2020–21 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Mike White, and played their home games at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 15-10, 9-7 in SEC Play to finish in 5th place. They defeated Vanderbilt in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Tennessee. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Virginia Tech in the first round before getting upset in the second round by Oral Roberts.

2020–21 Florida Gators men's basketball
NCAA tournament, second round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	15–10 (9–7 SEC)
Head coach	Mike White (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Al Pinkins Jordan Mincy Darris Nichols
Home arena	O'Connell Center
Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 5 Alabama†	16	–	2		.889			26	–	7		.788
No. 10 Arkansas	13	–	4		.765			25	–	7		.781
LSU	11	–	6		.647			19	–	10		.655
Tennessee	10	–	7		.588			18	–	9		.667
Florida	9	–	7		.563			15	–	10		.600
Ole Miss	10	–	8		.556			16	–	12		.571
Missouri	8	–	8		.500			16	–	10		.615
Kentucky	8	–	9		.471			9	–	16		.360
Mississippi State	8	–	10		.444			18	–	15		.545
Georgia	7	–	11		.389			14	–	12		.538
Auburn*	7	–	11		.389			13	–	14		.481
South Carolina	4	–	12		.250			6	–	15		.286
Texas A&M	2	–	8		.200			8	–	10		.444
Vanderbilt	3	–	13		.188			9	–	16		.360
† 2021 SEC tournament winner * Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.

Roster

2020–21 Florida Gators men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Ques Glover 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Bearden High School Knoxville, Tennessee G 1 Tre Mann 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So The Villages Charter Schools Gainesville, Florida F 2 Samson Ruzhentsev 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Fr Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Moscow, Russia G 3 Alex Klatsky 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Ranney School Colts Neck, New Jersey F 4 Anthony Duruji 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Louisiana Tech Germantown, Maryland F 5 Omar Payne 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Montverde Academy Kissimmee, Florida G 10 Noah Locke 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Jr McDonogh School Baltimore, Maryland F 11 Keyontae Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 229 lb (104 kg) Jr Oak Hill Academy Norfolk, Virginia F 12 Colin Castleton 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 231 lb (105 kg) RS Jr Michigan DeLand, Florida F 15 Osayi Osifo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Eastern Florida State College Bedworth Park, South Africa G 20 Jack May 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Saint Andrew's School Boca Raton, Florida G 22 Tyree Appleby 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr Cleveland State Jacksonville, Arkansas G 23 Scottie Lewis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 189 lb (86 kg) So Ranney School Hazlet, New Jersey C 33 Jason Jitoboh 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 285 lb (129 kg) So Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Abuja, Nigeria G 44 Niels Lane 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Fr Roselle Catholic High School Freehold, New Jersey	Head coach Mike White (Mississippi) Assistant coach(es) Al Pinkens (NC State) Jordan Mincy (Kent State) Darris Nichols (West Virginia) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: March 16, 2021

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference Regular season
November 25, 2020* 4:30 pm		vs. UMass Lowell Basketball Hall of Fame Bubbleville	Canceled[a]					Mohegan Sun Arena  Uncasville, CT
November 27, 2020* 11:30 am, ESPN		vs. No. 4 Virginia Basketball Hall of Fame Bubbleville	Canceled[a]					Mohegan Sun Arena  Uncasville, CT
December 2, 2020* 5:00 pm, ESPN2		at Oklahoma	Canceled[a]					Lloyd Noble Center  Norman, OK
December 2, 2020* 2:30 pm, ESPN2		vs. Army Basketball Hall of Fame Bubbleville	W 76–69	1–0	19 – Mann	8 – Castleton	4 – Mann	Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT
December 3, 2020* 9:30 pm, ESPN		vs. Boston College Basketball Hall of Fame Bubbleville	W 90–70	2–0	24 – Johnson	12 – Johnson	6 – Mann	Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT
December 6, 2020* 2:00 pm, SECN		Stetson	W 86–40	3–0	19 – Johnson	10 – Lewis	6 – Lewis	O'Connell Center (2,193) Gainesville, FL
December 12, 2020* 11:00 am, ESPNU		at No. 20 Florida State Sunshine Showdown	L 71–83	3–1	19 – Lewis	8 – Mann	7 – Mann	Donald L. Tucker Center (2,761) Tallahassee, FL
December 16, 2020* 7:00 pm, SECN		North Florida	Postponed[b]					O'Connell Center  Gainesville, FL
December 19, 2020* 12:00 pm		Florida Atlantic	Postponed[b]					O'Connell Center  Gainesville, FL
December 20, 2020*		Florida A&M	Postponed[b]					O'Connell Center  Gainesville, FL
December 22, 2020* 7:00 pm, SECN		James Madison	Postponed[b]					O'Connell Center  Gainesville, FL
SEC Regular season
December 30, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPN2		at Vanderbilt	W 91–72	4–1 (1–0)	23 – Castleton	10 – Mann	4 – 2 tied	Memorial Gymnasium (94) Nashville, TN
January 2, 2021 2:00 pm, CBS		LSU	W 83–79	5–1 (2–0)	21 – Castleton	7 – Duruji	5 – Appleby	O'Connell Center (2,211) Gainesville, FL
January 5, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2		at Alabama	L 71–86	5–2 (2–1)	13 – Castleton	8 – Castleton	6 – Mann	Coleman Coliseum (2,055) Tuscaloosa, AL
January 9, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN		Kentucky Rivalry	L 58–76	5–3 (2–2)	15 – Duruji	6 – Tied	3 – Mann	O'Connell Center (2,324) Gainesville, FL
January 12, 2021 7:00 pm, SECN		Ole Miss	W 72–63	6–3 (3–2)	21 – Castleton	10 – Castleton	3 – Tied	O'Connell Center (2,254) Gainesville, FL
January 16, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN2		at Mississippi State	L 69–72	6–4 (3–3)	20 – Appleby	7 – Castleton	6 – Mann	Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS
January 19, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN		No. 6 Tennessee	W 75–49	7–4 (4–3)	14 – Locke	9 – Payne	7 – Appleby	O'Connell Center (2,280) Gainesville, FL
January 23, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN2		at Georgia	W 92–84	8–4 (5–3)	24 – Mann	9 – Payne	4 – Mann	Stegeman Coliseum (1,638) Athens, GA
January 27, 2021 6:30 pm, SECN		Vanderbilt	W 78–71	9–4 (6–3)	15 – Mann	5 – Tied	6 – Appleby	O'Connell Center (2,404) Gainesville, FL
January 30, 2021* 2:00 pm, ESPN		at No. 11 West Virginia Big 12/SEC Challenge	W 85–80	10–4	21 – Castleton	7 – Castleton	7 – Appleby	WVU Coliseum (1,000) Morgantown, WV
February 3, 2021 6:30 pm, SECN	No. 22	South Carolina	L 66–72	10–5 (6–4)	17 – Mann	8 – Mann	4 – Appleby	O'Connell Center (2,282) Gainesville, FL
February 6, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN	No. 22	at LSU	Postponed					Pete Maravich Assembly Center  Baton Rouge, LA
February 13, 2021 8:30 pm, SECN		Texas A&M	Postponed					O'Connell Center  Gainesville, FL
February 16, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 24 Arkansas	L 64–75	10–6 (6–5)	16 – Appleby	8 – Mann	2 – Appleby	Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR
February 20, 2021 3:30 pm, SECN		Georgia	W 70–63	11–6 (7–5)	14 – Castleton	9 – Duruji	3 – Mann	O'Connell Center (2,345) Gainesville, FL
February 23, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN		at Auburn	W 74–57	12–6 (8–5)	19 – Mann	13 – Mann	3 – Mann	Auburn Arena (1,824) Auburn, AL
February 27, 2021 4:00 pm, CBS		at Kentucky Rivalry	W 71–67	13–6 (9–5)	21 – Mann	8 – Mann	5 – Appleby	Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY
March 3, 2021 6:30 pm, SECN		Missouri	L 70–72	13–7 (9–6)	21 – Mann	11 – Duruji	5 – Appleby	O'Connell Center (2,306) Gainesville, FL
March 7, 2021 12:00 pm, ESPNU		at Tennessee	L 54–65	13–8 (9–7)	18 – Appleby	6 – Castleton	3 – Appleby	Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN
SEC tournament
March 11, 2021 2:30 pm, SECN	(5)	vs. (12) Vanderbilt Second Round	W 69–63	14–8	22 – Mann	8 – Castleton	6 – Mann	Bridgestone Arena (1,733) Nashville, TN
March 12, 2021 2:30 pm, ESPN	(5)	vs. (4) Tennessee Quarterfinals	L 66–78	14–9	30 – Mann	7 – Castleton	2 – Tied	Bridgestone Arena (2,186) Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021 12:15 pm, CBS	(7 S)	vs. (10 S) No. 25 Virginia Tech First Round	W 75–70 OT	15–9	19 – Castleton	13 – Castleton	4 – Mann	Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
March 21, 2021 7:45 pm, truTV	(7 S)	vs. (15 S) Oral Roberts Second Round	L 78–81	15–10	19 – Mann	10 – Castleton	5 – Appleby	Indiana Farmers Coliseum (979) Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

^[1]

^{^[a]} The games against UMass Lowell and Virginia were canceled due to Florida pausing team activities for one week due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing protocols.^[2] The Oklahoma game was canceled later in the week, moving the home-and-home series back one year.^[3]

^{^[b]} The games against North Florida, Florida Atlanta, Florida A&M, and James Madison were postponed following the hospitalization of Keyontae Johnson after collapsing mid-game during the first half of the Florida State game.^[4][5]

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

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

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	22	RV	RV	—	RV	—	—	Not released
Coaches	RV	RV^	25	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	23	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	—	RV

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

1. "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". Florida Gators. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
2. Parler, Denver (November 22, 2020). "Men's Basketball Pauses Team Activities". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
3. Parler, Denver (November 29, 2020). "Florida-Oklahoma Canceled". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
4. Harry, Chris (December 15, 2020). "UF-UNF Game Postponed". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
5. Harry, Chris (December 17, 2020). "Johnson's Progress Continues, More Games Postponed". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved December 22, 2020.