Between the time when the Florida Gators chomped down the nets in San Antonio in April and now — in the days leading up to the start of fall practices — college basketball has undergone a transformation across the sport. So with the offseason all but effectively over, it’s time for a review of what has gone down and which teams, programs and conferences have come out looking better, and worse, from the last few months.
Let’s dive in with a look at the biggest offseason winners and losers.
Winner: Florida reloads after title
Florida recruited the No. 6 transfer class in the country and has two four-star high school players joining its ranks to reload a roster that is ready to defend its national championship. The Gators secured Arkansas star Boogie Fland, Princeton’s Xaivian Lee and Ohio’s AJ Brown to replace outgoing production of their backcourt — and they also bring back Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon, among others.
Coach Todd Golden has pieced together a preseason top-10 team on paper that has both talent and experience and that fits what the Gators like to do. They won’t win 36 games again like last season’s magical team did, but Florida has +1700 odds to repeat as NCAA Tournament champion, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and a run to the title and a chance to establish themselves as the top dog, er, uhm, reptile, in the SEC is very much within reach.
Winner:…
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