2023–24 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators, led by second-year head coach Todd Golden, played their home games at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

2023–24 Florida Gators men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record24–12 (11–7 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Carlin Hartman (2nd season)
  • Kevin Hovde (2nd season)
  • Korey McCray (2nd season)
Home arenaO'Connell Center
Seasons
2023–24 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Tennessee 14 4   .778 27 9   .750
No. 20 Kentucky 13 5   .722 23 10   .697
No.Alabama 13 5   .722 25 12   .676
No. 18 Auburn 13 5   .722 27 8   .771
No. 24 South Carolina 13 5   .722 26 8   .765
Florida 11 7   .611 24 12   .667
Texas A&M 9 9   .500 21 15   .583
LSU 9 9   .500 17 16   .515
Mississippi State 8 10   .444 21 14   .600
Ole Miss 7 11   .389 20 12   .625
Georgia 6 12   .333 20 17   .541
Arkansas 6 12   .333 16 17   .485
Vanderbilt 4 14   .222 9 23   .281
Missouri 0 18   .000 8 24   .250
2024 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season edit

The Gators finished the 2022–23 season 16–17, 9–9 in SEC play, to finish in eighth place. They lost in the first round of the NIT to UCF.

Offseason edit

Departures edit

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes Ref.
Myreon Jones 0 G 6'3" 177 Graduate student Birmingham, AL Graduated
CJ Felder 1 F 6'7" 240 Senior Sumter, SC Transferred to McNeese [1]
Trey Bonham 2 G 6'0" 170 Junior Mobile, AL Transferred to Chattanooga [2]
Alex Fudge 3 F 6'9" 200 Sophomore Jacksonville, FL Undrafted free agent; signed with Los Angeles Lakers [3]
Niels Lane 4 G 6'5" 215 Junior Freehold, NJ Transferred to Delaware [4]
Kyle Lofton 11 G 6'3" 188 Graduate student Hillside, NJ Graduated
Colin Castleton 12 F 6'11" 250 Senior DeLand, FL Undrafted free agent; signed with Los Angeles Lakers [5]
Kowacie Reeves 14 G 6'6" 192 Sophomore Macon, GA Transferred to Georgia Tech [6]
Jason Jitoboh 33 C 6'11" 300 Senior Abuja, Nigeria Transferred to Tennessee State [7]

Incoming transfers edit

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school Ref.
Zyon Pullin 0 G 6'4" 205 Graduate student Pleasant Hill, CA UC Riverside
Walter Clayton Jr. 1 G 6'3" 195 Junior Lake Wales, FL Iona [8]
Micah Handlogten 3 C 7'1" 227 Sophomore Huntersville, NC Marshall
Tyrese Samuel 4 F 6'10" 235 Graduate Student Montreal, QC Seton Hall
EJ Jarvis 15 F 6'8" 220 Graduate Student Washington, D.C. Yale
Julian Rishwain 23 G 6'5" 190 Graduate Student Los Angeles, CA San Francisco

2023 recruiting class edit

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alex Condon
F
Perth, Australia NBA Global Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Feb 2, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247Sports: 
Thomas Haugh
F
New Oxford, PA Perkiomen School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jun 29, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 79
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:

  • "Florida 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.

Roster edit

2023–24 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Zyon Pullin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 206 lb (93 kg) GS College Park HS
UC Riverside
Pleasant Hill, CA
G 1 Walter Clayton Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Bartow HS
Iona
Lake Wales, FL
G 2 Riley Kugel 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So Dr. Phillips HS Orlando, FL
C 3 Micah Handlogten 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So SouthLake Christian Academy
Marshall
Lake Norman, NC
F 4 Tyrese Samuel 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 239 lb (108 kg) GS Orangeville Prep
Seton Hall
Montreal, QC
G 5 Will Richard 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Jr Woodward Academy
Belmont
Fairburn, GA
F 10 Thomas Haugh 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Perkiomen School New Oxford, PA
G 11 Denzel Aberdeen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Dr. Phillips HS Orlando, FL
G 12 Alex Klatsky (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 206 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Ranney School Colts Neck, NJ
F 13 Aleks Szymczyk 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Gymnasium München Nord Frankfurt, Germany
G 20 Jack May (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Saint Andrew's School Boca Raton, FL
F/C 21 Alex Condon 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr NBA Global Academy Perth, Australia
G 22 Bennett Andersen (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Jesuit HS Tampa, FL
G 23 Julian Rishwain 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Notre Dame HS
San Francisco
Los Angeles, CA
G 30 Kajus Kublickas 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 171 lb (78 kg) Fr Zalgiris II Kaunas, Lithuania
G 33 Cooper Josefsberg (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Riviera Prep Miami, FL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: April 2, 2024

Schedule and results edit

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
8:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+
Loyola (MD) W 93–73  1–0
 23  Kugel   8  tied   5  Clayton Jr.  O'Connell Center (7,023)
Gainesville, FL
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ACCN
vs. Virginia
Hall of Fame Series
L 70–73  1–1
 16  Richard   14  Handlogten   5  Clayton Jr.  Spectrum Center (6,783)
Charlotte, NC
November 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+
Florida A&M W 89–68  2–1
 20  Richard   8  Samuel   5  Clayton Jr.  O'Connell Center (6,675)
Gainesville, FL
November 17, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN
Florida State
Rivalry
W 89–68  3–1
 19  Clayton Jr.   10  Haugh   5  Clayton Jr.  O'Connell Center (10,031)
Gainesville, FL
November 22, 2023*
9:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Pittsburgh
NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals
W 86–71  4–1
 28  Clayton Jr.   10  Samuel   8  Pullin  Barclays Center (1,873)
Brooklyn, NY
November 24, 2023*
5:30 p.m., ESPN
vs. No. 13 Baylor
NIT Season Tip-Off championship
L 91–95  4–2
 25  Kugel   9  Kugel   5  Pullin  Barclays Center (1,620)
Brooklyn, NY
November 29, 2023*
7:15 p.m., ESPNU
at Wake Forest
ACC–SEC Challenge
L 71–82  4–3
 24  Kugel   8  Samuel   5  Pullin  LJVM Coliseum (8,165)
Winston-Salem, NC
December 5, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+
Merrimack W 77–57  5–3
 26  Clayton Jr.   16  Condon   3  tied  O'Connell Center (6,813)
Gainesville, FL
December 9, 2023*
4:00 p.m., SECN
vs. Richmond
Orange Bowl Classic
W 87–76  6–3
 21  Richard   14  Samuel   6  Clayton Jr.  Amerant Bank Arena (8,162)
Sunrise, FL
December 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN
vs. East Carolina
Florida Tipoff
W 70–65  7–3
 22  Clayton Jr.   12  Condon   4  tied  RP Funding Center (3,073)
Lakeland, FL
December 19, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
vs. Michigan
Jumpman Invitational
W 106–101 2OT 8–3
 22  Pullin   11  Samuel   5  Pullin  Spectrum Center (7,027)
Charlotte, NC
December 22, 2023*
4:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+
Grambling State W 96–57  9–3
 17  Richard   10  Samuel   6  Pullin  O'Connell Center (8,023)
Gainesville, FL
December 30, 2023*
1:00 p.m., ESPNU
Quinnipiac W 97–72  10–3
 22  Richard   9  tied   3  tied  O'Connell Center (9,869)
Gainesville, FL
SEC regular season
January 6, 2024
12:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 Kentucky
Rivalry
L 85–87  10–4
(0–1)
 23  tied   12  Handlogten   3  tied  O'Connell Center (10,106)
Gainesville, FL
January 10, 2024
9:00 p.m., SECN
at Ole Miss L 85–103  10–5
(0–2)
 23  Clayton Jr.   15  Condon   3  tied  SJB Pavilion (7,570)
Oxford, MS
January 13, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN
Arkansas W 90–68  11–5
(1–2)
 20  Kugel   11  Samuel   8  Pullin  O'Connell Center (10,445)
Gainesville, FL
January 16, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
at No. 6 Tennessee L 66–85  11–6
(1–3)
 16  Clayton Jr.   11  Samuel   4  Pullin  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,332)
Knoxville, TN
January 20, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Missouri W 79–67  12–6
(2–3)
 17  Samuel   12  Handlogten   3  tied  Mizzou Arena (11,489)
Columbia, MO
January 24, 2024
8:30 p.m., SECN
Mississippi State W 79–70  13–6
(3–3)
 23  Richard   9  Richard   3  Pullin  O'Connell Center (8,484)
Gainesville, FL
January 27, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
Georgia W 102–98 OT 14–6
(4–3)
 23  Handlogten   17  Handlogten   8  Pullin  O'Connell Center (10,045)
Gainesville, FL
January 31, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 10 Kentucky
Rivalry
W 94–91 OT 15–6
(5–3)
 23  Clayton Jr.   13  Samuel   7  Pullin  Rupp Arena (20,068)
Lexington, KY
February 3, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Texas A&M L 66–67  15–7
(5–4)
 18  Pullin   11  Condon   8  Pullin  Reed Arena (11,793)
College Station, TX
February 10, 2024
3:30 p.m., SECN
No. 12 Auburn W 81–65  16–7
(6–4)
 22  Kugel   9  Handlogten   3  Pullin  O'Connell Center (10,808)
Gainesville, FL
February 13, 2024
8:00 p.m., SECN
LSU W 82–80  17–7
(7–4)
 21  Clayton Jr.   7  tied   3  tied  O'Connell Center (9,007)
Gainesville, FL
February 17, 2024
1:00 p.m., SECN
at Georgia W 88–82  18–7
(8–4)
 21  Clayton Jr.   7  tied   5  Pullin  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
February 21, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 24 at No. 13 Alabama L 93–98 OT 18–8
(8–5)
 27  Clayton Jr.   13  Handlogten   6  Pullin  Coleman Coliseum (11,077)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 24, 2024
1:00 p.m., SECN
No. 24 Vanderbilt W 77–64  19–8
(9–5)
 21  Richard   9  Condon   6  Pullin  O'Connell Center (10,358)
Gainesville, FL
February 28, 2024
6:30 p.m., SECN
No. 24 Missouri W 83–74  20–8
(10–5)
 28  Samuel   12  Handlogten   5  Clayton Jr.  O'Connell Center (9,072)
Gainesville, FL
March 2, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN/SECN
No. 24 at No. 18 South Carolina L 76–81  20–9
(10–6)
 20  Clayton Jr.   6  Haugh   7  Pullin  Colonial Life Arena (16,978)
Columbia, SC
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 16 Alabama W 105–87  21–9
(11–6)
 23  Richard   7  Haugh   3  tied  O'Connell Center (11,009)
Gainesville, FL
March 9, 2024
4:30 p.m., SECN
at Vanderbilt L 78–79  21–10
(11–7)
 20  Pullin   8  Condon   8  Pullin  Memorial Gymnasium (6,442)
Nashville, TN
SEC tournament
March 14, 2024
9:30 p.m., SECN
(6) vs. (11) Georgia
Second Round
W 85–80  22–10
 22  Clayton Jr.   15  Samuel   8  Pullin  Bridgestone Arena (13,771)
Nashville, TN
March 15, 2024
9:30 p.m., SECN
(6) vs. (3) No. 19 Alabama
Quarterfinals
W 102–88  23–10
 23  Clayton Jr.   9  Haugh   4  Clayton Jr.  Bridgestone Arena (18,244)
Nashville, TN
March 16, 2024
3:30 p.m., ESPN
(6) vs. (7) Texas A&M
Semifinals
W 95–90  24–10
 20  Aberdeen   9  Condon   5  tied  Bridgestone Arena (16,499)
Nashville, TN
March 17, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN
(6) vs. (4) No. 12 Auburn
Championship
L 67–86  24–11
 15  Pullin   7  tied   13  Clayton Jr.  Bridgestone Arena (18,532)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2024
4:30 p.m., TBS
(7 S) vs. (10 S) Colorado
First Round
L 100–102  24–12
 33  Clayton Jr.   9  Aberdeen   6  Condon  Gainbridge Fieldhouse (16,702)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[9]

Rankings edit

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRVRV2424RVRVRVRV
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRVRV2425RV23RV

References edit

  1. ^ Flaherty, Kevin (April 14, 2023). "Florida basketball transfer CJ Felder signs with Will Wade, McNeese State". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  2. ^ @punkinUSN (April 20, 2023). "@GoMocsMBB @JGoldHoops @theflockcha @Cole_Winning" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Abolverdi, Zach (June 23, 2023). "Los Angeles Lakers signing Florida forward Alex Fudge". on3.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  4. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (April 26, 2023). "For these basketball transfers, coming to Delaware provides a welcomed reunion". delawareonline.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Peralta, Matt (July 12, 2023). "Colin Castleton Explains Why He Chose To Sign With Lakers As Undrafted Free Agent Over Getting Drafted". lakersnation.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Transfer Kowacie Reeves Signs Grant-In-Aid With Tech". ramblinwreck.com. April 18, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  7. ^ @JasonJitoboh (April 9, 2023). "Watch this 🙏🏾 #GoTigers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Parler, Denver (June 9, 2023). "Florida Inks Grad Transfer Julian Rishwain". floridagators.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  9. ^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Florida Gators. Retrieved April 2, 2024.