Gators hoops season-opener against South Florida officially set

The start date and opponent for Florida basketball’s 2024-25 season had long been rumored but is now official.

Florida men’s basketball will open the 2024-25 season against the South Florida Bulls in the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational held at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena on Monday, Nov. 4.

The date had been long rumored but the official word finally came on Wednesday. The Gators fire things up in Jacksonville for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign, when the beat the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the same venue.

The Orange and Blue holds a 19-5 record against USF all-time, but the two schools have only met once over the past 20 years with the Gators prevailing, 66-55, in Sunrise, Florida, on Dec. 18, 2021. Prior to that, Florida had won three in a row — with two coming in Gainesville and one in Tampa — and seven of the past eight meetings overall.

Time and television information for the will be announced at a later date.

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