Florida men’s basketball gave fans an early look at what’s shaping up to be a massive season Saturday, opening the doors at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for a practice session ahead of Florida football’s opener against Florida Atlantic University.
The Gators, who are widely projected to open the year as the nation’s No. 1 team in preseason polls, spent about 20 minutes on warmups and drills before scrimmaging for 30 minutes. After the session, UF head coach Todd Golden thanked the fans in attendance.
Florida’s 2026-27 schedule is already loaded from top to bottom, beginning Nov. 2 in Tampa against Miami (Fl.). The home opener, first reported by Swamp247, comes three days later on Nov. 5 against Jacksonville University.
From there, the Gators hit the road for a rivalry game at Florida State on Nov. 10 before returning home to face Merrimack University on Nov. 13.
A trip to Las Vegas follows for the Players Era Festival, where Florida will open against Notre Dame on Nov. 17 and then play two more opponents to be determined on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19.
UF comes back to Gainesville for a Nov. 24 matchup with Milwaukee.
The non-conference slate keeps rolling after that. Florida meets Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 1, hosts Vermont on Dec. 6, and then heads into a pair of neutral-site games - Georgia Tech in the Hall of Fame Series in Orlando on Dec. 12 and Grand Canyon in the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown on Dec.
- The Gators close non-conference play at home against Florida A&M on Dec. 21 and Long Island University on Dec.
SEC play begins Jan. 2 with a trip to Austin, Texas, to face a Longhorns team that just made an impressive NCAA Tournament run. Texas also recently added Marcus Spears Jr., the No. 6 overall prospect by 247Sports, who reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026.
Florida’s conference home opener comes Jan. 5 against Oklahoma, followed by Vanderbilt in Gainesville on Jan. 9.
The Gators then go to Mississippi State on either Jan. 12 or Jan. 13 before heading to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Jan. 16.
Texas A&M visits Gainesville on either Jan. 19 or Jan. 20, and then Florida travels to Athens, Georgia, to take on the Bulldogs - led by former UF head coach Mike White - on Jan. 23.
The end of January brings a trip to Tennessee on Jan. 30, with no midweek game scheduled that final week of the month.
February opens with South Carolina on either Feb. 2 or Feb. 3, and Texas comes to Gainesville on Feb. 6 for the second meeting between the teams. Florida then gets Auburn on the road on either Feb. 9 or Feb. 10, looking to bounce back from last season’s disappointing loss on the Plains.
The rest of the month is just as demanding: Missouri visits on Feb. 13, LSU awaits on either Feb. 16 or Feb. 17 to face newly rehired head coach Will Wade’s team, Georgia comes to Gainesville on Feb.
20, Ole Miss follows at home on either Feb. 23 or Feb. 24, and Arkansas hosts Florida on Feb. 27.
The final road SEC game of the regular season is at South Carolina in Columbia on either March 2 or March 3.
Senior Day is set for March 6 against Kentucky, and the SEC tournament will be held March 10-14 in Nashville. Tip-off times and broadcast details will be announced later.
In Other News...
Florida Just Crossed A Branding Line That Will Divide Gators Fans
The University of Florida is set to take a notable branding step when its athletic program begins a multi-year partnership with Ripple in the 2026 football season. The deal will put the XRP cryptocurrency logo on the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, marking one of the more visible corporate tie-ins the Gators have taken on in recent memory, while also bringing Ripple into the program at a reported annual value of $5 million.
Beyond the in-stadium splash, the partnership is supposed to carry an educational component too, with Ripple supporting financial and technology education for Florida student-athletes and the broader campus community. For a fan base that tends to notice every change to the look and feel of The Swamp, the logo on the field may be the part that gets the most attention, but the bigger question is how quickly this kind of arrangement becomes part of the Gators new normal. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Singleton Injury Clouds Florida's Biggest Week 1 Takeaway
Floridas opening win over Florida Atlantic came with one of the teams most encouraging offensive outings, but it also brought an unwelcome concern when wide receiver Eric Singleton went down with a leg injury. The Auburn transfer was hurt while blocking and had to leave the game, putting a dampener on what otherwise looked like a clean start for the Gators on that side of the ball.
Singletons status now hangs over a week in which Florida will be looking to build on that first showing. Even with his absence, the offense functioned well enough to suggest there are pieces in place, but the next step for Billy Napiers group could depend on how quickly one of its most prominent new additions can get back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
DJ Lagway Is Repeating The Same Frustrating Debate Florida Knew Too Well
DJ Lagways latest outing at Baylor looked a lot like the version of him Florida fans came to know all too well, the one whose arm talent can change a game in a hurry and whose mistakes can do the same. Against Auburn, he flashed the upside with a touchdown pass, but the turnovers were part of the story too, and that mix of promise and frustration has become the central question around his development.
Baylor now finds itself in the same familiar bind Florida once faced: how to balance Lagways potential with the mistakes that keep showing up alongside it. His time in Gainesville was shaped by the same debate, and as he settles into a new program, the challenge is no longer about identifying his ceiling but about figuring out how to manage the volatility that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]