“We’ve got guys that have been through it, but haven’t been through it in the role that they’re going to be in. That’s going to be the challenge. “

Gator men’s basketball head coach Billy Donovan told the SEC Network that there would be no “carry over” from last season’s Final Four appearance to this year’s team, which would have to improve as the season went on. The Gators were picked to finish second in the SEC media preseason poll, behind national preseason No.1 Kentucky.

“I would almost say that we are starting over,” Donovan told host Dari Nowkhah. “We’re at the basement, we’ve got to build our foundation. There’s a lot of things we have to get better at, that we have to improve.”

While down four starters from last year’s team, they do have some players returning with experience, including pre-season All-SEC First Teamer Michael Frazier and Dorian Finney-Smith, last year’s SEC Sixth Man award winner. But Donovan said that experience will need development as the Gators get into their schedule, especially with Kentucky returning several starters from last year’s national runner-up.

“We’ve got guys that have been through it, but haven’t been through it in the role that they’re going to be in,” he said. “That’s going to be the challenge. How we’re going to handle that.”

Early Impacts, Challenges from Transfers

Sports Illustrated has compiled a list of the top transfer players in college basketball, including two Gators with familiar names. The Gators ranked lower on the list, but have the skills to fit nicely into coach Donovan’s game plan. Transfers Alex Murphy, brother of former Gator Erik Murphy, ranked 70, and Jon Horford, Gator great Al Horford’s brother, came in ranked 90.

Horford will be counted on to grab boards but his outside shot is looking great, making him a potential lethal weapon in Donovan’s system. And while Murphy’s older brother was a notorious outside shooter, the transfer from Duke is expected to help lead the Gators on transition. Murphy will have to miss the first nine games due to transfer rules.

The Gators will be facing two of the top transfers on the list early this season. When the Gators host the Miami Hurricanes on Nov. 17, they’ll see the top transfer on the list, shooting forward Sheldon McClellan, and No. 10. transfer point guard Angel Rodriguez. SEC rivals LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri also had highly-rated transfers.

But the real transfer that could have an impact on the early season is Eli Carter, who is a second-year transfer out of Rutgers. Carter only got 53 minutes of playing time last season before an injury sidelined him for the season. But he is back on the floor this year and participating in contract drills in practice, according to Gatorzone.

Odds on Championship

A gamble on the Gators for the 2015 NCAA basketball championship is one of the safer bets on Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook’s preseason tournament odds. At 15-1, the Gators are only behind preseason No.1 Kentucky at 3-1, Duke at 7-1, Arizona at 8-1 and Kansas and Wisconsin, who are both at 12-1 odds. UNC joins the Gators at 15-1 odds, with Texas being the next best bet at 25-1. Louisville sits at a tantalizing 30-1 and Florida State is a 100-1 bet if you feel both lucky and foolish.