Florida basketball finalizing agreement with Arizona Wildcats on 2025-26 season opener
Florida basketball finalizing agreement with Arizona Wildcats on 2025-26 season opener
The Florida basketball program may have finally found its season-opening opponent when it opens the 2025-26 campaign in defense of its national championship. That team appears to be the Arizona Wildcats, an arguable blue blood program that has a rich history of success on the collegiate parquet.
The two parties are currently working out the final details of a season opener played on Monday, Nov. 3, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. Tipoff time is still to be determined.
The Gators and 'Cats will be joined by the BYU Cougars and Villanova Wildcats in Las Vegas for a doubleheader that same day. Those details are also yet to be announced, but an official announcement is expected soon.
Arizona's 2024-25 campaign results
The Wildcats reached the Sweet Sixteen, finishing the season with a 24-13 overall record — including a 14-6 mark against Big 12 opponents — after a disappointing 4-5 start. 'Zona also made it to the conference tournament finals, where it ultimately fell 72-64 to top-seeded Houston Cougars in Kansas City, Missouri.
Of course, those same Cougars fell to the Gators in the NCAA Tournament Finals.
Arizona finished the season ranked 13th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and 15th in the AP Top 25. Meanwhile, the final NET rankings had them at 12th, KenPom at 13th and ESPN's Basketball Power Index at a bullish ninth in the nation at the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign.
Florida basketball's history against Arizona
The two cross-country schools have only faced each other four times on the collegiate parquet, with Florida and Arizona splitting them evenly. The most recent meeting was in 2012 in Tucson, Arizona, when the Wildcats snuck off their home floor with a white-knuckled 65-64 victory.
The year before, the Orange and Blue defended its own turf with another close call — a 78-72 win in overtime. The two meetings prior were both on neutral ground, with UF taking the 2003 matchup in Springfield, Massachusetts, 78-77, and UA winning in the championship game of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic in New York City back in 2001, 75-71.
Interestingly, the schools have only ever met in the first half of a season while Florida holds the edge in the combined scoring, 291-289, over those four meetings.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
BetMGM bonus code POSTBET for $1,500 in bonus bets for the rest of the Stanley Cup Final
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. The Florida Panthers put together a statement in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Cats downed the Oilers, 6-1, to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Florida is now a hefty favorite to win the Stanley Cup for the second year on the spin. Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final takes place Thursday in Sunrise and the folks at BetMGM are offering new users an offer to get your first bet back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win, up to $1,500, for the duration of the series. BetMGM bonus code POSTBET for the Stanley Cup Final Use BetMGM bonus code POSTBET to get your first bet back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win, up to $1,500. BetMGM Sportsbook is legal in Arizona, Colorado, Washington D.C., Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. How to sign up at BetMGM sportsbook Select your bonus offer. Choose your state. Fill out your login details. Enter the promo code POSTBET. Make a deposit. What our Post expert thinks about the Stanley Cup Final The Panthers got Game 3 on their terms quickly and never let the Oilers off the mat. Florida is a heavy team that can take the speed out of a game with its physicality, and they did just that Monday night. If the Oilers want to get back into this series, they'll need to play a much cleaner, quicker game and lean into their strengths. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. AZ, CO, DC, IA, IL, IN, LA, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA). Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA). Participant must complete the Wagering. Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. US Promotional Offers Not Available in MS, NY, ON, or PR. Visit for Terms & Conditions. Why Trust New York Post Betting Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Why are Oilers having trouble playing their game against Panthers?
NHL history informs us that teams with below-average talent can make things less formidable by forcing the more talented team into a rugged, physical clash. The late 1950s Boston Bruins were such a team, and the most famous version of that style arrived in the 1970s after the Philadelphia Flyers hired head coach Fred Shero. Advertisement Shero's keys to success included shorter shifts for skaters, exceptional goaltending and intimidation. Shero discovered that 10 fouls per game garnered three or four penalty calls from the officials, but a higher foul rate did not increase the penalties called. Old-time hockey fans will tell you the Flyers of the 1970s committed so many fouls in a game that the opposition was driven to distraction. Fast forward to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, and the Edmonton Oilers have a similar problem. The Florida Panthers are filthy; in fact, you could call them a modern version of Shero's Flyers. Even more daunting: The Panthers are also an exceptional hockey team. Why are the Oilers having trouble playing their game? What can be done about it? Here are some thoughts. The Oilers are taking too many penalties in this series (8:09 per game short-handed, on average), and the impact (five goals for Florida's power play in three games) is devastating. Edmonton has enjoyed almost the same number of minutes with the man advantage (7:48 per game) but has just three goals. A short-handed marker by Florida's Brad Marchand gives the Panthers a 6-3 advantage in special teams scoring. That's a goal per game for the Panthers. Meanwhile, the Florida power play is delivering 12.3 goals per 60, while the Oilers are at just 7.7 goals per 60. The key fix the coaching staff needs to enforce immediately: stay out of the penalty box. The officials are whistle-happy in this series, and the Oilers' lines and pairings can't get any flow at five-on-five. Too much of the game is being played on special teams, which gives Edmonton less time to wheel and take advantage of superior depth. Given enough time to figure out the Panthers' PK system and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the Oilers should emerge as the superior special-teams side in the final. Early results have been far short of expectations, but there should be plenty of track to come for Edmonton to turn the tide. Advertisement The two teams have played two overtime games, so the five-on-five total minutes (over 170) in the series give us a nice sample. Florida has the edge in goals (8-4) while the teams are about even in expected goals. Conversation surrounding the goaltending in the series has been muted so far, but Bobrovsky's .957 five-on-five save percentage against Edmonton in the series towers over the .896 from the Oilers' tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. As the series continues and talk turns to what looks like a busy summer, fans could see some outside the organization goaltending options pop up in the media name bubble connected to Edmonton. The final is just three games deep, but the Oilers' five-on-five scoring is averaging just over a goal per game. The concern for Knoblauch and the coaching staff in this area includes slow starts for the impact players (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl). Here's a look at the offence by line, using the team's centres as proxy: All numbers five-on-five The Oilers are struggling to score on the depth lines (fourth line has one goal) as well, but the bigger worry comes from the lack of outscoring of McDavid, Draisaitl and the top two forwards together. Combined outscoring for McDavid-Draisaitl through three games is 3-7, far from good enough for the team's top tandem. If the offence from the top two lines doesn't come around in Games 4 and 5, the series could be over before the elite forwards find the range. Facing an exceptional talent like Aleksander Barkov is a mighty task; the Oilers need McDavid and Draisaitl to outscore. It's wildly unfair to point out one specific player as a problem, but it's also getting late early. John Klingberg's five-on-five struggles (the Oilers are 1-5 goals when he's on the ice) are having an impact on the results. That includes 1-3 goals when playing with Jake Walman (who is 1-5 overall in the final). That pairing had success (5-4 goals) in the three previous series. Advertisement Edmonton is 3-3 goals at five-on-five in the final when Klingberg is off the ice. The rest of the Oilers' defence (all numbers five-on-five) against Florida: Evan Bouchard (3-2 goals); Mattias Ekholm (3-3); Darnell Nurse (0-1); Brett Kulak (0-1). Through three games, the Oilers have yet to join the series against Florida offensively. Barkov's impact is clear; Edmonton's inability to score on the road against the Panthers is now becoming an issue for the second straight final. The games in Edmonton last week were thrilling, but both went to overtime. Edmonton averaged and allowed four goals per game at Rogers Place. The offensive outage in Sunrise could be viewed as a one-off, but the Oilers also struggled on the road in last year's final, losing 3-0 (Game 1), 4-1 (Game 2) before exploding in Game 5 (a 5-3 win). In Game 7, the offence once again betrayed the Oilers, and the team lost the final game by a heartbreaking 2-1 score. The third game of this series may be an outlier. Edmonton surely has more to give offensively and will play a more disciplined game. There are several factors beyond those two things to consider. While the Oilers boast the best 1-2 combination of forwards on the planet, Barkov and Sam Bennett have been stellar, and Bobrovsky's saves are becoming a bigger story in the series by the day. All of those things wrapped around the extreme physicality of the Panthers appear to be too much for the Oilers to handle so far. That can change in a heartbeat. McDavid is inevitable, and the Oilers have the template for victory. Calm feet, adept passing on outlets and stay out of the penalty box. If the Oilers can deliver those things in Game 4, the series will head back to Edmonton tied.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Lindy's Sports ranks Florida inside preseason top 15, Lagway a top-10 QB
Lindy's Sports ranks Florida inside preseason top 15, Lagway a top-10 QB With the college sports world shifting its attention back to football as the summer gets underway, Florida remains a preseason top-25 program, largely thanks to the hype that follows sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway. A week ago, Lindy's Sports released its highly respected preseason edition, and the Gators check in at No. 15 with a clear path to the College Football Playoff. While SEC bias might be a real thing with national media coverage of college sports, Florida's top-ranked strength of schedule and strong finish to the 2024 campaign warrant this kind of preseason rankings. Lagway is indeed one of the top signal callers in his class, and the Orange and Blue pulled off several upset wins with him under center as a relatively inexperienced true freshman. Lindy's has him ranked No. 7 among college quarterbacks entering the season, behind players such as Carson Beck (Miami), Arch Manning (Texas), and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU). The Gators will have plenty of chances to prove they belong inside the top 15, too. Lindy's ranked the three teams listed above are inside the top 10, and they're all on Florida's schedule. After starting the season with home games against LIU and South Florida, UF heads to Baton Rouge and Miami Gardens to face No. 5 LSU and No. 10 Miami in back-to-back weeks. Then it's back to The Swamp against top-ranked Texas, featuring Manning and Co. Texas A&M and Mississippi State are both outside the top 25, with the latter being the lowest-ranked SEC team at No. 84 out of 136 teams. No. 9 Georgia is next on Florida's schedule, followed by road games at Kentucky and No. 19 Ole Miss. Neither Tennessee nor Florida State is ranked inside Lindy's preseason top 25, but a lot can change between now and November. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
