Florida Gators basketball (19-14) did not take care of business in the regular season and failed to earn a berth to the 2016 NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Instead, Florida will return to the National Invitation Tournament for the first time since 2009, entering the field as a No. 2 seed.
Though top-ranked seeds get first option to host NIT games, the Gators have chosen not to do so, a decision OnlyGators.com first reported on Feb. 29 that UF would make.
As such, Florida will open the NIT on the road at the No. 7 North Florida Ospreys (22-11) on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The Gators are 4-0 all-time against the Ospreys.
The winner will face No. 3 Ohio State or No. 6 Akron in second-round action. UF is 4-8 all-time against OSU and has never faced Akron.
Here is how the Monmouth and Florida quadrants look.
1. Monmouth (27-7) vs. 8. Bucknell (17-13)
4. George Washington (23-10) vs. 5. Hofstra (24-9)
3. Ohio State (20-13) vs. 6. Akron (26-8)
2. Florida (19-14) vs. 7. North Florida (22-11)
Florida is 11-11 in nine NIT appearances and has never come away from the event with a title. The Gators have thrice lost in the semifinals (1986, 1992, 2008) and fell in the quarterfinals in 2009. UF has not been one-and-done in the NIT since 1998, and it is 4-0 all-time in second-round games.
OnlyGators.com will update this post with more information shortly.