Florida’s SEC schedule has been announced, a marker of the basketball season getting closer and closer with each passing day.
Back in May the breakdown of opponents was already announced, but when it comes to a league schedule it’s not always who you play–it’s when. Knowing who the Gators were going to play and where (particularly now that it’s a 16 team league with Texas and Oklahoma, making schedules extremely unbalanced) is huge for seeing areas the areas could potentially rattle off wins–or potentially see a tougher stretch of games. Before we start walking through the schedule, here is the breakdown of home and road games, as well as some brief thoughts I wrote in a previous article back in May:
Home Games
Georgia
Ole Miss
Missouri
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Texas A&M
Vanderbilt
Road Games
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Tennessee
“While rosters change more than ever in college basketball, it appears that Florida’s schedule is tilted towards being easier at home and more difficult on the road–at least if you look at who was successful last year, what teams are bringing back, and who has currently been landed in the transfer portal. Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt are currently projected to be near the bottom of the league and having those teams at home should make for games the Gators should be expected to win.
Unfortunately, things look much more difficult on the road. Alabama will be a team picked to be in the mix for a Final Four, and Arkansas will have all kinds of buzz with John Calipari now at the helm. Auburn has reloaded with talented scoring options, and Tennessee has been recruiting as well as anyone in the league.”
That was written before we saw the dates of each game, so let’s take a look at the schedule now to see how Florida could fare.
(You’ll see that as of right now, there are some flex dates on the schedule. These will be solidified shortly, based on dealings with the TV rights holders–in case you are waiting to plan your own schedule around attending a game)
January 4: @ Kentucky
January 7 OR 8: Tennessee
January 11: @ Arkansas
January 14 OR 15: Missouri
January 18: Texas
January 21 OR 22: @ South Carolina
January 25: Georgia
February 1: @ Tennessee
February 4 OR 5: Vanderbilt
February 8: @ Auburn
February 11 OR 12: @ Mississippi State
February 15: South Carolina
February 18 OR 19: Oklahoma
February 22: @ LSU
February 25 OR 26: @ Georgia
March 1: Texas A&M
March 4 OR 5: @ Alabama
March 8: Ole Miss
The SEC Tournament will take place March 12th to 16th in Nashville.
Now, let’s walk through the schedule.
Florida starts with an absolute bang, playing a difficult stretch of the entire season in the first three games of league play. Starting at Kentucky is never an easy task, and while it is the first year for the Wildcats under Mark Pope, they are a team loaded with much more offensive talent than you’re used to seeing and they’ll be in midseason form by the time this game takes place. Next they have Tennessee, a team who will be picked by most to finish first or second in the SEC. They’ll then get Arkansas, who doesn’t look to be as loaded as the teams we have come to expect from new head coach John Calipari–but he could be reinvigorated.
The Gators will then get Missouri at home which is the kind of game the Gators will need to win if they’re serious about finishing near the top of the SEC as the Tigers are loaded with freshmen and aren’t built to contend this upcoming season. Texas and South Carolina are teams that will be picked in the upper-middle of the conference–AKA, the kind of teams the Gators will likely be competing for in the standings all year long.
Florida will then get a game with Georgia at home before what could be their most challenging set of games all season long. First, they’ll have a Saturday road game at Tennessee which is no easy task for anyone. Then they’ll get Vanderbilt at home, but that’s before going on the road at a loaded Auburn team, a revitalized Mississippi State team, and then getting a scrappy South Carolina team at home. That’s a five game stretch where the Gators have to be extremely happy going 3-2 with anything better being gravy.
After that difficult stretch, it’s time to make hay. Florida has Oklahoma (a team that could be picked to finish last in the SEC) at home before going to LSU and Georgia. The Tigers and Bulldogs might be games on the road, but after a challenging five game stretch the Gators should be looking to sweep this road trip before taking on Texas A&M who is never easy to play.
The Gators will then play their most difficult road game of the season–a trip to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama, a team that many pundits will have as a Final Four or National Championship pick. Lastly, they’ll see Ole Miss before the SEC Tournament.
Florida’s schedule is generally balanced throughout, which is something they haven’t had in recent years. Usually there are clear stretches of very challenging play followed by stretches of very winnable games in a row, and while there are some stretches notably easier or harder than others this seems to be as balanced a schedule as they have had in years, meaning they won’t be able to have many off nights in what is going to be a monster league.