GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A total of 16 games against teams that competed in the postseason in 2007, including nine games against NCAA Tournament teams highlight the 2007-08 University of Florida men’s basketball schedule, announced on Monday.
The two-time defending national champions will have a total of 21 home dates – 19 regular season and two exhibitions, plus in-state trips to Jacksonville, Tampa and the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise.
Florida opens exhibition play on Nov. 1 against Flagler College and concludes exhibition play on Nov. 5 against Lynn. The Gators open regular season play by hosting the Blue Ribbon Challenge, a four-game series beginning on Nov. 9 with North Dakota State, continuing on Nov.
11 with Tennessee Tech, Nov. 14 with UNC-Central, and concluding on Nov.
17 with Rutgers.
After a Nov. 20 date with North Florida, the Gators host Florida State in the annual tilt between the two schools on Nov. 23, the night before the football game between the two, as is customary when the game is played in Gainesville.
Florida hosts Stetson on Nov. 27 before hitting the road for the first time in a neutral site game with NIT participant Vermont at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. A year ago, a crowd of better than 15,000 fans cheered the Gators on to victory over Florida A&M at the St. Pete Times Forum.
After home games with Jacksonville (Dec. 3) and NCAA Tournament participant Florida A&M (Dec. 5), Florida comes out of its break for final exams with a neutral site game with Georgia Southern at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Dec. 15. The visit to Jacksonville will mark the Gators’ first since winning the opening two rounds of the 2006 NCAA Tournament on the same floor en route to the school’s first national title.
The Gators return home on Dec. 19 to take on Charleston Southern and then hit the road on Dec. 22 for their first true road game of the year, at Ohio State, in a rematch of the 2007 national title game. CBS will broadcast the game nationally with a 3:45 p.m. tip set.
Florida closes out the 2007 portion of its schedule with its near-annual visit to the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise on Dec. 29 where the Gators will take on Temple. The Gators open the New Year and close the non-conference portion of their schedule on Jan. 2 when High Point comes to the O’Connell Center.
The Southeastern Conference schedule opens in difficult fashion with a road game at Alabama on Jan. 8 before a nationally-televised audience on ESPN. Florida’s SEC home opener will come on Jan. 12 vs. Auburn before the Gators wrap-up a three-game set against SEC West competition to open league play with a road game at Ole Miss.
Kentucky comes to Gainesville on Jan. 19 in a game to be televised by ESPN before the Gators hit the road for a game at South Carolina on Jan.
23 and return home for Vanderbilt on Jan. 27.
Florida opens February with road games at Arkansas (Feb. 2) and Tennessee (Feb. 5) before returning home for games with Georgia (Feb. 9) and LSU (Feb. 13). The Gators wrap up February with a home game with South Carolina sandwiched in between road games at Vanderbilt and Georgia.
The Gators finish the regular season with a difficult stretch, as Mississippi State comes to the O’Connell Center on March 1 for a game televised by CBS, before Tennessee comes to Gainesville for the home finale on March 5. As has been the case in recent years, Florida closes the season out with Kentucky, traveling to Rupp Arena on March 9 for a noon tip on CBS.
The SEC Tournament will once again be held in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome from March 13-16.
Additional times and television dates will be announced at a later date.
2007-08 Florida Men’s Basketball Schedule
November
Thurs. 1 Flagler (Exh.) Gainesville, Fla.
Mon. 5 Lynn (Exh.) Gainesville, Fla.
Fri. 9 North Dakota State^ Gainesville, Fla.
Sun. 11 Tennessee Tech^ Gainesville, Fla.
Wed. 14 UNC-Central^ Gainesville, Fla.
Sat. 17 Rutgers ^ Gainesville, Fla.
Tues. 20 North Florida Gainesville, Fla.
Fri. 23 Florida State Gainesville, Fla.
Tues. 27 Stetson Gainesville, Fla.
Fri. 30 Vermont Tampa, Fla. St. Pete Times Forum
December
Mon. 3 Jacksonville Gainesville, Fla.
Wed. 5 Florida A&M Gainesville, Fla.
Sat. 15 Georgia Southern Jacksonville, Fla. Jax Veterans Mem. Col.
Wed. 19 Charleston Southern Gainesville, Fla.
Sat. 22 Ohio State Columbus, Ohio Value City Arena 3:45 p.m. CBS
Sat. 29 Temple Sunrise, Fla. BankAtlantic Center
January
Wed. 2 High Point Gainesville, Fla.
Tues. 8 Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. Coleman Coliseum TBA ESPN
Sat. 12 Auburn Gainesville, Fla.
Wed. 16 Ole Miss Oxford, Miss. Tad Smith Coliseum
Sat. 19 Kentucky Gainesville, Fla.
Wed. 23 South Carolina Columbia, S.C. Colonial Center
Sun. 27 Vanderbilt Gainesville, Fla.
February
Sat. 2 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark.
Tues. 5 Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn.
Sat. 9 Georgia Gainesville, Fla.
Wed. 13 LSU Gainesville, Fla.
Sat. 16 Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn.
Wed. 20 South Carolina Gainesville, Fla.
Wed. 27 Georgia Athens, Ga.
March
Sat. 1 Mississippi State Gainesville, Fla.
Wed. 5 Tennessee Gainesville, Fla.
Sun. 9 Kentucky Lexington, Ky. Rupp Arena
Sun. 16 SEC Tournament Atlanta, Ga.