Florida basketball opens its 2026-27 regular season schedule with a matchup against the Miami Hurricanes on Monday night in the Orion180 Tipoff Classic.
Florida begins the season as the No. 1 team in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
and AP Top 25, while Miami starts at Nos. 17 and 14, respectively. The Gators are also the top overall seed in ESPN's preseason bracketology, the top-ranked team in the preseason edition of the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings and ranked second in the initial Basketball Power Index.Ahead of the Sunshine State showdown at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, ESPN's matchup predictor gives Florida a solid 65.8% chance of prevailing. Compare that with BetMGM's latest betting odds, which give the Gators a 5.5-point
edge with an over/under of 158.5 points.
The Gators hold a firm lead over the Hurricanes in the all-time series dating back to 1928, 47-23, and have won the last three meetings. The two in-state rivals met last year in Jacksonville for an early-season tangle in which UF prevailed, 82-68.
Florida and Miami tip off the season opener on Monday at 6 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: ESPN's matchup prediction for Florida's season opener against Miami
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