Florida basketball hosts Duke for first time in nearly 90 years for 2026 SEC/ACC Challenge

By OnlyGators.com Staff
June 4, 2026
Florida basketball hosts Duke for first time in nearly 90 years for 2026 SEC/ACC Challenge
Basketball

Image Credit: UAA

Two of college basketball’s modern blue bloods rarely play one another. When they do, it’s usually at a neutral site, occasionally in postseason competition. For the first time in 89 years, the Florida Gators will welcome the Duke Blue Devils to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in an expected matchup of preseason top-five teams.

Florida and Duke will meet for the second straight season in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Gators fell 67-66 to the Blue Devils on Dec. 2, 2025, dropping to 1-6 in the extended series since 1973. The lone victory came on its march to the 2000 Final Four.

UF last hosted Duke on Dec. 18, 1937, in the second game of a doubleheader as the teams met the prior day. Florida lost both games (33-25, 44-37) and is 1-3 against Duke in Gainesville, winning the second game of another doubleheader, 40-21, on Dec. 19, 1934.

OnlyGators will update this story shortly.

Join The
Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top
WordPress Appliance - Powered by TurnKey Linux