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Florida Gators Men’s Basketball Conference Schedule Released

A tough conference schedule looms for the Florida Gators in Year 3 of the Golden Era

Bennett Solomon

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden enters his third season as basketball coach.
Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden enters his third season as basketball coach. / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
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On Tuesday, the Florida Gators men’s basketball SEC schedule was released, and Florida has a similar and difficult start to its conference schedule. UF’s midweek game dates have yet to be finalized but the weekend games are set. 

The Gators’ first SEC game is against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena Jan. 4. Last season, Florida opened its SEC slate against Kentucky at home and suffered a close loss to the Wildcats.

Though, UF arguably got its biggest win of the regular season against then-No. 10 Kentucky in the return game at Rupp Jan. 31 in overtime. It was UF’s first win on the road against a Top 10 opponent since 2003. 

But this year, Kentucky will look different. They’ll still have impressive talent, but there’s a new coach in Lexington. Former BYU head coach Mark Pope is now the head coach of the Wildcats after longtime head coach John Calipari left the Wildcats to run the Arkansas Razorbacks program. 

Pope, a former player at Kentucky, will get his first taste of SEC conference ball against the Gators in front of a loud Rupp crowd. 

It doesn’t get easier for the Gators after their conference opener. Florida will head back to Gainesville and face the Tennessee Volunteers in its second conference game. This time, Golden and the Gators will have their home crowd behind them as UF hosts Tennessee in the home opener Jan. 7 or 8. 

The Volunteers are coming off of a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament and dominated the Gators last season 85-66 in Knoxville. Florida will look for revenge in Gainesville this season. 

To top off a difficult opening conference schedule, Florida will head back on the road to face Calipari and Arkansas Jan. 11. The Gators demolished the Razorbacks last season at home, but a newly-led Arkansas team should make a tough test for Golden and the Gators. 

Two home games will follow against Missouri and Texas in mid-January before the Gators head back on the road to face South Carolina Jan. 21/22. 

The Gators will have to face Tennessee on the road Feb. 1, and will also face Georgia and South Carolina in home-and-home games. 

On March 4 or 5, Florida will travel to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama. The Crimson Tide are coming off of a Final Four appearance and are projected to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. According to ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, Alabama is ranked No. 2. Florida was ranked No. 21. 

The Gators will face nine teams on ESPN’s too-early rankings, and eight of those teams are from the SEC.

Florida and North Carolina (No. 10 on ESPN’s rankings) are set to face off in the Jumpman Classic Dec. 17 in Charlotte and will likely be the Gators’ toughest non-conference game.  

Auburn (No. 11), Texas A&M (No. 12), Tennessee (No. 13), Arkansas (No. 14), Ole Miss (No. 20), Texas (No. 22) and Kentucky (No. 23) are all on Florida’s schedule this season. 

If the rankings are similar when the season starts and ends, Golden and the Gators will open the season against three ranked opponents and end the season facing three ranked opponents. 

Florida will close the regular season verus Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss. 

After falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, UF will look to advance past the first round of the tournament for the first time since 2021. 

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Bennett Solomon

BENNETT SOLOMON