The Florida Gators are the reigning college basketball national champions, having won 36 games this past season. They went unbeaten in the non-conference portion, including wins over Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia, and Arizona State.
The non-conference schedule is effectively set for the 2025-26 season, including games against preseason top-12 opponents. Here’s a look at the five toughest opponents for the Gators to deal with outside of SEC play.
early matchups 🤝
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5. TCU Horned Frogs
Coach Jamie Dixon consistently makes TCU competitive and has some good new guards in transfers, Jayden Pierre and Brock Harding. The frontcourt is where the questions lie, but JUCO transfer forward Xavier Edmonds should be an impact newcomer.
4. Miami Hurricanes
Former Duke assistant Jai Lucas now leads Miami, having a solid first-year roster to work with. Transfer guards Tre Donaldson and Tru Washington are a solid backcourt, while Malik Reneau and Ernest Udeh Jr. have multiple years of starting inside. Former Duke commit and five-star prospect Shelton Henderson will be the x-factor as his play could determine the Hurricanes’ ceiling.
3. Arizona Wildcats
Former Conference POY guard Caleb Love is gone, but the Wildcats have a pair of 5-star freshmen to watch in Brayden Burries and Koa Peat. With Motiejus Krivas back at center and Jaden Bradley capable of being the next lead guard, Arizona should be a top-20 team next year.
2. UConn Huskies
UConn brings back one of the best duos in the country in Solomon Ball and Alex Karaban, both All-American candidates. Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr. is a quality guard pickup, while the incoming freshman class is viewed as all potential pros. The Huskies may not have a team as good as the two recent title teams but this group could be the team to beat in the Big East.
1. Duke Blue Devils
Although they lost three eventual NBA Draft lottery picks and the No. 1 overall selection (Cooper Flagg), Duke reloads once again with another batch of five-star prospects. Cameron Boozer is viewed as an All-American candidate as a freshman, while Caleb Foster could break out as a lead guard. The Blue Devils will be very good once again, but we’ll have to wait to see if they’re title-contention good.