GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida Gators will open the upcoming Southeastern Conference basketball season at home Jan. 8 against South Carolina and end it two months later at home March 8 against Kentucky.
The SEC released its schedule Tuesday, thus putting the finishing touches on the Gators' 2013-14 slate, which looms as one of the most attractive, competitive and, yes, difficult in program history.
Again.
UF, which went 29-8 and advanced to the Elite Eight for a third straight year, gets its usual two games against Kentucky (with its top-rated recruiting class) and two against Tennessee (which already is being hailed as a top 20 team by many). There's also a trip to Arkansas (for a third straight year), plus one to Ole Miss (which upset the Gators in the SEC Tournament title game).
The Feb. 4 game against Missouri at the O'Connell Center, Feb. 11 contest at Tennessee and Feb. 25 trip to Vanderbilt will be 9 p.m. tip-offs as part of ESPN's Super Tuesday pact with the SEC.
UF will play three times on CBS, including a high-noon showdown against Kentucky in the final home game of the year.
The 18-game SEC schedule will follow a 13-game non-conference slate that includes road games at Wisconsin and Connecticut, home dates against Kansas and Florida State, plus a neutral site meeting with Memphis at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.
UF will open the season Nov. 8 at home against North Florida, a Friday game that will likely precede Gator Growl on the eve of the football team's homecoming date against Vanderbilt.
The schedule (starting times to be determined unless noted):
Nov. 1: Florida Southern (exhibition game), TBA
Nov. 8: North Florida, TBA
Nov. 12: at Wisconsin, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Nov. 16: Arkansas Little-Rock, TBA
Nov. 18: Southern, TBA
Nov. 21: Middle Tennessee State, TBA
Nov. 25: at Jacksonville, TBA
Nov. 29: Florida State, TBA
Dec. 2: at Connecticut, TBA
Dec. 10: Kansas (Big 12-SEC Challenge), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 17: vs. Memphis (Jimmy V Classic), New York, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 21: vs. Fresno State (Orange Bowl Classic), Sunrise, Fla., TBA
Dec. 29: Savannah State, TBA
Jan. 4: Richmond, TBA
Jan. 8: South Carolina, 7 p.m. (Comcast Sport Southeast)
Jan. 11: at Arkansas, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
Jan. 14: Georgia, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Jan. 18: at Auburn, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 23: at Alabama, 7 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
Jan. 25: Tennessee, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Jan. 30: at Mississippi State, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Feb. 1: Texas A&M, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 4: Missouri, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 8: Alabama, noon (ESPN)
Feb. 11: at Tennessee, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 15: at Kentucky, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 19: Auburn, 7 p.m. (Fox Sports Net)
Feb. 22: at Ole Miss, noon (CBS)
Feb. 25: at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
March 1: LSU, 4 p.m. (CBS)
March 4: at South Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
March 8: Kentucky (Senior Day), noon (CBS)
March 12-16: SEC Tournament (Atlanta)
