Florida basketball returns to Orange Bowl Classic with matchup vs. George Washington
The non-conference game will be played at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, marking the Gators' return to the annual South Florida showcase for the first time since 2023.
Florida holds a 19-4 all-time record in the Orange Bowl Classic, including a win over Richmond in its last appearance two seasons ago when Todd Golden was in his second year with the Gators.
The Orange Bowl Classic–the only Division I basketball showcase held in Broward County–will return as a doubleheader this season, highlighted by Florida taking on George Washington and Florida State facing off against UMass.
The Gators and the Revolutionaries have met four times historically, with the series tied 2-2. Their last clash came in the 2016 NIT quarterfinals, where Florida fell on the road.
Now, nearly a decade later, the Gators get a chance at payback in their home state.
Along with this game on their non-conference schedule, the Gators will face off against the Miami Hurricanes in Jacksonville on Sunday, Nov. 16, which completes their early-season slate.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
Spartans listed in bottom half of Big Ten football preseason media poll
The media has spoken, and they believe Michigan State will finish near the bottom of the Big Ten again this fall. The annual (formerly Cleveland Plain Dealer) preseason Big Ten media poll was released on Monday, with the Spartans landing in the back half of the league. Michigan State was pegged as the No. 13 team in the league, tied with Rutgers. This year's poll included 24 voters, with beat reporters from each team covered. Michigan State received 135 points and averaged out a ranking of 13.60 in the poll. UCLA was right behind the Spartans with only one point separating them from Michigan State and Rutgers. For perspective, our internal Spartans Wire preseason poll had Michigan State coming in at No. 8 in the league. So as we predicted, the Spartans Wire crew has higher expectations for the Spartans this fall than others covering the league. Check out the complete preseason poll organized by below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dolphins UDFA Profile: WR Andrew Armstrong
The Miami Dolphins have made a concerted effort in recent years to improve the overall depth of their wide receiver corps. But outside of their top two stars, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, there has been a lack of consistent production from the group. With second-year player Malik Washington and free-agent signee Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the mix, the fifth wide receiver spot may be the only one up for grabs for the remaining players on the roster. One contender is undrafted free agent Andrew Armstrong from Arkansas. One of four undrafted rookie receivers signed by the Dolphins earlier this year, Armstrong brings deep-play ability and, at 6'4, he could be an enticing addition to the group. Armstrong began his collegiate career at East Texas A&M, where he flashed big-play potential before transferring to Arkansas. As a redshirt sophomore in 2021, he averaged 19.8 yards per catch. In 2022, his final year at East Texas A&M, Armstrong had a breakout campaign with recording 62 receptions for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Southland Conference honors. Despite a strong redshirt senior season at Arkansas, where he led the SEC in receptions (78), receiving yards (1,140), and yards per game (103.6) en route to a First-Team All-SEC selection, Armstrong still went undrafted. He was projected by some to be a sixth-round pick, but his lone touchdown in 2024 may have contributed to his draft stock slipping. Armstrong started every game he played in his final three years. Across his four collegiate seasons, he averaged 15.3 yards per catch and finished with 22 career touchdowns, 211 receptions, and 3,221 receiving yards. His size, soft hands, and catch radius allow him to excel at contested catches, making him a legitimate vertical and red-zone threat. Last year, he ranked fifth in the nation with 51 receptions of 10-plus yards. To secure a roster spot, Armstrong will have to outperform a trio of fellow undrafted wideouts, as well as last year's seventh-round pick Tahj Washington, who missed the 2024 season on injured reserve. The Dolphins have leaned heavily on speed at receiver over the past three seasons, but Armstrong's size could provide a much-needed change of pace. He can be a viable outside X-receiver and has the body control to make spectacular catches over defensive backs. This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins undrafted rookie profile: WR Andrew Armstrong
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
The Panthers are nearly $4 million over the salary cap. How they can remedy that
The Florida Panthers, rightfully so, are enjoying their summer right now. The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions handled most of their business already. President of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito managed to re-sign the trio of defenseman Aaron Ekblad plus forwards Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand. Forwards Tomas Nosek and Mackie Samoskevich got new deals, too. Plus the Panthers got their backup goaltender (Daniil Tarasov) and depth defenseman (Jeff Petry) to round out the roster. So until training camp begins in September, the team is going to revel in its success just as it did last summer. But before the 2025-26 season begins on Oct. 7 and the Panthers attempt for a rare three-peat, some business will need to be tended to. Specifically, the Panthers will have to address their salary cap situation. According to PuckPedia, the Panthers' are currently carrying a $99.225 million cap hit for next season when factoring in their top 23 contracts — 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies. That's $3.725 million over the league's salary cap of $95.5 million for the season. Florida is one of three teams that is currently over the cap, along with the Vegas Golden Knights ($7.64 million over) and the Montreal Canadiens ($4.52 million over). At the moment, Florida is able to be over the cap. The league allows teams to be up to 10% above the cap — this offseason, that's $9.55 million — during the offseason, but teams have to be cap compliant by the start of the regular season. How will the Panthers handle the cap crunch? Only two options seem truly feasible at this point. Option 1: Matthew Tkachuk opens the season on long-term injured reserve, during which time his $9.5 million cap hit would not count toward the Panthers' salary cap. The star winger played through the entire Stanley Cup playoffs with a tadductor muscle that had torn all the way off the bone in addition to a sports hernia, both of which were sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Tkachuk, who got married to his fiancee Ellie over the weekend, said shortly after the Cup Final that there's a 50-50 chance he would need surgery this offseason. He has not yet had the surgery. Should that happen, it's likely Tkachuk would not be ready to start the season and they could use LTIR to provide temporary salary cap relief. Players on LTIR must miss a minimum of 10 games or 24 days of the season, whichever is longer. Option 2: The Panthers can trade players under contract for prospects or draft picks to offload salary. Looking at the roster, the only players making significant enough money that don't have a no-movement clause in his contract that would be logical trade candidates are forwards Evan Rodrigues and one of either Jesper Boqvist or Dmitry Kulikov. Rodrigues has a cap hit of $3 million each of the next two seasons, Boqvist $1.5 million each of the next two seasons, and Kulikov $1.15 million each of the next three seasons. Rodrigues has played a key role for Florida the past two seasons but doesn't necessarily have a defined role. He is the player coach Paul Maurice has moved up and down the lineup to fill whatever gap is needed, a Swiss Army Knife of sorts. Boqvist is in a similar spot. He primarily played in the bottom six during the season but showed he can rise to the occasion in the playoffs when needed, filling in on the top line twice when Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart each missed time with injury. Kulikov has been a standout on Florida's third defense pairing. The other players on the roster without no movement clauses, in descending order of cap hit for next season, are center Anton Lundell ($5 million), forward Eetu Luostarinen ($3 million), defenseman Niko Mikkola ($2.5 million), forward A.J. Greer ($850,000), defenseman Uvis Balinskis ($850,000), forward Jonah Gadjovich ($775,000), Petry ($775,000), Nosek ($775,000) and Samoskevich ($775,000). Lundell, Luostarinen and Mikkola are seen as part of Florida's core, and the six making less than $1 million apiece wouldn't offset the cap enough to justify moving them. The possibility of trading Rodrigues and Boqvist — or making any other deals of that sort — likely won't become serious conversations until the Panthers have clarity on Tkachuk's status. If Tkachuk starts on LTIR, then Florida can carry both Rodrigues and Boqvist and have $5.775 million to work with until Tkachuk returns. However, should both Rodrigues and Boqvist be dealt, that would put Florida exactly $775,000 under the cap — just enough money to add a player making the league minimum to the roster and be cap compliant.
