2000-01 record: 24-7; 12-4 in SEC (t1st in East) Final Ranking: No. 13 ESPN/USA Today; No. 8 AP Postseason: Lost to Temple 75-54 in second round of NCAA Tournament. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Haslem 16.8 ppg | Rebounds: Bonner 7.7 rpg | Assists: Nelson 4.3 apg | FG %: Haslem 59.7% | 3pt %: Nelson 45.3% | FT %: Nelson 80.0% 00-01 Stats: Florida | SEC

		Tuesday, Nov. 6 Even with Teddy Dupay gone, with so many things going for them, the Gators will still be very good. Brett Nelson and Udonis Haslem are enough; add weapon Matt Bonner, who can shoot 3s and rebound, and you've got three quality players anyone in the league would love to have. The Gators have quality guards in Justin Hamilton and Ladarius Halton, and three outstanding freshmen coming in -- Adrian Moss, David Lee and James White. This is really a solid club. Florida not only has a chance to win the league, but also the national championship.

Outlook
Nobody's roster has churned faster than Florida's the past couple years. Mike Miller, Donnell Harvey, Kwame Brown and Teddy Dupay have all departed the program with eligibility to spare (Brown never even enrolled, becoming the No. 1 NBA draft pick instead). The Gators are considered title contenders despite it all.

That's largely because Florida has one of the best inside-outside tandems in America in Udonis Haslem (16.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Brett Nelson (15.3 ppg, 4.3 assists, 1.9 spg). It also has blossoming forward Matt Bonner (13.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and the ability to shoot the 3-pointer) and solid role-playing guards Justin Hamilton and Orien Greene.

And then there are the solid-gold newbies: skywalking small forward James White and versatile post man David Lee. Both McDonald's All-Americans can and will play immediately. Adding Brown to those guys -- even for a year -- would have been borderline unfair.

A surreal spate of January injuries forced Florida to curtail its normal manic style. With the stud freshmen and some quality subs, the Gators will again be able to apply maximum pressure defensively and run the floor with abandon. Billyball should be a smash hit once again in Gainesville.

What we like: Pretty much everything. Nelson is a ball-on-a-string magician in the open court, just the guy to push the tempo. Haslem gets an amazing amount done inside for a guy only 6-7. Bonner is versatile. And the freshmen should be highlight regulars.

What we don't like: Who will step into Dupay's dual role as this team's clutch perimeter shooter and emotional spark plug? He was also the team's attitude leader, playing through injuries and occasionally getting into the face of the opposition. It will be interesting to see who the new resident tough guy is.

The bottom line: December checks in surprisingly light for the Gators: Michigan State, South Florida and Charlotte are the only opponents of note. If Florida gets by Temple and either Maryland or Arizona in the season-opening Coaches vs. Cancer Classic this week in New York, it could be undefeated heading into January.

Key Players Returning
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Udonis Haslem	Sr.	C	6-8/246	PTS: 16.8 | REB: 7.5 | AST: 1.0
Brett Nelson	Jr.	G	6-3/182	PTS: 15.3 | REB: 2.7 | AST: 4.3
Teddy Dupay	Sr.	G	5-11/178	PTS: 13.4 | REB: 2.2 | AST: 2.8
Matt Bonner	Jr.	F	6-10/237	PTS: 13.3 | REB: 7.7 | AST: 1.5

Key Losses
Player	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Brent Wright	F	6-8/235	PTS: 12.6 | REB: 6.2 | AST: 1.6
Major Parker	F	6-4/218	PTS: 5.1 | REB: 3.4 | AST: 1.6

Florida Signings
Player	Pos.	Ht.	High School/College
David Lee	F	6-8	St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade Prep
James White	F	6-7	Kensington, Md./Hargrave Military Academy
Adrian Moss	F	6-9	Houston/Fork Union Military Academy