Florida basketball will face a significant test when it opens the season against No, 13 Arizona on Monday, Nov. 3, at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (7 p.m. ET, TNT).
The game will carry some significance for Florida Gators coach Todd Golden as well.
A Phoenix native, the 40-year-old Golden grew up following Arizona in the 1990s during the program’s ascent to elite status under coach Lute Olsen.
“I remember the national championship season in ’97 and what that program is,” Golden said. “I grew up an Arizona basketball fan. My mom went to Arizona. So, the Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson team that won the national championship, with Jason Terry coming off the bench as a freshman. And then the Jason Gardner era, all those guys, he’s actually coaching there.”
As a player, Golden faced Arizona in the McKale Center when he played for Saint Mary’s.
“It’s pretty neat to be able to play against them in the first game, first time, as a coach,” Golden said. “I believe competing against Arizona, it’ll be a fun experience, for sure, just being tested so early. I’m sure the players are excited about it.”
The Wildcats have returned to prominence under fifth-year coach Tommy Lloyd, who has led Arizona to the Sweet 16 in each of his last two seasons. Arizona returns 6-foot-3 guard Jaden Bradley (12.1 ppg, 3.7 apg), 6-6 swingman Anthony Dell’Orso (7.2 ppg, 1.4 apg) and 7-2 center Motiejus Krivas (7.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg).
“They play similarly to us offensively,” Golden said. “They try to play with bigs, try to run the floor, do a lot of different things that way. So, I’m cautiously optimistic, but really understand that this is going to be a really difficult game. And hopefully we can win and teach a lot from the winning side. But even if we don’t, you know, I think we’ll be able to get a lot out of it.”
The defending national champion No. 3 Gators are coming off a 96-86 win its secret scrimmage against Illinois and brings back their entire starting frontcourt − preseason All-American forward Alex Condon, center Rueben Chinyelu and forward Thomas Haugh. UF will debut its new-look backcourt, with Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee and Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland as the projected starters.
“Everyone talks about or frontcourt, I think our backcourt is also pretty good as well,” Lee said. “So I’m excited to just go out there and show that. I think we have good chemistry on and off the court and I think it will show when we play.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Why opener vs Arizona holds special significance for Florida basketball coach Todd Golden
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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