Mike White enters his third season on the Florida sideline with a 48-24 record and fresh off an run to the Elite Eight.
Basketball Breakdown: Game-by-Game Look at UF's 2017-18 Slate
Thursday, August 24, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Gators will play at least 10 games against opponents from the 2017 NCAA Tournament field.
That, and playing what turned out to be the most difficult Southeastern Conference schedule possible.
The Gators will have their refurbished Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center for the entire 2017-18 season, so they won't be barnstorming the state this fall and thus won't benefit from any built-in Ratings Percentage Index points for playing away from home. But if long-range preseason projections are accurate, UF again has been dealt a tough SEC slate; maybe the league's toughest.
The conference schedule, released Thursday, includes seven dates against SEC teams that reached the NCAA field last spring (Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Arkansas), another two against the team everyone's picking to vault into the upper echelon of the standings this season (Alabama), plus three non-conference dates against 2017 "March Madness" participants Florida State, Cincinnati and Baylor, for certain, and a chance for more. Florida could also face the likes of Gonzaga and Butler or Duke, pending results of a Thanksgiving week trip to Oregon for the PK80 Invitational.
The Gators will not play a true road date until their second SEC game, which will come at Texas A&M on Jan. 2.
Here's a game-by-game breakdown of the 2017-18 slate, with times still a few weeks away from being announced.
The season will be here before you know it.
Nov. 5: Tampa (exhibition), 2 p.m.
The buzz: For the fourth season in a row, the Gators will play their exhibition tuneup against an opponent from the Division II Sunshine State Conference. Last year, it was Eckerd in Jacksonville. Before that, it was Barry in 2014 and Florida Southern in 2013. This time, it's the Tampa Spartans, who went 17-12 last season, including 10-8 in league play. They're coached by Richard Schmidt, set to enter his 34th season at UT. Believe it or not, Schmidt's career record of 685 wins includes two against UF during his two seasons at Vanderbilt (1980-81) when he also upset Kentucky in the SEC Tournament.
Nov. 13: Gardner-Webb
The buzz: The Bulldogs are out of the Big South Conference and coming off a 19-14 season that ended with an 80-77 loss to eventual champ and NCAA-bound Winthrop in the quarterfinals of the league tournament. Gardner-Webb, located 50 miles west of Charlotte, N.C., took on a couple high majors last year, losing to SMU, Pittsburgh, Georgia and Kansas State all on the road, but also upset Nebraska at Lincoln. The team returns two of its top three scorers. Both are guards, both from Florida in LaQuincy Rideau (14.2 ppg, 5.2 apg, 39 percent from 3), from West Palm Beach, and David Efianayi (12.6 ppg, 42 percent from 3) from Orlando.
Nov. 16: North Florida
The buzz: Well, what do you know? The Ospreys have to come to Gainesville this time. The Gators have played at UNF each of the last two seasons, thanks to O'Dome renovations. The first time came in March 2016 when Florida had to play its home National Invitational Tournament game in Jacksonville. The Gators won by 29, thanks to 16 3-pointers. UF, in something of a scheduling bind, then agreed to play a true road date at UNF last Dec. 1, with the Gators again winning easily, this time 91-60. The so-called "Birds of Trey," who went 15-19 last season, said goodbye to their score-first point guard Dallas Moore (23.9 ppg, 48.8 percent floor, 39.8 from 3), who went for 31 against the Gators last season, as well as No. 2 scorer Chris Davenport.
Nov. 19: New Hampshire
The buzz: The last time the Gators played the Wildcats they did so on the road in 2001, traveling to Manchester, N.H., as a thank-you road trip for Matt Bonner. New Hampshire plays in the America East and went 20-12 last season, along the way defeating Temple, Detroit and Winthrop, but losing by 59 at West Virginia. The Wildcats return their top scorer in 6-7, 230-pound forward Tanner Leissner, a first-team all-league performer after scoring 17.1 points and grabbing nearly seven rebounds per game.
Nov. 23-26: PK80 Invitational (Portland, Ore.)
The buzz: What an incredible honor for the Gators to be included in this 16-team, two-tournament event — with games to be played at the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum — inspired to celebrate the 80th birthday of Nike founder Phil Knight. The Gators will get Stanford in their Thanksgiving Day opener. The Cardinal are coming off a tough 14-17 season (6-12 in Pac-12 play), the first under Coach Jerrod Haase, who starred at Kansas in the 1990s, then caught some eyes with his work in three seasons at UAB. Regardless of the outcome against Stanford, UF will move on in the "Motion Bracket" and face either NCAA runner-up Gonzaga or Ohio State on Nov. 24. All teams will have Saturday off (that would be the Florida-Florida State football Saturday, by the way), with the Gators getting either Butler, Duke, Texas or Portland State on the tournament's final day. Quite a field, right? Especially when you consider the other eight-team "Victory Bracket" boasts Arkansas, Connecticut, DePaul, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon and Portland.
The buzz: The Seminoles have beaten the Gators three straight seasons (only one less than FSU's recent mastery over the UF football team), including a couple maddening late-game daggers. That three-game equals the longest by FSU in the history of the series, which dates to 1951, having happened four times (most recently 2006-08). FSU earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament after going 12-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, only to fail to last through the first weekend, courtesy of an upset loss to 11th-seeded Xavier. The Seminoles were gutted by early defections to the pros, with forward and lottery pick Jonathan Isaac, now with the Orlando Magic, and shooting guard Dwayne Bacon, a second-round pick by New Orleans, leaving the biggest voids. They also lost point guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who signed an overseas deal. Both Bacon and Rathan-Mayes were Gator-killers, so no one in orange and blue is mourning. FSU will return forward Terance Mann, an undersized blue-collar joy to watch, along with lanky 7-4 center Christ Koumadie, and also signed a couple top-50 prospects in McDonald's All-America shooting guard M.J. Walker and 7-foot, 230-pound center/forward Ikechukwu Obiagu, both out of Georgia.
Dec. 6: Loyola-Chicago
The buzz: The Ramblers, out of the Missouri Valley, went 18-14 and 8-10 in their league. ULC went on the road 12 times last season and won just three times. The Ramblers lost all-conference standout Milton Doyle, but return their next three high scorers, led by 6-5, 230-pound forward Aundre Jackson, who averaged 14.1 points and 4.2 rebounds. The two programs will play for the first time.
Dec. 9: Cincinnati (Never Forget Tribute Classic, Newark, N.J.)
The buzz: This will be the second Never Forget Tribute Classic, a four-team, two-game event founded in 2016 and partnered with the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund to help support the education of children of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Florida vs. Cincinnati is the main event, preceded by a date between Virginia Commonwealth and Seton Hall. The Bearcats went 30-6 last year, with a American Athletic Conference mark of 16-2 and berth in league tournament final that got them a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UC fell in the second round to third-seeded UCLA. Three starters are back from that squad, led by 6-6 forward Jacob Evans (13.5 ppg, 41.8 percent from 3). Worth noting: The Bearcats will be without their home arena during the entire 2017-18 season due to renovations and will play all home games at North Kentucky University. Sound somewhat familiar?
Dec. 16: Clemson (Orange Bowl Classic, Sunrise, Fla.)
The buzz: The Gators are back in the OBC for the 19th time in the event's 22-year history, and for the 11th straight year. UF is 16-2 all-time in the event, with seven straight wins, including last December's 87-46 blasting of Charlotte. Clemson, of course, is no Charlotte. Though the Tigers are a long way from the upper crust of the ACC — 17-16 overall, 6-12 in conference last season — they did beat Georgia, Davidson, Nebraska, Alabama and South Carolina in '16-17. Clemson has its second-, third- and fourth-leading scorers back, all of whom shot over 40 percent from the arc, led by guard Shelton Mitchell (10.8 points, 45.3 percent). Incoming freshman Aamir Simms, a 6-8 wing, was a top 30 player at his position.
The buzz: UF has not faced JMU since their first-round meeting in the 1994 NCAA Tournament, when the third-seeded Gators — and an unheralded late-game hero in freshman guard Greg Williams — staved off a big upset bid by the Dukes for a 64-62 win at Uniondale, N.Y. That JMU team was coached by Lefty Driesell. This one will be coached by Louis Rowe, who starred for the Dukes after transferring (get this) from Florida in 1992. Rowe played two seasons for Lon Kruger's Gators -- against UF in that NCAA meeting, no less -- and wrapped his collegiate career as a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Conference selection. Rowe, a St. Petersburg native who last served as assistant head coach at Bowling Green, inherits a program that went 10-23 overall, 7-11 in the CAA.
Dec. 22: Incarnate Word
The buzz: It's a Catholic university located in San Antonio. Their nickname is the "Cardinals." Incarnate Word went 12-17 last season, with a 7-11 record in the Southland Conference, and when new UF forward Egor Koulechov, the graduate transfer from Rice, sees them on the schedule he's going to go all "Russian Rocket." Why? Well, Rice played Incarnate Word on the road last season and all Koulechov did was go 10-for-16 from the floor, 6-for-6 from deep and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line on his way to a career-high 35 points. He also grabbed 13 rebounds. Pretty cool, right? Well, as a sophomore, the Owls faced the Cardinals at home and Koulechov went for 19 and 17. Let's put his picture on that game's ticket right now.
Dec. 30: Vanderbilt
The buzz: This one should get the attention of the Gators. All Gators. Yes, it'll be the SEC opener, but that'll be a subplot to a much bigger picture, especially as it relates to UF coach Mike White, who in two seasons against Vandy is 0-for-4, with three losses during this past season. Didn't matter where they played. Florida lost to Vandy at home, on the road and at a neutral site in the SEC Tournament. Those three victories over the Gators got the Commodores, with just 19 wins, off the bubble and into the NCAA bracket as the league's fifth team in the field. Vandy lost 7-foot, 3-point shooter Luke Kornet, a first-team All-SEC performer and matchup nightmare for UF, but returns swingman and leading scorer Matthew Fisher-Davis (13.9 ppg, 37 percent from 3), power forward Jeff Roberson (10.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and point guard Riley LaChance (10.5 ppg, 48.6 percent from 3). A home win over the Commodores would be an ideal tipoff to the SEC slate. Another loss? Ugh.
Jan. 2: at Texas A&M
The buzz: One of the biggest surprises of the offseason occurred when Aggies freshman forward Robert Williams, projected as a lottery pick, took his name out of the NBA draft pool and opted to return for his sophomore season. The 6-9, 237-pound Williams was absolutely beastly at times. Take his O'Dome appearance: 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals. As a rookie, Williams averaged 11.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, shot nearly 56 percent from the floor and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. A&M took a step back in 2017 after finishing in a tie with Kentucky for the 2016 regular-season SEC crown, but the Aggies should be better this season, with improved guard play a must in taking that next step. Tyler Davis (14.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg), the 6-10, 270-pound center, returns as a junior. The Aggies also signed a Top 50ish freshman in small forward Savion Flagg.
Jan. 6: at Missouri
The buzz: Forget whatever you think you know about Missouri basketball if you're basing it on what happened the last three seasons — 27 wins, 67 losses, with an 8-46 mark in SEC play — under Kim Anderson. That coach is gone. Cuonzo Martin, by way of California (Tennessee before that), is now in Columbia, along with a retooled roster that features the nation's No. 1-ranked incoming freshman in 6-10, 215-pound Michael Porter, Jr., who earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-America Game in March. Porter originally signed with Washington, where his father was an assistant coach until the staff there, led by Lorenzo Romar, was fired. Martin hired Porter, who brought along his marquee son, along with his younger son, Jontay Porter, who reclassified from the 2017 class to '17, and pushed Mizzou's incoming class to No. 4 in the nation. Returning forwards Kevin Puryear and Jordan Barnett are decent players and figure to be better with Porters around them.
Jan. 10: Mississippi State
The buzz: The first couple seasons for Coach Ben Howland have been rough. The guy who took UCLA to three Finals Fours over a four-year span is 30-33 in Starkville, with just 13 league wins. Last year, the Bulldogs took a big-time in-season hit when Malik Newman, the McDonald's All-America sophomore and jewel of Howland's recruiting efforts at MSU, left the team and transferred to Kansas. MSU went on to finish third from the bottom in the SEC standings at 6-12, ahead of only two-win LSU and Missouri. The encouraging news for the Bulldogs is they return second-team all-league forward Quinnderry Weatherspoon, who finished seventh in the SEC in scoring at 16.5 per game, and add his younger brother, Nick Weatherspoon, a top-30 prospect at point guard.
Jan. 13: at Ole Miss
The buzz: White, a starting point guard for the Rebels for four seasons during the 1990s, returned to Oxford and coach against his alma mater for the first time in 2015, so those emotions have been dealt with. As for the actual basketball part of it, Ole Miss lost a good one in first-team All-SEC forward Sebastian Saiz, one of just four players nationally to averaged a double-double. His 11.4 rebounds per game led the league. The Rebels did what they usually do with Coach Andy Kennedy. They stuck around the middle of the league standings (10-8) and won enough games to get to the NIT (a sixth time in Kennedy's 10 seasons), where they lost in the quarterfinals. Guard Deandre Burnett, in his second season since transferring from Miami, will be the team's best returning player after finishing sixth in the league in scoring (16.7 ppg) and hitting 37.5 percent from deep, with Top-100 freshman Devontae Shuler, a guard from the hoops factor at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, a newcomer to watch.
Jan. 17: Arkansas
The buzz: The Razorbacks had a nice 2016-17 season, winning 26 games (second-most of Coach Mike Anderson's six seasons in Fayetteville), reaching the finals of the SEC Tournament, winning a game in the NCAA Tournament and throwing a scare into top-seeded North Carolina before falling 72-65 in second-round play. They said goodbye, however, to their leading scorer in guard and 3-point bomber Dusty Hannahs, along with 6-9 power forward Moses Kingsley, who was second in the SEC in rebounding and signed as a free agent with Minnesota. The Hogs return some bucket-getters, though, in guards Daryl Macon (13.4 ppg) and Jaylen Barford (12.6 ppg), who ranked 19th and 22nd in the league in scoring, respectively, after coming in from the JuCo ranks. The freshman class of four players, all from in state, is a top-35 haul and rates in the upper-half of the SEC, led by 6-9 power forward Daniel Gafford. UF has won seven straight in the series and 12 of the previous 13.
Jan. 20: at Kentucky
The buzz: OK, here we go again. Time to engage in that annual ritual of learning the names of the next wave of Kentucky superstars just in time to see them leave for the NBA in eight months — and this year, there are a bunch of them. The Wildcats, of course, won the SEC regular-season title again in 2017 (their 48th), then captured the SEC Tournament crown (their 30th), then advanced to the Elite Eight as a No. 2 seed before falling to eventual national champion North Carolina at the buzzer. So John Calipari waved farewell to the backcourt of D'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, as well as the torso of power forward Bam Adebayo (50 points per game between the trio) and now faces the grueling ordeal of grooming a whole new crop of wide-eyed "kids," starting with six five-star prospects (five of them McDonald's All Americans), plus a couple four-stars. We won't name them all (not enough time), but the ones to watch are 6-9 forwards Kevin Knox (by way of Tampa) and Jarred Vanderbilt, plus 6-8, 230-pound horse P.J. Washington. All three were Top-15 prospects. There's also 6-5 shooting guard Hamidou Diallo, who would have been a sixth McDonald's guy for the Cats had he not enrolled at UK early, only to sit out the second half of the season. And then there's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 6-6 Canadian point guard who was the invisible man on the AAU circuit two summers ago when a certain head coach from the University of Florida saw his potential and high ceiling and extended the kid his first high-major scholarship offer. Alexander committed to the Gators, who then proceeeded under the asumption they were set at the point spot. But then Alexander blew up on the AAU circuit and wolves converged. After assuring UF for more than a year his commitment was solid, Alexander, of course, bailed on White a week before signing date last fall and signed with Kentucky. Thanks, kid. UF, in case anyone has forgotten, is 9-51 all-time in road games at Kentucky.
Jan. 24: South Carolina
The buzz: The Gamecocks shocked the college basketball world in March by rolling through second-seeded Duke, third-seeded Baylor and fourth-seeded UF to reach the first Final Four in program history. This version of USC will not be the same, however, following the exit of senior, 2017 SEC Player of the Year and scoring leader Sindarius Thornwell. The heart and soul of Coach Frank Martin's squad, Thornwell is now with the Los Angeles Clippers, having averaged 21 points a game and served as a top-shelf defensive stopper for a club that went 26-11 and gave Gonzaga a handful in the national semifinals. The Gamecocks also lost guards P.J. Dozier and Duane Notice. Their best returnees are physical 6-9, 225-pound forward Chris Silva (9.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg) and 6-10, 245-pound center Maik Kotsar, who did some damage to the Gators in the East Region final. USC's five-member incoming freshman class was ranked 13th among SEC teams by several recruiting services.
Jan. 27: Baylor (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)The buzz: This will mark the fifth year for the ESPN made-for-TV SEC/Big 12 Challenge, with UF having faced Kansas twice, West Virginia at home and Oklahoma on the road last year, going a combined 3-1 along the way. Now the Gators get the Bears, who they've faced only once in program history (a 72-71 loss in 1981 in the old Gator Bowl Invitational at Jacksonville). Baylor was runner-up in its league last season and a No. 3 NCAA seed, only to be dismantled by South Carolina 70-50 in the round of 16 in a game that was never close. The Bears won 27 games last season and return two starters, led by point guard and second-leading scorer Manu Lecomte (12.2 ppg). They're coached by Scott Drew, the brother of Bryce Drew. The family, going back to Bryce's famous buzzer-beater to beat Ole Miss in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, is a combined 5-0 when playing or coaching against White.
Jan. 30: at Georgia
The buzz: The Bulldogs are one of UF's three designated home-and-home league opponents, along with Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The Gators have swept the series each of the last two seasons, with '17-18 looming as a make-or-break one for Bulldogs coach Mark Fox, who is 145-118 in his eight seasons, with sixth- and ninth-place finishes the last two, respectively. Fox has taken Georgia to just two NCAA Tournaments (2011 and '15) and went one-and-out in both. The Bulldogs lost one of their all-time scoring leaders in guard J.J. Frazier, but return one of the SEC's best players in 6-8, 240-pound forward Yante Maten (18.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg), plus forward Derek Ogbeide (7.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and guard Juwan Parker (9.3 pig). UGA landed a top-100 player in forward Rayshaun Hammonds and also signed 6-11 center Nicholas Claxton, whose father, Charles Claxton, was an All-SEC 7-footer for the Dogs during the 1990s.
Feb. 3: Alabama
The buzz: It took Avery Johnson a couple years after jumping from the NBA sidelines to get it going on the recruiting trail — and, boy, did he get it going. The Crimson Tide, armed with the return of their top three scorers in forward Braxton Key (12.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg), guard Dazon Ingram (10.6 ppg, 4.5 ppg, 42.9 percent from 3) and wing Riley Norris (9.0 ppg, 38 percent from 3), coaxed the nation's No. 1 point guard and fifth overall prospect, electrifying Collin Sexton, to bring his talents to Tuscaloosa. Sexton, from Mableton, Ga., is a wizard with the basketball and loves to play showman, as witnessed when he won the McDonald's All-America Game slam-dunk contest. ... [Check out Sexton's absolutely sicko highlight video below] ... He's joined by top-30 shooting guard John Petty and forward Alex Reese, rated in everyone's top 100. The Tide went 19-15 overall last season, 10-8 in the league and settled for an NIT berth. Expectations are much, much, much, much higher for 2018, which will be Sexton's only season in college basketball.
Feb. 7: LSU
The buzz: The Tigers, like the ones in Mizzou, have a new head coach. After going 10-21 overall and 2-14 in the SEC last season (on top of the Ben Simmons debacle the year before), LSU fired favorite son Johnny Jones and replaced him with Will Wade, who in two seasons at VCU went 51-20 with two NCAA Tournament berths and an Atlantic 10 Conference co-championship. Wade didn't inherit much of a roster, especially after leading scorer and second-team All-SEC guard Antonio Blakeney turned pro. He did, however, sign a class ranked 15th nationally and fourth-best in the SEC, led by point guard Tremont Waters. Look for Waters to do a lot of looking for 6-11, 250-pound senior center Duop Reath (12 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg). Wade also patched the squad up with a couple graduate transfers in 6-3 guard Randy Onwuasor, who at Southern Utah led the Big Sky Conference and ranked fifth nationally at 23.5 points per game, plus 6-7 forward Jeremy Combs (10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg), by way of North Texas.
Feb. 10: at South Carolina
The buzz: After winning four straight at Columbia, the Gators have lost both trips there under White. UF fell in overtime in 2016, then suffered through an agonizing, hideous 57-53 defeat last January when the Gators shot just 29 percent from the floor and went a collective 0-for-17 from the 3-point arc (and nearly as ugly 15-for-28 from the free-throw line) to break a run of 25 years and 850 consecutive games with at least one made 3-point shot.
The buzz: The Gators have won 14 straight against the Bulldogs at home, with the last defeat coming on Jan. 19, 2002, back when Anthony Roberson, Matt Walsh and David Lee were sophomores. UGA came close last year, though, taking UF into overtime before Canyon Barry and the Gators pulled away for an 80-76 win to go to 5-0 in the SEC.
Feb. 17: at Vanderbilt
The buzz: The Gators have lost four of the previous five at Memorial Gym, including three straight. The lone exception, of course, was the incomparable (and SEC unbeatable) 2014 team, and even that group struggled before escaping with a 57-54 victory. In a perfect world, the Vandy (and Drew) jinx will be broken by the time UF makes this trip.
Feb. 21: at Tennessee
The buzz: The last visit to Knoxville was the low point of White's two seasons at UF. The Gators were destroyed 83-69, at one point trailing by 30 in the second half. It was just the second SEC game of White's tenure and the team heard about it from fans on social media. Florida won the meeting in Gainesville last year 83-60. Now it's back to Thompson-Boling Arena in Year 3 for both White and UT coach Rick Barnes, whose club went 16-16 last season, 8-8 in SEC play. The Volunteers welcome back All-Freshman forward Grant Williams (12.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg), tough-guy forward Admiral Schofield (8.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and guard Jordan Bowden (7.9 ppg). They should also get a lift from Howard transfer James Daniel III, a fifth-year senior guard who averaged 21.5 points for his career in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, with a NCAA-leading 27.1 per game during his 2016 MEAC Player of the Year junior season.
Feb. 24: Auburn
The buzz: These Tigers were one of the biggest disappointments in the league last season — again. Bruce Pearl returned from his NCAA exile with much fanfare and eye-popping success on the recruiting trail. In three seasons, though, Pearl's teams are a combined 44-54 overall and 16-28 in SEC play, with finishes of 13th, 13th and 11th. His latest recruiting haul failed to crack the top 40, but the freshman class of last season, which ranked third-best in the league and 11th in the country, will be a year older. Guards Mustapha Heron (15.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 42 percent from 3) and Jared Harper (11.5 ppg) were 1-2 in scoring for the Tigers as rookies, with 6-11 classmate Austin Wiley (8.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg), a projected first-round NBA pick, checking in fourth. Finishing third was forward Danjel Purifoy (11.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who figures to be the leader of this team. The best freshman will be 6-8, 230-pound forward Chuma Okeke, who won a Class 6A Georgia state championship and averaged 24 points, 15 rebounds and 2.4 steals.
Feb. 27: at Alabama
The buzz: The Gators have won six straight at Tuscaloosa, with their last loss coming late in 2006, if you can believe it, on the way to that first NCAA title. Making it seven straight will be very difficult (see Sexton, Collin), as UF ends the regular-season with back-to-back dates against what could be the league's two best teams.
March 3: Kentucky
The buzz: Alexander should get quite the greeting from the Rowdy Reptiles and UF's jilted home folk, but the bigger picture story will be a "Senior Day" celebration for Chris Chiozza and John Egbunu that gives way to another hotly anticipated showdown between these two rivals. Remember last year's UF-UK day at the O'Dome? ESPN "Game Day" crew in the house. The 3D court projection of alligators eating Wildcats. Oh, then the biggest Florida blowout ever over a Kentucky team. Wonder what UAA marketing maven Alicia Longworth will have in store for this one?
March 7-11: SEC Tournament (St. Louis)
The buzz: The SEC Tournament has had a three-year run in Nashville, so now it's time — every fourth year, under an agreement that came into effect beginning in 2015 — to take the league's postseason event on the road. The addition of Missouri to the SEC prompted conference officials to award the tournament to St. Louis, where games will played in the 22,000-seat Scottrade Center, home to the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. The arena will be renamed TD Ameritrade Center later this year when TD Ameritrade's $4 billion purchase of Scottrade is finalized. The arena is smack in the middle of downtown St. Louis, about 10 blocks from the famous Gateway Arch. After 2018, the SEC Tournament returns to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for three years, then heads to Tampa in 2022.
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