GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Florida Gators, to no one's surprise, enter the 2026-27 season as the nation's No. 1 team . To many's surprise, however, was its performance in Sunday's exhibition loss to Baylor.
Florida, taking home an 82-76 loss to the Bears in double overtime, struggled mightily offensively despite the close game, shooting a poor 25-for-72 from the field and 4-for-29 from deep. Head coach Todd Golden explained how no matter how close the Gators kept it, they were never "really able to find a rhythm," and most of those misses, especially in the first half, were uncontested looks.
"We left a lot of points on the board that way," he said. "And then I thought that we started pressing a little bit. We allowed those misses to affect us in the other parts of the game that don't require talent."
One player, who is already under the national microscope because of his whirlwind offseason, did little to help Florida's shooting woes.
Fifth-year guard Denzel Aberdeen, who notably transferred from Florida to Kentucky after the Gators' 2025 national championship and then back to the program this offseason, was expected to provide a major shooting lift after a 36.6 percent mark from deep last season with the Wildcats. Instead, in his first unofficial game with the program, he shot just 3-for-17 from the field and 0-for-10 from deep.
While a free throw with 20 seconds left and a jumper with 0.3 seconds sent the game into overtime, his poor shooting was a large reason why the Gators ultimately lost.
"We're thrilled he's back. He's had a really good fall, played really well. I thought he was not good today. I think he needs to be better," Golden said. "... I thought defensively, he was good, not great. So, first game back, I'm sure there were a lot of emotions for him and just trying to get back comfortable."
Aberdeen's offseason will only be fuel to the fire no matter his production this season. Despite never entering the 2026 NBA Draft or signing a professional contract, Aberdeen had to wait on a decision regarding a waiver for a fifth year of eligibility due to new NCAA rules not including the class of 2022. A court ruling in Colorado gave him his fifth year, before an appeal took it away.
Aberdeen eventually received a temporary injunction in court last month, officially giving him his fifth year of eligibility , while also giving Florida a talented guard duo with Aberdeen and Boogie Fland, who replaced Aberdeen last season. Fland scored 13 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field on Sunday.
While Aberdeen's performance left a lot to be desired, Golden hopes the two's growing chemistry from the offseason can lead to big performances in the regular season.
"He and Boogie complement each other very well," Golden said earlier this month. "Kentucky got better last year when Denzel started playing on the ball primarily. I thought he did a really good job kind of assuming that role under tough circumstances. Making that switch in the middle of the conference season is not easy, and I think he did a really good job. He had to shoulder a heavier load. I think he grew a lot that way.
"Coming back here, he'll start off the ball to start our games, but he'll be our backup point guard and he'll do a really good job and command the team that way. That experience I think was really beneficial to his growth as a player."
Florida will need the two to provide consistent performances, with No. 2 Duke, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Tennessee and possibly No. 10 Houston on the schedule. The Gators open the season on Nov. 2 against No. 14 Miami in Tampa.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Todd Golden's Challenge for Gators' Denzel Aberdeen After Exhibition Loss to Baylor .
