Report: Gators Add NCAA Tournament Opponent to 2025-26 Schedule

The Florida Gators will meet a familiar face early next season in Madison Square Garden.

Walter Clayton Jr. recorded a game-high 23 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes of the Florida Gators 77-75 win over UConn. "We knew this game wasn't going to be easy. They've got a championship pedigree, back-to-back champions. That's a great team. They had that experience. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We kept our composure," he said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

The Florida Gators will take on a familiar opponent from its run to a national championship next season in Madison Square Garden.

As part of the Jimmy V Classic, Florida will face UConn in a rematch of the Gators' 77-75 win over the Huskies in the Round of 32, according to CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. The event, which will also feature a matchup between BYU and Clemson, will take place on Dec. 9 with a tip-off time and television designation to be announced at a later date.

Florida's reported matchup against UConn is the second significant schedule update as the Gators will look to defend its title next season. Florida will open the season in Las Vegas against Arizona on Nov. 3.

While not traditional rivals, Florida and UConn have become semi-consistent foes in both regular season and NCAA Tournament matchups The Huskies own a 5-2 advantage against the Gators with all five wins coming since the 2013-14 season, during which UConn beat Florida in the regular season before upsetting the No. 1 Gators in the Final Four.

UConn also earned regular season wins in 2015, 2019 and 2022 before Florida's win last season, during which the Gators erased a deficit in the second half behind late heroics from star guard Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 23 points with five 3-pointers.

"We all know the reality, if you're going to make a deep run in March, you've got to catch some breaks, and you've got to win some games like this to be able to push through and stay alive," Golden said after the win. "Theoretically, beating a team like UConn, that's used to winning this time of year, in the fashion that we did should be really good for us moving forward."

Next year's matchup also holds the distinction of the last three national champions facing each other after UConn won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024 followed by the Gators' title in 2025.

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