Florida, Oklahoma to meet in SEC-Big 12 Challenge

Florida reportedly will play at Oklahoma next season in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge, according to a source close to CBSSports.com’s Jon Rothstein.

The game will pit former Gator and current Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger against the team he coached to a Final Four in 1994. Kruger went 104-80 in six seasons at Florida (1991-96) before leaving to take the head coaching job at Illinois.

Kruger has coached against the Gators only once since he left UF, and it wasn’t by choice. In 2000, Kruger’s Illinois team lost Florida 93-76 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma is coming off a 29-8 season and a Final Four appearance in 2016. But the Sooners are losing three senior starters from their squad, including national player of the year Buddy Hield.

The Oklahoma matchup adds to a challenging non-conference slate in 2016-17 for second-year Florida coach Mike White. The Gators will face likely preseason No. 1 Duke on Dec. 6 at the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden in New York City. In addition, Florida could face Gonzaga, Miami, Iowa State, Seton Hall and/or Stanford at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando from Nov. 24-27.

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