TAMPA, Fla. -- No. 1 Florida opened the 2026-27 college basketball season with a statement Monday, defeating No. 14 Miami 77-67 behind a huge night from national player of the year candidate Thomas Haugh. The star forward who bypassed the NBA Draft to return for his senior season with the Gators finished with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Haugh matched the best 3-point shooting night of his college career against Miami by draining four of his eight shots from beyond the arc. The last time Haugh knocked down four 3-pointers in a game came against Texas Tech in the 2025 Elite Eight. Florida went on to win the national title that year, and the Gators look like this season could produce a similar run.
Seven months ago, Florida lost to Iowa here at Benchmark International Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in one of the most shocking results of the entire season. Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and Urban Klavžar returned from that team that lost in this arena.
Florida (1-0) also brought back Denzel Aberdeen — who was on Florida's national title team in 2025 before transferring to Kentucky and then back to Florida this offseason. Aberdeen is one of many players who were granted a fifth year of eligibility to play this season.
got that crowd pop for a reason 🗣️ 🎥 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/hHcgTbLCD2
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 2, 2026
Chinyelu and the rest of this Florida team entered the season with confidence, as shown in an interview with CBS Sports' Matt Norlander before the season began. When asked to fill in the blank on what it would take for the Gators to win their second national title in three seasons, Chinyelu said there would be no "what if" and that his team was "winning it."
Cocksure confidence? Maybe. But if the Gators play as they did against a very good Miami team, a second title in three seasons won't be out of the question. Let's dive into the biggest takeaways.
Haugh's NPOTY campaign begins
Haugh has two games with four 3-pointers made in his Florida career: In the Elite Eight against Texas Tech in 2025 and on Monday vs. Miami. Haugh shot a respectable 32.6% on 5.9 attempts from beyond the arc last season, but the best shooting night of his career came in the first game of the new season.
And it wasn't just the shooting that stood out. Haugh, known as the ultimate Swiss Army Knife, did a little bit of everything in the win over the Hurricanes. Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year. However, there is a case for Haugh winning the award. And if this was any indication, it's going to be a special season for Haugh and the Gators.
FULL SEND 🎥 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/2F4eB09JkJ
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 3, 2026
Miami will learn from this game
It's no hyperbole to say that, aside from maybe facing ACC rival Duke, this was the toughest team Miami could've opened against. There's no shame in losing to the top-ranked Gators because this might just be the team to beat in the sport. There are some similarities between Florida and Miami because both are built around strong frontcourt play.
The Hurricanes' nonconference schedule gets significantly more favorable after this game, but there will still be tests before ACC play begins. Miami faces Alabama and Texas before facing NC State in its ACC opener right before New Year's Eve. Miami should have a big season under Jai Lucas. A loss like this could be beneficial come March. And maybe, just maybe, a rematch could be in store around that time of year.
Florida's frontline is going to give opponents nightmares
If you didn't already know, Florida's frontline is the best in the country. The trio of Haugh, Chinyelu and Condon are so physical on both ends of the floor that it wears opponents out as the game goes on. Even against a stout Miami frontcourt that elected to go big against the Gators with Henderson/Caleb Gaskins/Malik Reneau, it didn't matter.
When that trio is on the floor together, they're extremely impactful by creating second-chance points on offense and disrupting the lane on the defensive end. Florida has the luxury of subbing in one of those players and going "small," with Klavžar coming off the bench. Florida is going to be a very, very tough out.
Acaden Lewis looks like Miami's best player
The biggest takeaway on the Miami front was how good Lewis looked. He finished with a game-high 24 points and looked in control while running the offense. The Villanova transfer had a strong freshman season but looks poised to take a massive jump in Year 2 in Jai Lucas' system. His shotmaking is very impressive for a guard and it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see him finish the year as the leading scorer for the Canes.
Lewis sizes it up and knocks it down! 👌 📺 ESPN2 x @CanesHoops pic.twitter.com/aPP2QgJtt6
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) November 2, 2026
