Florida basketball faces first road test vs FSU, where hostile crowd awaits UF and Todd Golden

The first road game of the season for Florida basketball comes Friday night at rival Florida State (6 p.m., ACC).

It occurs at a time when head coach Todd Golden is the subject of a Title IX investigation, which includes allegations of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking and cyber stalking.

How Golden and the rest of the Florida Gators will be received on the road at the 12,100-seat Donald L. Tucker Center against a bitter rival could serve as a litmus test for how the 39-year-old coach will be treated in SEC gyms for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Golden said Thursday he's continuing to actively engage in the Title IX inquiry.

"I'm not going to comment on absolutely anything in regards to the investigation out of the respect to the process," Golden said. "And to be clear, I would love to be able to comment on multiple elements of the investigation. But I'm simply not allowed to do so out of the requirements due to confidentiality."

As for what kind of reception that Golden expects to receive Friday night due to the Title IX accusations, he responded: “Honestly, to me, it's no different than any other road game. We anticipate it being a raucous environment, a crowd that is going to come after us and we're going to do everything we can to be prepared to go compete the best of our abilities.”

Florida basketball veteran guard standing by Todd Golden

Florida basketball senior guard Will Richard, entering his third season playing for Golden, said he and his teammates are rallying around their coach.

"We’ve been stressing it in practice and stuff like that, that it’s all about us, keeping the circle tight and controlling what we can control," Richard said, "So, the main thing for us is just focusing on winning.”

Richard said he's looking forward to UF's first road test and is expecting it to be hostile environment, regardless of the circumstances.

“It’s a rivalry game," Richard said. "We definitely expect a lot of heckling and stuff to go on, but like I said, we’re focused on winning and we’re there to do a job. That’s what we’re focused on.”

No. 19 Florida (3-0) has won three in a row over FSU and is going for its third straight win against the Seminoles under Golden. The Seminoles (3-0), led by 76-year-old head coach Leonard Hamilton, present a challenge as the first power conference team UF will face this season. Hamilton has this season's squad, which has surrendered 59.7 ppg through three games, defending at the level of its past ACC championship teams.

"Their defensive numbers, their defensive-effective field-goal percentage and their defensive turnover rate jump out at you," Golden said. "They're insanely good so far. So, to me, I think the key is just take care of the basketball. We cannot turn it over, because that'll lead to run-outs and easier percentage shots for them."

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1