University of Miami may have started 8-0 in college football, but their men's basketball program fell to the Florida Gators in the season opener. On Monday, the Gators defeated the Hurricanes 77-67 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
Florida's Thomas Haugh led the Gators with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Teammate Boogie Fland supported him well with 12 points and four steals. Meanwhile, Miami's Acaden Lewis led the way with 24 points, while teammate Somto Cyril finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Florida fans used this opportunity to troll Miami, who were overhyped about the program's unbeaten start in college football.
"It's ok guys, you can flex your 1 seed in football that still won't get you an ACC championship 🥺," one fan wrote.
"With how awful we played, I'll take a 10-point loss," one fan commented.
"Take us off the schedule like y'all do for football," one fan joked.
"Shelton and Malik will not play that bad again this season – Florida's front court is for real and had a big part of that so kudos to them," one fan remarked.
Entering the 2026-27 season, Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden had reason to be concerned about his team's bench. However, Monday night's win against Miami offered encouraging signs for No. 1 Florida.
Florida's bench managed just three points in the exhibition game against Baylor and again struggled to produce against Stetson.
Contrary to preseason disappointment, Florida's bench came through for Golden in the thrilling season opener. The Gators received 22 points from their bench against Miami. Freshman forward Domen Petrovic scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 11 minutes. He also knocked down a crucial three-pointer during Florida's second-half response after Miami cut the deficit to 53-51.
Golden seemed satisfied with his bench after Monday night's big win.
"They got some criticism in the preseason. I was criticizing them a little bit in the preseason and asking them for more, and they delivered for us tonight," he said.
Florida's defense also played a big hand in the victory. The Gators held the Hurricanes to just 35% shooting from the field and 4-of-17 from beyond the arc.
Florida returns home on Thursday to face Jacksonville and build on its 1-0 start.
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