Ever since coach Amanda Butler took the helm at Florida, the expectations surrounding her team have been clear: win a national championship.
With six new players and only two returning starters, that goal seems a bit lofty this season.
Fans won’t know if the if the Gators can compete with the nation’s best until March, but Saturday’s season opener against Central Florida should provide a glimpse of their potential. The youthful Gators open the season against a veteran UCF squad in the O’Connell Center at 4 p.m. in a first-round Preseason Women’s NIT matchup.
“The win is obviously most important,” Butler said. “But you’d like to see your team win in a certain fashion. It’ll be all new. I’m sure there will be some moments that won’t be pretty.”
The Gators are coming off Butler’s worst season in her short tenure as head coach. Last season UF managed a 15-17 record and fell to Miami in the second round of the NIT.
The Gators missed out on the NCAA Tournament after qualifying the previous year, Butler’s second with the team.
In order to start this season with a victory, the Gators must defeat a Knights team that returns all five starters and whose core has played more than 90 games together. In contrast, the starting five that take the floor for Florida will be playing its first game together as a unit.
