Florida Basketball: Breaking down 2023-24 non-conference schedule
Tournaments and Additional Contests
Florida has a lot of ancillary competitions on the calendar this non-conference season, from the NIT Tip-Off to the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Jumpman Invitational, and more.
November 10: Hall of Fame Series (vs. Virginia in Charlotte, NC)
In just their second game of the season, Florida travels to Virginia for a neutral site game in the Hall of Fame series. The Cavaliers are in a very similar situation to the Gators this season, trying to figure out what the next core is going to be after years of recent success have started to fade. Tony Bennett is a masterful coach, though. This game will be a litmus test for both teams entering the year.
November 22-24: NIT Tip-Off (in Brooklyn, NY)
The matchups for this two-day event at the Barclays Center have not been announced yet. Florida will be joined by Baylor, Oregon State, and Pitt.
The Bears would be the toughest draw for Florida, a likely Top 25 team entering the season. Scott Drew is a phenomenal coach who will have Baylor ready to go this season despite some major losses during the offseason. Jalen Bridges and Langston Love are back, while Toledo transfer RayJ Dennis brings his scoring touch to Waco.
The Panthers are riding high after making it to the NCAA Tournament and winning a couple of games before falling to Xavier in the second round. Blake Hinson is a top-notch player and Rhode Island transfer Ishmael Leggett should make a quick impact, but the team doesn’t seem as well-rounded as last year.
Finally, there are the Beavers, whose 2021 run to the Elite Eight feels far away once again. Wayne Tinkle has something in Jordan Pope, a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team player who averaged 12.6 points per game last season. That being said, it’s hard to imagine Oregon State anywhere besides the basement of the conference.
November 29: ACC/SEC Challenge (at Wake Forest)
Florida drew a road trip to face the Demon Deacons in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge, the latter replacing the Big Ten in the annual conference duel. Wake Forest spent all of last year hanging around the bubble and ultimately missed out on the postseason. They should be in the same position this year. They took flyers on Gonzaga transfers Efton Reid and Hunter Sallis this spring and will be led by Cameron Hildreth, who averaged 12.2 points per game a year ago.
December 9: Orange Bowl Classic (vs. Richmond in Sunrise, FL)
Richmond is a very proud Atlantic 10 program and always a hard out. The Spiders had a down year in 2022-23, capped by the temporary absence of long-time coach Chris Mooney due to heart surgery. It could be another difficult season for Richmond, whose best players will be returning big man Neal Quinn and East Tennessee State transfer Jordan King.
December 19: Jumpman Invitation (vs. Michigan in Charlotte, NC)
Michigan will be a fascinating team to face at this point of the season. Looking at the roster, there are plenty of parts, but it’s not clear of the sum of Dug McDaniel, Nimari Burnett, and Jaelin Llewellyn will add up. But by this point in the season, more than a month in, that will probably have become clear.
Next. Breaking down Michigan's non-conference slate. dark
This is a critical season for Todd Golden and the Florida Gators and it all gets started with the non-conference slate on November 6.