If you are a Gator basketball fan in central Florida who is clamoring for the season to start, there is some excellent news for you.
For the first time in a number of years the Gators will be starting their season with an official intra-squad scrimmage, and it will be open to the public who want to see the new-look basketball team headed up by a fresh coaching staff.
On Tuesday, November 1st at 7 PM ET the Gators will have an “Orange & Blue Scrimmage” where the team gets slip off into two sides and they face off, both preparing themselves for the season and also giving an opportunity to fans to get a taste of what they’ll see for the rest of the season. These scrimmages have happened pretty much every year with some variability with how official they were but this will be the first time the game is open to the public since 2015 when “Gator Madness” took place, a version of what longtime Gator fans knew and loved as “Midnight Madness” where the Gators would take the floor around 9 or 10 PM with an event that would last past midnight and mark the official opening of the season. Opening up the Orange & Blue scrimmage to the public seems like something that could open the door to bringing back a true Midnight Madness–something that you’d have to think would vibe with the personality of head coach Todd Golden.
Golden has worked hard to be available to fans and media and this game is another step to build the Florida basketball brand. This event will have free admission, making this a true opportunity to serve fans in the area.
There is currently no television or streaming options listed for fans who won’t be able to make the game physically.
From a basketball standpoint things will get interesting the moment the coaches break the group into two teams. This will make for some fascinating matchups particularly with all the athletic wings this team will boast as there will likely not be enough minutes available this season to satisfy what everyone is looking for, so competition in a setting like this should be extremely high as players look to establish themselves.
Another fascinating matchup will be point guards Kyle Lofton and Trey Bonham who you’d have to imagine would be on different teams as the two pure ball handlers and the roster. Lofton has been the presumed starter ever since he announced his commitment in the transfer portal to Florida, but Bonham has apparently been outstanding in practice and is pushing for more minutes. A head to head matchup between the two with fans in attendance should certainly ramp up the competition between the two.
For fans, this will be the first look at what Golden-era basketball will be from a style of play standpoint. Golden had a fairly unique style of play at San Francisco blending four or five out spread offense concepts with some stretches of doing the complete opposite with two true bigs on the floor and it will be interesting to see what he adjusts to now that he’s at the high major level.
The Orange & Blue game will be one of three tuneups for the Gators as they will also welcome Miami to Gainesville for an exhibition and head to Jacksonville to play against former assistant Jordan Mincy and former players Osayi Osifo and Omar Payne.