College basketball rankings: Florida looks to bounce back after season-opening loss to Arizona
The Gators, No. 7 in the Top 25 And 1, host North Florida on Thursday in their home opener
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Florida closed last season on a 12-game winning streak that allowed Todd Golden's Gators to win both the 2025 SEC Tournament and the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Now, they are legitimate candidates to repeat.
But the reigning national champions did not get off to a great start earlier this week in their potential back-to-back season, losing their opener to Arizona on Monday, 93-87, out in Las Vegas. In simple terms, five-star freshman Koa Peat overwhelmed Florida's frontcourt, finishing with 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 36 minutes. So, it'll be interesting to see how the Gators respond when they return to the court Thursday night for their home-opener against North Florida.
Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Tracking college basketball freshman debuts: Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa impress, Koa Peat explodes
Cameron Salerno
"I think our bigs, as a group, we know we need to be the best frontcourt in the nation this year," said Florida junior Thomas Haugh, a 6-foot-9 forward who finished with 27 points and four rebounds against Arizona but was still a part of a frontcourt that was dominated by an 18 year-old playing his first collegiate game. "We can't let somebody like that come out here and score 30 points on us. It's not acceptable, and it won't happen moving forward."
As always, we'll see.
Worth noting: Florida plays Dec. 2 at Duke, which, of course, is led by another five-star freshman, namely Cameron Boozer. The 6-9 forward is among the legitimate candidates to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block in Duke's season-opening victory over Texas.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 18 points and four steals in Monday's 108-74 win over Quinnipiac. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 1-0 |
| 2 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 30 points and one assist in Tuesday's 82-51 win over Evansville. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Oakland. | -- | 1-0 |
| 3 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 75-57 win over Lehigh. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Towson. | -- | 1-0 |
| 4 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Monday's 71-66 win over Villanova. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Holy Cross. | -- | 1-0 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 79-55 win over New Haven. The Huskies' next game is Friday against UMass Lowell. | -- | 1-0 |
| 6 |  | Koa Peat finished with 30 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 93-87 win over Florida. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Utah Tech. | -- | 1-0 |
| 7 | | Xaivian Lee missed 12 of the 17 shots he attempted in Monday's 93-87 loss to Arizona. The Gators' next game is Thursday against North Florida. | -- | 0-1 |
| 8 |  | Christian Anderson finished with 34 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 98-60 win over Lindenwood. The Red Raiders' next game is Friday against Sam Houston State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 9 |  | Morez Johnson finished with 24 points and three assists in Monday's 121-78 win over Oakland. The Wolverines' next game is Nov. 11 against Wake Forest. | -- | 1-0 |
| 10 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 75-60 win over Texas. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Western Carolina. | -- | 1-0 |
| 11 |  | Donovan Dent finished with 21 points and nine assists in Monday's 80-74 win over Eastern Washington. The Bruins' next game is Friday against Pepperdine. | -- | 1-0 |
| 12 |  | Collin Chandler finished with 15 points and four assists in Tuesday's 77-51 win over Nicholls. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Valparaiso. | -- | 1-0 |
| 13 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 29 points and three rebounds in Monday's 88-50 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Cyclones' next game is Thursday against Grambling State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 14 |  | Khani Rooths finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 104-45 win over South Carolina State. The Cardinals' next game is Thursday against Jackson State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 15 |  | Darryn Peterson finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 94-51 win over Green Bay. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday at North Carolina. | -- | 1-0 |
| 16 |  | Tomislav Ivisic finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 113-55 win over Jackson State. The Illini's next game is Friday against Florida Gulf Coast. | -- | 1-0 |
| 17 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 22 points and eight assists in Monday's 91-62 win over North Dakota. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at St. John's. | -- | 1-0 |
| 18 |  | Jaxon Kohler finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds in Monday's 80-69 win over Colgate. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 1-0 |
| 19 |  | Takai Simpkins finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 60-59 win over Hawaii. The Ducks' next game is Friday against Rice. | -- | 1-0 |
| 20 |  | Trevon Brazile finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 109-77 win over Southern. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 21 |  | Tyon Grant-Foster finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Monday's 98-43 win over Texas Southern. The Zags' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 1-0 |
| 22 |  | Nate Ament finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 76-61 win over Mercer. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Northern Kentucky. | -- | 1-0 |
| 23 |  | Keyshawn Hall finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Monday's 95-90 win over Bethune-Cookman in overtime. The Tigers' next game is Thursday against Merrimack. | -- | 1-0 |
| 24 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and three assists in Monday's 94-54 win over Central Arkansas. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against Kansas. | -- | 1-0 |
| 25 |  | John Blackwell finished with 31 points and four rebounds in Monday's 96-64 win over Campbell. The Badgers' next game is Friday against Northern Illinois. | -- | 1-0 |
| 26 |  | Malik Dia finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Monday's 88-58 win over Southeastern Louisiana. The Rebels' next game is Friday against Louisiana-Monroe. | -- | 1-0 |
