With COVID-19 flipping the sports world upside down, not much is known coming into the upcoming college basketball season. One prime example are non-conference schedules, which have produced a logistical nightmare for athletic departments across the country. 

Ospreys fans recently learned what the Atlantic Sun slate would look like when the schedule was released in September. However, with the season set to begin in late November, some aspects of the non-conference lineup are finally starting to come together. One marquee matchup with an in-state foe was announced on Wednesday, something UNF fans will definitely be looking forward to.

The announcement came from Gainesville, where the Florida Gators released their official men’s basketball non-conference schedule. The Ospreys are set to travel to Exactech Arena to face off against the Gators on Wednesday, Dec. 16. This game was originally set to take place in November, but with the schedule shakeups, was moved later down the road. Only opponents, dates and locations were announced, so tip-off time and TV information will be announced at a later time. 

The Gators are no new foe for the Ospreys, as the two programs have faced off each of the last four seasons. This includes the 2019 season opener, in which the nationally-ranked Gators prevailed by fifteen points. UNF will seek to secure their first men’s basketball victory against Florida in school history, with this being the eight all-time meeting.

At the moment, the rest of UNF’s non-conference slate remains up in the air, but this will be changing in the coming weeks as more programs unveil their updated schedules. The Ospreys were reportedly set to face both USF and Gonzaga, but key dates like these could fall victim to the schedule shuffle. Only time will tell what the rest of the UNF schedule will look like, but we will be here to report on it when those dates become available.

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