The Florida Gators men’s basketball team is a part of the Southeastern Conference in NCAA Basketball. The Gators are coached by Billy Donovan, who joined the team in 1996. After his hiring, the Gators advanced to the NIT Tournament in 1998 and the NCAA Tournament in 1999. During his tenure at the University of Florida, Donovan has been named National Coach of the Year twice, in 2001 and 2007. http://www.coachbillydonovan.com/mbball/home.html The Florida Gators play their home games at Stephen C. O’Connell Center on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Florida. http://www.coachbillydonovan.com/mbball/home.html

Florida Gators 2009/10 Season

The Gators finished the 2009/10 season with an overall record of 21 wins and 12 losses, ranking sixth in the SEC Conference. Players Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker, Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin all contributed more than double digit point averages for the year. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=57 During the SEC Tournament, Florida advanced to the SEC Conference Finals but lost to the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 75 to 69.

Florida’s season record was not good enough to guarantee an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, but their performance in the SEC Tournament helped the team to secure an at-large bid. The Gators were ranked tenth in the Midwest Region and met the seventh-seeded Brigham Young Cougars in the first round of the tournament. The game went into double overtime, with Boynton scoring a career high of 27 points. But when he fouled out in the second overtime, the team lost its momentum and was defeated by BYU 99 to 92.http://search.espn.go.com/florida-gators/

Florida Gators History

Florida has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 14 times, advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in its first tournament run in 1987. The last two appearances in the Tournament led to back-to-back national championship wins. In 2006, the Gators advanced to the NCAA National Championship Game and defeated the UCLA Bruins to win the title. In 2007, Florida won the national title by defeating Ohio State University by a score of 84 to 75. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/history/_/team1/5987 In the school’s history, the Gators have also won the SEC Conference Basketball Tournament four times. http://www.coachbillydonovan.com/mbball/home.html

Four of the five starters from the winning 2007 team went on to play professional basketball. Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Taurean Green were all selected to play in the NBA the following year. Other Florida alumni that have gone on to the NBA include Jason Williams, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and David Lee. http://www.coachbillydonovan.com/mbball/home.html

• 2010: First roundhttp://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=300770252
• 2007: NCAA Tournament Champions DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 2006: NCAA Tournament Champions DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 2005: Second round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 2004: First round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 2003: Second round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 2002: First round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 2001: Second round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 2000: NCAA Tournament runner-up DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 1999: Sweet Sixteen DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 1995: First round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 1994: National Semifinals DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 1989: First round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 1988: Second round DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results
• 1987: Sweet Sixteen DatabaseSports.com: Florida NCAA Tournament Results