The Florida Gators (1-0) rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to beat USF 98-83 on Monday night at VyStar Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored 29 points to lead UF to the comeback victory, while senior guard Will Richard contributed 25 points. Florida shot 27-for-33 from the free-throw line, overcoming a 20-percent shooting night (5-for-25) from 3-point range.

“It's a credit to our guys that they were more aggressive, going downhill in the second half and getting to the rim,” Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. “And of course we shot well from two possessions, but in the second half we also got to the goal line 29 times and just had relentless pressure on the rim.”

Jacksonville (1-0) opened its season with a 78-65 win over Trinity Baptist College behind a double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) from junior forward Stephon Payne III. The Dolphins are coached by Jordan Mincy, who was an assistant coach at Florida under Mike White from 2015-21.