The Florida men's basketball program's 2023-24 schedule gained further clarity Thursday in the form of a comment from head coach Todd Golden. The Gators will open the regular season against the Loyola Maryland University Greyhounds, Golden revealed Thursday during a press conference with local media. It's the second announcement for the Gators' upcoming schedule in as many days. The program announced Wednesday the Gators will face Virginia in an early-season contest, set for Friday, Nov. 10, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The game will be part of a 2023 Hall of Fame Series triple-header, which also features Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina and Charlotte vs. Liberty. It will be one of two visits to Charlotte in Florida’s non-conference slate during the 2023-24 season, as the Gators will also face Michigan in the Jumpman Invitational, scheduled for Dec. 19 at the same venue.
Early schedule update: The Florida men's basketball team will travel to Wake Forest on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7:15 p.m for the ACC/SEC Challenge. Television network designation will be announced at a later date. The Gators hold an all-time 7-5 record vs. Wake Forest, dating back to 1936. The teams last met on Dec. 20, 2014, a 63-50 Florida win in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla. UF last visited Wake under Lon Kruger, an 81-70 victory on Dec. 3, 1994.
With all portal movement, it's hard to say what any of these teams will look like this season. But Borzello's most recent "Way Too Early Top 25" (June 20) doesn't include a single team we are scheduled to face so far outside of Baylor (#20). Only one true road game so far (Wake). But probably also safe to say Golden will do everything he can to avoid a repeat of last year's brutal slate, especially with our own roster turnover.
