Florida Gators Learn First Round 2024 NCAA Tournament Opponent

The Florida Gators will take on the Colorado Buffaloes in their round of 64 contest on Friday.
Florida Gators Learn First Round 2024 NCAA Tournament Opponent
Florida Gators Learn First Round 2024 NCAA Tournament Opponent /
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Photo: Todd Golden; Credit: Zach Goodall

Colorado took down Boise State in a low-scoring, 60-53, affair in the First Four on Wednesday to set up a date with the Florida Gators on Friday afternoon in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Gators can now begin to gameplan for their first round opponent, a dynamic almost exclusive to March.

“It ends up being a little bit of a break even because I think we do have a little bit of an advantage because the teams play on Wednesday night,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said on Tuesday. “I think we’re at a little bit of a disadvantage because we can’t truly prepare for anybody until, you know, late Wednesday night. You know, it all works itself out at the end of the day.“

The Gators will take the floor for an NCAA Tournament bout for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign, where they beat Virginia Tech before being upset by Oral Roberts in round two.

Florida has displayed a vastly improved product this season after back-to-back underwhelming campaigns. In the second year of Todd Golden’s control of the program, the Gators displayed a drastic uptick in offensive production to catapult the unit to a top six finish in one of the nation’s top league at 21-10 (11-7 SEC).

The unit caught fire in the SEC Tournament, winning three games over the like of No. 11 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama and No. 7 Texas A&M to advance to the championship game against No. 4 Auburn. Despite a loss to the Tigers, UF’s surge built valuable momentum for Golden and Co. heading for the remaining win-or-go-home portion of the season.

“I think it should be a catalyst for us moving forward,” Golden said.

Why the Florida Gators Will or Won't Make a March Madness Run

Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. have led the Gators this season, producing as uber-effective, multi-dimensional guards. Tyrese Samuel has notable aided the group from the frontcourt with complementary contributions from players like Will Richard, Riley Kugel, Micah Handlogten, Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Denzel Aberdeen.

However, Handlogten is unavailable for tournament play after suffering a broken leg in Florida loss to Auburn in the league title contest. Samuel and Condon will be tasked with picking up the slack from the five, particularly in the boards, as the unit aims to make a postseason push.

The Gators’ road to Phoenix — the location of the Final Four and National Championship — begins in Indianapolis, where Florida will face off with the Buffaloes on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET.


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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Brandon Carroll
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.