For one wild weekend this fall, men’s college basketball is taking over the city. An all-Florida doubleheader is coming to Tampa in November with the Florida Gators vs the Miami Hurricanes, and the Florida State Seminoles vs the Florida A&M Rattlers, all as part of the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic.
Both games take place on Monday, November 2 at Benchmark International Arena, serving as the season opener for all four teams involved. Tickets start at $53 after fees and they include your seat for both games. UF vs UM tips off at 6 pm, followed by FSU vs FAMU at 8:30 pm.
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It is a fitting, if not ironic, location for the Gators to begin their season. One of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament this spring, No. 1 UF was upset by 9-seed Iowa at Benchmark International Arena on March 22 in one of the biggest upsets of the opening weekend of March Madness.
Facing an in-state rival that also made the tournament last year offers the Gators and head coach Todd Golden a chance at redemption. And if redemption doesn’t come, UF may well decide to stay away from Tampa for a bit.
FSU vs FAMU may be the less marquee game given recent history for both programs, but the Seminoles showed signs of resurgence last year under first-year head coach and FSU alum Luke Loucks. As the Associated Press’ Mark Long noted, it will be the first time FSU and FAMU have played each other since 1991, a game that included an on-court brawl featuring Sam Cassell.
If dropping $100 for a pair of tickets isn’t in your budget, you can catch both games broadcast nationally on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN2 & ESPNU) as part of their coverage of the opening of the college basketball season.
“We are thrilled to launch this annual event in partnership with Orion180, Visit Tampa Bay, Benchmark International Arena, and the University of Florida,” said Dan Shell, President of Total Sports Consulting. “To be able to launch this event with four great State of Florida institutions, a Florida-based title partner in Orion180, and on the opening night of the college basketball season with two nationally televised games is truly the perfect storm for a first-year event.”
