The No. 3 Florida men's basketball team will play 2025-26 season opener (and first game as reigning NCAA champions) Monday night at T-Mobile Arena, home to NHL Las Vegas Knights, against 13th-ranked Arizona.
Charting the Gators: Rare Ranked Openers
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – His dedication to all things analytics – in-game strategy, scouting, recruiting and even scheduling – had Todd Golden shaking his head very early in his Florida tenure.
Golden was introduced as UF's coach on March 18, 2022 and not long after got a look at the games contracted for his upcoming first season. The Gators had a road date at Florida State, three high-major games in the PK85 at Portland, a home date against ascending Connecticut and a neutral-site meeting against Oklahoma.
Ooof.
And yet, for Golden, the game that jumped off the page of one of the most brutal non-conference slates in program history was the third of the three consecutive home dates to open the season: Nov. 14 vs. Florida Atlantic.
Golden's reaction in seeing a KenPom.com top 130 team from the year before coming to town was something along the lines, "Who the hell scheduled this?"
The answer, of course, was the previous staff. Mike White, as professional courtesy often allows, did a favor for Dusty May, his former assistant, who left for FAU in 2017. White gave May a brand-name, in-state opponent on the road. By the time the game came about, of course, White was gone and May did not return the favor. He brought his fifth Owls team to Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center and beat Golden's inaugural Gators 76-74.
That FAU squad, of course, went on to go 35-4 and reach the Final Four. The Gators have been scheduling to Golden's specs since. That means home games against analytically low-ranked teams, no home-and-homes against power conference opponents and really good, high-level neutral-site games that will pad the KenPom resume.
Which brings us to Monday's opener against 13th-ranked Arizona at palatial T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas.
"Hard to turn down an opener like that on national TV," UF assistant coach Jonathan Safir said. "Even if it means going cross-country."
And that's just the beginning, which just so happens will pit the Gators against just the seventh ranked season-opening opponent and the highest in 25 years. In the big picture, UF's 2025-26 pre-Southeastern Conference slate – FSU at home; Miami at Jacksonville; a power-conference Thanksgiving tournament field of Wisconsin, Providence and Texas Christian in San Diego; at Duke; UConn in New York City; George Washington at Sunrise, Florida – just may out-ambitious Golden's first season.
That would make sense for the reigning NCAA champions, but it also makes sense for the Gators and how they want to schedule.
CHARTING THE GATORS: Hittin' the Season Running vs Ranked Foes Here's a look back at the six previous times Florida has opened a men's basketball season against a ranked opponent. The Gators will take a 2-4 record in that circumstance with them to Las Vegas, where they'll facedthe No. 13 Arizona Wildcats.
Former Gators standout Udonis Haslem (center)
Game
Score
What happened?
Dec. 1, 1961 No. 8 Duke
Durham, N.C.
L 80-58
Marked the start to Norm Sloan's second season in his first go-round as Gators coach. The Blue Devils were coached by Hall of Famer Vic Bubas, who went on to become the first commissioner of Sun Belt Conference. Duke went 20-5, finished 10th in nation, but did not reach NCAA Tournament.
Dec. 1, 1971 No. 9 Louisville
Gainesville
W 70-69
One of the greatest wins in UF hoops history at the time, with standout guard Tony Miller leading the way. After a record 6-0 start, the season went south, as the Gators won just four of their last 19 games, including a nine-game losing streak in SEC play.
Dec. 1, 1979 No. 7 LSU
Baton Rouge, La.
L 112-81
A rare season-opening SEC date a was a harbinger of things to come. The '79-80 Gators team finished 7-21 overall (2-16 in league) and that Tigers squad (led by Rudy Macklin and DeWayne Scales) finished second in SEC and lost to eventual NCAA champ Louisville in the Elite Eight.
Nov. 26, 1982 No. 8 Louisville
Anchorage, Alaska
L 80-63
The Great Alaska Shootout ran from 1980-2017, with UF participating twice (also in '88). The Cardinals, with Milt Wagner and McCray brothers (Rodney and Scooter), advanced to Final Four later that season, losing an epic dunkfest against Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma squad (Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, etc.). UF junior forward Ronnie Williams averaged 16.6 pts and 8.7 rebounds for the Gators that season.
Nov. 8, 2001 No. 16 Temple
New York City
W 72-64
The No. 6 Gators, led by 14 points and 16 rebounds from senior center Udonis Haslem, held the Owls to 36.6% shooting for game. Five UF players finished in double-figure scoring.
Nov. 6, 2018 No. 17 Florida State
Tallahassee
L 81-60
UF's first loss in an opener in 28 years was never close, with the Seminoles, coming off an Elite Eight run, building a 35-point second-half lead. It was FSU's most lopsided win in series history. Florida freshman Andrew Nembhard had 12 points and 4 assists in his collegiate debut.
