Florida finds scheduling far from easy with Haugh, Condon and maybe Chinyelu returning

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Anyone looking to play a recent NCAA champion with several returning starters should call Florida.

Coach Todd Golden has plenty of open spots on his schedule.

With Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and potentially Rueben Chinyelu returning for their senior years, the Gators are having a not-so-easy time lining up opponents for next season. Golden suggested national champion Michigan and in-state foe Miami as possibilities.

“They’d want to play us. There’s a lot of teams that don’t,” he said. “So we got to find the right programs and the right teams to play that make sense for us, that provide a good, competitive game and will help us prepare for SEC play.”

Golden put together one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country last fall, an early season slate that included neutral-site games against Arizona, UConn and TCU.

Throw in an ACC/SEC Challenge matchup at Duke, and the defending national champion Gators faced four opponents in the first month that would eventually make the NCAA Tournament and two that would advance to the Final Four.

Daunting to say the least. Golden won’t do it again. Probably couldn’t if he tried since Florida is one of the betting favorites (tied with Michigan and Duke at plus-700) to win it all in 2027.

The Gators are locked into the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas in November, a multi-team event that boasts a strong field and promises at least three quality matchups. They also are slotted to host an ACC opponent, probably the Blue Devils, and an annual rivalry game against Florida State (on the road this year).

Outside of those, it could be slim pickings for Florida before Southeastern Conference play begins in January.

“We want to play some good games, for sure,” Golden said.

The Gators lost all four of their early season challenges last year, starting 5-4 and dropping out of the AP Top 25. They rallied to win the SEC and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“It did not feel good being 5-4, but it definitely benefited us and allowed us to be prepared to win the league,” Golden said.

Florida lost to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a gut-wrenching ending for the defending national champion that set the stage for Haugh, Condon and maybe Chinyelu — who is exploring the NBA draft process with a potential to return — to stay in college another year and chase another ring.

“It’s unique this day and age for guys to want to be in a program for this long and actually graduate,” Golden said. “It’s another great thing about what they’re doing.”

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