No. 1 Florida opened the season with a hard-earned 77-67 win over No. 14 Miami on Monday night in Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, and the Gators had to work for every bit of it.
The building leaned heavily Florida’s way from the start, with a majority-Gators crowd greeting the top-ranked team as it took the floor. Miami came out aggressive, pushing the pace and fighting on the boards, and the Hurricanes made sure this one never turned into a runaway.
Florida’s first real separation came in the first half when Isaiah Brown buried a corner 3-pointer to ignite a 9-0 burst. Boogie Fland finished that stretch with a 3-pointer of his own, and Miami coach Jai Lucas immediately called timeout as the Gators’ fans rose to their feet.
Still, Miami kept hanging around. The Hurricanes trimmed the margin to 48-46 after a Malik Reneau 3-pointer just under seven minutes into the second half, but Thomas Haugh answered with three 3-pointers of his own to steady Florida and restore control.
From there, the game turned into a defensive grind, with both teams locked in down the stretch before Florida finally pulled away enough to finish the job. The victory gave Todd Golden his 104th win at Florida, moving him into a tie with Lon Kruger (1990-96) for fifth-most in program history.
Haugh led the way for the Gators with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He was Florida’s most reliable scoring option, knocking down three 3-pointers and hitting 4 of 8 shots from deep overall, though he also left points at the line by going 3 of 8 on free throws.
Fland added 12 points, four assists and three rebounds, doing much of his damage after halftime. He scored 9 of those points in the second half and helped put the game away late by converting free throws on separate trips.
Alex Condon chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists, with 8 of his points coming in the second half. Urban Klavžar gave Florida a lift off the bench with 9 points, including a 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 41-27 with 4:12 left in the first half and another that made it 66-55 with 10:16 remaining.
Rueben Chinyelu didn’t score much, finishing with 6 points, but he made his presence felt on the glass with a team-high 14 rebounds. He also had three blocks and opened Florida’s scoring with a hook shot less than a minute into the game.
The Gators’ defense did the rest, limiting Miami to 35% shooting from the field and 24% from 3-point range. Fland had four steals, and Chinyelu’s rim protection helped keep the Hurricanes from finding much rhythm inside.
Miami’s offense mostly came from Acaden Lewis and Somto Cyril. Lewis led the Hurricanes with 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting and had 12 points at halftime. He also hit Miami’s first 3-pointer of the game to give the Hurricanes a 5-2 lead early.
Cyril added 13 points and seven rebounds while battling Chinyelu in the paint. His physical play drew flagrant 1 fouls on Chinyelu and Brown.
Reneau, who scored 22 points against Florida last season, was held to 5 points on 1-of-6 shooting and fouled out with about a minute left.
Florida returns to action Thursday night when it hosts Jacksonville at 8 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
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A major recruiting decision is coming into focus for one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2028 class, and Florida has managed to stay in the thick of it. Brysen Wright has trimmed his list to Florida, Texas and Miami, with an announcement set for Nov. 5, after taking unofficial visits to all three programs. For the Gators, simply being in the final group for a national-caliber receiver says plenty about the pitch they have made early in the process.
Miami is viewed as the clear favorite in the prediction game, but Florida remains a finalist and has a real chance to make this interesting. Wrights status as a highly ranked prospect gives this race extra weight, especially with three prominent programs still in the mix and a decision date now on the calendar. The Gators will be watching closely to see whether they can turn a strong position into a surprise win. [Read more 🡒]
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The first order of business is settling the quarterback rotation, because the Gators cannot afford more uncertainty at the games most important spot. Florida also needs a more productive day from Jadan Baugh on the ground and a steadier pass rush to keep Oklahoma from finding rhythm, but the bigger question is whether the Gators can put those pieces together at the same time when the stakes are this high. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Is Still Waiting On Vernell Brown III For One Reason
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Even with the uncertainty, Brown has stayed around the program as a vocal presence and continues working his way back. The issue now is less about whether he still matters to Florida and more about when, or even if, the Gators will get him back this season. [Read more 🡒]