Florida Gators Fall to Arizona in Season Opener
LAS VEGAS,Nev. – The Florida Gators men’s basketball team opened its 2025-26 season with a 7 p.m. ET loss to the Arizona Wildcats Monday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game, part of the Hall of Fame Series, marked the first contest for Florida under the newly released schedule.
The defeat sets a challenging tone for the Gators as they navigate a demanding schedule that includes matchups against SEC rivals like Kentucky, Tennessee, and Auburn, as well as non-conference tests against Duke and UConn. This early-season loss underscores the team’s need to quickly integrate new players and refine strategies ahead of a rigorous campaign. Fans can stream Florida games on HBO Max, and also TNT for select broadcasts.
Florida’s schedule continues November 5th against North Florida, followed by a November 11th contest versus Florida State. Key dates on the Gators’ calendar include a November 16th game against Miami in Jacksonville, a December 2nd road game at Duke for the SEC/ACC Challenge, and a december 9th matchup against UConn at Madison Square Garden.
Florida Gators 2025-26 Schedule:
* Nov. 3 vs. Arizona (Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas)
* Nov. 5 vs. North Florida
* Nov. 11 vs. Florida State
* Nov. 16 vs. Miami (Jacksonville Hoops Showdown in Jacksonville)
* Nov. 21 vs.Merrimack
* Nov. 27 vs. TCU (Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego, Ca.)
* Nov.28 vs. Wisconsin/providence (Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego, Ca.)
* Dec. 2 at Duke (SEC/ACC Challenge)
* Dec. 9 vs. UConn (Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden)
* Dec. 13 vs. Georgia Washington (Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, fla.)
* Dec. 17 vs. St. Francis
* Dec. 21 vs. Colgate
* Dec. 29 vs. Dartmouth
* Jan. 3 at Missouri
* Jan. 6 vs. Georgia
* Jan. 10 vs. tennessee
* Jan. 13 at Oklahoma
* Jan. 17 at Vanderbilt
* Jan. 20 vs.LSU
* Jan. 24 vs. Auburn
* Jan. 28 at South Carolina
* Feb. 1 vs. Alabama
* Feb. 7 at Texas A&M
* Feb. 11 at Georgia
* Feb. 14 vs. Kentucky
* Feb. 17 vs. South Carolina
* Feb. 21 at Ole Miss
* Feb. 25 at Texas
* Feb. 28 vs. Arkansas
* March 3 vs. Mississippi State
* March 7 vs. Kentucky
* March 11-15 at SEC Tournament (Nashville)
Those seeking further details on the Florida Gators can reach writer Andrew abadie at aabadie@gannett.com or on X at @AndrewAbadie. He is also available on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter and on Instagram at @andrewabadie_sports.
