Tag: Todd Golden

Dooley’s Dozen: Previewing Florida basketball’s 2022-23 campaign

Take a look at a dozen of the most important storylines ahead of Florida’s 2022-23 men’s basketball campaign.

Very early on in his new job as the University of Florida head basketball coach, [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] couldn’t figure it out.

Here he was, finally in the big chair at a Power 5 school with a pretty sweet trophy case he would see at work every day and nobody seemed interested in talking basketball in the fall with the hoops season right around the corner.

As the story goes, it was explained to him that all the media focus is on the other sport in this drinking town with a football program (I bought that same t-shirt in Athens in 1995).

So, Golden thought outside the box and that’s not the last time you will see that. He opened practices to the media. It was unprecedented access which was much appreciated and generated more stories on hoops.

Hmm, making life better for the media. What a novel idea.

Golden is still getting his feet wet in Gainesville, but he is about to be knee-deep in his first season as the Gators’ head coach. It will be an interesting mix of transfers, holdovers and recruits to go to battle in the difficult SEC and the season begins Monday when Stony Brook comes to town.

A bonus Dooley’s Dozen this week gives you a look at 12 Things to know about this Gator basketball team.

Florida men’s basketball to host preseason Orange and Blue game

It’s almost time for college basketball, and Florida is hosting an intersquad scrimmage to finish off the preseason.

Instead of facing another school in a traditional exhibition game before the college basketball season starts, the Florida Gators are planning to hold an intrasquad scrimmage on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. EDT. The program announced the game early Thursday morning.

Admission will be free to the Orange and Blue game with doors opening an hour before tipoff. Students will compete in contests and take home plenty of goodies as part of the event, including a team photo card for the first 1,000 fans through the gates. There will also be an interactive video/photo booth for fans to take pictures with the 2006 and 2007 National Championship trophies. One fan will win a pair of season tickets for the upcoming Florida Gators basketball season.

Capping off the preseason with an intrasquad scrimmage is new for the Gators. Florida has hosted an exhibition before the start of the season since 2004-05, most recently taking down Embry-Riddle last year.

The regular season (and [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] era) will begin less than a week after the scrimmage takes place. Stony Brook comes into town on Nov. 7 and then Kennesaw State is in Gainesville on Nov. 11. Those should be wonderful opportunities for the Gators to start off strong, but the Florida State game on Nov. 18 will be the team’s first genuine test under new leadership.

247Sports’ Jacob Rudner is reporting that Florida will play “secret scrimmages” against Miami and Jacksonville before the season begins, so the scrimmage won’t be the only form of game-speed preparation the Gators undergo.

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Where Florida ranks among the best in college sports, per CBS Sports

The 2021-22 athletic year has come to an end and CBS Sports has ranked the best athletic department in the nation. Here’s where the Gators wound up.

The 2021-22 athletic year was not a banner one for the University of Florida, at least by CBS Sports’ standards. The annual Best in College Sports rankings came out on Monday and Florida placed 36th in the nation, one spot behind LSU, with 275.50 total points.

The point system favors the major sports, football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, weighting them more heavily than other sports. Here’s a brief rundown of how it’s all calculated. Keep in mind that each school is ranked based on those three sports and two wild cards among the school’s most successful spectator sports.

The weighted formula puts 2.5 times as much emphasis on football and 2.0 times as much on men’s basketball compared to the rest of the sports. Teams that do not finish in the final AP Top 25 in football but play in a bowl are awarded 62.5 points (25 x 2.5). (Teams that either opted out of bowl games or saw postseason contests canceled received 62.5 points in football.) Those that make the men’s NIT are given 20 points (10 x 2), while WNIT teams receive 10 points. For all titles settled via bracket, such as the NCAA Tournament, point totals are based on number of participants. All champions in the other sports receive 100 points for a national championship in the formula created by long-time CBS Sports producer J. Darin Darst.

Michigan claimed the top spot on the list followed by Notre Dame, Ohio State, North Carolina and Arkansas. Florida ranks 10th in the SEC and second among in-state programs. Miami finished 12th overall, UCF was No. 47 and FSU was all the way down at 65th.

While it’s unclear exactly which sports are Florida’s wildcard, it’s a safe bet that the first is gymnastics. The 90 out of 100 possible points is in line with the Gators’ second-place finish at nationals and softball’s super regional finish could be the 78 points in the second spot.

As the calendar turns over once again, Florida is hoping to finish higher up. A strong rebound from first-year head coaches [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] in football and men’s basketball, respectively, would help out a ton.

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Florida basketball and Xavier to meet in Phil Knight Legacy opening round

The Florida-Xavier series continues on Thanksgiving Day 2022 as the two programs clash in the first round of Phil Knight Legacy event in Portland.

The opening-round matchups of the Phil Knight Legacy event in Portland, Oregon, were released on Monday and Florida drew a familiar foe for Thanksgiving Day. The Gators will face off with the Xavier Musketeers, the same team that eliminated UF in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament and went on to win it all in March.

Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 24, and the winner will face whoever wins between Duke and Oregon State. Gonzaga, Portland State, Purdue and West Virginia make up the rest of the field.

Florida and Xavier have faced off a handful of times in recent memory, perhaps most notably in the 2019 Charleston Classic championship game. The Gators took that game but they hold a 2-3 all-time record against the Musketeers.

As much of a redemption game as this matchup is for the returning players on the Gators roster, it’s also a chance for St. Bonaventure transfer [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] to take revenge on Xavier. Lofton’s 15-point, 11-assist double-double in the semifinals of the NIT wasn’t enough to put the Bonnies over the Musketeers, so he shouldn’t need any extra motivation going into the holiday tournament.

This will also be [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s first in a tournament like this with the Gators. A win would not only be good for Golden’s record at UF but it would likely allow the team to test itself against a perenially strong program like Duke or Gonzaga in the later rounds.

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Florida men’s basketball releases jersey numbers for 2022-23 season

Time to start thinking about basketball! The 2022-23 men’s basketball team has received their jersey numbers for the upcoming season.

The Florida men’s basketball team released jersey numbers for the 2022-23 season on Thursday.

With several members of last year’s team gone and a handful of newcomers to the program, there has been some shuffling of the digits on the team. The roster currently sits at 14 players, one short of the NCAA Division I limit.

While jersey numbers aren’t the most exciting news in the world, it’s what we basketball fans have to cling on to this point in anticipation of the [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] era at Florida. So, without further ado, here’s a look at the 2022-23 roster and which numbers the players will be wearing come the winter.

Here’s a quick glance at all of the jerseys, but continue to scroll for a more in-depth look at each player’s number history.

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Florida basketball back in business according to ESPN’s bracketology update

The Gators jumped back into the March Madness field in Lunardi’s latest update.

It’s never too early to come out with an NCAA basketball tournament bracket prediction, at least not for ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

Lunardi is known as ESPN’s chief college basketball tournament analyst, coining the term “bracketology” to describe the process in which the NCAA decides the 68 teams that will participate in the NCAA tournament. He is back with his latest predictions for the 2023 basketball tournament, with the Florida Gators projected to make the tournament as a No. 10 seed taking on the No. 7 seed Michigan Wolverines in the South regional.

This is an improvement from their previous projection, which had Florida listed in the First Four Out group missing the tournament altogether. If this projection holds, the Gators would make the NCAA tournament in head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s first year at the helm and would be a quick return to March Madness after playing in the NIT last year.

Lunardi’s current bracket features seven schools from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and Big East, along with six schools from the ACC, four schools from the Pac-12, and two schools each from the Mountain West, WCC, American, and Atlantic 10.

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Florida basketball announces 2022-23 non-conference schedule

Todd Golden’s first batch of non-conference games as Florida Gators head coach have been announced, highlighted by two tournaments.

Florida basketball announced its entire 2022-23 non-conference schedule on Tuesday, including Florida State, UConn and Kansas State, among others.

The Gators will participate in two non-conference events in addition to their home non-conference schedule. First up is the Phil Knight Legacy taking place in Portland, Oregon, from November 24-27 which also features schools like Duke, Gonzaga and Purdue.

The second is the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 20 where the Gators will join Michigan, Oklahoma and North Carolina. All four teams are outfitted by the Jumpman brand.

In addition to the Legacy and Invitational, Florida will play six home games and their annual game against in-state rival FSU, which will be played in Tallahassee. The Gators beat the Seminoles 71-55 last season in Gainesville to snap a seven-game losing streak to the ‘Noles, Florida’s longest losing streak to Florida State in men’s basketball history.

It was reported last week by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that TBA opponent on the schedule released by Florida athletics will be the Ohio Bobcats. They will meet on December 14 in a neutral site game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Notably, Florida will not be participating in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise this year — the first time since 2005 that the event will not include the Gators.

After beginning conference play in January, UF will take a detour to Manhattan, Kansas, to participate in the annual SEC/BIG12 challenge on January 28 when they take on Kansas State.

First-year head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] will begin his tenure on November 7 against Stony Brook at the Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

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Top 50 2023 power forward commits to the Gators

The basketball team added a recruit recently, take a look at who joined Todd Golden’s squad.

Thomas Haugh, the 6-9, 200-pound power forward out of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, announced his commitment to the University of Florida earlier this week via Twitter.

The 2023 Perkiomen School prospect is ranked 41st among 2023 power forwards according to 247Sports. Haugh is the first prospect to commit to the Gators in the 2023 class.

Haugh’s profile has risen as of late after he played with Under Armour’s We-R1 AAU program. His play in that circuit landed him high-major offers from programs such as Maryland, Georgia Tech, Illinois, and of course, Florida. Before that, his offers included programs such as Boston University, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, among others.

For Haugh, the decision to commit was a simple one, as he told 247Sports’ Jacob Rudner that UF was considered to be his “dream school” dating back to watching Florida quarterback [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag] carve out his legacy in Gainesville. Haugh’s commitment came after wrapping up an official visit to Gainesville earlier this week.

Before Haugh can join head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] in Gainesville, the new Gators head coach must tackle the challenge of coaching a team coming off a second-round NIT exit at the hands of Butler. The 2022 Florida men’s basketball season is scheduled to tip off in late November at the Phil Knight Legacy tournament to take place in Portland, Oregon.

 

Florida basketball sets home and road matchups for 2022-23 season

The SEC announced its members schools’ home and away designations for upcoming MBK season.

Florida men’s basketball, along with the rest of the SEC, got a better idea of what their schedules for the 2022-23 campaign will look like after the conference announced its member schools’ home and road designations on Wednesday.

The Gators are set to face the Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, Vanderbilt Commodores, LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies in home-and-home matchups. Things look pretty tough when it comes to Florida’s road-only slate against the Auburn Tigers, Arkansas Razorbacks, Alabama Crimson Tide and Mississippi State Bulldogs, while its home-only opponent lineup features the Tennessee Volunteers, Missouri Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks and Ole Miss Rebels.

The good news is that the Orange and Blue will only have to face four of the more highly ranked teams from the 2021-22 season — Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, and Tennessee — once during the regular season. The bad news is that the schedule overall looks like a pretty tough one overall for first-year head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] now that the SEC aspect has been rounded out.

Florida’s non-conference play starts with the Phil Knight Legacy tournament from November 24-27 before facing UConn on December 7 at home, with the Jumpman Invitational following from December 20-21. Then in 2023, the Gators take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on January 28. The remainder of non-conference schedule is still to be determined.

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Todd Golden wants to bring WCC play design to Gators basketball

Todd Golden is looking to bring the best of the west coast over east to the SEC.

The Gators brought on a new coaching staff this offseason, spearheaded by head coach Todd Golden. Coming from a background that was less traditional than former head coach Mike White, Golden hasn’t been shy about the fact that he wants to do things differently. That touches every part of the way the program is run, from valuation and evaluation of players, his approach to the transfer portal, and scheming plays on the court.

The latter topic is one discussed far less among fans than, say, recruiting and roster construction, but it can have an immense impact on how a team performs. For instance, every head coach says he wants to play fast, but the way he calls transition plays can be like a boat anchor working against that goal.

Gators fans got a peek behind the curtain regarding some of what Golden wants to do on the floor in a recent episode of Florida Basketball Hour.

“We’ll take a lot of the ball screen stuff that came from the West Coast,” said Golden. “You know, I think St. Mary’s, BYU, and even Santa Clara to an extent were programs that ran some really good ball screen stuff over the last few years. So we can pull from that.”

It’s not a surprise to hear Golden say that he wants to take the best of the West Coast Conference with him to the SEC. His last coaching job, the head of San Fransisco’s basketball team, gave him a front-row seat to many of those offenses. It’s been his pattern to learn from his fellow coaches and competition at every stop along the way, so this is just another item to add to the list.

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