College Basketball: Florida, Florida State Open 2011/12 Season

The 2011/12 college basketball season tips off Friday evening, and both the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles are in action.

The Gators welcome the Jackson St. Tigers to the O'Connell Center, with the opening tip set for 7 pm Eastern. Fox Sports Florida has the local telecast. Coach Billy Donovan will look to keep his season-opening perfection streak alive; in his 15 years leading the Gators, he has never lost a season opener.

Friday's matchup also serves as a rematch of the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, when Donovan's Gators defeated the Tigers, 112-69, en route to winning their second straight national championship.

Florida State's season tips off at Tallahassee's Donald L. Tucker Center against the Jacksonville Dolphins at 7 pm Eastern. ESPN3.com, which has exclusive broadcast rights for the game, will stream it live, and legally, online.

Coach Leonard Hamilton begins his 10th season guiding the Seminoles. He hopes to get it off to a good start despite losing starters Chris Singleton and Derwin Kitchen, his leading scorers from 2010/11. The Washington Wizards selected Singleton with the No. 18 pick in the NBA Draft, while Kitchen graduated.

For more news, discussion, and analysis of the Gators, please visit Alligator Army. Meanwhile, Tomahawk Nation offers coverage of the Seminoles.