“What we just did, nobody can ever take that away from us.” Those were the words of Todd Golden, the youngest coach since 1983 to win the national championship. The Florida Gators stunned the world last season, defying every prediction to claim college basketball’s biggest prize. But fast forward to this season, and the story has taken a surprising twist ….not the kind that fans were hoping for.

The Gators made some unwanted history in their season opener. According to SB Nation’s Brian Pederson, Florida became the first defending NCAA men’s basketball champion to lose its opening game the following season since 2003 champ Syracuse fell at home to Charlotte. Todd Golden’s squad dropped a high-scoring battle to Arizona, 87–93, marking the worst possible start to their title defense.

A visibly frustrated Todd Golden summed it up bluntly after the loss. He was upset with the fact that his team missed the opportunity to capitalize on the momentum that they had. That allowed Arizona to bounce back.

With under 10 minutes left in the opening half, Arizona trailed. But then flipped the script completely. The Wildcats went on a 28-10 run and ended the half with a 50-46 lead. From that moment on, they never looked back. Freshman Koa Peat stole the show, dropping 30 points while adding seven rebounds and five assists. With 14.2 seconds left, he was fouled while grabbing a defensive rebound and calmly sank both free throws to clinch the win in a thrilling season opener.

Todd Golden’s former sixth man, now a starter, Thomas Haugh, led the way for the Gators with 27 points and 4 rebounds. No other Gator reached the 20-point mark, which only underscores how challenging Golden’s task will be this season if he hopes to guide the third-ranked Gators on another championship run.

This was always going to be a tough job for Todd Golden. He lost Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard to the pros, while Denzel Aberdeen entered the transfer portal and joined Kentucky. The Gators opened the season with a brand-new backcourt featuring transfers Boogie Fland from Arkansas and Xaivian Lee from Princeton. Thomas Haugh stepped into the starting lineup to replace Richard, who’s now suiting up for the Warriors.

Despite returning bigs like Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, and Micah Handlogten, questions were always going to linger about how quickly this group could find its chemistry. “It’s a new team. So, we have that great kind of comfort blanket of the returning front court, and, you know, we’ve had our new guys in on the perimeter. They’ve played pretty well so far, but Monday night’s a new challenge,” Golden said last week about his newly assembled team. “I’ve never been under the lights with those guys yet, so we’ll see what that looks like.”

On top of that, opening the new season against a top-15 team was always going to be a challenge. And you can understand Todd Golden’s frustration — this matchup wasn’t just another game on the schedule. It carried a little extra meaning for him. Here’s why.

Why the Arizona Game Meant More to Todd Golden

For those who don’t know, Todd Golden is a Phoenix native. The 40-year-old grew up cheering for Arizona in the 1990s, back when the program was rising to national prominence under coach Lute Olson. So, getting to coach against the very team he idolized as a kid was always going to be special.

“I remember the national championship season in ’97 and what that program is,” Golden said in an interview with the Gainesville Sun. “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.”

The Wildcats are back to being a force under fifth-year head coach Tommy Lloyd. In just a few seasons, he’s brought Arizona right back into the national spotlight, leading them to consecutive Sweet 16 runs. So when Todd Golden’s Florida Gators walked into that matchup, they knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Arizona smelled blood after falling behind early, and once they found their rhythm, there was no stopping them.

This season won’t be a cakewalk for Todd Golden and his squad. They’ll have to dig deep, find their rhythm, and prove that last year’s championship run wasn’t just a one-off. Can they pull it off again? What do you think — do the Gators have it in them to go back-to-back? Let us know in the comments below!