Florida vs. Virginia: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More

Everything you need to know for the Gators Hall of Fame Series appearance against the Virginia Cavaliers on Friday.

Brandon Carroll | Nov 10, 2023

Florida vs. Virginia: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More /

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Florida Gators

An early-season litmus test is on the horizon for the Gators on Friday night in Charlotte, N.C.

Florida (1-0) will take on the Virginia Cavaliers (1-0) the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series in the Spectrum Center. The Gators strive to assert themselves onto the national stage in game two performance against Tony Bennett’s renowned program.

You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.

Florida Gators vs. Virginia Cavaliers

Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.

When: Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: ACC Network

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | The Varsity Network App | SXM App

Odds: Virginia rests as a 1.5-point favorite over Florida, according to SI Sportsbook. The over/under for the contest is set at 134.5 points.

Series history: The Gators hold a 2-1 all-time record against the Cavaliers. In the last contest between the two Power Six programs, Florida bested Virginia by 26, 65-39, in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

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The rundown

The Gators new-look roster will endure a tough challenge on Friday against a refreshed Cavaliers squad.

Like Florida, Virginia underwent significant reconstruction throughout the offseason after losing 72% of their scoring production from a year ago, adding several high school and transfer pieces to complete the roster.

The Cavaliers are led by their lone returning starter, guard Reece Beekman, the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

He will occupy a critical two-way role for Bennett’s unit in 2023-24, expected to maintain his impressive defensive presence while continuing to advance his offensive repertoire. Beekman succeeded in doing so on Monday against Tarleton State, accounting for 16 points and seven assists to spearhead the Hoos attack in a 30-point win.

Golden is fully aware of the challenges he can present.

“Just a really, really good player. Been around a long time,” Golden said on Thursday afternoon. “Someone who has been in a lot of big games and understands what it takes to win at a high level. For them, he’s really important because he’s one of the guys who comes back with experience.

“Obviously, the leader of their team and someone were going to have to do a good job against if we want to win this game.”

The Milwaukee, Wisc., native is joined by sophomore wing Ryan Dunn. Dunn saw time in rotation for the Cavaliers last season and has earned positive pre-draft buzz ahead of the upcoming campaign due to the impressive length and athleticism he sports as a guard-forward hybrid talent who commands the four spot.

They’re complemented by Andrew Rohde, Isaac McNeely and Jacob Groves in the starting lineup. Eleven players saw time in the team’s season-opener on Monday.

The Gators look to mitigate the damage the potential unknown from the personnel turnover perspective could cause, although the Cavaliers will have to do the same.

“Yeah probably equally challenging both ways for both of us, you know, because we’re, both of us have a lot of new in our programs, so we each have one tape,” Golden said. “We haven’t seen any other scrimmages, I’m not sure if they’ve seen any of ours, but there’s a little bit of guesswork that goes into it.

“And obviously we know what Coach Bennett does and how he’s been so successful and what his identity is, especially, on both ends really, so we’ll try to learn from that and prepare that way, but there’s going to be some things that neither of us have seen, and we’ll catch each other off-guard a little bit and then we just gotta adapt and do the best we can the rest of the way.”

Amid that effort, Florida will be without starting guard Zyon Pullin in the contest, as he serves the second game of a three-game suspension to begin his first season in Gainesville handed down by the NCAA on Sept. 29.

Walter Clayton Jr. and Riley Kugel will shoulder a heavy load as a result, while Florida’s frontcourt look to take advantage of a potential physicality edge against Virginia — who operates with a four-guard look and a stretch big at the five.

The contest will serve as a barometer for where UF sits at this stage in its rebuild. Without a key cog in Pullin at their disposal, contention is the expectation.

Anything more, namely an upset win, would serve as a resounding statement for the program’s attempted rise into national prominence in Golden’s second year in charge.

Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

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Published Nov 10, 2023

BRANDON CARROLL

Brandon Carroll is a recent graduate of the University of Florida. He serves as the lead reporter for the Florida Gators FanNation-Sports Illustrated website, covering football, basketball and recruiting. When he isn't hard at work, he enjoys listening to music, playing flag football and basketball, spending time with his friends and family, and watching an array of television shows. Follow him on Twitter @itsbcarroll.