Florida tumbled seven spots in the first Associated Press Top 25 poll of the 2025-26 regular season.
The Gators went from No. 3 to 10th after opening their title defense with a 93-87 loss to Arizona in Las Vegas. The result propelled the Wildcats to No. 5 after they ranked 13th going in.
One loss doesn’t necessarily signify anything bigger in Florida’s attempt to win a second straight championship. Head coach Todd Golden couldn’t have liked how the tandem of Koa Peat and Jaden Bradley torched his defense, though.
Peat had a game-high 30 points, while Bradley scored 27. Ivan Kharchenkov also had a double-double for the Wildcats with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Golden looked back on the game with a glass half full.
“We didn’t play a competitive opponent like Arizona up until league play last year,” he told reporters last Wednesday. “I think we had some guys that play a lot below what they’re capable of. I think part of it is first-night jitters — that was a big game.
“You have to turn it into a positive. We had a lot of things that we could do better, and we had a chance to win the game. … You get an opportunity to correct things early on in the season.”
There were three other Top 25 battles around the country.
Kansas traveled to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina as Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis embarks on what could be a pivotal season in his tenure.
Davis cooled the temperature around his job with an 87-74 victory. Four of UNC’s five starters scored in double figures, and it was plus-28 on points in the paint.
The Tar Heels’ Caleb Wilson (24 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals) out-dueled the Jayhawks’ Darryn Peterson (22 points and three rebounds) in a battle of the star freshmen.
Seth Trimble’s forearm injury did put a damper on North Carolina’s big win.
Last Saturday saw a pair of big clashes with Alabama vs. St. John’s and Arkansas vs. Michigan State.
Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Hollway combined to power the Crimson Tide to a 103-96 victory. John Calipari’s second year with the Razorbacks didn’t get off to a roaring start as they mustered just 66 points in a defeat to the Spartans.
After a somewhat tame opening slate, the non-conference matchups will start to heat up.
Tuesday’s Champions Classic offers a doubleheader of Michigan State vs. Kentucky and Kansas vs. Duke. UConn hosts Arizona in Storrs on Wednesday night. BYU star AJ Dybantsa will try to make an impression on NBA talent evaluators when the Cougars play Wisconsin in Salt Lake City.
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