In a packed T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, “U-of-A” chants rained down on the national champions after Arizona fought off Florida’s early-game success.
After leading 32-20, Florida saw its opponent go on a 30-14 run to end the first half. In the final 20 minutes, despite tying the contest multiple times, the No. 3 Gators (0-1) were unable to retain the lead, losing 93-87 to the No. 13 Wildcats (1-0) in their season opener.
“I'm super disappointed we lost,” head coach Todd Golden said. “I don't think anybody is going to hold this loss over our head moving forward.”
Last year’s team saw its three senior guards provide pivotal clutch late-game shots, but in Monday’s contest, those shots never came.
After scoring five straight points in seven seconds, the Gators forced a steal off an Arizona inbound with under 40 seconds to go. Sophomore Boogie Fland was open in the corner with a chance to tie the game at 88. However, the former Arkansas guard missed the three-pointer short, effectively sealing the Wildcats’ season-opening win.
Arizona was fueled by freshman Koa Peat, who had a historic college basketball debut. He finished the contest with 30 points on 11 of 18 shooting, with seven rebounds and five assists. The No. 8 recruit in the 2025 class became the first freshman in Arizona history to record at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in their debut.
“We need to be the best front court in the nation this year,” UF forward Thomas Haugh said. “We can't let somebody like that come out here and score 30 points on us,”
Florida's offensive inconsistencies held the Gators from preventing an upset down the stretch, and Arizona’s physicality made an impact on the boards and defensively.
The Wildcats took a 21-12 rebounding advantage in the first half, and there was even an instance where Rueben Chinyelu’s jersey was torn while fighting for a rebound.
Offensively, Florida guards Boogie Fland and Xavian Lee couldn’t overcome Arizona’s defensive pressure, especially late in the game. Lee and Fland combined for 21 points on just 8 of 26 shooting. Lee went 2 for 10 from beyond the arc after hitting his first attempt to start the game.
Arizona senior Jaden Bradley’s aggression made Florida pay, scoring 10 straight points for the Wildcats in the second half and fouling out Alex Condon on one of his drives with 2:20 left in the game. Chinyelu also fouled out a few minutes prior. Behind Peat, Bradley was Arizona’s second-highest scorer with 27 points.
“We did a poor job keeping him from getting downhill, going to his right hand,” Golden said. “[He] made some tough finishes.”
Florida’s 16 turnovers also proved costly, with forward Alex Condon tallying six himself. The junior had 11 points before exiting the game early after fouling out. He struggled to keep Peat quiet on the offensive end.
The Gators finished the game shooting 29.5% from three on 42.9% shooting from the field.
When Florida struggled offensively, his ability to get to the line kept the defending national champions in the game. Haugh finished the contest with 27 points, shooting 12 for 14 from the line.
As well, senior center Micah Handlogten provided an efficient effort for UF. He recorded a double-double with 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting and 12 rebounds. He was forced into much of the late-game action due to Chinyelu surpassing the foul limit.
Despite Haugh and Handlogten’s efforts, the lack of consistent support from the rest of the offense, especially the guards, resulted in a loss for the Gators.
Florida will look to shrug off the loss as it hosts North Florida at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
