As 2023 draws to a close, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team holds a 10-3 record and is considered by most to be an NCAA Tournament team.
But the real test will come as soon as the calendar turns over to 2024 as conference play is set to begin. The Gators aren’t being eased into SEC play either. Florida will host a ranked Kentucky team on Saturday to open things up.
Gators head coach Todd Golden spoke to the media after his squad took down Quinnipiac and gave a preview of what’s to come.
“I think we got a full week to prepare for Kentucky, which is great, but we’re about as ready as we can be,” Golden opened. “I think we did a good job of navigating this non-conference schedule, a lot of neutral games, just not in our home gym as much as a lot of other high-major teams were and we gutted out some tough games in December.
“I feel like there’s a lot of joy in that locker room right now, guys happy for each other’s success, and I know they are excited for conference play to start.”
After Kentucky leaves Gainesville, Florida will have to take on a currently undefeated Ole Miss club in Oxford. Then it’s back at home against Arkansas to prepare for a showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville. Perhaps it goes without saying, but stringing together wins in January won’t be as easy as it was for Florida in December.
Golden knows that college basketball is a game of momentum, though, and he has a year of experience to look back on this time around.
“I mean it’s just a mother getting through this league,” he said. “Every night is a really, really big challenge and I think that actually gets tougher this year. I think the league is a little better this year. There’s a lot of great opportunities and you got to be mentally tough to get through it because if you’re not and you lose one or two it can break you. I think we’ll be ready to handle what comes our way and we’ve got to do our best to get off to a good start on Saturday.”
Florida closes out the month at Missouri, vs. Mississippi State, vs. Georgia and at Kentucky. Bookending the month with the Wildcats is bold, but it is what is needed to get noticed on the national stage.
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