An in-state, non-conference ranked matchup between the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators headline the opening day in college basketball. Not only is this a ranked matchup, but it’s a top-15 matchup per the AP Top 25. Preseason polls are silly in the current transfer-happy era of collegiate athletics, but regardless of how the rankings are determined, the Gators are unequivocally the best team on paper going into the 2026-2027 season. Half the rotation consists of key contributors that were around when Florida won the title two years ago, as this roster has size and shot-making in abundance, including the now-household names in Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu.
With the return of Malik Reneanu and the additions of Somto Cyril (UGA), Robert Miller III (LSU), Egor Ryzhov (EURO) and freshman Caleb Gaskins, the Hurricanes have a good bit of size that matches up well with the towering Florida frontcourt. That said, with the departures of Tre Donaldson and Tru Washington, Miami lost their only reliable perimeter shooters. There’s not a ton of perimeter shot-making on this team in general right now, which could make this offense a bit one-dimensional to start the year. That’s not particularly ideal against the unanimous #1 team in the country in the Gators.
Boomerang transfer Denzel Aberdeen was part of the title run before heading to Kentucky, and given his recent eligibility ruling, he will lead the Florida offense alongside sharpshooter Urban Klavzar. They have some perimeter depth too – something Miami doesn’t have – with Ohio transfer AJ Brown healthy and returning junior Isaiah Brown providing shot-making off the bench. Look for the Gators to utilize their elite combination of size and shooting to win and cover on opening night.
Miami vs Florida prediction: Florida Gators -4.5 (-110) at the time of publishing. Playable to -5.5.
