Wednesday night’s Florida vs. Texas A&M game didn’t start on time for the strangest reason. The Aggies forgot their jerseys.
Texas A&M’s jerseys were somehow left at the team hotel, requiring a team employee to fetch them while the Gators waited.
Fans who tuned in after the 7 p.m. EST start time might’ve been shocked to see a 1-0 score at tip-off. That’s because officials hit the Aggies with a technical foul for the delay.
Florida guard Will Richard promptly swished the free throw, putting the Gators on the board before a second had ticked off the game clock.
During the game broadcast, ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes admitted that he’d never seen a situation like Wednesday’s where a team had not only forgotten its jerseys but didn’t notice until minutes before tip-off. A former head coach, Dykes tried to explain how it could happen.
“Ninety-five percent of teams in college basketball warm up in a shooting shirt and kind of an undershirt underneath it,” Dykes said. “They don’t go back in and put their jersey on until they clear the floor for the last time for the national anthem. That’s when they discovered, ‘Coach, we don’t have anything to put on.'”
While Wednesday’s matchup started in wild fashion, Texas A&M and Florida have grown accustomed to crazy endings when they meet.
During the 2021-22 regular season, the Aggies survived a late Gators’ comeback, holding on for a 56-55 win after nearly blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead.
The last time the Gators and Aggies tangled had an even wilder finish. Texas A&M won in another thriller, topping Florida, 83-80, in overtime of the SEC Tournament second round.
The victory helped ignite a run to the SEC Championship game by the Aggies, where they ultimately fell to Tennessee, 65-50.
