UF still has a bone to pick with UConn.
Two of the Gators’ three losses last season came at the hands of the Huskies — the first on a last-second Shabazz Napier buzzer beater in Storrs, Conn., on Dec. 2; the other a 10-point loss in their Final Four matchup to oust Florida from the NCAA Tournament in Arlington, Texas.
Separating those two losses was a 30-game win streak — the longest in program history — and a perfect run against Southeastern Conference foes.
Florida announced its non-conference schedule for the 2014-15 season on Wednesday, and capping off the 13-game lineup is a Jan. 3 contest against Connecticut in the O’Connell Center.
The rest of the schedule leading up to the UF-UConn rematch won’t be smooth sailing, though.
Of the seven teams meeting the Gators in Paradise Island, Bahamas, for the Battle 4 Atlantis, five of them qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.
“This difficult schedule will not only prepare our team for league and postseason play, it delivers a terrific lineup of marquee games for our fans,” Mike Hill, Florida’s executive associate athletics director for external affairs, said in a release.
After an exhibition game against Barry University on Nov. 6, Billy Donovan and Co. start the regular season with a three-game homestand against William & Mary (Nov. 14), Miami (Fla.) (Nov. 17) and Louisiana-Monroe (Nov. 21).
The Gators’ matchup with the Hurricanes is the start of a home-and-home series the teams agreed to on July 1 and will be the first time the teams face each other since the 2009 NIT. UF owns the all-time series record 45-22.
From there, Florida will travel to Paradise Island, Bahamas, for the fourth-annual Battle 4 Atlantis.
Each of the eight teams in the field — North Carolina, Georgetown, UCLA, Wisconsin, Alabama-Birmingham, Oklahoma, Butler and Florida — will play three games during the tournament set to begin on Nov. 26. The draw for the tournament is expected to be released in August.
After returning to the United States, UF will travel to Lawrence, Kan., to face Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 challenge on Dec. 5.
The rest of Florida’s schedule consists of home matches against Yale (Dec. 8), Texas Southern (Dec. 12) and Jacksonville (Dec. 14); a game against Wake Forest on Dec. 20 in the Orange Bowl Classic at Sunrise, Fla.; and a trip to Tallahassee for its annual contest against Florida State on Dec. 30 before facing Connecticut at home to lead into its SEC slate.
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Patric Young (4) goes after a loose ball during the second half of Florida’s 63-53 loss to Connecticut in the NCAA Final Four tournament on April 4 in Arlington, Texas. UF will face UConn on Jan. 3.
