Florida Gators Officially Set to Host Iona in First Round of NIT

Announced late Sunday night, the Florida Gators Men's Basketball team will officially participate in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), opening at home in the first round against the Iona Gaels, the team announced late Sunday night.

The competition is set to take place in Gainesville at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 16. The game will be televised on ESPN2. All tickets for the competition will be digital, and season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase their usual seats by logging into their accounts before Monday, March 14, at 5 p.m.

Tickets will be free for UF students.

Florida will be playing without its typical head coach in Mike White, who will depart the university for the Georgia Bulldogs, announced on Sunday evening. The team was left out of the 2021-2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament shortly thereafter, which was the expected outcome.

Assistant head coach Al Pinkins will take over as the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

It is the first time since 2016 that Florida will not be in the big tourney, a field of 68 to compete for a national championship. Florida finished the season with a 19-13 record (9-10 Southeastern Conference) and was squarely on the bubble for the entirety of the season.

The team fell short in the SEC Tournament, however, losing to the eighth-seeded Texas A&M Aggies by just one point on the road. That was the end of the Gators' season as we knew it and an end of an era as White departs the squad.

Now, Florida will try to rebound by winning during the lesser of the two tournaments, hoping to catch some fire to end its season for the younger players on the squad against a talented Iona squad.

The Gaels come into the contest led by longtime Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who will surely be brought up in the Gators head coaching search efforts going forward, boasting a record of 25-7 with notable wins over Alabama and Yale on their résumé.

However, Florida will be considered a worthy contender in the field of 32 to take home the NIT trophy despite falling into the region containing the overall top-seeded Dayton Flyers.

The presence of Colin Castleton as one of the best big men in the fold and their capability to play at a high level defensively put them in a favorable position for a potential run toward the NIT title.

Here is the full NIT bracket:

Here's your 2022 NIT bracket, if you're so inclined... pic.twitter.com/ozZJ79WhKe
— Rush the Court (@rushthecourt) March 14, 2022

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