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The University of Florida men's basketball team saw its season end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after a double overtime loss to BYU; it was a tough way to end a season in which this team proved it belonged in the NCAA Tournament.

One player in particular played his best basketball down the stretch in freshman guard Kenny Boynton who poured in 27 points in his first ever NCAA Tournament game.

But flash back to the start of the season. Boynton, a home grown product, was heavily recruited and a lot was expected of him but he struggled at times with his shot and adjusting to the college game. It just goes to show you that even when you are a highly decorated high school player, adjustment to the college game can sometimes be a slow learning process. Boynton was inconsistent at times but still played a lot and learned.

While his season statistics may not be eye popping he was a major contributor to this team by averaging 33 minutes a game, leading the team with a 14 points a game average while shooting 37 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc.

And beyond the arc is where Boynton struggled for most of the year with a rather funky shot that the coaching staff will have to decide what to do with; leave it alone or tear it down and teach a new shooting technique. Or, maybe judging on how he shot it late, do nothing at all!

In the latter part of the year we saw Boynton become more of an offensive force and his shots began to fall. In his last four games, Boynton was 24 of 56 (43 percent) and 13 of 30 from long distance (a very respectable 43 percent) and you could just see him playing and shooting with more confidence. That should bode well for next season.

It will also be intriguing to see how much the coaching staff tweaks his role with the team. Erving Walker was the primary ball handler but when SEC play started his turnovers began to climb. Chandler Parsons ran the point at times with his ability to pass and see over zone defenses and you wonder if Boynton, who can handle the ball, might be asked to play the point a little more next year.

He'll be part of a team that, barring anything bizarre, will return everyone but departing senior Dan Werner while adding at least 6'9" Patric Young and 6'5" swingman Casey Prather. Getting into the NCAA Tournament was invaluable for this team, and that experience should help them next season.

Perhaps the best thing that can be said of Boynton and his teammates was said by head coach Billy Donovan who called this group one of the best he has ever coached in terms of its willingness to learn, its unselfish play, and its work ethic. Even though the play was up and down at times, there was little doubt about how hard this group played and how they just seemed to forget about losses and refocus on the next game.

It was a fun group to wrap your arms around and I believe that with more bodies coming in next year the expectation level for the group will elevate. Everyone will be a year older and this could be one of the best teams in the league.

And if Kenny Boynton builds on his end of the year performance, you could be calling him one of the better players in the SEC as well.