GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Adversity right out of the gate can be a good thing, right?

That was essentially the question posed to Todd Golden during the Florida basketball coach’s media availability Wednesday, just two days after the Gators fell to 13th-ranked Arizona 93-87 in their much-anticipated 2025-26 season opener in Las Vegas.

Golden seemed slightly surprised by the framing.

"Adversity ... like losing one game early in the year? I guess," Golden responded. "Talk about expectations."

So let’s talk about them. The reigning national-champion Gators – ranked No. 3 nationally and returning four key players from last year’s title team – dropped their opener, sparking plenty of outside chatter questioning whether they’re truly built to repeat.

Never mind that the Wildcats, a Sweet 16 team last season, sit just a notch below blue-blood status and were essentially playing a home game in a neighboring state. Or that Tommy Lloyd is a proven coach who brought in a top-five freshman class, headlined by McDonald's All American and projected lottery pick Koa Peat, who dazzled with 30 points in his debut against Florida. And as for Arizona being a proud program motivated to topple the champs? That’s a given.

Inside the Florida camp, however, outside noise and social media negativity were ignored as the Gators (0-1) turned their attention to Thursday night’s home opener against North Florida (0-0) at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.

[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]

"You have to turn it into a positive," Golden said before his team’s spirited practice at the O'Dome. "We had a lot of things that we could do better and [still] had a chance to win the game. So, whether it happens now or January 3rd, yeah, I'm happy it's happening now. We get an opportunity to correct things early."

Plenty will unfold between now and Jan. 3, but Florida’s immediate focus is internal – starting with regrouping against the Ospreys. As for Jan. 3, that’s the date of the Southeastern Conference opener against Missouri, and it carries some weight.

Think back to Jan. 4 of last season, when UF was one of just three unbeaten teams nationally and opened SEC play at Kentucky. The Gators battled but ultimately fell 106-100, realizing after a relatively soft non-conference slate that defensive adjustments were needed. They made them, but that UK test served as a wake-up call.

That’s context.

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Two seasons ago, after a routine home win over Loyola-Maryland, the Gators traveled to Charlotte, N.C., for a so-called neutral-site game against Virginia. UF lost 73-70 after two costly turnovers in the final 15 seconds by a mid-major transfer point guard facing one of the nation’s toughest defenses. And yes, Walter Clayton Jr. improved after that.

And speaking of Florida point guards, sophomore transfer and former McDonald's All American Boogie Fland struggled in his UF debut. He finished with nine points on 3-for-9 shooting, missed a couple of 3s, and tallied just three assists, while being matched up against Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, who poured in 27 points. Still, Fland deserves some leeway. At just 19 years old, he was playing in only his fourth game of the calendar year, a stretch that included two surgeries. It was also just the 22nd game of his collegiate career, compared to Bradley, a 22-year-old and fellow McDonald's All American, who was appearing in his 111th. Fland did log 32 minutes without committing a turnover and was effective in initiating Florida’s offense, though the team as a whole shot poorly (43% overall, just 7-for-27 from deep).

"We learned a lot about ourselves," Fland said.

As for Florida’s starting “bigs,” the struggles of Alex Condon (six turnovers) and Rueben Chinyelu (one rebound) were notable in the Arizona matchup. Still, one loss against a strong opponent doesn’t erase what both players have proven capable of. Remember the 36 wins last season, including some major ones in March and April under the brightest lights? That wasn’t long ago.

The defeat clearly weighed on the team, evident in the slumped shoulders and subdued demeanor on the flight home from Nevada early Tuesday morning. Yet forward Thomas Haugh, fresh off his career-high 27-point performance, offered reassurance: "This isn't the team you're going to see in a couple weeks."

Or perhaps even Thursday night. Expect the Gators to play with energy and emotion against the Ospreys, the next opponent standing in their way.

"It's about us. We got to focus on what's important to us," Golden said. "We got to make sure we play with great purpose, play with a little better organization and execution on the offensive end, do a better job guarding straight-line drives, defending without fouling defensively, and we got to dominate the boards."

That would be the right way to respond to “adversity” in the opening week of November.

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