Florida Gators to Play Oklahoma in First-Ever Jumpman Invitational
While the Florida basketball program continues to focus on building a serviceable and talented roster for Todd Golden in his first season as head coach, Jon Rothstein via FanDuel announced that Golden will lead the Gators into the first-ever Jumpman Invitational in 2022.
Created to showcase the four Jordan brand teams in the NCAA, the Jumpman Invitational will consist of two matchups: Florida versus Oklahoma on Dec. 20 and North Carolina versus Michigan on Dec. 21 in Charlotte's (N.C.) Spectrum Center.
The Gators will battle the Sooners in December for the second year in a row. Traveling to Norman (Okla.) in 2021 to take on Porter Moser's OU squad in their first true road game, a red hot Florida Gators squad suffered their first loss of the season in a disappointing fashion.
Struggling to find consistency from beyond the arc, UF shot just 18% from three in a 74-67 loss to begin a season-derailing downward spiral. However, starting big man Colin Castleton kept the Gators within striking distance through the contest, recording 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Florida will have an opportunity to avenge that loss in the second month of the 2022-23 season.
The Jumpman Invitational will likely serve as the second opportunity for the Gators to compete on the national stage in the Golden era. The first will come in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament with teams like Duke, Gonzaga, West Virginia, Xavier and others competing alongside Florida.
The Gators' full schedule is still to be announced.
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