Florida vs. Stony Brook: Info, Odds, Where to Watch and More

Photo: Todd Golden; Credit: Alex Shepherd

The Golden Era of Florida basketball begins on Monday night.

The Gators will welcome the Stony Brooks Seawolves to the Billy Donovan Court at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center to tip off the 2022-23 season at 8 p.m. ET, launching Todd Golden's tenure as UF's head coach.

You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.

Florida Gators vs. Stony Brook Seawolves

Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

When: Monday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: SECN+/ESPN+

Radio: Gators IMG Sports Network, Sirius Channel: 380 | SXM App 970

Odds: Florida is a 25-point favorite over Stony Brook, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 143.5 points.

Series history: Florida leads, 1-0. The Gators defeated the Seawolves by a score of 87-62 in their first meeting on Dec. 22, 2021.

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The rundown

The Golden Era has officially arrived for the Florida Gators basketball program.

Stepping into the fold following Mike White's departure to Georgia this offseason, Todd Golden is tasked with returning the Gators to prominence on the national scale. He compiled a 57-36 record during his four seasons at San Francisco and led the Dons to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1998 to conclude his final campaign on the west coast.

In year one, Golden looks to start that journey by returning to the NCAA Tournament with the roster he's compiled from players he inherited, through the portal and from the high school ranks.

Colin Castleton, CJ Felder, Jason Jitoboh, Myreon Jones, Niels Lane and Kowacie Reeves return to Florida after the departure of their former head coach.

Guard Kyle Lofton (Saint Bonaventure), guard Trey Bonham (VMI), forward Alex Fudge (LSU) and wing Will Richard (Belmont) joined the team during the offseason after beginning their college careers elsewhere, while Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips High School tandem Denzel Aberdeen and Riley Kugel as well as Aleks Szymczyk of Frankfurt, Germany, were welcomed from the prep level.

The new-look Florida squad will face off against a Stony Brook team just one season removed from an 18-13 record and a victory over Cinderella tournament team Saint Peter's in their first game under new leadership.

Despite the potential room for growth in the early portion of the year as the coaches and players mesh together, oddsmakers view the Gators' first contest as a tune-up opportunity for UF as they enter as 25-point favorites.

That gives adequate time to find who plays win, as there are plenty of capable faces.

With 11 players slated to see playing time, but Golden and Co. wanting to hover around the nine-to-10 mark, the unique depth Florida presents will be a breath of fresh air for the Gators this season. As a result, pinning down an expected starting lineup aside from Lofton at the point and Castleton at center is challenging.

However, a lineup of Lofton, Richard, Reeves, Fudge and Castleton would be the best bet for night one, with Bonham, Jones, Lane, Kugel, Felder and Jitoboh operating as reserves early in the season before matchup-based rotations commence later in the year.

Florida begins the season with three straight home games against mid-major opponents before hitting the road for a bout with Florida State in game four on Nov. 18.

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