The meeting will be the first between the Gators and Knights in Orlando, as well as the historic first collegiate game to be played at Orlando’s newest gem, the Amway Center. The two schools last met on the basketball court in 2008, a 89-61 win for Florida.

“We are excited that for as little as $15 fans will be able to enjoy two programs on the rise and claim ‘they were there’ for the first-ever college basketball game in the new Amway Center,” said Hogan.

Excitement abounds for both basketball programs as the 2010-11 campaign draws near. UCF announced the hiring of former Marshall head coach Donnie Jones in late March after he led the Thundering Herd to a 24-10 (11-5 C-USA) record in 2009-10. In that final season in Huntington, Jones – also a former UF assistant -- led Marshall to its first postseason appearance in 22 years. Jones’ Knights should be greatly improved from last year’s 15-17 (6-10 C-USA) squad after one of the nation’s youngest rosters in college basketball returns all five starters in 2010-11.

In Gainesville, the starting five also return for a team that finished 21-13 (9-7 SEC) and fell in a memorable double-overtime thriller in the NCAA’s first round last year. The Gators added a top 10 recruiting class featuring PF Patric Young and SF Casey Prather, leading many pundits to predict a strong 2010-11 campaign. FoxSports.com (10th), ESPN’s Andy Katz (14th), Rivals.com (20th) and The Sporting News (22nd) all pick the Gators in the Top 25 of their early preseason polls.

Florida last played in Orlando at 2008’s FCSports Florida Hospital Gator Jam, a matchup with Missouri-Kansas City and – at the time -- the team’s first game in The City Beautiful since 1997. The Gators have played 12 games all-time in Orlando, with every contest prior to 2008 coming between 1989 and 1997. UCF’s last neutral site appearance in the Orlando area came in the 2007 Old Spice Classic at what is now ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, but this will be the first neutral site appearance within the city limits since 1990.

“The new Amway Center is for our residents – providing them with new sports and entertainment options,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “This in-state rivalry game is expected to bring a boost to our economy and we’re excited to give fans a world-class experience at the new state-of-the-art events center in Downtown Orlando.”

Ticket prices for the FCSports Shootout range from $15-100 with lower bowl tickets as affordable as $15. For ticket information or to purchase tickets, call 407.423.2476 or go to www.Ticketmaster.com. Priority seating is available for members of Florida Citrus Sports. For information on joining, visit FCSports.com.

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