Florida Gators to face A-10 opponent in Orange Bowl Classic, add game in Lakeland
The Florida basketball team will make an early season appearance in south Florida at the Orange Bowl Classic. And Todd Golden’s team is set to face an A-10 opponent there.
That team is Richmond.
The matchup is scheduled for Dec. 9 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise.
Per FloridaGators.com, “the Florida-Richmond game will be part of a doubleheader, with Florida State and South Florida also set to face off. Game times and television information will be announced at a later date.”
The Gators are 18-4 all time in the Orange Bowl Classic, however this will be their first appearance in the event under Golden, who is entering season No. 2 in Gainesville.
Florida and Richmond have played five times, with the Gators holding a 3-2 series edge. Florida has won two straight over the Spiders.
Richmond went 15-18 last season, with a 7-11 mark in the A-10.
The Spiders have made 10 all-time appearances in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2022. They’ve reached the Sweet 16 twice.
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The Gators finished the 2022-23 season with a 16-17 overall mark and were 9-9 in the SEC. Afterward, Golden and his coaching staff attacked the offseason and had great success in the transfer portal.
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The Gators will have a new-look roster
This upcoming season’s team will look quite different from the last. Florida added one of the best transfer classes in the country with six players from the portal, along with a pair of high school recruits in the 2023 class.
“Obviously, I’m more confident now going into next year with this group we’ve been able to assemble,” Golden said. “I feel like we’re balanced. I feel like we have good depth and most importantly, we have pieces that mesh well together. We didn’t just go out and say, ‘Alright, we’ll get talent, talent, talent and try to figure it out. I feel like we did a good job of balancing our frontcourt, we balanced our backcourt. We have shooters, we have playmakers, we have defenders, rebounders, we have guys that will play well together, which I think is the most important thing.”
In addition to Richmond, the Gators also have non-conference games against programs such as Florida State, Michigan, Virginia, Wake Forest and East Carolina. The East Carolina game will be played in Lakeland, Fla.
You can find the full non-conference schedule HERE.
Per FloridaGators.com, “The Gators return two of their three leading scorers from last year’s team in Will Richard(10.4 ppg) and SEC All-Freshman honoree Riley Kugel (9.9 ppg), along with an elite transfer class that rates as high as No. 1 in the nation (EvanMiya.com).”
