Las Vegas, Nevada, is host to a match-up of two Top-15 teams to open the college basketball season. Florida comes in ranked No. 3 in the nation and is the defending National Champion. Meanwhile, Arizona comes in ranked 13th in the AP Poll. They made a Sweet 16 run in 2024-25 and look to go deeper this year. As these two teams prepare to face off, it is time for bold predictions on the game.
Florida was the best team in the nation last year, defeating Houston in the National Championship. Still, Florida has some key departures from last year's title team. Walter Clayton Jr. is now in the NBA. He led the team with 18.3 points per game while also adding 4.2 assists per game last year. Meanwhile, Alijah Martin and Will Richard, the other two starting guards from the three-guard Florida set-up, are also gone. The top returning player for the team is Alex Condon, who led the team with 7.5 rebounds per game while also having 10.6 points per game last season.
Arizona also lost its leading scorer from last season, with Caleb Love graduating after scoring 17.2 points per game last year. Carter Bryant is also gone, after being selected 14th in the NBA Draft. He scored 6.5 points per game while also adding 4.1 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Jaden Bradley returns after scoring 12.1 points per game last season with 3.7 assists. Arizona has the number two recruiting class coming to the program. Brayden Burries and Joa Peat, two of the top ten players in the 2025 class, will look to make an immediate impact for Arizona.
Boogie Fland makes an impact in game one for the Gators
One of the biggest transfer moves this offseason was the move of Booigie Fland to the Gators. Fland was a five-star recruit who initially committed to play for Kentucky. After John Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas, he decommitted from the Wildcats and committed to play for the Razorbacks.
Fland had a solid freshman season at Arkansas. He scored 13.5 points per game while adding 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He missed time last season with a thumb injury. Originally, Fland declared for the 2025 NBA Draft but decided to return to college basketball, entering the transfer portal. He ended up heading to Florida, where he will start for the Gators.
Fland was solid in a pre-season scrimmage against FIU, scoring 13 points with five assists and four steals. He is joined in the backcourt by another transfer. Xavian Lee joins the team from Princeton after being named to the All-Ivy team last season. Fland and Lee will be a solid combination in the up-tempo offense, but will take time to meld together.
Koa Peat makes an impact in his first game
Arizona will go as far as its new freshman tandem takes them this year. It will start with Burries, a five-star recruit and the California Gatorade Player of the Year. He has already been named to the Jerry West Award watchlist, which is given to the top shooting guard in the nation. It will take a magical season for a freshman to win the award, but it has happened twice. D'Angelo Russell did so in his one year at Ohio State after averaging 19.3 points per game, with 5.7 rebounds and five assists. RJ Barrett also did it for Duke after scoring 22.4 points per game, with 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists. This is the expectation for Burries this year, and if he lives up to it, Arizona will be in a great spot.
Still, it is going to be Peat who makes the big impact in this game. He is also a five-star recruit who was the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year. He has been named to the Karl Malone Award watch list, given to the best power forward in college basketball. Like the Jerry West Award, two freshmen have taken home this award. The first was Deandre Ayton at Arizona. In his first year, he scored 20.1 points per game while averaging 11.6 rebounds per game. The next year, Zion Williamson took the award. He scored 22.6 points per game while adding 8.9 rebounds per game.
Peat is going to have a massive first game of the year. While he is going to have to deal with the presence of Alex Condon for the Gators, he is still going to perform. Peat will come away with a double-double as he helps Arizona to a potential upset.
Florida falls in game one of the title defense
The Gators run a fast-paced offense that is based out of their backcourt. They will also be replacing all three members of the backcourt this year. The biggest question for them is how Fland and Lee are going to mesh. Both players play better with the ball in their hands, and could be an odd fit this year. Further, neither of them is a plus defender, and both will need to shoot well for Florida to win this game.
Meanwhile, Arizona, while relying on freshmen, also brings back four players who averaged over seven points per game. They have Jaden Bradley and Motiejus Krivas returning to the line-up to join the solid incoming class. Bradley is not an amazing shooter, which will leave the two freshmen, Peat and Burries, to carry the load.
They will rise to the occasion in this game. Odds at the time of writing, according to Fanduel, have Florida as a 3.5-point favorite. Led by the freshman tandem, Arizona not only covers but gets the outright upset to start the season.
