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| | Thursday, November 2 Preseason Top 25: No. 12 Florida | ||||||||
Lance Traylor, Ponchatoula, La. Follow the rest of the top 25 Click on the following pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | |||||||||
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Why No. 12?: Florida could easily be higher after reaching the national title game last year. But losing Donnell Harvey's physical presence inside, Kenyan Weaks' consistency on the perimeter and Mike Miller's overall versatility make the Gators still vulnerable going into the season. Florida shouldn't have any problems scoring in the post with Udonis Haslem becoming the primary focus. But the Gators have got to have another viable option to take some pressure off him. Matt Bonner was a hit on the Gators' trip to Europe in August but he's got to perform in November and December. So, too, do role players Major Parker and Brent Wright, who might share the other starting spot. The Gators are fine at guard where they've got the deepest pool of players in the SEC. Brett Nelson and Teddy Dupay are interchangeable with the ball. Nelson is the better playmaker, Dupay the better standup shooter but they can both get the Gators out of dangerous situations. Justin Hamilton might be the Gators' best defensive guard. The Gators got two steals when LaDarius Halton returned healthy this year, giving them an added bonus scorer off the bench, and Orien Greene was deemed eligible. Greene has the most athletic talent of the bunch, making them harder to defend.