Spiders to Face Florida in Orange Bowl Classic
07/24/2023 | Men's Basketball
RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Spiders will take on the Florida Gators as part of the AutoNation Orange Bowl Classic, the Orange Bowl Committee announced Monday. The event will be held on Saturday, December 9 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla. The game will be part of a double-header, with Florida State facing South Florida in the other matchup.
This will be the sixth meeting between Richmond and Florida, with the Gators holding a 3-2 edge in the series. The Spiders dropped road games to Florida in 2014 and 2015, but UR won the only previous neutral-site meeting between the teams, posting a 56-53 win over 13th-ranked Florida at the 2009 Orange Bowl Classic (also at FLA Live Arena, then known as BankAtlantic Center).
In 18 seasons under Chris Mooney, Richmond has 27 wins over power-conference opponents, with the most recent coming against Big Ten champion Iowa in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Mooney's Spiders are 8-7 vs teams currently in the SEC. In addition to their 2009 win vs Florida, UR has posted wins vs Vanderbilt (3), Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, and Mississippi State under Mooney.
Fans can place a deposit for tickets online at orangebowl.org/basketball or by contacting the Orange Bowl Ticket Office at (305) 341-4701 or tickets@orangebowl.org. Game times for the Orange Bowl Classic and the rest of Richmond's non-conference will be announced at a later date.