Gators' 2014-15 Schedule Features 16 Games vs. 2014 Postseason Teams
Friday, August 29, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Head Coach Amanda Butler unveiled the Florida women's basketball team's 2014-15 schedule, which is highlighted by 16 games against 13 different teams that competed in the postseason last year.
The Gators, who compiled a 20-13 record last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Championships, have earned a postseason berth in all seven years with Butler on the sideline.
At least 13 of Florida's 16 Southeastern Conference games will be televised with the SEC Network launching this season.
The most up-to-date game times and television information will be posted to www.Gatorzone.com as soon as they are confirmed.
QUOTING UF HEAD COACH AMANDA BUTLER
· On the challenging schedule: “The level of competition is very intentional. We want to play a national schedule and one that gets us ready for the SEC season. We want to make sure that builds a postseason resume.”
· On playing only three SEC home games after January: “When you play in the best league in the country, you're going to play great teams every night, whether that's home or away; home on Sundays or away on Thursdays; and if they fall in January or February or March, you're going to have a battle on your hands every single night. The bottom line is that you have to be ready to play the best competition in the country every game. It's something we look forward to and we hope that the previous part of the schedule has prepared us for. That's why players come to a university like ours – to test yourself against the best.”
· On hosting the 24th Annual Gator Holiday Classic, Dec. 21-22: “It's a tournament that has a rich history. We always try to bring a diverse group to the O'Connell Center. The main purpose of it is to prepare us for what's next. We know we will play a tournament format and whenever you can play two quality opponents back-to-back nights, you're looking down the road at what that preparation gives you. It's a time of year when kids are out of school and families are hopefully spending more time at home and it's a great way to spend the holiday – come out and support the Gators.”
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
· 17 Home Games
· 13 Opponents competed in the 2014 Postseason; UF will play 16 games vs. those teams
· 13 SEC televised games
· 3 Double-Headers (Nov. 14 vs. Jacksonville; Nov. 17 vs. Longwood; Dec. 14 vs. Stetson)
· 3 SEC Opponents with Home-and-Home Series: Georgia, Missouri, Vanderbilt
· 1 SEC home game on a Friday: Jan. 2 vs. LSU (for TV)
· 1 SEC home game on a Monday: Jan. 19 vs. South Carolina (for TV)
2014 POSTSEASON TEAMS on 2014-15 Schedule
· NCAA (9 teams, 11 games): St. John's (Dec. 20 in Queens), Florida State (Dec. 7 in Tallahassee), Georgia (Feb. 12 in Athens; March 1 in Gainesville), Texas A&M (Feb. 22 in College Station), Tennessee (Feb. 8 in Gainesville), LSU (Jan. 2 in Gainesville), South Carolina (Jan. 19 in Gainesville), Vanderbilt (Feb. 1 in Nashville; Feb. 19 in Gainesville), Kentucky (Jan. 15 in Lexington)
· WNIT (4 teams, 5 games): Stetson (Dec. 14 in Gainesville), Auburn (Jan. 4 in Auburn), Missouri (Jan. 11 in Columbia; Jan. 29 in Gainesville), Mississippi State (Sun, Feb. 15 in Starkville)
NON-CONFERENCE ROAD GAMES
· Nov. 20 at St. John's
· Nov. 28 at Georgetown
· Dec. 4 at Savannah State
· Dec. 7 at Florida State
HAPPY NEW YEAR
· Due to New Year's Day being on Thursday, the traditional start day of conference play, the first day of SEC action has been moved to Friday, January 2.
· The Gators play host to LSU to launch their league slate.
SEC HOME GAMES
· January: LSU (FRIDAY, Jan. 2), Ole Miss (Thur., Jan. 8), South Carolina (MONDAY, Jan. 19), Arkansas (Sun., Jan. 25), Missouri (Thur., Jan. 29)
· February & March: Tennessee (Sun., Feb. 8), Vanderbilt (Thur., Feb. 19), Georgia (Sun., March 1)
SEC BREAKDOWN
· The SEC schedule for women's basketball is a single round robin (10 games) with one permanent opponent (2 games) and two random opponents (4 games) resulting in a 16-game slate. The permanent opponents are: Alabama – Auburn; Arkansas – Missouri; Florida – Georgia; Kentucky – South Carolina; LSU – Texas A&M; Ole Miss – Mississippi State; and Tennessee – Vanderbilt. The random opponents will change annually.
· In 2014-15, Florida will play Missouri and Vanderbilt in a home-and-home series.
ONLINE VIEWING
· All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and the SEC Network will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
· Fox Sports Net events will be available via these avenues outside the SEC Footprint only.
WHO CARRIES THE SEC Network NATIONWIDE
· AT&T U-verse® TV, Bright House Networks, Charter, Comcast Xfinity TV, Cox Communications, DIRECTV, DISH, Google Fiber, LUS Fiber, PTC Communications, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable, NCTC, NRTC, NTTC, Verizon FiOS and Wilkes Telephone.
· Hundreds of additional live events from various sports will be offered exclusively as SEC Network+ events on WatchESPN and SECNetwork.com through AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DISH, Google Fiber, Suddenlink, NCTC, NRTC, NTTC and Verizon FiOS authentication.
ADDITIONAL SEC GAMES WITH VIDEO COVERAGE
· There will be a package of televised non-conference games which will be announced by each individual institution.
· Additionally, institutions will have the ability to produce conference and non-conference games not televised, for SEC Network +, exclusive games available on WatchESPN and SECSports.com.
SEC NETWORK
· SEC NETWORK Frequently Asked Questions
· WANT TO GET THE SEC NETWORK?
TICKETS
· Season and Single Game Tickets will go on sale September 23.
· In addition to season tickets, Country 103.7 The Gator Gold Card is back for the 2014-15 season for just $60. Fans who purchase the Gold Card receive admission to all Volleyball, Women's Basketball and Gymnastics home regular season events.
· The all new Platinum Card for $100 grants fans admission to all Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics and Baseball home regular-season events.
For all of the latest information on Florida women's basketball:
Official Website: www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FloridaWomensBasketball
Twitter: @GatorZoneWBK and @CoachButlerUF
Instagram: GatorzoneWBK
