Four of Florida's men's college basketball teams are set to play Friday or Saturday. Let's take a look at the specifics.
The busy weekend gets started Friday when the South Florida Bulls (9-8, 2-2 Big East) aim to climb above the .500 mark in conference play as they host the No. 24 Seton Hall Pirates (15-2, 4-1) at Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Bulls fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 60-49, in their last time out, shooting just 38.2 percent from the field and 7.7 percent on three-pointers.
Seton Hall leads the all-time series with USF, 8-1. Tipoff for Friday's game is set for 7 Eastern. J.B. Long and Mark Wise have the call on ESPN3.com, while Jim Lighthall and Todd Kalas will call the radio broadcast for WDAE 620 AM.
The Bulls aren't the only Sunshine State-team facing a Top 25 opponent at home. Indeed, the Florida St. Seminoles (10-6, 1-1 ACC) host the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels (15-2, 2-0) at Donald L. Tucker Center for a Saturday matinée. The ESPN College Basketball GameDay crew will be on hand from 10 AM to noon, so FSU has decided to open the Tucker Center doors at 8:30 AM, offering food and prizes.
In their last outing, the 'Noles knocked off the Virginia Tech Hokies, 63-59, while setting a school record for blocked shots: Deividas Dulkys led Florida State with five blocks, while five other players had at least one block. Bernard James set career-highs with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and three rejections.
Saturday's tipoff is set for 2 Eastern on ESPN. Dan Shulman will provide the play-by-play, with Dick Vitale adding color commentary.
Elsewhere in the state, the Florida Gators (13-4, 1-1 SEC) take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (8-8, 0-2) at 7 Eastern on Saturday. ESPN3.com will stream the game live, legally, and for free.
The Central Florida Knights (13-3, 3-0 C-USA) are also in action Saturday at 7, visiting the Marshall Thundering Herd (12-4, 3-0) in a battle for C-USA supremacy. UCF has won each of its last five games. The game won't be televised, but fans can tune in to The Game 740 AM in Orlando to hear the action. Marcus Jordan is just seven points shy of the 1000-point mark, a milestone he appears likely to reach against the Thundering Herd.