LAS VEGAS – Florida coach Todd Golden wanted a tough test for his team in its first outing as the reigning NCAA champion. He certainly got one, along with an early glimpse of how the bulls-eye on the Gators’ jerseys will motivate opponents throughout the 2025-26 season.

The Arizona Wildcats were far from an ordinary challenger.

Freshman forward Koa Peat and senior point guard Jaden Bradley combined for 57 points, including 17 from the free-throw line, as the 13th-ranked Wildcats handed the Gators a 93-87 loss in their highly anticipated Hall of Fame Series clash Monday night at a raucous T-Mobile Arena.

The opening-night atmosphere resembled that of a deep NCAA Tournament game, with Arizona feeding off the partisan crowd and attacking the Gators (0-1) in a relentlessly physical style that overwhelmed Florida’s veteran, championship-tested front court. Peat, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound McDonald's All American, hit 11 of 18 shots, converted eight of 12 free throws, collected seven rebounds, dished five assists, and added three steals. Bradley shot 9-for-14 from the field, went 9-for-10 at the line, and contributed five assists and two steals.

For much of the night, Arizona (1-0) relied on putting its two stars in middle ball screens and letting them dictate the action.

"Koa is tough to guard when he gets that downhill run, and we just weren't able to match his physicality on a couple plays," Golden said. "He did a good job of putting us in the basket."

Arizona’s efficiency told the story: the Wildcats shot 49.2% overall (despite attempting only five 3-pointers) and earned 38 trips to the free-throw line, converting 31 (81.6%). Their aggressive play carried over defensively, holding Florida to just under 43% shooting, including 7-for-27 from beyond the arc (26%). After halftime, UF managed only 36.8% shooting while committing nine of its 15 turnovers. Arizona also edged Florida on the boards, 41-39. The Gators hurt themselves at the stripe, making just 20 of 30 (66.6%) in what remained a one-possession contest inside the final minute.

Florida’s bright spot was junior Thomas Haugh, who thrived in his first game at the wing "3" position, scoring a career-high 27 points in 38 minutes and going 12-for-14 at the free-throw line. Backup center Micah Handlogten added energy off the bench, hitting all five of his shots for 11 points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds.

The rest of the Gators struggled, including the new-look backcourt of transfer guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee. Returning starters Alex Condon (11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, but six turnovers) and Rueben Chinyelu (four points, one rebound) also had difficulties, both fouling out while trying to contain the relentless Peat.

"Our bigs, as a group, we need to be the best front court in the nation," Haugh said, including himself in that mix. "We can't let someone like that come out and score 30 points against us. That's unacceptable. Won't happen moving forward."

Added Fland, the transfer from Arkansas: "I felt we learned a lot about ourselves today. [Arizona] showed fight and grit, and [we] just didn't match it. … We definitely could have been better on the defensive end, but as bad as we played, we still gave ourselves a chance. It's a lesson, not a step back."

The pairing of Fland and Lee combined for 23 points, eight assists, four steals, and only two turnovers, though they struggled with efficiency, shooting just 8-for-26 overall and 3-for-13 from beyond the arc.

"I just think we weren't our usual selves. The things we pride ourselves on – guarding, rebounding, being physical, making shots – I just don't think we did any of that on the level we can," said Lee, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting and 3-of-11 from three-point range. "That being said, I'm not too worried. I think we'll do those things more times than not, so this was a good game to learn from. I think me and Boogie have to be better. Me especially. I need to make more shots."

Lee, the transfer from Princeton, opened the game by sinking a 3-pointer. The Gators quickly built momentum, pulling ahead by 12 points on three separate occasions, the last coming midway through the half. That was when Peat and Bradley began to shift the momentum.

"I told our guys, these games are crazy and they're emotional but they're long, so take a breath," UA coach Tommy Lloyd said.

After beginning just 5-for-13 from the field, the Wildcats caught fire, hitting 12 of their next 19 attempts over the final nine-plus minutes. They outscored Florida 30-14 during that stretch and carried a 50-46 advantage into halftime.

Arizona finished the half shooting 53 percent.

"The way we play is very complementary," Golden said. "But when we're pulling the ball out of the net every time it's really hard to get out in transition, get early baskets and play the way we want to play."

The momentum carried into the second half, with the Wildcats stretching their lead to nine with 16 minutes remaining. The Gators, fueled by Haugh, chipped away and strung together a seven-point run to even the score at 67 with just under eight minutes left, and again tied it at 70 following a Lee 3-pointer inside the seven-minute mark.

Moments later, Peat electrified the crowd with back-to-back dunks, helping UA rebuild its advantage to 86-78 with 1:40 to play. Still, UF refused to fold. The Gators scored, applied full-court pressure, and forced turnovers to trim the deficit to three, 88-85, with 43.4 seconds left, prompting an Arizona timeout when the Wildcats struggled to inbound the ball.

Out of the break, Fland came up with a steal, and when his defender slipped, the new Gator found himself with a wide-open chance to tie the game from deep.

"Too open, I guess," Fland said, whose jumper rimmed short. "As a kid, you dream of being able to take a shot like that."

Arizona closed the contest at the free-throw line, walking away with a prized victory — that of a champion.

A proud champion that boarded its long charter flight home in a bitter mood.

"We're a high-floor program. We rebound well, we take care of the ball, and that's going to usually give us a great chance to win, and we were deficient in both those areas [Monday] and we're walking out of here with a six-point loss," Golden said. "I'm super disappointed we lost, but the reason why we played this game was to give ourselves a really good opportunity to get a quality win. I don't think anybody is going to hold this loss over our head moving forward, and I do think it gives us a great opportunity to teach our team."

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