Florida and Arizona Set for 2025-26 Season Opener Showdown – What’s Really Behind This High-Stakes Matchup?

After a long wait and plenty of speculation, it looks like the Florida Gators have finally locked down a marquee opponent to kick off their 2025-26 season—one where they’ll be defending their hard-earned national title. Enter the Arizona Wildcats, a program that, let’s face it, carries that storied “blue blood” aura in college hoops, boasting a deep-rooted tradition of success on the hardwood. The buzz around campus and Vegas is real, as both schools are hammering out the last bits of a deal to face off on Monday, November 3, at the T-Mobile Arena. It’s shaping up to be quite the spectacle, especially with BYU and Villanova joining the fray for a doubleheader that day—giving hoops fans plenty to salivate over. Though tipoff is still under wraps, you can bet the anticipation is already building.

LEARN MOREArizona 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.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.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.

Arizona’s 2024-25 campaign results

Of course, those same Cougars fell to the Gators in the NCAA Tournament Finals.

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.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.

Florida basketball’s history against Arizona

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 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.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.

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.