Florida Gators Mens Basketball Tickets
The Florida Gators men’s basketball team is a Division I program for the University of Florida. The team is located in Gainesville, Florida and play their home games at the O’Connell Center. The O’Connell Center, known as “The O’Dome,” has a capacity of 12,000 people and was built in 1980. The student section is known as the “Rowdy Reptiles,” and they have propelled the team to great success at home. The team plays on the same court that was on the floor for the team's first National Championship win. The team plays in the Southeastern Conference, more commonly known as the SEC. The team is currently coached by Billy Donovan. Donovan has led the Gators to the postseason every year since his first, compiling a 386-158 record in his sixteen year career at Florida. Under his direction, the team has made the Final Four three times, winning the National Championship twice.
The team began in 1915, but did not really garner any success until the 1980s. The team hired Norm Sloan who quickly led the Gators to the postseason three years in a row, capturing NIT berths in 1984 through 1986. Those were the school’s first postseason appearances aside from a 1969 NIT berth. In 1987, the team made NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, advancing to the Sweet 16. In 1994, the team made their first Final Four under the direction of Lon Kruger.
The Florida Gators have featured 26 players who have played in the NBA, with 22 of them being selected in the NBA Draft. Of those, 10 have been drafted in the first round, with their highest selection coming in 1969 when Neal Walk was selected with the second overall pick. The team has featured four different All-Americans, two of whom came in 2007 with Al Horford and Joakim Noah.
Through the Gators recent resurgence in basketball, they have played a number of high profile rivalry games with Kentucky. Kentucky have won the last few meetings; however, these games take on a heightened sense of importance on each team’s schedule.
