2015-16 Gators Basketball Schedule -- Game-By-Game Breakdown
Wednesday, August 19, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- News of yet another challenging non-league schedule was hardly a surprise when released last month. The Florida Gators already were set for a road game at Miami, home dates with Florida State and West Virginia, and a possible matchup with Purdue in the Hall of Fame Classic when they finalized a contract to play Michigan State on the road and locked up Oklahoma State in the Orange Bowl Classic.
Now the Southeastern Conference side of the slate is complete.
For the first time since 2011, Florida will not face Kentucky in the regular-season finale. That's likely the biggest surprise on the 2015-16 SEC schedule released Wednesday. The Gators already knew they get the Wildcats, Georgia and Vanderbilt twice (those are their three conference-assigned permanent league opponents) but now the rest of new Coach Michael White's first season -- and the first without Billy Donovan on the bench in 20 years -- has been laid out.
Here's a game-by-game breakdown.
[Note: All times are EST and two-network references represent "flex" games that will be determined 7-10 days in advance. Several non-conference times and TV to be determined.]
Nov. 5: Palm Beach Atlantic (exhibition), 7 p.m. (TBD).
The buzz: The Division II Sailfish come to town for this year's warm-up game. PBA is out of the Sunshine State Conference, as was Barry (in 2014) and Florida Southern ('13).
Nov. 13: at Navy -- CBS College Sports Military Classic, 9:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
The buzz: Just the third meeting between the Gators and Midshipmen -- the first since 1961 -- will be the second game of a double-header, following a showdown between North Carolina and Temple. All four teams will go to Annapolis, Md., and tour the gorgeous academy (below) for a 30-minute TV special that will air on CBS Sports Network.
Nov. 16: North Carolina A&T (TBD)
The buzz: Second meeting. UF won by 50 in 2010 over the Aggies out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Nov. 21-22: Hall of Fame Classic (with St. Joseph's, Old Dominion and Purdue), Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.
The buzz: UF's annual pre-league tournament will send the Gators north -- a far cry from last season's boondoggle to Atlantis -- to face St. Joseph's in an early game (2:30 p.m.) on Nov. 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. They'll get either ODU or Purdue on the second day, with the Boilermakers considered a bubble preseason Top 25 team armed with a pair of 7-footers (AJ Hammons and Isaac Haas), plus Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Raphael Davis in the backcourt and consensus top-10 incoming freshman prospect Caleb Swanigan. Temple boasts Atlantic 10 Conference scoring leading in DeAndre' Bembry.
Nov. 25: Vermont (TBD )
The buzz: The Catamounts, out of the American East, last visited Gainesville in early 2007. Before that, in '77.
Nov. 27: Florida Gulf Coast (TBD)
The buzz: Just the third meeting with the Eagles from Fort Myers, with one of those the Sweet 16 matchup in the 2013 NCAA Tournament at Arlington, Texas, where UF won 62-50. That version of FGCU, with then-Coach Andy Enfield now at Southern Cal, is a long way from the “Dunk City” days. Th
Dec. 1: Richmond (TBD)
The buzz: The always-pesky Spiders return to the O'Dome for the second time in three seasons. The all-time series stands at 2-2 -- Richmond upset Florida in the 2009 Orange Bowl Classic -- and Richmond, with four starters back, is coming off a 21-14 season when it reached the NIT, defeated Arizona State in the first round and lost to eventual runner-up Miami in the second.
Dec. 8: at Miami, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: The return trip from the home-and-home contract that started in Gainesville last year with a knee-capping -- and some might say a tone-setting -- 69-67 loss that marked UF's first home defeat since the final game of the 2012 season. Yes, Angel Rodriguez (above) is back for UM. For the Gators, it'll be the first true road game against the Hurricanes since 2005. The game also starts a brutal three-game stretch of games away from home.
Dec. 12: at Michigan State, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: The Spartans are coming off yet another Final Four campaign -- Coach Tom Izzo's seventh -- and welcome back guard Denzel Valentine (with Izzo below) and welcome in West Virginia transfer Eron Harris. Their hard-nosed ways always provided a tough challenge for Donovan's teams (MSU went 3-2 vs UF during the Billy D era, including a pair of wins in the NCAA Tournament) and will provide an early measuring stick for White and company.
Dec. 19: Oklahoma State -- Orange Bowl Classic, Metro PCS Arena, Sunrise, Fla. (TBD)
The buzz: The Cowboys lost six of their final seven games, yet still received an NCAA at-large bid, falling to Oregon in Round 1 to make it seven defeats in their last eight. Coach Travis Ford will bring back two starters and look to marquee freshman point guard Jawun Evans for instant impact. Florida is 14-2 all-time in the Orange Bowl Classic.
Dec. 22: Jacksonville (TBD)
The buzz: The 36th meeting with the Dolphins and ninth since 2004. UF leads the all-time series 30-5, with the last loss in 2010 at Gainesville.
Dec. 29: Florida State, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
The buzz: After five straight wins in the series, UF lost to rival FSU on Jake Kurtz's infamous “own goal” play at Tallahassee. When the two square off this time, the Seminoles will fortify a lineup of three returning starters with one of the best freshmen classes in the country, led by 6-7 guard Dwayne Bacon, winner of the slam-dunk contest at the McDonald's All-America Game, and 7-4, 230-pound center Jean Marc Christ Koumadje.
Jan. 2: Georgia, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: The SEC opener for both teams. The Bulldogs visit the O'Dome for the first time since January 2014 -- anyone remember “Patric Young Beard Night?” -- and return three of their top five scorers from a squad that went 21-12 and reached the NCAA Tournament, where UGA lost its opener against Michigan State. 
Jan. 6: at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: Tennessee will have its third basketball coach in as many seasons in Rick Barnes (right), who was hired quickly after Texas made a change. \Barnes went 402-180 in 17 seasons, with 16 NCAA berths and one Final Four. The Volunteers are in a rebuild situation, having lost guard and leading scorer Josh Richardson to the NBA.
Jan. 9: LSU, 1:30 or 4:30 p.m. (CBS)
The buzz: The Tigers lost their best two players, underclassmen Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey, to the NBA, but the anticipation for this LSU basketball is the biggest since the days of Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Jackson. The Tigers, who reached the NCAA field last season, signed the No. 1-ranked prospect in the nation in 6-10 forward Ben Simmons -- already being trumpeted as the next LeBron James -- plus hot-shot Florida guard and McDonald's All-American Antonio Blakeney.
Jan. 12: at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (ESPN or SEC Network)
The buzz: The Aggies were rolling at 19-7 overall and 10-4 in the SEC, a lock for the NCAA field, but then dropped three of their last four regular season games, lost their first game in the SEC Tournament and had to settle for the NIT. Guess what? They were beaten handily at home in the NIT by White's LA Tech squad. A&M returns nearly its entire roster, including forwards Danuel House and Kourtney Roberson, plus point guard Alex Caruso.
Jan. 16: at Ole Miss, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
The buzz: White returns to his alma mater, where he was a four-year starting point guard from 1996-99, but the the Rebels by then are scheduled to have moved out of the Tad Smith Coliseum, their home since 1966, and into the Pavillion at Ole Miss, their new $150 million arena. The Rebels, who ventured two rounds into the NCAA field, swept the Gators last season, basically keeping UF from the postseason with a pair of pulsating last-second, one point wins. Physical guard Jarvis Summers, the Gator-killer from the first game, a 62-61 dagger at Oxford, is gone, but free-wheeling shooter Stefan Moody, who deflated the O'Dome with his 25-foot rainbow in the final two seconds, is back. 
Jan. 19: Mississippi State, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: The Bulldogs haven't been much of a factor in the SEC for several seasons, but made some offseason headlines by hiring Ben Howland (left). He had quite the run in 10 seasons at UCLA, where he reached No. 2 all-time in victories -- behind only John Wooden -- and led the Bruins to two Pac-12 titles, three straight Final Fours and one NCAA runner-up finish. Two of those Final Fours (including the '06 NCAA final) ended with losses to Donovan and the Gators. At UCLA, Howland landed the likes of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Jrue Holiday, Trevor Ariza, Arron Affalo and Jordan Farmar. Starkville ain't L.A., but look for a talent upgrade at MSU in the coming seasons.
Jan. 23: Auburn, 8 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: Year 2 of Bruce Pearl figures to be better than Year 1, though the coach who once did amazing things at Tennessee got the Tigers to do some overachieving by reaching the finals of the SEC Tournament against Kentucky after going just 4-14 in league play. Auburn lost league scoring leader KT Harrell, but Pearl has five newcomers in this stage of his rebuild, headlined by a couple prep-school standouts in 6-6 forward Danjel Purifoy and 6-8 power forward Horace Spencer.
Jan. 26: at Vanderbilt, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: Memorial Gym seems always to pose a problem for the Gators, who last year laid one of their worst eggs of the season there in falling behind 15-0. The Commodores started 1-7 in league play, but finished with a flurry (9-2 down the stretch) behind center Damian Jones and rookie guard Riley LaChance, who represent five of Vandy's six top scorers returning. The Commodores, whose late-season run got them to the NIT quarterfinals, should be really solid in '15-16. 
Jan. 30: West Virginia -- Big 12/SEC Challenge (TBD)
The buzz: A couple significant changes to the ESPN-created Big 12/SEC event. After facing Kansas each of the last two seasons (winning at Gainesville in '13, then losing at Lawrence in '14), the Gators get Coach Bobby Huggins (left) and the Mountaineers in the rotation. The network, meanwhile, thought its great non-conference matches were lost in early December, so both leagues agreed to clear out a weekend in the middle of conference play -- the weekend of the NFL's championship games -- and stage these unique match-ups over the course of an entire afternoon and night.
Feb. 3: Arkansas, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: After venturing to Fayetteville three straight years, the Gators go a second straight year without playing at Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks reached NCAA play last season, losing their second game to North Carolina. They also lost SEC Player of the Year Bobby Portis, who was a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. Point guard Anton Beard is slated to be back, with power forward Ted Kapita a freshman expected to contribute right away.
Feb. 6: at Kentucky, 4 p.m. (CBS)
The buzz: Surprise! The Wildcats, after losing nearly half their team (a record six players) to the NBA Draft, are expected to be another national championship contender with a virtual reloaded roster built around the return of point guard Tyler Ulis and forward Alex Poythress, who suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the year. Center Marcus Lee figures to have a bigger role and, of course, the Cats will be blessed with an influx of top-flight freshmen with McDonald's All-America credentials, starting with 6-11 center Skal Labissiere and shooting guard Jamal Murray.
Feb. 9: Ole Miss, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: Rowdy Reptiles will take aim at Moody, who will have been sitting on the last laugh for about a year. 
Feb. 13: Alabama, 5:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
The buzz: For the first time since 2009, someone other than Anthony Grant will be walking the Crimson Tide sidelines. The former UF assistant joined Donovan, one of his best friends, on the sidelines with the Thunder after his ousting in March. Enter former NBA point guard and head coach Avery Johnson (right), yet another big-name addition to the SEC coaching ranks. The Gators beat the Tide twice last season and Johnson inherited a roster that lost all three of its double-digit scorers off an NIT team.
Feb. 16: at Georgia, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
The buzz: Two of the last three visits to Stegeman Coliseum could not have started out worse. In '12, the Gators trailed 2-0 before the game even tipped off, thanks to a pre-game warm-up technical called on Casey Prather for dunking. Last year, UF fell behind 12-0.
Feb. 20: at South Carolina, noon (SEC Network)
The buzz: Florida has won seven straight in the series, dating to 2011, and that includes four in a row at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks, who went 17-16 last year in Coach Frank Martin's third season, are due to return six of their top seven scorers, led by guards Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell.
Feb. 23: Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (ESPNU or SEC Network)
The buzz: The Gators may have their troubles with the Commodores on the road, but they've won 12 of the last 13 in the series at home.
Feb. 27: at LSU, TBD (ESPN2)
The buzz: Last year at the Maravich Assembly Center, the Gators got run out of the building by an early second-half flurry from the Tigers that included a run-out, ball-between-his-legs, hide-your-heads-in-shame dunk by Jarell Martin. Google the highlights of Simmons (pictured above). He's capable of executing that and much, much more.
March 1: Kentucky, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
The buzz: The fact the Gators and Wildcats won't play on the season's final weekend is a bit unusual, but it shouldn't take away from what figures to be an emotional “Senior Night” send-off for forward Dorian Finney-Smith (below), who bypassed a chance to turn pro -- while Donovan was still the coach -- and went all in with his commitment to White. Within days after this game, the O'Dome is scheduled to begin work on a $60 million renovation.
March 5: at Missouri, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
The buzz: The regular-season finale sends the Gators back to the scene of their most horrendous crime of 2015. UF, without its two leading scorers (Finney-Smith was suspended; Michael Frazier II out with an ankle injury), lost by double-digits to a Tigers team that came in 1-13 in league play. The first team under Coach Kim Anderson finished 9-23 overall, marking the program's first losing season since 2006 and worst record sincing going 3-22 in '66-67. The Tigers are rebuilding, but figure to be better than a year ago. March 9-13: SEC Tournament, Nashville, Tenn.
The buzz: For the second straight year (and third time in last four seasons), Bridgestone Arena in the Music City will host the league's conference tournament. The Gators reached the quarterfinals last season before losing to eventual champ Kentucky and the previous Bridgestone visit made it to the title game, where Ole Miss and mercurial guard Marshall Henderson prevailed.
