GAINESVILLE — Florida will open the 2026-27 men’s basketball season against Miami with coach Todd Golden’s team again among the national title favorites.
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The in-state rivals will meet in Tampa’s Amalie Arena, according to the Associated Press. The Gators’ season ended there with a stunning 73-72 season-ending loss to Iowa during the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament after winning the national title the previous year. Florida State will meet Florida A&M during a double-header.
Golden’s team beat Miami, under first-year coach Jai Lucas, 82-68 Nov. 16 in Jacksonville.
Florida returns several key players, led by All-SEC forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon, poised to make another championship run two seasons after the Gators defeated Houston for the school’s third national title. The 6-foot-9 Haugh and 6-11 Condon were the Gators’ top two scorers in 2025-26 and are among the SEC’s more versatile players.
Starting point guard Boogie Fland and SEC Sixth Man of the Year Urban Klavzar return to a backcourt that also could feature former Gator Denzel Aberdeen, who returned to Gainesville after spending a season at Kentucky. The former Dr. Phillips standout awaits word on an NCAA waiver for a fifth season.
Returning also are Orlando brothers Isaiah Brown and AJ Brown, who redshirted last season after transferring from Ohio University. Shooting guard Alex Lloyd, a talented scorer from Miami, and athletic small forward CJ Ingram, two top-40 recruits in the 2025 class, also will return, despite veteran players ahead of them.
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Golden also added a pair of international transfers: 6-11 Arturas Butajevas of Lithuania and 6-9 Domen Petrovic of Slovenia.
Florida also could return 6-10, 265-pound center Rueben Chinyelu, who is competing in this week’s NBA combine in Chicago. The native of Nigeria led all power-conference players with an average of 11.2 rebounds, set a school-record with 19 double-doubles and was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
Even with Chinyelu’s uncertain future in Gainesville, ESPN tabbed Florida No. 1 in it’s way-too-early top 25.
The Gators also are scheduled to participate in the Players Era 8 Men’s Championships Nov. 16 in Las Vegas. The field will also feature Houston, Kansas, Auburn, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Rutgers and UNLV.
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]