The Gators are headed to Vegas! Florida men’s basketball will open its 2025-2026 season with the 2025 Hall of Fame series in Las Vegas. The defending national champs will face Arizona on November 3rd.
T-Mobile Arena will host the series. The game is set to be nationally televised and will be a part of a doubleheader featuring BYU vs. Villanova.
This will be the fifth time Florida plays Arizona, each team winning two of the contests.
see you in Vegas ♠️
ℹ️ https://t.co/osEylsgkre pic.twitter.com/dNV2hVaWuf
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) May 19, 2025
Last Season
Florida is coming off a championship-winning run. Last season, Florida’s went 36-4 including a 15-1 record in the O’Connell Center. The Gators won the SEC championship against Alabama before going into March Madness as a No.1 seed. The team defeated Norfolk State, UConn, Maryland, Texas Tech, Auburn, and Houston on its way to securing the title.
Looking ahead, returning players include Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu, who both played key roles in Florida’s successful season.
UF has also gained Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland and Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee in the portal. Head coach Todd Golden recently extended his contract for the next six years, looking to rebuild a basketball powerhouse under Golden.
As for Arizona, the team made it to the Sweet Sixteen in this year’s NCAA tournament before losing to Duke. Arizona’s overall record was 24-13. The Wildcats are going into the season with the No.2 high-school recruiting class, headlined by five star recruits Koa Peat and Brayden Burries.
Previous matchups
The Gators have played against the Wildcats four times. Florida is 2-2 against Arizona. The first ever meeting between the schools was in 2001. The two teams last met in Tucson in 2012, with Arizona winning 65-64.
Florida previously played in a Hall of Fame series in Charlotte in 2023, where UF lost to Virginia 73-70. This is the second early-season event for Florida to date.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame series go on sale Friday, May 30 at 1 p.m.
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