Florida set to take on UCF in new Amway Center

By Adam Silverstein
May 26, 2010

Florida Gators basketball has been dead-set on bolstering its 2010-11 out-of-conference schedule since last season ended. They advanced this cause Wednesday, agreeing to face the Central Florida Knights in a neutral-site game at the brand new Amway Center in Orlando, FL, on Dec. 1.

Though Central Florida is based in Orlando, the game’s location is considered to be a neutral-site because the Knights play their home games at the UCF Arena. Their match-up with Florida will be the first college basketball game played at the new $480 million facility.

The game will hold added significance on two different levels for Gators head coach Billy Donovan. Most notably, Donovan will be going up against his former long-time assistant and new Knights head coach Donnie Jones for the first time since he left the program for the top job at Marshall after the 2007 NCAA National Championship season.

He also will be coaching in the new home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the team he once agreed to coach before backing out just days later and signing a new contract with Florida in 2007.

UF and UCF last faced-off in basketball on Dec. 20, 2008, in Jacksonville, FL. The Gators prevailed 89-61 and are 9-0 all-time against the Knights.

2 Comments

  1. Wingtee says:

    Nice instate game between buddies, with that being saidlets bet by about 30

  2. JW says:

    I would like to see more games against in-state opponents. I know we always play F.S.U. and Stetson and Florida A & M, but I’d like to see us add USF and Miami on a regular basis. While these teams are not the cream of the Big East and ACC, it would give us two more major conference opponents on the resume.

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