Florida basketball takes on Iona in first round of NIT

Mike White may have left already, but there’s at least one basketball game left for Florida to play on the schedule. The Gators take on Iona Wednesday in the first round of the NIT.

Florida men’s basketball finished the season 19-13 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Fortunately, there’s the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the Gators to compete in.

Rick Pitino’s Iona (25-7) is the first opponent on the bracket for Florida, but the team will be without Mike White at the helm for the first time in seven seasons. White left the program on Sunday for the head coaching job at Georgia, leaving associate head coach Al Pinkins to serve as interim head coach for the program as Scott Stricklin looks for a replacement.

Iona’s overall record may be better than Florida’s, but many of the Gaels’ wins came against Quadrant 3 and 4 opponents. That said, they did manage to upset Alabama in November when the Crimson Tide was ranked No. 10 in the country.

The Gators admit that they aren’t in the tournament they’d like to be in, but there’s nothing to do about it other than play. With many seniors set to move on from the program after this season, the NIT is their last chance to show their stuff in an actual game.

Colin Castleton will be tasked with shutting down the Gaels’ second-leading scorer, Nelly Junior Joseph. The sophomore forward’s double-double was key in Iona’s victory over Alabama, so that may be the matchup to watch in this one.

Tip-off is at 9 p.m. EDT at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville.

Projected Starting Lineups:

FLORIDA

Player Pos H/W Class
Anthony Duruji F 6-7 / 209 Senior
Colin Castleton F 6-11 / 240 Senior
Tyree Appleby G 6-1 / 163 Senior
Phlandrous Fleming Jr. G 6-5 / 205 Graduate
Myreon Jones G 6-3 / 175 Senior

IONA

Player Pos H/W Class
Nelly Junior Joseph F 6-9 / 240 Sophomore
Dylan van Eyck F 6-8 / 220 Graduate
Berrick JeanLouis G 6-4 / 200 Senior
Elijah Joiner G 6-3 / 205 Graduate
Tyson Jolly G 6-4 / 205 Graduate

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