No. 1 Florida opens season with convincing victory vs. Miami: Gators show why they deserve No. 1 ranking

Top-ranked Florida returned to where its season came to an end in March and easily handled the No. 14 Hurricanes TAMPA, Fla. — No. 1 Florida opened the 2026-27 college basketball season with a statement Monday, defeating No. 14 Miami 77-67 behind a huge night from national player of the year candidate Thomas Haugh. The star forward who bypassed the NBA Draft to return for his senior season with the Gators finished with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Haugh matched the best 3-point shooting night of his college career against Miami by draining four of his eight shots from beyond the arc. The last time Haugh knocked down four 3-pointers in a game came against Texas Tech in the 2025 Elite Eight.

Florida went on to win the national title that year, and the Gators look like this season could produce a similar run. Seven months ago, Florida lost to Iowa here at Benchmark International Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in one of the most shocking results of the entire season. Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and Urban Klavžar returned from that team that lost in this arena. Florida (1-0) also brought back Denzel Aberdeen — who was on Florida's national title team in 2025 before transferring to Kentucky and then back