Florida Gators men's basketball

Florida Gators men's basketball
2023–24 Florida Gators men's basketball team
University	University of Florida
First season	1914
All-time record	1,529–1,178 (.565)
Athletic director	Scott Stricklin
Head coach	Todd Golden (2nd season)
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Location	Gainesville, Florida
Arena	Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center (capacity: 10,136[1])
Nickname	Gators
Student section	Rowdy Reptiles
Colors	Orange and blue[2]
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
2006, 2007
NCAA tournament runner-up
2000
NCAA tournament Final Four
1994, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2014
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1994, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1987*, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017
NCAA tournament round of 32
1987*, 1988*, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
NCAA tournament appearances
1987*, 1988*, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 * - vacated by NCAA
Conference tournament champions
2005, 2006, 2007, 2014
Conference regular season champions
1989, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014

The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in NCAA Division I's Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

While the University of Florida's men's basketball team first took the court in 1915, the program did not receive much support from the university for several decades. The basketball team did not have a permanent home court with adequate spectator space until the Florida Gymnasium opened in 1949, did not hire a full-time basketball coach until Norm Sloan in 1960, and did not play in a modern arena until the O'Connell Center opened in 1980. Early highlights included the program's first postseason appearance in the 1969 National Invitation Tournament with the Gators' first All-American Neal Walk, a run to the Sweet Sixteen during its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1987 under head coach Norm Sloan, and another surprise tournament run to the 1994 Final Four under head coach Lon Kruger. However, consistent success was elusive, and the Gators often found themselves in the bottom half of the SEC basketball standings.^[3]

The trajectory of Florida's basketball program changed with the hiring of head coach Billy Donovan in 1996. After having made five NCAA Tournament appearances and having won only one regular season SEC championship and zero SEC tournaments in 78 seasons of basketball before his arrival, the Gators won seven SEC regular season championships and four SEC tournament championships, appeared in 14 NCAA Tournaments, reached four Final Fours, and won back-to-back national championships (2006 and 2007) during Donovan's 19 seasons in Gainesville before he left to coach in the NBA in 2015.

Todd Golden became the Gators' head basketball coach in March 2022.^[4]