Florida vs. UCF: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More

Photo: Todd Golden; Credit: Zach Goodall

The time for National Invitation Tournament basketball has arrived.

Although Florida's season didn't go to plan, as the team failed to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament field for the second year in a row after going 16-16 (9-9 SEC) in Todd Golden's first campaign, the Gators are still partaking in postseason play having accepted their invitation to the NIT.

On Wednesday, Golden and Co. will play host to UCF in a battle of Sunshine State opponents.

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

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Florida Gators vs. UCF Knights

Where: Exatech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

When: Wednesday, March 15 at 7 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN2

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD

Odds: Florida is a 2.5-point favorite over UCF, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 143 points.

Series history: The Gators are 10-1 all-time against UCF. In the last meeting between the two programs, Florida outdueled the Knights en route to a 79-66 victory.

The program holds an all-time record of 14-13 (9-2 home) in the NIT.

Important stories

The rundown

It’s a Sunshine State showdown in Gainesville.

For the first time since 2012, the Florida Gators (16-16; 9-9 SEC) and UCF Knight (18-14; 8-10 American) will square off on the hardwood. It is just the 12th meeting all-time between the two programs.

Simultaneously, the matchup can be a significant boost for the victor heading into the rest of the NIT and 2023-24 campaign. That’s especially true for UF, who is trying to rebound following a heartbreaking overtime exit in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Golden’s unit will do so against a sneakily dangerous middle-of-the-pack American Athletic Conference team.

The Knights rank No. 64 in adjusted efficiency margin per Kenpom, three spots below the Gators. This season, UCF’s placed in the top 100 for both offensive and defensive efficiency, showing strong efforts on both ends of the floor to provide problems for each team it faced.

That includes taking the likes of Miami and Missouri to the wire and producing wins over Ole Miss and Oklahoma State in their out-of-conference slate.

They’re led by forward Taylor Hendricks, averaging 15.3 points per game, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, all team leads.

He’s performing at a level that’s drawn buzz for his upcoming selection in the NBA Draft, likely to the a borderline lottery selection come June 22.

To combat Hendricks’ two-way prowess, the Gators will look for their own future NBA Draft selection Riley Kugel to continue excelling as the primary scoring option with the likes of Will Richard and Myreon Jones’ perimeter shooting.

Defensively, Florida will look to utilize Richard’s length to slow Hendricks, although the defense will be more rotational in nature with multiple pieces switching onto him consistently throughout the contest.

That’s a scheme the Gators employed against LSU’s KJ Williams in the regular season finale and continued in the SEC Tournament against Tolu Smith for Mississippi State.

They are expected to continue employing that plan against dominant big men for the remainder of the season. Hendricks — despite standing 6-foot-9, 210 pounds — fits the mold from a skill standpoint.

Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

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