Florida’s 2026-27 basketball schedule is starting to take shape, and the Gators have now added another tune-up before the games count.
UF will host Stetson on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville for a second preseason exhibition. The game will stream on SEC+ and also air on the Gators Sports Network.
Season ticket holders will get first crack at complimentary tickets before the game opens up to the general public at a later date. Florida said more information will be released as it becomes available.
That exhibition joins the preseason matchup Florida already announced in August: a neutral-site game against Baylor on Oct. 18 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. It will be Florida’s first exhibition against a Division I opponent since a 2017 win at Jacksonville University.
The regular season begins Nov. 2 in Tampa against Miami (Fla.), and the home opener comes Nov. 5 against Jacksonville University, a game first reported by Swamp247. From there, Florida heads to rival Florida State on Nov. 10 before returning home to play Merrimack University on Nov. 13.
November stays busy. The Gators will travel to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, opening against Notre Dame on Nov. 17 before playing two more opponents on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, with those matchups still to be determined. UF then comes back to Gainesville for a Nov. 24 game against Milwaukee.
One of the early marquee dates lands Dec. 1, when Florida meets Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge. A few days later, the Gators host Vermont on Dec. 6, then head 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. 18.
Florida closes non-conference play at home against Florida A&M on Dec. 21 and Long Island University on Dec. 29.
SEC play starts Jan. 2 in Austin against Texas, a Longhorns team coming off an impressive run in the NCAA Tournament. Texas recently added Marcus Spears Jr., the No. 6 overall prospect by 247Sports who reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026, to the roster.
Florida’s first home SEC game follows quickly, with Oklahoma coming to Gainesville on Jan. 5, then Vanderbilt on Jan. 9.
The middle of January brings a tough road stretch. The Gators will play at Mississippi State on either Jan. 12 or Jan. 13, then head to Alabama on Jan.
- Texas A&M visits Gainesville on either Jan. 19 or Jan. 20, and Florida follows that with a trip to Athens on Jan. 23 to face Georgia, led by former UF head coach Mike White.
Florida will not play a midweek game in the final week of January, and the month ends with a Jan. 30 road matchup against Tennessee in Knoxville.
February opens with South Carolina on either Feb. 2 or Feb. 3, followed by Texas’ return trip to Gainesville on Feb. 6.
Florida will then try to bounce back from last season’s disappointing loss to Auburn when it travels to the Plains on either Feb. 9 or Feb. 10.
Missouri comes to Gainesville on Feb. 13, and LSU awaits on either Feb. 16 or Feb. 17.
That game will be against newly rehired head coach Will Wade’s team. Florida’s second meeting with Georgia is set for Feb. 20, and Ole Miss visits Gainesville on either Feb. 23 or Feb.
The final road SEC games send UF to Arkansas on Feb. 27 and then to South Carolina in Columbia on either March 2 or March 3. Senior Day is set for March 6 against rival Kentucky, and the SEC tournament will be played March 10-14 in Nashville.
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