Women's Basketball Announces 2008-09 Schedule
Sunday, August 17, 2008 | Women's Basketball
The University of Florida women's basketball program and head coach Amanda Butler released its 2008-09 schedule, which features at least 17 games against 2008 postseason teams, with an 18th game on tap should pairings at the Junkanoo Jam tournament in the Bahamas align.
“We wanted to play a national schedule and that's what we've assembled,” Butler said. “We will compete against teams from different power conferences and from league's spread throughout the country so when the NCAA Committee is evaluating the University of Florida in March, they will see a schedule that challenged us and prepared us to be a very successful postseason team.
“Even before we get to that time of the year, however, we will face a non-conference schedule that will prepare us for the rigors of the Southeastern Conference,” Butler continued. “We will challenge ourselves with formidable opponents at home, on the road and at neutral sites. We want to compete for the SEC championship and we need a non-conference schedule that will help prepare us to do that.”
The Gators open their season on the road for the 20th time in the program's 35th year, but will play 15 of their 29 regular-season games inside the friendly confines of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
After an exhibition contest on November 7th, Florida's 2008-09 regular-season gets underway against Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 14) in Fort Myers, before the Gators open their home slate Jacksonville (Nov. 17). Florida continues its season-opening four-game stretch against in-state foes on Nov. 20, welcoming Stetson to the O'Connell Center.
The Gators then travel to Tallahassee to play Florida State (Nov. 23) in the 65th meeting between the two rival programs. Less than 24 hours after meeting the Seminoles, Florida plays host to Savannah State (Nov. 24), before jetting to the Bahamas for the Junkanoo Jam, where the Gators meet Southern Illinois in the first round (Nov. 28) and either Arizona State or Hofstra the following day.
The four-game road trip continues, when the squad plays at UAB (Dec. 3), before meeting N.C. State (Dec. 7) in Raleigh, N.C., where Florida's 2007-08 season ended in the WNIT Round of 16 against the Wolfpack. The Gators then return to Gainesville where they begin a five-game homestand, opening the stretch with 2008 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Coppin State (Dec. 10) and their fifth in-state foe, Florida A&M (Dec. 12).
Following a nine-day break for final exams, Florida plays host to Pittsburgh (Dec. 21), which reached the NCAA Sweet 16 last year. After taking a few days off for the holiday, the Gators entertain the State Farm Classic (Dec. 29 and 30) featuring 2008 Mid-American Conference champion Miami (Ohio), 2008 America East Conference runner-up Vermont and Towson, a team that won 21 games in 2008.
The Gators conclude their non-conference slate on the road against Ohio (Jan. 3), another team that won 20 games a year ago, playing the first-half of a double-header involving the Bobcats' men's and women's teams.
Florida then shifts it focus to the SEC, opening its 14-game league schedule at home against Mississippi State (Jan. 8). Following road contests at Auburn (Jan. 11) and South Carolina (Jan. 15), the Gators play host to their next three conference games, with Georgia (Jan. 18), Ole Miss (Jan. 25) and Kentucky (Jan. 29) visiting Gainesville.
The team opens the month of February on the road, traveling to Fayetteville to play Arkansas (Feb. 1) in a contest slated to be the 1,000th game in Florida program history. It also is the first challenge five-game stretch where four outings will be on the road.
The Gators play at Alabama (Feb. 5), before hosting two-time defending NCAA champion Tennessee (Feb. 8). UF then travels to Vanderbilt (Feb. 12), which reached the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, and to LSU (Feb. 15), which has advanced to the NCAA Final Four each of the last five years.
Florida then plays its final two home games, entertaining Arkansas (Feb. 19) and South Carolina (Feb. 22), before wrapping up the regular-season on the road at Georgia (March 1).
The 2009 SEC Tournament will be held in Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Ark., March 5-8.
UF's 2007-08 schedule was rated among the top-20 toughest in the country, yet the Gators emerged with an impressive 19-14 overall record in Butler's inaugural season at the helm.
This season's schedule should be equally as challenging and exciting, with the Gators returning four starters from last year's squad and welcoming five talented, new players to the roster, giving Butler a reason to expect bigger and better things from her team in 2008-09.
University of Florida Basketball 2008-09 Schedule
(check www.GatorZone.com for start times and television information)
| Date | Day | Opponent | Location |
| NOVEMBER |
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| Fri. | 7 | DT-3 EXHIBITION (EXH) | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Fri. | 14 | at Florida Gulf Coast | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| Mon. | 17 | JACKSONVILLE | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Thu. | 20 | STETSON (DH) | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Sun. | 23 | at Florida State | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Mon. | 24 | SAVANNAH STATE | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Fri.-Sat. | 28-29 | at Junkanoo Jam (1) | |
| Fri. | 28 | vs. Southern Illinois | Freeport, Bahamas |
| Sat. | 29 | vs. Arizona State or Hofstra | Freeport, Bahamas |
| DECEMBER |
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| Wed. | 3 | at Alabama-Birmingham | Birmingham, Ala. |
| Sun. | 7 | at N.C. State | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Wed. | 10 | COPPIN STATE (DH) | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Fri. | 12 | FLORIDA A&M | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Sun. | 21 | PITTSBURGH | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Mon.-Tu. | 29-30 | STATE FARM CLASSIC (2) |
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| Mon. | 29 | Miami (OH) vs. Vermont | Gainesville, Fla. |
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| FLORIDA VS. TOWSON | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Tue. | 30 | Non-UF Game (DH) | Gainesville, Fla. |
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| 30 | UF Game (DH) | Gainesville, Fla. |
| JANUARY |
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| Sat. | 3 | at Ohio | Athens, Ohio |
| Thu. | 8 | MISSISSIPPI STATE* | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Sun. | 11 | at Auburn* | Auburn, Ala. |
| Thu. | 15 | at South Carolina* | Columbia, S.C. |
| Sun. | 18 | GEORGIA* | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Sun. | 25 | OLE MISS* | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Thu. | 29 | KENTUCKY* | Gainesville, Fla. |
| FEBRUARY |
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| Sun. | 1 | at Arkansas* | Fayetteville, Ark. |
| Thu. | 5 | at Alabama* | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| Sun. | 8 | TENNESSEE* | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Thu. | 12 | at Vanderbilt* | Nashville, Tenn. |
| Sun. | 15 | at LSU* | Baton Rouge, La. |
| Thu. | 19 | ARKANSAS* | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Sun. | 22 | SOUTH CAROLINA* | Gainesville, Fla. |
| MARCH |
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| Sun. | 1 | at Georgia* | Athens, Ga. |
| Thu.-Sun. | 5-8 | at SEC Tournament (3) | North Little Rock, Ark. |
| *Southeastern Conference game; (EXH) Exhibition Game; (DH) Double-header with UF men's team; (1) Junkanoo Jam - Freeport, Bahamas; (2) State Farm Classic - Gainesville, Fla.; (3) SEC Tournament - North Little Rock, Ark. | |||
-GO GATORS-
