The winners of the last three men’s basketball national championships will reportedly meet when UConn takes on Florida at the Jimmy V Classic next season, according to multiple reports.
The game at Madison Square Garden will be a rematch of the second round matchup in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, when UConn’s 13-game March Madness winning streak was ended by the top-seeded Gators. Florida went on to beat Houston in the national championship game.
The loss was UConn’s second in seven games against Florida all-time.
Todd Golden’s Florida roster will have undergone some turnover since the last meeting, as his senior backcourt trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard departs. But the Gators will return a solid core and a deep frontcourt unit that will keep them competitive.
UConn was able to retain five key players in Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, Tarris Reed Jr., Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross. The Huskies bolstered their backcourt with experienced point guards in Silas Demary Jr. and Malachi Smith, and are set to bring in three highly-touted freshmen in Braylon Mullins, Eric Reibe and Jacob Furphy as they look to contend again.
It will be UConn’s fifth appearance in the Jimmy V Classic and first since 2023, when the eventual back-to-back national champions beat North Carolina for their first-ever win in the event. Clemson and BYU will match up in the first game of the double-header, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. That matchup will be headlined by the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa.
The Florida game would be the third high-major game on the Huskies 2025-26 non conference schedule, which already includes matchups against Texas and Arizona, both of which are set to take place in Connecticut.
Originally Published: May 5, 2025 at 7:06 PM EDT
