2025–26 Florida Gators men's basketball team
| 2025–26 Florida Gators men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 21 |
| AP | No. 23т |
| Record | 7–4 (0–0 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | O'Connell Center |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Georgia | 0 | – | 0 | – | 10 | – | 1 | .909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 0 | – | 0 | – | 10 | – | 1 | .909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 0 | – | 0 | – | 10 | – | 2 | .833 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Arkansas | 0 | – | 0 | – | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Alabama | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 3 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 3 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Tennessee | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 3 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 3 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 Auburn | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23т Florida | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 4 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 SEC tournament winner As of December 20, 2025 Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators, led by fourth-year head coach Todd Golden, play their home games at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They enter the season as the defending National Champions.
Previous season
The Gators finished the 2024–25 season with a 27–4 regular season record, finishing second in the most difficult SEC season in conference history. The Gators got off to a hot start when they finished non-conference play with a 13–0 record and No. 6 ranking in the AP Poll, which was their highest ranking in 7 years. Despite early losses to Kentucky and Missouri, Florida got hot and finished the regular season winning 9 of their last 10 games. During this stretch, they pulled off massive wins on the road against No. 1 Auburn and No. 7 Alabama. Led by Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon, Florida was able to beat a No. 1 team on the road for the first time in program history.
As the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, they defeated Missouri, 95–81, in the quarterfinals and Alabama, 104–82, in the semifinals to advance to the SEC Championship, where they defeated Tennessee, 86–77, to clinch their first SEC championship since 2014. They received an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as the No. 1 seed in the West region. They defeated Norfolk State, 95–69, in the first round, two-time defending national champions UConn, 77–75, in the second round, and Maryland, 87–71, in the Sweet Sixteen to advance to the Elite Eight. There, they defeated Texas Tech, 84–79, to advance to their first Final Four since 2014. They would then defeat SEC rival Auburn, 79–73, to advance to their first championship since 2007. In the championship game, they overcame a 12-point deficit late in the second half to beat Houston, 65–63, to clinch their third national title overall and their first since 2007.[1]
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Clayton Jr. | 1 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Graduate Student | Lake Wales, FL | Graduated/2025 NBA draft; selected 18th overall by Washington Wizards, but ultimately got traded to the Utah Jazz |
| Kevin Pazmino | 2 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Sophomore | Weston, FL | Walk-on; TBD |
| Sam Alexis | 4 | F | 6'8" | 240 | Junior | Apopka, FL | Transferred to Indiana |
| Will Richard | 5 | G | 6'4" | 206 | Senior | Fairburn, GA | Graduated/2025 NBA draft; selected 56th overall by Memphis Grizzlies, but ultimately got traded to the Golden State Warriors |
| Denzel Aberdeen | 11 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Junior | Orlando, FL | Transferred to Kentucky |
| Alijah Martin | 15 | G | 6'2" | 210 | Graduate Student | Summit, MS | Graduated/2025 NBA draft; selected 39th overall by Toronto Raptors |
| Bennett Andersen | 22 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Graduate Student | Tampa, FL | Walk-on; graduated |
| Kajus Kublickas | 30 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Sophomore | Kaunas, Lithuania | Transferred to Pacific |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boogie Fland | 0 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Sophomore | Bronx, NY | Arkansas |
| Xaivian Lee | 1 | G | 6'4" | 180 | Senior | Toronto, ON | Princeton |
| AJ Brown | 23 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Junior | Orlando, FL | Ohio |
2025 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornelius Ingram Jr. #7 SF |
Hawthorne, FL | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 12, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (89) | ||||||
| Alexander Lloyd #12 SG |
Fort Lauderdale, FL | Westminster Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Apr 17, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (87) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2025–26 Florida Gators men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., TNT/TruTV |
No. 3 | vs. No. 13 Arizona Hall of Fame Series – Las Vegas |
L 87–93 | 0–1 |
27 – Haugh | 12 – Handlogten | 5 – Lee | T-Mobile Arena (16,704) Paradise, NV | |||
| November 6, 2025* 8:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
No. 3 | North Florida | W 104–64 | 1–1 |
25 – Condon | 13 – Handlogten | 4 – Tied | O'Connell Center (10,065) Gainesville, FL | |||
| November 11, 2025* 7:00 p.m., SECN |
No. 10 | Florida State Rivalry |
W 78–76 | 2–1 |
20 – Haugh | 16 – Chinyelu | 6 – Lee | O'Connell Center (10,785) Gainesville, FL | |||
| November 16, 2025* 8:00 p.m., ESPN |
No. 10 | vs. Miami (FL) Jacksonville Hoops Showdown |
W 82–68 | 3–1 |
19 – Condon | 10 – Tied | 5 – Lee | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (8,321) Jacksonville, FL | |||
| November 21, 2025* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
No. 10 | Merrimack | W 80–45 | 4–1 |
20 – Condon | 21 – Chinyelu | 3 – Tied | O'Connell Center (10,935) Gainesville, FL | |||
| November 27, 2025* 3:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 10 | vs. TCU Rady Children's Invitational Semifinal |
L 80–84 | 4–2 |
20 – Tied | 9 – Chinyelu | 8 – Condon | Jenny Craig Pavilion (4,955) San Diego, CA | |||
| November 28, 2025* 3:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 10 | vs. Providence Rady Children's Invitational 3rd place Game |
W 90–78 | 5–2 |
20 – Lee | 12 – Haugh | 5 – Haugh | Jenny Craig Pavilion San Diego, CA | |||
| December 2, 2025* 7:30 p.m., ESPN |
No. 15 | at No. 4 Duke ACC–SEC Challenge |
L 66–67 | 5–3 |
24 – Haugh | 14 – Chinyelu | 2 – Klavzar | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC | |||
| December 9, 2025* 9:00 p.m., ESPN |
No. 18 | vs. No. 5 UConn Jimmy V Classic |
L 73–77 | 5–4 |
19 – Lee | 11 – Chinyelu | 5 – Lee | Madison Square Garden (19,694) New York, NY | |||
| December 13, 2025* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 18 | vs. George Washington Orange Bowl Classic |
W 80–70 | 6–4 |
24 – Lee | 9 – Condon | 7 – Condon | Amerant Bank Arena (11,767) Sunrise, FL | |||
| December 17, 2025* 6:30 p.m., SECN |
No. 23т | Saint Francis | W 102–61 | 7–4 |
18 – Lee | 11 – Chinyelu | 5 – Condon | O'Connell Center (9,023) Gainesville, FL | |||
| December 21, 2025* 12:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ |
No. 23т | Colgate | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | ||||||||
| December 29, 2025* 6:00 p.m., SECN |
Dartmouth | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| SEC regular season | |||||||||||
| January 3, 2026 8:30 p.m., SECN |
at Missouri | Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO | |||||||||
| January 6, 2026 7:00 p.m., SECN |
Georgia | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| January 10, 2026 12:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
Tennessee | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| January 13, 2026 9:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
at Oklahoma | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK | |||||||||
| January 17, 2026 2:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
at Vanderbilt | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN | |||||||||
| January 20, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
LSU | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| January 24, 2026 4/4:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
Auburn | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| January 27/28, 2026 9:00 p.m., SECN |
at South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC | |||||||||
| February 1, 2026 1:00 p.m., ABC |
Alabama | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| February 7, 2026 8:30 p.m., SECN |
at Texas A&M | Reed Arena College Station, TX | |||||||||
| February 11, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
at Georgia | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, GA | |||||||||
| February 14, 2026 3:00 p.m., ABC |
Kentucky | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| February 17, 2026 7:00 p.m., SECN |
South Carolina | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| February 21, 2026 12:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
at Ole Miss | SJB Pavilion Oxford, MS | |||||||||
| February 25, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU |
at Texas | Moody Center Austin, TX | |||||||||
| February 28, 2026 8:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
Arkansas | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| March 3/4, 2026 8:00 p.m., SECN |
Mississippi State | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL | |||||||||
| March 7, 2026 4:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 |
at Kentucky | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| SEC tournament | |||||||||||
| March 11–15, 2026 TBA |
vs. | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN | |||||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
Game summaries
This section will be filled in as the season progresses.
Source:[4]
No. 13 Arizona (Hall of Fame Series - Las Vegas)
November 3, 2025
7:00 p.m. EST |
| No. 13 Arizona Wildcats 93, No. 3 Florida Gators 87 | ||
| Scoring by half: 50-46, 43-41 | ||
| Pts: Koa Peat - 30 Rebs: Ivan Kharchenkov - 10 Asts: Tied - 5 |
Pts: Thomas Haugh - 27 Rebs: Micah Handlogten - 12 Asts: Xaivian Lee - 5 | |
T-Mobile Arena • Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 16,704 Referees: Bart Lenox, Kipp Kissinger, Keith Kimble |
November 6, 2025
8:00 p.m. EST |
| North Florida Ospreys 64, No. 3 Florida Gators 104 | ||
| Scoring by half: 28-52, 36-52 | ||
| Pts: Kamrin Oriol - 19 Rebs: Tied - 5 Asts: Devin Hines - 2 |
Pts: Alex Condon - 25 Rebs: Micah Handlogten - 13 Asts: Tied - 4 | |
O'Connell Center • Gainesville, Florida
Attendance: 10,065 Referees: Doug Shows, James Breeding, Erroll Lewis |
vs Florida State (Rivalry)
November 11, 2025
7:00 p.m. EST |
| Florida State Seminoles 76, No. 10 Florida Gators 78 | ||
| Scoring by half: 40-37, 36-41 | ||
| Pts: Robert McCray V - 29 Rebs: Kobe MaGee - 9 Asts: Robert McCray V - 4 |
Pts: Thomas Haugh - 20 Rebs: Rueben Chinyelu - 16 Asts: Xaivian Lee - 6 | |
O'Connell Center • Gainesville, Florida
Attendance: 10,785 Referees: Lee Cassell, Joe Lindsay, Pat Adams |
Miami (FL) (Jacksonville Hoops Showdown)
November 16, 2025
8:00 p.m. EST |
| No. 10 Florida Gators 82, Miami (FL) Hurricanes 68 | ||
| Scoring by half: 29-39, 39-43 | ||
| Pts: Malik Reneau - 22 Rebs: Malik Reneau - 11 Asts: Tre Donaldson - 6 |
Pts: Alex Condon - 19 Rebs: Tied - 10 Asts: Xaivian Lee - 5 | |
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena • Jacksonville, Florida
Referees: James Breeding, Byron Jannett, A.J. Desai |
vs Merrimack
SECN+/ESPN+
|
November 21, 2025
7:00 p.m. EST |
| Merrimack Warriors 45, No. 10 Florida Gators 80 | ||
| Scoring by half: 17-44, 28-36 | ||
| Pts: Kevair Kennedy - 14 Rebs: Todd Brogna - 6 Asts: Tied - 2 |
Pts: Alex Condon - 20 Rebs: Rueben Chinyelu - 21 Asts: Tied - 3 | |
O'Connell Center • Gainesville, Florida
Referees: Brian Dorsey, Rob Rorke, Chuck McCoy |
TCU (Rady Children's Invitational semifinals)
November 27, 2025
3:00 p.m. EST |
| TCU Horned Frogs 84, No. 10 Florida Gators 80 | ||
| Scoring by half: 39-44, 45-36 | ||
| Pts: Jace Posey - 21 Rebs: David Punch - 9 Asts: Brock Harding - 12 |
Pts: Tied - 20 Rebs: Rueben Chinyelu - 9 Asts: Alex Condon - 8 | |
Jenny Craig Pavilion • San Diego, California
Attendance: 4,955 Referees: Kipp Kissinger, Brooks Wells, Chris Pacsi |
Providence (Rady Children's Inviational 3rd Place Game)
November 28, 2025
3:00 or 5:30 p.m. EST |
| Providence Friers 78, No. 10 Florida Gators 90 | ||
| Scoring by half: 39-45, 39-45 | ||
| Pts: Ryan Mela - 17 Rebs: Ryan Mela - 8 Asts: Ryan Mela - 3 |
Pts: Xaivian Lee - 20 Rebs: Thomas Haugh - 12 Asts: Thomas Haugh - 5 | |
Jenny Craig Pavilion • San Diego, California
Referees: Michael Greenstein, Brooks Wells, Chris Pacsi |
at Duke (ACC–SEC Challenge)
ESPN
|
December 2, 2025
7:30 p.m. EST |
| No. 15 Florida Gators 66, No. 4 Duke Blue Devils 67 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24-36, 42-31 | ||
| Pts: Thomas Haugh - 24 Rebs: Rueben Chinyelu - 14 Asts: Urban Klavžar - 2 |
Pts: Cameron Boozer - 29 Rebs: Cameron Boozer - 6 Asts: Patrick Ngongba II - 5 | |
Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, North Carolina
Attendance: 9,314 Referees: Brian O'Connell, Tony Chiazza, Roger Ayers |
ESPN
|
December 9, 2025
9:00 p.m. EST |
| No. 5 UConn Huskies 77, No. 18 Florida Gators 73 | ||
| Scoring by half: 39-32, 38-41 | ||
| Pts: Solo Ball - 19 Rebs: Tarris Reed - 5 Asts: Malachi Smith - 9 |
Pts: Xaivian Lee - 19 Rebs: Rueben Chinyelu - 11 Asts: Xaivian Lee - 5 | |
Madison Square Garden • New York, New York
Attendance: 19,694 Referees: Doug Shows, James Breeding, Marques Pettigrew |
George Washington (Orange Bowl Classic)
ESPN2
|
December 13, 2025
2:30 p.m. EST |
| George Washington Revolutionaries 70, No. 18 Florida Gators 80 | ||
| Scoring by half: 27-30, 43-50 | ||
| Pts: Trey Autry - 15 Rebs: Tyrone Marshall Jr - 7 Asts: Rafael Castro - 3 |
Pts: Xaivian Lee - 24 Rebs: Alex Condon - 9 Asts: Alex Condon - 7 | |
Amerant Bank Arena • Sunrise, Florida
Attendance: 11,767 Referees: Byron Jarrett, Bharat Ramnanan, Chase Shaw |
SECN
|
December 17, 2025
6:30 p.m. EST |
| Saint Francis Red Flash 61, No. 23 Florida Gators 102 | ||
| Scoring by half: 23-47, 38-55 | ||
| Pts: Skylar Wicks - 22 Rebs: Zion Russell - 5 Asts: Zion Russell - 3 |
Pts: Xaivian Lee - 18 Rebs: Rueben Chinyelu - 11 Asts: Alex Condon - 4 | |
O'Connell Center • Gainesville, Florida
Attendance: 9,023 Referees: Patrick Evans, Bart Lenox, Shaun Seales |
vs Colgate
SECN+/ESPN+
|
December 21, 2025
12:00 p.m. EST |
| Colgate Raiders vs. Florida Gators |
O'Connell Center • Gainesville, Florida
|
vs Dartmouth
SECN
|
December 29, 2025
6:00 p.m. EST |
| Dartmouth Big Green vs. Florida Gators |
O'Connell Center • Gainesville, Florida
|
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 3 (8) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 23т | ||||||||||||||
| Coaches | 3 (1) | 10 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 21 | ||||||||||||||
References
- ^ Pells, Eddie (2025-04-07). "Walter Clayton Jr.'s defensive stop gives Florida its 3rd national title with 65-63 win over Houston". Associated Press. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Florida Gators. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Parler, Denver (2025-11-03). "Game Times Set for 2025-26 Men's Basketball Campaign". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
- ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Florida Gators.