Florida to take on West Virginia in 2018 Jimmy V Classic in December

(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Florida will take on West Virginia in the 2018 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

The event is set for early December, with the date and time still to be determined.

The Gators were not originally scheduled to participate in the classic, but Indiana announced in late January that it would pull out of the event.

Florida is no stranger to the Jimmy V Classic or Madison Square Garden, as Mike White’s team played Duke in the 2016 edition of the event.

The Gators then went on to return to MSG in March for an Elite Eight showdown with fellow SEC foe South Carolina.

West Virginia went 26-11 overall this season and lose backcourt star Jevon Carter to graduation.

As for the Gators, they lose guards Chris Chiozza and Egor Koulechov, but could return Jalen Hudson should he withdraw his name from the NBA draft. KeVaughn Allen will be back as well for another season.

White has also secured a strong recruiting class for 2018, with 5-star point guard Andrew Nembhard and 4-star wings Noah Locke and Keyontae Johnson all heading to Gainesville.

Florida is 5-3 all-time against West Virginia, with the two teams meeting just once since 2003.

The Gators picked up an 88-71 victory as part of the 2016 SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

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