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Third-ranked Florida drops opener vs. No. 13 Arizona in Las Vegas

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi7 hours agoZachAbolverdi
Florida-Gators-Thomas-Haugh
Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) drives past Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) in the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game at T-Mobile Arena. (Candice Ward-Imagn Images)

The third-ranked Florida Gators dropped the 2025-26 season opener on Monday night, 93-87 to No. 13 Arizona, their first loss since Feb. 25 of last season. The defending national champs got off to a hot start in Vegas but couldn’t overcome a second-half deficit despite tying the game twice.

In the final minute, the Gators had a shot to even the score a third time and another chance to make it a one-point game one, but transfer guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee both missed corner 3s from the same spot. Fland couldn’t connect after his steal off an inbounds pass, down 88-85.

Four Gators scored in double figures, led by Thomas Haugh with a career-high 27 points, but UF was outrebounded 41-39 and starting bigs Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu both fouled out of the game. Freshman Koa Peat scored 30 points in his Arizona debut and Jaden Bradley had 27.

Lee finished with 14 points and both Condon and Micah Handlogten scored 11 apiece. Handlogten posted a double-double with a team-high 12 rebounds. However, the Gators as a team were outphysicaled in the paint and outscored 50-46.

Florida also committed 15 turnovers, including nine in the second half and five by Condon, and the Wildcats scored 16 points off their takeaways. UF also struggled with free throws. Haugh was 12-for-14 at the foul line, but the rest of the team was 8-for-16.

Below are live updates from Florida against the Wildcats.

SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 79, Florida 75 (3:50 2H)

UF guard Xaivian Lee just hit a pair of treys. He’s now in double figures with 12 points and leads the Gators in 3-pointers with three total.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 67, Arizona 67 (7:36 2H)

The Gators are on a 7-0 run to tie the game. Thomas Haugh is up to 23 points, which leads all scorers. He’s 12-for-14 from the free throw line. The rest of the team is 4-for-11.

SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 63, Florida 58 (11:17 2H)

After seven straight misses from downtown, Haugh finally hit a 3-pointer — his first of the game — to cut the deficit to five. He’s up to 19 points. The Wildcats haven’t scored in 2:01.

SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 59, Florida 52 (15:15 2H)

The Wildcats pushed their lead to nine points, the largest of the game, with a 6-0 run. The Gators are 0-for-3 from downtown to open the second half, but Chinyelu dunked it home.

HALF: Arizona 50, Florida 46

UF built a 12-point lead in the first half, but the Wildcats closed the gap with a 13-2 run. The Gators are currently getting outrebounded 21-12 and went 4:10 without a field goal.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 39, Arizona (4:24 1H)

The Wildcats are on a 19-7 run to even this game. Arizona outrebounding the Gators 14-11, including 6-3 on the offensive glass. UF center Rueben Chinyelu had his jersey ripped off and is now wearing No. 34.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 34, Arizona 31 (7:52 1H)

The Wildcats had an 8-0 run and then just hit their first 3-pointer. Prior that, Gators center Micah Handlogten made back-to-back baskets to push Florida’s lead to 12 points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 26, Arizona 16 (11:21 1H)

The Gator Boys are off to a hot start. Every single player that has touched the floor has made a play so far. This team is loaded, and CJ Ingram hit a 3-pointer for his first career field goal.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 11, Arizona 6 (15:34 1H)

Florida’s guards have scored all the points so far. Xaivian Lee leads the team with 6 points, Boogie Fland has 3 and Urban Klavzar has a layup. The Wildcats already have three turnovers.

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