Florida Set to Play Richmond in Orange Bowl Classic

The Florida Gators men’ basketball team will play the Richmond Spiders of the Atlantic 10 Conference on Saturday.

Orange Bowl Classic

The Gators (5-3) and Spiders (5-4) are set to play in the Orange Bowl Classic in Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. The SEC Network will provide coverage starting at 4 p.m. The game can be heard on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM-WRUF. Florida State plays South Florida at 1 p.m.

The last time UF and Richmond met in the Orange Bowl Classic, Richmond edged the Gators for a 56-53 win on Dec. 19, 2009. The last time the Gators played in this game was Dec. 18, 2021, when they recorded a 66-55 win over USF.

Florida holds an 18-4 record in the Orange Bowl Classic and a 3-2 record all-time against Richmond.

Richmond Spiders

The Richmond Spiders come to Florida fresh off an 88-69 win over William & Mary last Saturday and a 78-73 loss to Northern Iowa on Wednesday.

Jordan King, the team’s leading scorer, helped propel his team to victory Saturday with 29 points and six rebounds. King is averaging 21 points per game and shoots 53% from the field.

"He's done just about everything tonight."

Jordan King's final bucket vs William & Mary gave him 29 points and is the @orthovirginia play of the game from Saturday night. #OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/hnPXQQ9vGg

— Richmond Basketball (@SpiderMBB) December 4, 2023

Richmond averages 78.9 points on 50.2 FG% and 33.4 rebounds per game.

Gators’ Last Time Out

The Gators last win came against the Merrimack Warriors in the O-Dome Tuesday night.

Although a heavy favorite, the Gators struggled in the first half with the Warriors’ 2-3 zone defense. Florida went into the locker room down 31-30 at half time.

However, the Gators bounced back in the second half. They figured out how to play Merrimack’s zone defense and pulled away for a 77-57 win.

got it done ✔️#GoGators | presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/bEpcZmGvhG

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) December 6, 2023

Guard Walter Clayton, Jr. led the Gators in points with 26 in the game.

Up Next

Following their game against the Spiders, the Gators face the East Carolina Pirates on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. in Lakeland.