SEC

TEAM: Florida Gators

LOCATION: Gainesville

ANY GOOD?: Not by recent standards. You may be aware that this team won two straight NCAA titles, and you may also be aware that it lost every single player who was crucial to that effort, excepting maybe SG Walter Hodge. They'll be small in the backcourt, small on the wing and inexperienced everywhere. But they're immensely talented and well-coached.

BIG NON-CON GAMES: Nov. 23 vs. Florida State; Dec. 22 @ Ohio State.

BEST PLAYER: Who knows, but for now, let's go with Marreese Speights. The 6-10 sophomore center held his own against Greg Oden in the NCAA championship game and played generally well in scant opportunities.

ITEM: The Gators sure like the state of Florida. They don't play a road game until Nov. 30, and that's in Tampa. They don't play another one until Dec. 15, and it's in Jacksonville. Their game against Ohio State Dec. 22 is the only non-conference game that requires them to leave the state.

OUTLOOK: I like them more than most other outlets appear to. I'll say third in the SEC East and a tournament bid.

TEAM: Florida State Seminoles

LOCATION: Tallahassee

ANY GOOD?: Not really. Much of what they accomplished last year was on the strength of NBA lottery pick Al Thornton, and like I just said, he was a lottery pick. Still, they've got a good mix of freshmen and upperclassmen, and sometimes that yields a nice finished product.

BIG NON-CON GAMES: Nov. 18 vs. South Florida; Nov. 23 @ Florida.

BEST PLAYER: The team's MVP outside of Thornton was Toney Douglas, and he's back. The 6-1 junior guard missed five games to a hand injury last year, and the Seminoles won just one of them.

ITEM: Freshman guard Ben O'Donnell played in the Kingdom of the Sun, and freshman center Solomon Alibi was in the Diamondback Challenge at Belleview last year.

OUTLOOK: NIT all the way.

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TEAM: Miami Hurricanes

LOCATION: Coral Gables

ANY GOOD?: Not so much. They did make a late-season push last year, but the overall talent isn't there for a sustained run.

BIG NON-CON GAMES: Dec. 2 vs. St. John's; Dec. 8 vs. Florida International.

BEST PLAYER: Leading scorer Jack McClinton is back. The 6-1 junior guard was all-ACC third team last year and has an attractive jumper.

ITEM: The team has those weird new Nike-designed uniforms with the shorts that look like baggy capri pants.  

OUTLOOK:  They'll trail FSU in the ACC, and would be OK with the NIT.

TEAM: South Florida Bulls

LOCATION: Tampa

ANY GOOD?: Average. They've got experience back, but they're overmatched in their conference.

BIG NON-CON GAMES: Nov. 18 vs. Florida State @ Daytona Beach; Dec. 19 @ Wake Forest

BEST PLAYER: Senior center Kentrell Gransberry is a big, burly fellow who led the Big East in rebounds and made all-Big east second team.

ITEM: Nobody on this team or in the history of USF men's or women's basketball has scored as many points as Vanguard graduate and The Sports Blog contributing writer Jessica Dickson.

OUTLOOK: More Big East bottom-dwelling.

TEAM: Central Florida Knights

LOCATION: Orlando

ANY GOOD?: Getting better. They'll play anyone who asks and get regular looks at Memphis, and that gives them a little more seasoning than the average middling program.

BIG GAMES: Dec. 1 @ South Florida; Dec. 28 vs. Connecticut

BEST PLAYER: Swingman Jermaine Taylor, a 6-4 junior from Tavares, averaged over 12 points in just 25 minutes a game last year.

ITEM: UCF basketball has a new arena to go with football's new stadium.

OUTLOOK:  Best-case scenario would be top half of Conference USA and an NIT invite.

TEAM: Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

LOCATION: Fort Myers

ANY GOOD?:  Nowhere close.

BIG GAMES: Nov. 18 @ Iowa; Dec. 22 @ Butler

BEST PLAYER: Senior forward Adam Liddell is the school's all-time leading rebounder.

ITEM: Former CFCC women's basketball assistant Alex Kwiecinska's alma mater.

OUTLOOK:  You can find them where the A-Sun sets.

TEAM: Jacksonville Dolphiins 

LOCATION: Jacksonville

ANY GOOD?: A contender in their conference.

BIG GAMES: Dec. 3 @ Florida; Dec. 9 @ Georgetown

BEST PLAYER: Junior big man Marcus Allen is a skilled rebounder and shot-blocker.

ITEM: Former Trinity coach Kerwin Bell and a slew of former Celtics players can be found on the Dolphins' football team.

OUTLOOK:  With two all-conference freshmen back and excellent coaching, dark-horse potential exists, especially after last year's third-place finish.

TEAM: North Florida Ospreys  

LOCATION: Jacksonville

ANY GOOD?: Heavens no.

BIG GAMES: Nov. 20 @ Florida; Dec. 20 @ Miami (FL)

BEST PLAYER: Tie. Point guard Chris Timberlake and center James Grimball each produced about 11 points a game as juniors and led the team in assists and rebounds, respectively.

ITEM: Former CFCC forward Gallo Cham is entering his senior year with the Ospreys. 

OUTLOOK:  Every win is a good one.

 TEAM: Stetson Hatters

LOCATION: DeLand

ANY GOOD?: Experienced, yes, but good, no.

BIG GAMES: Nov. 27 @ Florida; Nov. 30 @ Florida State

BEST PLAYER: Leading scorer and rebounder Garfield Blair, a 6-5 guard from Orlando, returns for his junior year.

ITEM: The alma mater of Forest graduate and former NBA player Lorenzo Williams.

OUTLOOK: The Atlantic Sun has two teams new to Division I this year, and Stetson ranks above only them.

TEAM: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats

LOCATION: Daytona Beach

ANY GOOD?: As another team that relies heavily on juco transfers, it's hard to say. Likely top half of the MEAC.

BIG GAMES: Nov. 15 @ Purdue; Dec. 17 @ Iowa State

BEST PLAYER: Wing Jimmy Hudson is the only double-digit scorer back.

ITEM: Vanguard graduate Jordan Carrier is a reserve guard for the Wildcats.

OUTLOOK:  Has an extremely outside chance of winning the conference.   

TEAM: Florida A&M Rattlers

LOCATION: Tallahassee

ANY GOOD?: They made the NCAA tournament last year, but they lost a lot.

BIG GAMES: Nov. 26 @ Connecticut; Dec. 5 @ Florida

BEST PLAYER: Senior guard Leslie Robinson is the only double-digit scorer to return.

ITEM: Former FSU player Eugene Harris took over the program in September after Mike Gillespie pleaded no contest to stalking.

OUTLOOK: Will fight for MEAC state bragging rights with Bethune-Cookman, but not much else.

TEAM: Florida Atlantic Owls 

LOCATION: Boca Raton

ANY GOOD?: Potentially. A brand-new backcourt holds the keys.

BIG GAMES: Nov. 12 @ Boston College; Nov. 28 @ Kansas

BEST PLAYER: Junior forward Carlos Monroe is an all-Sun Belt preseason first teamer.

ITEM: Ocala's Brittany Bowe and Hannah Jones play on the FAU women's team.

OUTLOOK:  Could contend for the Sun Belt title, and will need it to reach the postseason.

TEAM: Florida International Panthers

LOCATION: Miami 

ANY GOOD?: Probably not. They did bring in a pair of 7-foot transfers, so if they pan out, then maybe. A lot of conditional statements there.

BIG GAMES: Nov. 26 vs. South Florida; Dec. 31 @ Kentucky

BEST PLAYER: Junior forward and former Kansas Jayhawk Alex Galindo is pretty dominant at this level.

ITEM: The name sure fits. The Panthers have players from four different countries and one from Puerto Rico.

OUTLOOK:  Mediocre to bad in the Sun Belt.