#7/6 Florida Men’s Basketball (10-0) vs. RV North Carolina (6-4)
Jumpman Invitational
Florida Game Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/12/16/2024.12.17_vsNorthCarolina.pdf> | 2024-25 Media Guide<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/10/21/2024-25_Media_Guide.pdf> | Courtesy Photos & Press Conferences<https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rb8ojhaf9ygpi6d0k3c9e/ANF6-ow4Wppu1j1zjAsnMXA?rlkey=g1esu5ww8r31yd8dyekcik5iw&st=3b1ht5u5&dl=0>
Spectrum Center | Charlotte, N.C.
Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024 | 7 p.m.
TV/Streaming
ESPN | ESPN App<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/0900960c-ca59-4097-ae85-388d46d84afc>
Play-by-Play: Dave O’Brien | Analyst: Debbie Antonelli | Reporter: Myron Medcalf
Radio
Gators Sports Network from LEARFIELD | FloridaGators.com<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5543> | SiriusXM 81 & SiriusXM App<https://sxm.app.link/SXM81>
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida and North Carolina meet for the seventh time in series history and the first time in a decade. The Gators are 2-4 against the Tar Heels, with wins coming in the 2000 Final Four in Indianapolis and in a 1964 home game.
* UF has split its two Jumpman Invitational games, falling 62-53 vs. Oklahoma in 2022 then doubling its point total for a 106-101 double overtime win vs. Michigan in 2023. Prior to the Jumpman Invitational, UF had not played in Charlotte since the team’s first Final Four appearance in 1994.
* One of five remaining unbeaten teams, Florida has back-to-back top-10 rankings in the AP poll after the month of November for the first time since spending the final 11 weeks of the 2013-14 season in the top 10. The Gators spent the first five weeks of the 2017-18 campaign in the top 10, but did not hit the top 10 again after a #5 ranking in the Dec. 4, 2017, poll.
* UF’s 10 straight wins to start the season match the second-best start in program history (17-0, 2005-06; 10-0, 1951-52). The 10-game winning streak is Florida’s 11th all-time double-digit winning streak and the team’s longest since a program-record 30-game winning streak in the 2013-14 season.
* UF has hit 10 or more 3-pointers in six of its last seven games, knocking down 11.1 3s per game over that span.
* Walter Clayton Jr. has made a 3-pointer in 33 straight games, matching the fourth-longest such streak in UF history. His current run is the longest since Michael Frazier II’s record 41-game streak in 2014 and 2015.
* Florida’s poll rankings (AP #7, coaches #6) both mark the Gators’ highest since receiving a preseason #6 ranking in both polls ahead of the 2019-20 season.
2024-25 at a Glance
* Florida posted a dominant 83-66 neutral-site win vs. Arizona State that included a +20 rebounding margin and an Alijah Martin double-double (15/11).
* The Gators’ 87 points in the SEC-ACC Challenge win vs. Virginia marked the third-most allowed by the Cavaliers over the past decade. Walter Clayton Jr. led UF with 27 points, while Alex Condon (19), Alijah Martin (16) and Denzel Aberdeen (12) all tallied double figures.
* Florida used a 27-0 run to bury Wichita State en route to the Gators’ ESPN Events Invitational championship, eventually outscoring the Shockers 67-22 over a 24-minute stretch. Walter Clayton Jr. took home MVP honors, while Alex Condon earned All-Tournament Team recognition.
* After a cold start from the field vs. Wake Forest, UF put together an extended 31-8 stretch capped by a 10-0 run to open the second half, as Walter Clayton’s 21 points led four double-digit scorers in the victory.
* The Gators hit 16 3-pointers in the win vs. Southern Illinois, led by Alijah Martin’s UF O’Dome record eight. Martin finished with 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Gators.
* Florida’s +18 rebounding advantage pushed the Gators past Florida State for the fourth straight win vs. the Seminoles. Walter Clayton Jr. led the attack with 25 points, while Alijah Martin added 17.
* UF used an explosive 59-point second half to secure the season-opening win vs. USF. While the Gators struggled from 3-point range, they shot 28-for-37 from 2-point range (.757) while getting to the line and converting to the tune of 27-for-33 (.818).
