Florida will face South Florida in the first game of Saturday's Orange Bowl Classic at Sunrise, Fla.
Charting the Gators: A Look Back at the Orange Bowl Classic
Friday, December 17, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
SUNRISE, Fla. — For the last 15 years, as well as 21 times since 1997, the Florida basketball team has made the trek down the turnpike to play in the Orange Bowl Classic, a holiday South Florida double-header event. The Gators made their first appearance here in 1997, at the old Miami Arena, with a flashy point guard named Jason Williams, who nine years later would win a NBA championship with the hometown Miami Heat.
That was 24 years ago. Here it is, 2021, and the Gators (7-3) are back in the area again to take on South Florida (4-4) Saturday at FLA Live Arena. After annual trips since 2006, the run of consecutive visits will end with this one, as the UF non-conference schedule for 2022-23 already is full as far as games away from Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.
Memo to Dade, Broward, Palm Beach county UF fans: Come out for this one!
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here] Matt Walsh ripped Miami for an event-record 33 points in the 2002 OBC
Florida is committed to be part of an elite field of Nike schools in the PK85 in Portland, Ore., set for Thanksgiving weekend, but the Gators also will start an annual one-game event, the Jumpman Invitational, that will feature the original four Jordan brand schools — North Carolina, Michigan, Oklahoma and UF — and will be played in Charlotte every year. The Jumpman is scheduled for the weekend before Christmas, like the OBC has been mostly slotted.
Throw in a road game at Florida State, a home date against Connecticut, plus another road game in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge — Note: the return game from the Oklahoma home-and-home contract has been pushed back to 2023 — and the Gators are expected to have a '22-23 non-league schedule of at least seven games (out of 12) against high-major opponents.
That leaves at least a one-year break to UF's 15-year run of games in the OBC. The Gators will be looking for an 18th win in 22 appearances in the event, which got its start in the Miami but has been played in Sunrise since 2006.
Anyone remember any of the previous 21?
CHARTING THE GATORS — Florida Basketball in South Florida The phrase "Florida Basketball versus South Florida" also could apply, what with UF facing USF in the Orange Bowl Classic Saturday. Either way, here's a trip down memory lane of the Gators' 21 games in the OBC.
Date
Opponent
Outcome
What happened
Dec. 27, 1997
UAB
L 80-73
Junior point guard Jason Williams (22 pt, 5 ast), the transfer from Marshall, was the lone Gator to score in double figures. The Blazers shot 45 free throws to UF's 25 in the only OBC played at Miami Arena.
Dec. 27, 1998
Michigan
W 79-63
Led by freshman center Udonis Haslem (13 pt, 7 reb) and junior guard Kenyan Weaks (13 pt,m 6 ast) Florida closed its pre-SEC conference schedule with a 9-1 record, marking program's best 10-game start in 32 years.
Dec. 16, 2000
Gonzaga
W 85-71
Haslem(27 pt, 8 reb) led No. 8 UF to a win in first meeting vs. the Bulldogs since the last-second '99 NCAA Tournament defeat, This was the first OBC played at Sunrise, home to the NHL Florida Panthers.
Dec. 15, 2001
Charlotte
W 73-52
The event returned to downtown Miami, where again it was Haslem, this time in his hometown at the new American Airlines Arena, pacing fifth-ranked UF with 22 points, 13 rebounds. Gators held tje 49ers to just 27 percent from floor.
Dec. 21, 2002
Miami
W 94-93 (2OT)
Guard Matt Walsh's 33 points were the most by a UF freshman since Vernon Delancey's 38 vs. Alabama in 1981. Senior Justin Hamilton's free throws with 6 seconds left in the second OT proved the difference. Gators came ranked 13th.
Dec. 20, 2003
West Virginia
W 70-57
The No. 15 Gators snapped a two-game losing streak behind Walsh's 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 assists for his second straight MVP performance in Miami.
Nov. 27, 2004
Providence
W 84-66
Again it was Walsh (21 pt), with some help from guard Anthony Roberson (17 pt, 7 ast), with a third straight game MVP in leading 23rd-ranked Gators past Coach Billy Donovan's alma mater.
Dec. 30, 2006
UAB
W 75-70
Reigning NCAA champion UF trailed by double digits in both halves, but rallied behind 19 points from forward Corey Brewer, 18 from point guard Taurean Green and 13 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks by center Joakim Noah. Green's two free throws with 1:26 left put the Gators ahead to stay. The Blazers missed their last six shots.
Dec. 30, 2007
Temple
W 86-69
With sophomore center Marreese Speights matching his career high of 20 points and the No. 3 Gators shooting 61 percent for the game, the two-time defending NCAA champion Gators rolled past the Owls.
Dec. 28, 2008
Winthrop
W 74-45
Sophomore forward Chandler Parsons buried a career-best four 3-pointers on his way to 17 points and MVP honors. UF shot 61 percent in the second half, with sophomore forward Jonathan Mitchell (career-high 15 pt) 6-for-6 from the field.
Dec. 19, 2009
Richmond
L 56-53
The Spiders snapped UF's nine-game OBC win streak, as David Gonzalvez (16 pt) hit four 3s to lead Richmond back from a 13-point deficit, while the defense held the No. 13 Gators to just 21 second-half points on 26-percent shooting.
Dec. 18, 2010
Kansas State
W 57-44
The Gators erased a 12-point deficit and surged past the No. 6 Wildcats for an upset victory behind 15 points from sophomore guard Kenny Boynton and a defense that held K-State to 22 percent after halftime, including 0-for-10 from 3.
Dec. 17, 2011
Texas A&M
W 84-64
Boynton scored 22 points, going 6-for-12 from deep, with senior Erving Walker and freshman Bradley Beal good for 16 each. The 13th-ranked Gators held Aggies star (and future NBA champion) Khris Middleton to 12 points on 5-for-18 shooting over 38 minutes. A&M was ranked 22nd.
Dec. 29, 2012
Air Force
W 78-61
Senior forward Erik Murphy went 8-for-10 from the floor and tallied game highs of 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks in his MVP performance. No. 14 UF shot nearly 70 percent in second half.
Dec. 21, 2013
Fresno State
W 66-49
Senior forward Casey Prather (16 pt) made eight of his 10 shots and senior forward Will Yeguete had 9 points and 10 rebounds for No. 16 Gators, who secured a third straight win on the way to an historic 30 in a row, an unbeaten run through the SEC and trip to the Final Four.
Dec. 20, 2014
Wake Forest
W 63-50
Junior forward Dorian Finney-Smith posted 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals to help the Gators hold off the Demon Deacons.
Dec. 19, 2015
Oklahoma State
W 72-70
Finney-Smith had 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals. Sophomores Devin Robinson (13 pt, 6 reb) and Chris Chiozza (11 pt, 4 stl) made key plays late to help UF close out the win.
Dec. 17, 2016
Charlotte
W 87-46
Robinson had 15 points and 9 rebounds, while grad-transfer forward Canyon Barry scored 16 off the bench and the Gators snapped a two-game losing streak and set an OBC record for largest margin of victory.
Dec. 16, 2017
Clemson
L 71-69
No. 22 UF blew a nine-point lead with less than five minutes left, missing nine of its last 10 field-goal attempts. Tigers guards Marcquise Reed and Gabe DeVoe combined for 41 points (16 above their average).
Dec. 22, 2018
Florida Gulf Coast
W 77-56
Fifth-year senior guard Jalen Hudson, mired in a 3-point shooting slump that stood at 17 percent for the season, dropped four 3-balls on his way to 14 points, six rebounds, 4 assists and game MVP honors.
Dec. 21, 2019
Utah State
L 65-62
Guard Sam Merrill, the 2019 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored 21 points, hit five 3-pointers, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished 5 assists to help the Aggies come back from six down in the second half. UF fell despite 21 points and 15 rebounds from Kerry Blackshear Jr.
Florida Men's Basketball | Rueben Chinyelu THROWS IT DOWN for the Two-Handed Slam 💪Florida Men's Basketball | Rueben Chinyelu THROWS IT DOWN for the Two-Handed Slam 💪
