| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 2008–09 |
| Team: | Florida Gators |
| Conference: | Southeastern Conference |
| Division: | East |
| Short Conf: | SEC |
| Record: | 25–11 |
| Conf Record: | 9–7 |
| Bowl Result: | Quarterfinals |
The 2008–09 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2008 - 09 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The Gators were looking to build on their 24–12 record from the 2007–08 season.
Entering the season, the Gators had to overcome the loss of Marreese Speights, who left for the 2008 NBA draft after his sophomore season with the Gators. (Speights was selected in the draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.) To replace him, the Gators added six freshmen to the team. The Gators won their two preseason games against Rollins and Warner.
[1] [2] [3] |-| colspan="7" style="padding-left:10px;" | Overall Recruiting Rankings: Scout – 9 Rivals – 10 [4] ESPN – 2 |}
| Name | Number | Position | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Allen | 14 | F | 6–8 | 225 | Sophomore | Milton, Florida |
| 33 | G/F | 6–6 | 194 | Sophomore | Winter Park, Florida | |
| Allan Chaney | 24 | F | 6–8 | 231 | Freshman | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Hudson Fricke | 40 | G | 6–1 | 193 | Sophomore | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Walter Hodge | 15 | G | 6–0 | 170 | Senior | Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| Kenny Kadji | 30 | F/C | 6–10 | 235 | Freshmen | Douala, Cameroon |
| Vernon Macklin | 32 | F | 6–10 | 230 | Junior | Portsmouth, Virginia |
| Kyle McClanahan | 4 | G | 6–1 | 185 | Freshman | Maitland, Florida |
| Chandler Parsons | 25 | F | 6–9 | 213 | Sophomore | Winter Park, Florida |
| Ray Shipman | 3 | G/F | 6–5 | 212 | Freshman | Miramar, Florida |
| Alex Tyus | 23 | F | 6–8 | 220 | Sophomore | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Eloy Vargas | 1 | F/C | 6–10 | 215 | Freshman | Moca, Dominican Republic |
| Erving Walker | 11 | G | 5–8 | 161 | Freshman | Brooklyn, New York |
| Dan Werner | 21 | F | 6–7 | 230 | Junior | Middletown, New Jersey |
| Name | Type | College | Graduating year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Donovan | Head coach | Providence College | 1987 | |
| Larry Shyatt | Associate Head Coach | 1973 | ||
| Shaka Smart | Assistant coach | Kenyon College | 1999 | |
| Rob Lanier | Assistant coach | St. Bonaventure University | 1990 | |
| Darren Hertz | Assistant to the Head Coach | Florida | 1997 | |
| Adam Beaupre | Video Coordinator | Florida | 1999 | |
| Matt Herring | Strength & Conditioning Coordinator | University of Texas Southwestern | 1994 | |
| Dave Werner | Athletic Trainer | Eastern Kentucky University | 1991 | |
| Tom Williams | Academic Counselor | Florida | 1978 |
After the season, assistant coach Shaka Smart left to become head coach of the VCU Rams.
Retrieved from Gatorzone.com|-!colspan=12 style=|Exhibition games|-!colspan=12 style=|Regular Season|-!colspan=12 style=|SEC Tournament |-!colspan=12 style=|National Invitation Tournament
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 23 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 23 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
| Coaches | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |