Gators To Travel To Syracuse On Dec. 2 In Big East/SEC Challenge
Thursday, May 19, 2011 | Men's Basketball
The University of Florida will travel to Syracuse on Dec. 2 to take part in the Big East/SEC Challenge, it was announced on Wednesday. The game is one of 12 games over three days between the two leagues with each conference hosting six games.
The two teams will be facing each other for the fourth time since 2005, and faced each other in 2009 in the Big East/SEC Challenge in Tampa. In a revamped format, however, all 12 SEC teams will participate in the event now and each of the games will be held on campus sites.
Florida will be playing its first regular season game ever at the Carrier Dome, but the Gators have a successful track record in the building in post-season play. Florida last played there in 2000 when they defeated No. 1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16 and Oklahoma State in the Elite Eight en route to a national runner-up finish.
In 1987, the Gators actually made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and were sent to the Carrier Dome where they defeated North Carolina State and Purdue, then ironically lost to Syracuse in East Rutherford, N.J., in the Sweet 16.
Florida is 1-3 all-time against Syracuse, falling in 1987, 2008 and 2009, while beating the Orangemen in the 2005 Coaches vs. Cancer title game at Madison Square Garden. None of the previous meetings between the two teams have ever been on either school's campus.
Match-ups from the Big East/SEC Challenge are:
2011 BIG EAST/SEC CHALLENGE (times and networks are to be determined)
Thursday, Dec. 1
Georgetown at Alabama
Providence at South Carolina
St. John's at Kentucky
Ole Miss at DePaul
Friday, Dec. 2
Auburn at Seton Hall
Florida at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Georgia
Vanderbilt at Louisville
Saturday, Dec. 3
Arkansas at Connecticut
West Virginia at Mississippi State
LSU at Rutgers
Pittsburgh at Tennessee
