Florida Basketball Set to Host Oklahoma State in SEC/Big 12 Challenge
An annual event, the Florida Gators' men basketball team will play host to Oklahoma State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. Last season, the team faced off against West Virginia during the challenge. The Mountaineers ranked 11th in the nation.
Florida would go on to defeat the Mountaineers in Morgantown 85-80. The SEC as a whole would go on to win the challenge by a record of 5-4. The Gators have faced off against a top-25 opponent in five of the previous eight challenges.
For Florida, they are currently 5-3 all-time in the challenge and have a record of 4-2 under head coach Mike White, who recently signed an extension with the university earlier this spring for two more years.
Last season, the Cowboys would earn a record of just 18-14 overall, while going 7-11 in the conference. The Gators are 3-0 all-time against Oklahoma State, winning the last time the team played at the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 19, 2015.
Below is the remaining schedule for the Big 12/SEC challenge:
Big 12/SEC Challenge (January 29, 2022):
Baylor at Alabama
West Virginia at Arkansas
Oklahoma at Auburn
Oklahoma State at Florida
Kentucky at Kansas
LSU at TCU
Kansas State at Ole Miss
Mississippi State at Texas Tech
Missouri at Iowa State
Tennessee at Texas'
The Gators will be looking to make a major recovery this season after following short of expectations during the 2020-21 season.
Last year, Florida would advance to the round of 32 after defeating Virginia Tech in the first round, ultimately falling to Oral Roberts 81-78 in the Round of 32. White's Gators have not advanced past the Round of 32 since 2017.
The team has brought in several new additions, including forward CJ Felder (Boston College), guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (Charleston Southern), guard Myreon Jones (Penn State) and guard Brandon McKissic (Missouri-Kansas City).
For now, the team appears set on its roster, but things can change between now and the season starting.
