Florida vs. Palm Beach Atlantic (exhibition), 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 5, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
EXHIBITION
FLORIDA vs. PALM BEACH ATLANTIC
When: Thursday, 7 p.m. (ET)
Where: O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla., 7 p.m.
Records: Preseason exhibition game
TV: GatorZone.com Video Streaming, SEC Network+ and WatchESPN (with Bernie Guenther and Mark Wise).
Radio: None
STAKES, STARS & STATS
>>> The game will mark the lone dress rehearsal for the start of the Coach Mike White era of Florida basketball. White (left), who went 101-40 in four seasons at Louisiana Tech, was hired May 7, 2015 to replace UF icon Billy Donovan, who finally chased his NBA coaching dreams after 19 years. That means White will be the first head coach not named Donovan to walk a Florida sideline since Lon Kruger in 1996. ... The Gators have five players back, including two starters, from a team that finished 16-17, marking the program's first losing record since the 1997-98 season. Alongside those five returnees are eight so-called newcomers -- one who sat out with an injury, one who sat out for academics seasons, two transfers, one junior college signee and three freshmen.
>>> By a wide margin, Dorian Finney-Smith (13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) was the best player on the team last season, leading the Gators in both scoring and rebounding. "Doe-Doe" (right), the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, is back for a fifth-year senior season. He's likely to be joined in the starting lineup by 6-11, 255-pound sophomore center John Egbunu, who transferred from South Florida, and 6-9 sophomore forward Devin Robinson (6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, below left) in the frontcourt, plus junior point guard Kasey Hill (7.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) and 6-2 freshman KeVaughn Allen in the backcourt. It's possible fourth-year junior DeVon Walker (2.4 ppg, 1.2 apg), who sat last season following knee surgery, could start at one of the wing positions (for either Robinson or Allen). If he's not on the court to start the game, the 6-6 Walker will be on the floor fairly soon and play quite a bit. ... Two of UF's top reserves last season, 6-8 senior forward Alex Murphy (5.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and sophomore guard Chris Chiozza (3.9 ppg, 2.1 apg) also return and are ticketed for lots of minutes. ... Of the Gators making their debuts, the most intriguing are Egbunu, Allen and combo guard Brandon Francis-Ramirez. Egbunu averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds as a freshman at USF two years ago and figures to be a powerful presence -- especially on defense -- in the post, where UF had very little consistency (or production) a season ago. Allen is 
a fast, bouncy and athletic end-to-end/open-court player who filled up the stat sheets as two-time Arkansas player of the year. He can also get his own shot and will be encouraged to do so. Francis-Ramirez, who sat out last season to rally academically, is a solid 6-5, 205 pounds, possesses a good long-range shot and can attack the basket. ... Schyuler Rimmer, the 6-10 transfer center from Stanford who is playing as a walk-on, will give the Gators some reliable depth in the post. ... Florida shot just 43.4 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from 3-point range last season, but throw out those numbers as they pertain to White's first team. These Gators will play much faster and press more often, hoping defense turns into instant and easy offense. There will be wide-open looks in transition. Whether the Gators can make those shots will something to follow as the season progresses. ... Florida was not a good rebounding team last season, so the addition of Egbunu, plus Robinson's new-found commitment to hit the glass, will be key.
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>>> For the third year in a row, Florida will play its lone exhibition game against a team from the Division II Sunshine State Conference, after facing Barry last season and Florida Southern the season before. ... Palm Beach Atlantic will show the Gators some size, as the Sailfish have 6-9, 260-pound Cory Kenning at center, flanked by 6-8, 235-pound forward Milos Kostic, a transfer from Appalachian State, and 6-6 Mike Simpson (7.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg), the team's leading returning scorer. ... PBA went 10-16 last season. ... The Sailfish are coached by David Balza, formerly had coach at Florida Gulf Coast (2001-11).
SOME NUMBERS OF NOTE
* 5 -- College basketball programs (out of 361) to have won shares of conference titles each of the past three seasons. White did it at LA Tech (along with Kansas, Harvard, Stephen F. Austin and Gonzaga). 
* 8 -- Days until UF's Nov. 13 regular-season opener, when the Gators will take on Navy as part of a double-header in the Veterans Classic at Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. In the first game of the event, No. 1 North Carolina will face Temple.
* 24 -- Consecutive wins in exhibition games for the Gators, dating to 2002. Florida's last loss in an exhibition came by a 100-96 count against the EA Sports All-Stars before the 2001-02 season, a team that featured former UF standout Kenyan Weaks.
* 38.2 -- Combined field-goal percentage last season for Hill (right) and Chiozza, the two guys who figure to have their hands on the ball a bunch again this season. The new UF staff believes both have improved -- Hill with finishing around the basket and Chiozza from the outside -- but the proof will be in games, as it only makes sense opponents will let the duo fire away after they made just 29 of 94 shots from 3-point range last season (30.8 percent).
* 51.1 -- Not to pick on Hill and Chiozza, but this was their combined free-throw percentage last season (71 of 139). Everyone, including Hill and Chiozza, understands that digit has to improve -- and White has openly said as much. Both players worked on it throughout the offseason and preseason.
WATCH FOR IT
Actually, “listen for it.” The decimal level of communication of the Florida defense is oftentimes shrieking during practices -- and sometimes that's not even loud enough for White and his staff. Because of how White relies on defense to convert to offense -- LA Tech was one of the nation's best the last four seasons in transition points and turnover ratio -- that end of the floor is paramount, which means talking (better yet, “screaming”) when the opponent has the ball is the expectation. It starts with Egbunu, who will be the defensive traffic cop in the middle. And you will hear him.
