The Florida Gators dominated North Florida last season. Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Preview: Florida Gators Basketball's Game Against North Florida

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI | By Cam Parker | Last updated Nov 6, 2025 1:38 PM ET

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators are set to play its first home game as defending champs while looking to bounce back after Monday's season-opening loss to Arizona.

The Gators host in-state foe North Florida, marking the 12th matchup against the Ospreys all-time.

While Florida is familiar with North Florida after meeting last season, a 99-45 win for the Gators, the Ospreys roll out a relatively new team under new head coach Bobby Kennen, who enters his first season after replacing Matthew Driscoll, the program's all-time winningest head coach who departed to be an assistant at Kansas State.

Additionally, North Florida's top three scorers from last season in Jasai Miles (15.4 points per game), Josh Harris (13.4 points per game) and Liam Murphy (13 points per game) all transferred out of the program.

“There's a lot of new from last year. They're a unique team the way they play," UF head coach Todd Golden detailed on Wednesday. "They want to spread you out, want to shoot a lot of threes. You know, I think they're going to try to take advantage or manipulate the fact that we play bigger and see if they can get some advantages that way."

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Florida, meanwhile, also rolls out a relatively new team, and after Monday's loss, Golden's main focus remains on the Gators.

"It's about us tomorrow night. We got to focus on what's important to us," he said. "We got to make sure we play with great purpose, play with a little better organization and execution on the offensive end, do a better job guarding straight line drives, defending without fouling defensively, and we got to dominate the board tomorrow night. We lost by two on Monday night against Arizona. You know, I think percentage-wise, we actually out-rebounded them by like 2.5%. We got 37% of our misses. They got 35, but tomorrow night, Thursday, has got to be a great advantage for us on the glass.”

Here’s everything you need to know for the Gators’ matchup against the Ospreys, including broadcast information and betting odds.

Florida Gators (0-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. North Florida (0-0, 0-0 ASUN): What You Need to Know

Where: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.

When: Thursday, Nov. 6, 8 p.m. ET.

Watch: SEC Network+ (Streaming only)

Play-by-Play: Ryan Urquhart
Analyst: Mark Wise

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD

Play-by-play: Sean Kelley
Analyst: Brian Hogan
Reporter: Steve Egan

Odds: Florida is considered a 37.5-point favorite over Arizona, according to FanDuel. The over/under is set at 168.5 points.

Editor's note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Series History: The Gators lead the series, 11-0, after winning last season's matchup in Gainesville, 99-45. Florida has won each matchup by an average of 32.9 points.

This article first appeared on Florida Gators on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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