Florida, an early favorite for the 2027 national championship, announced its 2026-27 regular season schedule on Monday.
The Gators will play 16 home games and a nonconference slate that includes three contests in Las Vegas for the Players Era 8 tournament and a home game against Duke for the SEC-ACC Challenge on Dec. 1.
UF kicks off its season on Nov. 2 against Miami in Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena: the same venue where the Gators were upset 73-72 in the round of 32 in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Gators will then host their season opener against Jacksonville on Nov. 5.
On Nov. 10, the Gators travel to Tallahassee to face in-state rival Florida State. Florida has won five straight against the Seminoles.
After a home contest against Merrimack on Nov. 13, Florida will travel to Las Vegas for the Players Era 8 tournament, where it will kick things off against Notre Dame. Then, the Gators will play either Houston or Rutgers the following day and either Auburn, Kansas, UNLV or West Virginia on Nov. 19.
Following a home game against Milwaukee on Nov. 24, Florida will host Duke for the SEC-ACC Challenge. One of the premier nonconference matchups this college basketball season, the Blue Devils will make their first visit to Gainesville since 1937. Then, the Gators will play their third-straight home game against Vermont on Dec. 6.
Florida has neutral-site games scheduled for Dec. 12 and Dec. 18, but does not have an opponent yet for those contests. The Gators will close out non-conference action against Florida A&M on Dec. 21 and Long Island on Dec. 29.
The reigning Southeastern Conference regular season champions open conference action on Jan. 2 against Texas in Austin, followed by home games against Oklahoma on Jan. 5 or Jan. 6 and Vanderbilt on Jan. 9.
The Gators return to the road Jan. 12 or Jan. 13 against Mississippi State and then take on Alabama on Jan. 16 in Tuscaloosa. After hosting Texas A&M on Jan. 19 or Jan. 20, the Gators have another two-game road trip, facing Georgia on Jan. 23 and Tennessee on Jan. 30.
Florida starts February with two home games, first against South Carolina on Feb. 3 and then against Texas on Feb. 6. After a road matchup against Auburn on Feb. 9 or Feb. 10, UF returns to the O’Connell Center on Feb. 13 to host Missouri.
Following a road game against LSU on Feb. 16 or Feb. 17, the Gators return to Gainesville for another two-game home stand against Georgia on Feb. 20 and Ole Miss on Feb. 23 or 24.
Florida will then go on the road for two straight games against Arkansas on Feb. 27 and South Carolina on March 2 and March 3.
The Gators will close out the 2026-27 regular season against Kentucky at home March 6.
The SEC Tournament will follow, spanning from March 10 to March 14 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is a summer 2026 sports enterprise reporter and a third-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
