Charting the Gators: Florida’s Rare Ranked Season Openers

Charting the Gators: Florida’s Rare Ranked Season Openers
October 30, 2025

October 30, 2025

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.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Todd Golden’s commitment to analytics – from in-game strategy and scouting to recruiting and scheduling – quickly had him shaking his head early in his Florida tenure.


Golden was introduced as UF’s coach on March 18, 2022, and soon after reviewed the slate of games already contracted for his first season. The Gators were set for a road trip to Florida State, three high-major contests in the PK85 at Portland, a home matchup against rising Connecticut, and a neutral-site clash with Oklahoma.


Ooof.


Still, the game that stood out most to Golden from one of the toughest non-conference schedules in program history was the third of three consecutive home openers: Nov. 14 vs. Florida Atlantic.


Golden’s reaction to seeing a KenPom.com top-130 team from the prior year coming to Gainesville was essentially, "Who the hell scheduled this?"


The answer was the previous staff. Mike White, as professional courtesy often dictates, extended a favor to Dusty May, his former assistant who departed for FAU in 2017. White offered May a marquee, in-state opponent on the road. By the time the matchup arrived, White had moved on, and May didn’t return the favor. Instead, he brought his fifth Owls squad to Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center and handed Golden’s debut Gators a 76-74 defeat.


That FAU team went on to finish 35-4 and reach the Final Four. Since then, Florida has scheduled strictly to Golden’s specifications: home games against analytically lower-ranked opponents, no home-and-home series with power-conference programs, and strong neutral-site contests designed to bolster the KenPom resume.


Which leads to Monday’s opener against 13th-ranked Arizona at the grand T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas.


"Hard to turn down an opener like that on national TV," UF assistant coach Jonathan Safir - Men's Basketball Coach - Florida Gators said. "Even if it means going cross-country."


And that’s only the beginning. The matchup places Florida against its seventh ranked season-opening opponent – and the highest in 25 years. Looking at the broader picture, UF’s 2025-26 pre-Southeastern Conference schedule – FSU at home; Miami in Jacksonville; a Thanksgiving tournament in San Diego featuring Wisconsin, Providence, and Texas Christian; at Duke; UConn in New York City; and George Washington in Sunrise, Florida – may prove even more ambitious than Golden’s first year.


That approach fits the reigning NCAA champions and reflects the Gators’ philosophy on scheduling.


CHARTING THE GATORS: Hittin’ the Season Running vs Ranked Foes 


Here’s a look back at the six previous occasions Florida opened a men’s basketball season against a ranked opponent. The Gators will carry a 2-4 record in those situations into

Las Vegas, where they’ll face the 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 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.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu Find his story archives here.

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