{"id":455,"date":"2026-05-12T23:06:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=455"},"modified":"2026-05-12T23:06:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:06:33","slug":"florida-to-open-2026-27-mens-basketball-season-with-miami-report-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=455","title":{"rendered":"Florida to open 2026-27 men\u2019s basketball season with Miami, report says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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GAINESVILLE \u2014 Florida will open the 2026-27 men\u2019s basketball season against Miami\u00a0with coach Todd Golden\u2019s team again among the national title favorites.<\/p>\n

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The in-state rivals will meet in Tampa\u2019s Amalie Arena, according to the Associated Press. The Gators\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

Golden\u2019s team beat Miami, under first-year coach Jai Lucas, 82-68 Nov. 16 in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s third national title. The 6-foot-9 Haugh and 6-11 Condon were the Gators\u2019 top two scorers in 2025-26 and are among the SEC\u2019s more versatile players.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Florida also could return 6-10, 265-pound center Rueben Chinyelu, who is competing in this week\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Even with Chinyelu\u2019s uncertain future in Gainesville, ESPN tabbed Florida No. 1 in it\u2019s way-too-early top 25.<\/p>\n

The Gators also are scheduled to participate in the Players Era 8 Men\u2019s Championships Nov. 16 in Las Vegas. The field will also feature Houston, Kansas, Auburn, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Rutgers and UNLV.<\/p>\n

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Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Florida Gators will open the 2026-27 men’s basketball season against the Miami\u00a0Hurricanes with coach Todd Golden’s team again among the national title favorites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida to open 2026-27 men\u2019s basketball season with Miami, report says - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=455\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida to open 2026-27 men\u2019s basketball season with Miami, report says - 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