GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Florida followed consecutive national championships with back-to-back NIT appearances, hardly the way coach Billy Donovan wanted to build off those title runs.

The drop-off humbled Donovan and made the Gators hungry to return to the NCAA tournament. Getting back there could be a challenge, though.

Leading scorer Nick Calathes turned pro, shooting guard Walter Hodge graduated and Florida's beefed-up schedule is filled with potential setbacks.

The team's revamped backcourt and deeper frontcourt could offset the losses. But realistically, not even the Gators know what to expect. Are they headed for another NIT berth or can they become Southeastern Conference and NCAA contenders again?

The Gators open Monday night against Saint Leo, kicking off a non-conference schedule that includes games against Florida State, No. 2 Michigan State, Syracuse, Richmond, South Alabama, North Carolina State and Xavier.

``Everyone can talk a good game, but it's all about what you do on the court and your actions,'' said forward Dan Werner, the team's lone senior. ``We're excited. We think we're better. But we said the same thing last year.''

Florida lost five of its final eight regular-season games in 2008-09, finished 25-11 and was left out of the NCAA field for the fourth time in Donovan's 13 years. It was a crushing blow for a team that thought all season it was tournament bound.

Things got worse, too.

Calathes, the team's all-everything point guard, entered the NBA draft. Center Alex Tyus waffled about his future, deciding to transfer then returning 10 days later. And Donovan failed to land highly touted point guards John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and Lamont Jones.

Donovan settled for Israeli guard Nimrod Tishman, a 6-foot-5 guard from Tel Aviv.

Tishman, guard Kenny Boynton, center Vernon Macklin and forward Erik Murphy could be key factors in getting Florida turned around.

Tishman averaged 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists at the Under-18 European Championships in France this summer. The NCAA cleared him to play this week. Donovan has low expectations for him this season, but that's not the case for Boynton.

A McDonald's All-American who averaged 33 points and shot 58 percent from 3-point range as a senior at American Heritage in Pompano Beach, Boynton should provide immediate help in the backcourt with point guard Erving Walker and Ray Shipman.

``He's come in with an unbelievable level of humility,'' Donovan said. ``Sometimes, when you have guys that come in with these huge reputations, they come in with an attitude and an air about them and they've got it all figured out and they think they're better than everybody else. He has been anything but that. He has been a great teammate. He has made the chemistry on our team better.''

But Donovan cautioned about putting too much on Boynton's shoulders.

``He's not a savior. He's one guy and he's a freshman,'' Donovan said. ``We're not going in putting all this emphasis on him to step up and he has to do this, this and this for us to be productive. He's going to be a good player here. I have no doubts about that. But the expectation that he's going to be this total impact guy would be totally unfair to him.''

Donovan feels the same way about Macklin, who transferred from Georgetown in 2008 and sat out last season under NCAA rules.

The 6-10 junior could give the Gators a rebounding and defensive presence inside, the kind they haven't had since Al Horford and Joakim Noah roamed the lane.

Murphy will provide frontcourt depth behind Macklin, Tyus, Werner, Kenny Kadji and Chandler Parsons.

``Last year, we only had so many guys,'' Werner said. ``Coach's hands might have been tied; he had to play people. This year, with so many bodies, if you're not producing, you might not be playing. That's one thing that's going to be pushing everyone.''

The desire to get back to the NCAA tournament will be another motivating factor.

``That's in everyone's head,'' Werner said. ``It definitely gets mentioned. It hurts when guys say stuff (about missing the tournament), but we have nobody to blame but ourselves. We have to change it. No one else can.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.