coach Rick Barnes, eventually lost their best player, guard Kevin Punter, to injury and spiraled to a disastrous 15-19 record, with just six SEC wins. UT beat UF with hustle and might from forward Admiral Schofield and guards Robert Hubbs III and Derrick Mostella. Those three are back to join forces with a six-man freshman class.

Jan. 10: at Alabama, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: The Crimson Tide were up and down in the first season with former NBA standout and coach Avery Johnson on the sidelines. They went 18-15 and just 8-10 in the league, but one of those wins was a decisive road beating of the Gators that came at a critical juncture of the season; the first of five losses over six games that torpedoed UF's postseason hopes. Bama's killer All-SEC guard, Retin Obasohan, is gone, but 6-10 Jimmie Taylor, who blasted Florida's front court, plus forwards Riley Norris and Shannon Hale return. The Tide also landed a top-10 small forward in 6-8, 240-pound Braxton Key.

Alabama's Jimmie Taylor blocked five Gators' shots in the Tide's win in Gainesville last season.

Jan. 14: Georgia, noon (ESPN or ESPN2)
The buzz: The Gators swept the Bulldogs last season, yet finished behind UGA (20-14, 10-8) in the league standings. The Dogs said goodbye to the veteran senior backcourt combo of Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines, but one of the SEC's best big men, 6-8, 240-pound forward Yante Maten (16.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg), along with sweet shooting guard J.J. Frazier (16.9 ppg, 4.4 apg, 38.6 percent from 3) are back. The top newcomer looks to be guard Tyree Crump, a four-star who was rated the No. 4 prospect in the state.

Jan. 18: at South Carolina, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: For the fourth consecutive year, the Gators will play in Columbia. They'd won four straight there, dating to 2011, before last year's 73-69 overtime defeat. The Gamecocks lost a trio of key front court players, including All-SEC forward Michael Carerra, but guards Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice are back — joining forces with a quartet of JuCo transfers — for a team that went 25-9 overall. USC finished tied for third at 11-7 in the league, but was snubbed by the NCAA selection committee because of a horrific non-conference schedule.

Jan. 21: Vanderbilt, noon (CBS)
The buzz: Remember the last time the Commodores came to town? Maybe you'd prefer not to. The Gators got manhandled by 7-foot center Damian Jones and guard Wade Baldwin IV, among others. Well, both are in the NBA now. Baldwin was a first-round pick (17th overall) of Memphis and Jones a first-rounder (30th overall) by Golden State. New coach Bryce Drew, by way of Valparaiso, inherited a decent core headed by wings Jeff Roberson and Matthew Fisher-Davis, 7-1 shot-blocker/3-point shooter Luke Kornet, along with pesky guard Riley LaChance.

Jan. 25: at LSU, 9 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: They were one of the most talented teams in the league last season, with No. 1 overall NBA pick Ben Simmons (now in Philadelphia) leading the way. The Tigers, though, flailed to an 11-7 conference record (tied for third) and just 19-14 overall, with some dreadful (College of Charleston, Houston, Wake Forest, Tennessee) losses that screamed at the selection committee. LSU, in fact, turned down the NIT folks knowing Simmons wasn't going to stick around for that. The Tigers still have nice players in guards Antonio Blakeney, Tim Quarterman and Keith Hornsby, plus forward Craig Victor II, but there are no all-world one-and-dones headed to town this season.

Jan. 28: at Oklahoma -- SEC/Big 12 Challenge, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
The buzz: Hello, Lon Kruger. This will mark the second time the Gators have faced their former coach — the only one besides Donovan to guide UF to the Final Four — and the first time since the 2000 NCAA Tournament, when the Gators demolished Illinois in second-round play. The Sooners, who advanced to the '16 Final Four only to be dismantled by Villanova in record fashion, must replace high-scoring forward and NCAA Player of the Year Buddy Hield (No. 6 overall pick by New Orleans) and guard Isaiah Cousin (second-round pick by Sacramento) . One of the best and deepest freshman classes in the country should help. This will be the fourth year for the ESPN's made-for-TV SEC/Big 12 Challenge, with UF having faced Kansas twice, West Virginia and now the Sooners.

Lon Kruger led the 1994 Gators to a 29-8 record, an SEC East Division title and the program's first berth in the Final Four. He coached UF from 1990-96.

Feb. 1: Missouri, 7 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
The buzz: The Tigers are on NCAA probation through August 2017, which doesn't bode well for rebuilding the program up from its current, disheveled state. Mizzou was 10-21 in the second season under Kim Anderson and won just three SEC games. Guard Kevin Puryear (11.5 ppg) was the lone Tiger to average double-figure scoring and Namon Wright was the top rebounder (5.2). Four players transferred after the season and while the crop of incomers is four deep it's not exactly a star-studded list.

Feb. 4: Kentucky, 2 p.m. or 8 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
The buzz: The Wildcats shared the SEC regular-season championship last year with Texas A&M, then defeated the Aggies in the tournament championship game. In other words, a typical run through the league for UK (though an atypical exit from the first weekend of NCAA play). The Cats return big men Marcus Lee and Derek Willis, but the bulk of attention will focus on yet another sicko recruiting haul — UK lost a bunch of NBA players, but again gain a bunch — with four of the ESPN Top 14 players, including 6-9, 240-pound Bam Adebayo, plus high-scoring, wildly athletic guards De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk.

Feb. 7: at Georgia, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: The Gators played one of their better, more competitive road games at Athens last season, collecting a big 57-53 win, only to spin off on the programs second four-game losing streak in the last nine years.

Feb. 11: Texas A&M, noon (ESPN or ESPN2)
The buzz: In their fifth SEC season, the Aggies rolled to a share of the league title, going 28-9 and tying Kentucky at 13-5 in conference play. They did it with a senior-laden bunch, but Danuel House, Jalen Jones and Alex Caruso are gone. Still there, though, is 6-10, 265-pound center Tyler Davis, who was sensational as a freshman in averaging 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and hitting 65.5 percent of his shots. A&M signed a trio of top 100 recruits. [Note: Davis made a fairly memorable SEC play last season; all it meant was a piece of a championship; see video below]

Feb. 14: at Auburn, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: The Gators go to Auburn for the first time in three years. The Bruce Pearl Experience hasn't exactly caught fire at the "Loveliest Village on the Plain," as the Tigers went 11-20 in Year 2 under the coach who made a national name for himself at Tennessee. They were just 5-13 in league play. Things got really bad when guard Kareem Canty, who was second in the league in scoring, quit the squad in midseason to head for Europe and turn pro — mere days after the Tigers upset Kentucky at home for one of their biggest wins in years. Auburn dropped 12 of its final 14. Pearl, though, has a couple top 100 types coming in, with Mustapha Heron rated the No. 4 shooting guard prospect in his class.

Feb. 18: at Mississippi State, 2 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
The buzz: Ben Howland won big at UCLA (three straight Final Fours at one time), but Starkville isn't L.A. The Bulldogs checked in 11th in the final standings, going 14-17 and 7-11 in conference. Though Howland and his staff made quite a splash in landing McDonald's All-America guard Malik Newman in his first recruiting cycle, Newman transferred to Kansas after the season. MSU must rebuild from the losses of a seniors Gavin Ware and Craig Sword, but a trio of top 100 prospects — say hello to 6-10, 260-pound Schnider Herard and 6-10, 260-pound Abdulhakim Ado — will help the cause.

Feb. 21: South Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
The buzz: It's USC's first visit to Gainesville since 2014.

Point guard Kasey Hill played the best basketball of his career the final three weeks of the season.

Feb. 25: at Kentucky, 2 p.m. (CBS)
The buzz: For the first time in seven years, the Gators won't be at Rupp Arena to be serenaded by "My Ol' Kentucky Home" on Senior Day in a season when UF's road date at UK falls on the back end of the schedule. Such was the case in 2010, '11, 13 and '15.

March 1: Arkansas, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: The Hogs take their turn as the Gators' rotating home-and-home foe this season. The game will mark the Senior Night celebration for Hill, Justin Leon and graduate transfer Canyon Barry.

March 4: at Vanderbilt, 2 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
The buzz: UF hasn't won at Memorial Gym since the '14 season and, frankly, wasn't very competitive the last two trips there, both times falling down by double digits early in the game. If the Gators don't get enough of the Music City this trip, they'll be right back there a few days later (see below).

March 8-12: SEC Tournament (Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.)
The buzz: This will mark the third straight year the postseason tournament has been played at the league's new, semi-permanent site, where Kentucky — of course — has captured the previous two titles. In 2018, however, the event heads to St. Louis, then back to Nashville for the 2019, '20 and '21 tournaments. In '22, it's off to Tampa.

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Harry Fodder: Game-by-Game Gators Basketball Breakdown

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KeVaughn Allen

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John Egbunu

Kasey Hill

Justin Leon

Devin Robinson

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