The 2026 NCAA DI Lacrosse Tournament marks the 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament Florida lacrosse has attended in its 17 seasons as a program.
In 2025, the No. 4 seed Gators made it to the final four of the tournament for the second consecutive year. However, they fell to the University of North Carolina, who went on to win the national championship.
While the Gators look to avenge last year’s premature exit in the NCAA Tournament and a recent Big 12 Championship loss to Colorado, this year marks just the second time Florida has entered the tournament unseeded. Now, with championship hopes, the Gators will look to reach their second-ever final four as an unseeded team. They previously did so in 2024.
Florida (15-3, 5-0 Big 12) will travel to Boulder, Colorado, to face the Denver Pioneers (15-3, 6-0 Big East) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday at 9 p.m.
Coming off the aforementioned loss to Colorado in the Big 12 tournament championship Saturday, Florida lacrosse enters its first NCAA Tournament having not won a conference title since 2014. That includes seasons across the Big 12, Big East and American Athletic Conferences.
Before the loss, the Gators were on a 12-game winning streak. Now, the most important piece for the Gators is to learn from the loss and ensure it doesn’t throw them off pace entering the NCAA Tournament.
The last time Denver and Florida met was in 2018 at the Big East Conference tournament. The Gators have a 7-0 record against the Pioneers and 2-0 against them in the NCAA tournament. This is the 10th time Denver will be attending the NCAA tournament, and its eighth consecutive appearance.
The match will be a test of defensive dominance against offensive dominance, as Denver boasts the No. 2 scoring defense in the nation. The Pioneers allow an average of 6.61 goals per game, while Florida allows 8.94 goals per game on average.
Denver consistently places pressure on perimeter players, presses passing lanes and hunts for turnovers. Its offense is skilled in capitalizing on fast breaks and has averaged nine caused turnovers per game.
Another secret weapon Denver possesses is sophomore goalie Lexi Gwaku. It’s because of her that the Pioneers have the No.1 save percentage in the country (.533). Florida isn’t far behind, ranked No. 5 with a 51.4 save percentage.
The Pioneers have also been better at draw controls. Denver is currently ranked No. 34 in the nation in draw control percentage with a 56.2% draw control win percentage, while Florida is ranked No. 45 in the same category, averaging 53.8%.
However, Florida stands out as the better offensive team. The Gators are fast and efficient, with a wide array of shooters who all pose a threat on the perimeter. Florida’s non-reliance on a single standout scorer tends to overwhelm opposing defenses, causing them to tire over time.
This has earned UF the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense, averaging 15.67 goals per game, while Denver ranks No. 18 in the category, averaging 14.17 goals per game.
The Gators also have a 94.5% clearing percentage, placing them third in the nation. Conversely, the Pioneers sit at No. 14 in that category with a 91.9% clearing percentage.
The winner of Florida’s match with Denver will advance to face the winner of No. 8 seed Colorado and Jacksonville Sunday at 3 p.m.
Contact Coral Uzgiden at cuzgiden@alligator.org. Follow her on X @coraluzgiden.
Coral is a sophomore Sports Journalism student in her first semester with the Alligator covering Lacrosse. She also has experience writing for WRUF and covering beats such as high school football and Gators swim and dive. She is an intern for the Women of the Lowcountry and in her free time enjoys playing waterpolo, going to the gym and being outside.
