No. 13 Arizona Pulls Off Opening Night Upset Over No. 3 Florida

As the weather starts to change from the desert heat, to the cool breeze of fall, the anticipation for Arizona basketball grows with each passing day in Tucson. And now, the time has come as the Wildcats were back in action Monday night to tip off the college basketball season in Las Vegas.

Unlike previous seasons under head coach Tommy Lloyd, No. 13 Arizona has a roster filled with underclassmen as the team welcomed in seven true freshmen from its recruiting class that finished No. 2 nationally according to 24/7 Sports recruiting database.

The Wildcats faced off against defending national champs No. 3 Florida in a neutral-site class of the titans. Arizona rolled out a starting lineup featuring point guard Jaden Bradley, guard Brayden Burries, guard/forward Ivan Kharchenkov, forward Koa Peat and center Motiejus Krivas.

Nov 9, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Old Dominion Monarchs guard Devin Ceaser (13) fouls Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (14) during the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

That young lineup that featured three freshmen were able to stay stride-for-stride against the Gators even after falling behind by double-digits early in the game. Arizona managed to pull off the opening night upset 93-87 over Florida.

Despite the slow start and sloppy play by the freshmen, it was the youth of the Wildcats’ that shined under the bright lights of Las Vegas. Leading the way for the underclassmen were Kharchenkov and Peat, who combined for 39 points.

A major part of the Wildcats’ comeback against Florida was an impressive 30-14 run Arizona went on to close out the first half and take a 50-46 lead.

Overall, Arizona managed to find its offensive rhythm despite some struggles and finished the game shooting 49% from the field and going 2 of 5 from the 3-point line.

One freshman that didn't find his groove was Burries, who has been thought of as one of the top players on the roster going into the season.

Against the Gators, Burries scored three points and collected two assists before fouling out of the game.

BRADLEY FAKES THE DEFENDER!!! #BearDown @JBsmoovve pic.twitter.com/a9h4zAiC4H
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 4, 2025

When watching the game, Buries just looked rushed with a lot of his moves and shots. He didn’t look calmed down and came up short on his shot several times throughout the night.

Meanwhile, Bradley was a steady veteran force for Arizona and helped get everything in order after the shaky start to the game.

Bradley had a cool 27 points while going 9 of 14 field while delivering five assists and three rebounds for the game.

Nov 3, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) shoots against Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) in the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Although the freshmen were a major part of the Wildcats’ win, the veteran leadership and poise of Bradley that was the deciding factor against Florida.

Arizona now will head home for the home-opening game against Utah Tech on Friday night, which tips off at 6 p.m. (MST) on TNT.

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