UConn Faces Off Against Former Champions in High-Stakes Showdown: Who Will Dominate?

Isn’t it funny how the sports year just keeps paying out like a slot machine that refuses to quit? 2025’s been a riot, and here we are again, poised to ride another wave of heart-stopping college hoops with Florida facing off against UConn tonight at 9:00 ET. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been scratching my head watching Florida try to find their groove after last year’s championship run—sort of like a band that lost its lead singer and is desperately fumbling through the setlist. Meanwhile, UConn’s swagger has returned, even if their coach Dan Hurley might be the most infuriating guy on the bench—ever notice how some coaches can make it all about themselves? Well, that’s Hurley, but hey, the results speak volumes. With UConn cruising at 8-1 and Florida hunting for redemption, the showdown promises more than just a game—it’s a test of whether the Gators can shake off their stumbles or if the Huskies continue to dominate the hardwood. So, ready to see who cashes in tonight? I know where my money’s leaning. LEARN MORE

Florida vs. UConn, 9:00 ET

2025 has been a fun year in a lot of ways, but one of my favorite things has been the results from college-level sports. Even in the beginning of the calendar year, with March Madness and the College Football Playoffs, we were cashing tickets. It has continued through the beginning of this campaign as well. College Football has gone very well, and now College Basketball has rewarded our bank accounts repeatedly. Tonight, we get a chance to continue lining our pockets with a game between Florida and UConn.

Florida is a team I’ve already had a few plays on this season. They were last year’s national champion, and I’ve brought up a few times that they would need to restructure and gel quickly if they wanted any chance at a repeat. After just eight games, it looks like they are going to be closer to a bubble team than they will be to a championship contender. Their three losses this season have been to at least two respectable teams. They dropped the season opener to Arizona, losing by six. Then they lost a Thanksgiving tournament game to TCU. That loss was by just four points. Their best loss, if you consider those a thing, was in their last game as they dropped the game against Duke 67-66. We were on that one and took the under, cashing with ease. Still, going into Cameron Indoor Stadium and facing Duke is never easy. Florida rose to the challenge, and now they have another tough one, having to travel to New York to face UConn in the Jimmy V Classic.

UConn had a fairly disappointing season last year, and is now looking to return to the mountaintop. I will get this out of the way early – I think Dan Hurley is a good coach, but he is arguably the most obnoxious coach in all of sports. He wants everything to be about him rather than about his team. If you can get past that, or at least understand that, I feel like it is easier to accept and enjoy UConn’s success. They’ve won two of the past three championships, and they were still good last year, just not quite as good. They have already had a fairly tough schedule, and aside from a loss against Arizona, when they hosted the Wildcats, they’ve come out on the right side of every challenge. The team is 8-1 with wins over BYU, a very good team, but it was basically a home game for UConn, even though it was on a neutral floor. They’ve beaten Illinois, and went to Kansas to beat them. Three wins against top 25 teams in your first nine games is solid.

Tonight, UConn looks to win to keep rolling, and Florida needs a win to reestablish themselves as one of the best teams in the nation. I do think the Gators will eventually come fully together, but I’m not sure it happens here. They’ve been able to play close games and not finish them out. That is mostly a lack of the go-to scorer that they had last season. I think UConn will prove too much down the stretch against the Gators and see them winning by seven or more. Back UConn -5.5.

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