How the Florida Gators Can Start This Season off Strong

The Florida Gators may have lost Erving Walker and Bradley Beal over the offseason, but they will still have the talent to make their third straight Elite Eight. However, it is very important that the Gators get off to a strong start in the 2012-13 college basketball season.

What will really help Florida out this season is its returning players and tremendous depth. Kenny Boynton and Patric Young will be the leaders of this team, but there are plenty of talented players on the Gators this year.

Read on to see how the Florida Gators can start this season off strong. 

Continue Knocking Down the Long Ball

The Florida Gators were one of the best teams in the nation last season when it came to three-pointers. As a team, the Gators made 357 threes last season, shooting at a rate of 38 percent. 

Sure, Florida will be without Beal and Walker, but they will still have Boynton and Erik Murphy. Not to mention, Mike Rosario and incoming freshman Braxton Ogbueze and Michael Frazier will play big roles for Florida this year and should contribute quite nicely to the shooting frenzy.

The Gators lived and died by the three-ball last season. Although that could be good or bad, they must continue their hot shooting in the upcoming season. 

Build an Inside Presence

Florida didn't exactly have one of the best front courts in college basketball last season, but they could really get off to a good start if it got its inside game going. 

The Gators do have Patric Young on their team and they should really take advantage of that. Young put up 10.2 points per game last season and 6.4 rebounds per game. He will likely be one of the go-to guys for the team, which should help him not only be more productive, but increase his draft stock as well. 

If actually used more, Young could be one of the best big men in the SEC, and possibly the entire country. 

Will Yeguete, Casey Prather and Erik Murphy could also do wonders for the Gators' front court. 

Get Through Their Rough Out-of-Conference Schedule

Getting off to a strong start would be great for Florida, but they do have a very tough out-of-conference schedule. The Gators will kick off their season against the Georgetown Hoyas. 

This will be a very winnable game for Florida, but it will not be a given. 

The Gators will also have to play Wisconsin, Marquette, Florida State, Arizona and Kansas State. Florida can't think too far ahead this season. They need to think game by game because there are plenty of trap games on the schedule. 

Florida should start the season off by being ranked in the Top 10. However, none of that matters. The Gators can't take any of their opponents lightly this year.

They can very easily get off to a strong start, and beating Georgetown in their first game of the season would surely help towards this.

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