Florida-South Florida basketball: What to know about Gators' opening game of 2024-25 season

Florida-South Florida basketball: What to know about Gators’ opening game of 2024-25 season

Posted by Admin November 1, 2024 Basketball

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The University of Florida basketball team opens its 2024-25 season against South Florida at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, 48 hours after the Gators football team played Georgia across the parking lot at EverBank Stadium.

Todd Golden’s No. 21-ranked Gator are coming off a 24-12 season, improving by eight victories their record in his first season at UF. It was the most victories since the 2016-17 season.

Florida will be playing a South Florida team with a collective heavy heart. The coach who led them to a school-record 25 victories last season, Amir Abdur-Rahim, died suddenly on Oct. 24 at the age of 43. Ben Fletcher, who coached with Abdur-Rahim when the two led Kennesaw to an ASUN title two years ago, was named his replacement.

Here’s what to know about the game:

How to watch, listen to Florida vs. South Florida

Florida vs. USF is being aired on the SEC Network. Radio coverage is by 92.5-FM and 1010-AM.

Can I still buy Florida-South Florida tickets?

Yes, either through ticketmaster.com or at the VyStar Memorial box office, as long as supplies last.

What is Florida’s record vs. South Florida?

The Gators hold a 19-5 edge in the rivalry. They last met on Dec. 18, 2021 at the Sunrise Arena, with Florida winning 66-55 behind 12 points and 11 rebounds by Colin Castleton. Florida has won four in a row and seven of the last eight. USF’s last victory was 73-58 in Nov. 28, 1995, in Tampa.

About Florida coach Todd Golden

Gators coach Todd Golden is in his third season with Florida and has a 40-29 record. He coached at San Francisco for three years and has an overall record of 97-65 (59.9).

Golden was a point guard for St. Mary’s (Calif.) College and led the Gaels to two NCAA appearances. He led the West Coast Conference with a 57.4 3-point percentage as a senior.

About USF coach Ben Fletcher

Fletcher played at Troy State where he had a career 13.4 per game average, then was an assistant coach for the Trojans for 14 years. He joined Abdur-Rahim’s staff at Kennesaw where he coached for four years, part of a rise from a 1-29 season during the staff’s first season to 26-9 in 2022-23, the ASUN title and an NCAA tournament berth.

Fletcher then helped Abdur-Rahim lead the Bulls to a 25-8 record in 2023-24, and a 16-2 record to win the AAC regular-season title.

What is Florida’s record in Jacksonville?

The Gators are playing at VyStar Arena for the first time since November of 2016 when they beat Florida Gulf Coast and Mercer while the finishing touches were being put on the O’Connell Center renovation.

The Gators were frequent visitors to Jacksonville at the old Memorial Coliseum for the Gator Bowl Tournament. UF played in the event 27 times between 1951-1980 and had a 33-23 record. Among the teams they beat: Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Jacksonville University, Texas, Wake Forest, DePaul and Duke.

Florida is 8-1 in road games against JU and 2-0 at the University of North Florida. The Gators also won two NCAA Tournament games in 2006, which got them started on their national championship run.

UF is 47-24 in Jacksonville (.662).

Who are the top players for the Gators?

The Gators are led by All-SEC senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. (6-2, 17.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg), who is on the Naismith Watch List to start the season. Also back are senior guard Will Richard (6-4, 11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and junior guard Denzel Aberdeen (3.3 ppg).

Who are the top players for the Bulls?

USF has two starters back from last season, junior guard Kobe Knox (6-5, 8.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and sophomore guard Jayden Reid (5-10, 6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg). The Bulls have two key transfers in senior center Jamille Reynolds (6-11, 5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg last season at Cincinnati) and junior forward De’Ante Green (6-9, 4.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg at Florida State). This is Reynolds’ fourth college. The St. Petersburg native previously played at UCF and Temple.