Jacksonville will make the trip to The Swamp to take on the #1 Florida Gators. Florida returns most of its scoring talent from last season’s 27-win season, while Jacksonville is hitting the reset button and bringing in several new players to fill out its rotation. The Gators went 19-4 at home in 2025-26, and although this is a sizable spread for opening night, they should have little trouble running away with this matchup.
Florida’s frontcourt will be a major problem for Jacksonville. Alex Condon averaged 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds last season, Thomas Haugh averaged 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds and Rueben Chinyelu averaged 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds. Jacksonville will need Jamie Phillips Jr., and Caleb Williams to step up in this matchup. Phillips Jr. averaged 16 points and 5.6 rebounds last year at Stetson and Williams averaged 15.6 points and 3.5 rebounds at Lafayette. While both players proved they could score at their previous schools, facing Florida is a significant step up in competition. The Gators are coming off a 77-67 win over #14 Miami, shooting 43.4% from the field. Florida won’t take this matchup lightly, especially with the home crowd behind them, and should have no issues securing a convincing win.
Jacksonville vs Florida prediction: Florida -33.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
