No. 1 Florida visits Florida State in Tuesday rivalry game at the Tucker Center

The top-ranked Florida Gators take their first road trip of the men's basketball season on Tuesday, Nov. 10, visiting in-state rival Florida State at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee. Tip is set for 6 p.m. ET, and the game airs nationally on ESPN2. Both teams are 2-0, and Florida is trying to extend a five-game winning streak in the series.

It is an early test for both programs. Florida, coached by Todd Golden, opened the season as the No. 1 team in the country and kept that spot in this week's Associated Press poll, collecting 53 first-place votes. Florida State, in its second season under coach Luke Loucks, has won its first two games by a combined 66 points.

How to watch

• Matchup: No. 1 Florida (2-0) at Florida State (2-0)
• When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6 p.m. ET
• Where: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee
• TV: ESPN2

Florida is listed as a 9.5-point favorite, with an over/under of 166.5, according to DraftKings odds published by ESPN.

Florida's start: two wins, one statement

The Gators opened the season on Monday, Nov. 2, with a 77-67 win over then-No. 14 Miami at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, the same building where Florida's 2025-26 season ended with a 73-72 loss to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 22.

Thomas Haugh, the preseason Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, led Florida with 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-9 senior made 4 of 8 3-point attempts and did not commit a turnover, according to The Associated Press. Rueben Chinyelu added six points and 14 rebounds. Miami cut the lead to 53-51 early in the second half before Florida held the Hurricanes without a field goal over a five-minute stretch, and an Urban Klavzar 3-pointer pushed the margin to 66-55.

Three nights later, in their home opener at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, the Gators routed Jacksonville 88-57. Chinyelu scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and Alex Condon came close to a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Five Florida players scored in double figures, the Gators outrebounded the Dolphins by 27, and the win was Florida's 36th consecutive in a home opener, according to the AP. Florida made 11 3-pointers for the second straight game, a notable change for a team that struggled from deep early last season, according to the AP.

Tuesday's trip is a chance to test a team that traveled well a year ago. Florida went 8-2 in true road games last season while going 17-3 in SEC play, and it averaged 87.1 points per game, 43.8 of them in the paint, according to the AP's game preview.

Through two games, Haugh is averaging 16.5 points, Chinyelu 11.0 rebounds and Condon 5.5 assists, according to ESPN statistics. Guard Boogie Fland scored 12 points against Miami.

Florida State's start: a new look

Florida State has a heavily reshaped roster in Loucks' second season. The Seminoles opened with a 112-69 win over Florida A&M in Tampa on Nov. 2, then beat Troy 91-68 in their home opener at the Tucker Center on Friday, Nov. 6.

Sebastian Rancik, a junior transfer from Colorado, scored 25 points in his Florida State debut and leads the team at 21.5 points per game. Shon Abaev had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Troy. Marcis Ponder, a 7-foot freshman, has opened his college career with two double-doubles, 15 points and 11 rebounds against Florida A&M and 10 points and 10 rebounds against Troy, and Florida State announced Monday that he was named ACC Rookie of the Week. Kam Taylor has scored 15 points in each game, and Brandon Bass Jr., the son of former NBA forward Brandon Bass, scored 13 in his debut.

The Seminoles also lived at the free-throw line against Troy, making 34 of 39 attempts, according to the AP.

Florida State went 18-15 last season, including 11-6 at home, and averaged 80.4 points per game, according to the AP's game preview.

The rivalry

Florida has won the last five meetings, dating to the 2021-22 season, according to ESPN results. Florida State had won the three meetings before that streak. Last season's game in Gainesville on Nov. 11, 2025, was the closest of the run: the then-No. 10 Gators held on for a 78-76 win as Haugh scored 20 points with 13 rebounds and Chinyelu grabbed 16 rebounds. Florida State's Robert McCray V scored 29 points in what was the Seminoles' first loss under Loucks.

The recent results, according to ESPN records:

Florida has won its last two trips to the Tucker Center, in 2022 and 2024.

Why it matters in Florida

For the second time in eight days, Florida is playing one of the state's other power-conference programs. The Gators already beat Miami, which sits at No. 17 in this week's AP poll, and a win in Tallahassee would give them victories over both in-state rivals before the middle of November. For Florida State, a home upset of the nation's top-ranked team would be the signature win of the Loucks era so far.

The game is also the Gators' first true road game of the season, after opening at a neutral site in Tampa and at home in Gainesville.

What's next

Florida returns home to face Merrimack on Friday, Nov. 13, at the O'Connell Center, then meets Notre Dame on Nov. 17 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas and hosts Duke on Dec. 1. Florida State stays home for its next three games, against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 13, Ball State on Nov. 17 and Green Bay on Nov. 20.