Florida falls to Arizona in top-15 season-opening showdown
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Florida ended the 2024-25 season by winning its last 12 games to take the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. The Gators will have to start a new winning streak.
The defending national champions started the 2025-26 season with a big test and came up short. No. 13 Arizona defeated No. 3 UF 93-87 on Monday night in Las Vegas.
Todd Golden’s team got off to a strong start. The Gators opened up a 12-point lead in the 1st half, going up 32-20 in the opening period. Arizona, though, was able to get going and get the Wildcat fans in Vegas involved in the game. The Gators would lead for the last time 41-39 at the 4:23 mark in the first period.
Arizona’s Koa Peat had a sensational collegiate debut. He was the game’s high-scorer with 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 8-of-12 at the line. Peat also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Guard Jaden Bradley had 27 points for Tommy Lloyd’s team, leading the way down the stretch.
The Wildcats led by as many as 9 points, including an 85-76 advantage with 2:20 to go. Florida, however, didn’t go away quietly. The Gators cut the deficit to 90-87 with 29 seconds to go, but were unable to score again.
Florida entered the season with questions of how it would replace Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin. Transfers Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee are the new starting guards.
Lee was 5-of-17 from the field and 3-of-11 behind the 3-point line, adding 1 free throw for 14 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Fland finished in single digits, scoring 9 points on 3-of-9 field goals, going 0-for-2 from 3-point range. He added 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Returning big Thomas Haugh did his best to keep the Gators in the game. He scored a team-high 27 points, including 16 in the 2nd half.
The Gators lost Alex Condon (11 points, 4 rebounds) and Rueben Chinyelu (4 points, 1 rebound) to foul trouble during the game. Big man Micah Handlogten led the way with 12 rebounds.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
