Gator Nation surely remembers the Arizona Wildcats, who took down reigning basketball champion Florida on opening night.

Well, it's not even Thanksgiving yet and Arizona already has built a resumé worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid. After knocking off the Gators, the Wildcats have beaten No. 15 UCLA and, this week, 2023 champion and No. 3 UConn on the Huskies' home court.

Roundtable Sports editor-in-chief Tom Brew says that, with all respect to Houston and Purdue, No. 4 Arizona is the best team in the country.

The Gators have miles to go before they can properly defend their title, but here's one basketball fan's humble request: Can we get a rematch?

Opening night was that good.

Florida had (or has) the country's best big men and a reloaded backcourt. And for 10 minutes they looked like the champs against Arizona, opening a 12-point lead in the first half.

Then 18-year-old Koa Peat went off — 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists. Pull-up jump shots in the lane, left-handed half-hooks in traffic, a couple highlight-reel dunks.

Nobody had bothered the Gators' frontcourt like that before or since.

Florida swingman Thomas Haugh said that night: "I think our bigs, as a group, we know we need to be the best front court in the nation this year. We can't let somebody like that come out here and score 30 points on us. It's not acceptable, and it won't happen moving forward."

The Gators have won three straight since that 93-87 letdown. The new backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee is still a work in progress.

And the grind is about to begin in earnest: Top five powerhouses Duke and UConn in the first two weeks of December and then 18 regular-season games in the Southeastern Conference which, you may recall, sent 14 teams to last year's tournament.

The Gators' title defense likely will go through several of these teams. But playing Arizona again would be cool.

One can wish, right? Buckle up for a great ride. 

In the meantime, ponder the challenges ahead for Florida.

All times Eastern

ARIZONA 93, GATORS 87
Record: 0-1

GATORS 104, NORTH FLORIDA 64
Record: 1-1

GATORS 78, FLORIDA STATE 76
Record: 2-1

GATORS 82, MIAMI 68
Record: 3-1

MERRIMACK
Nov. 21 (Fri) Time: 7 p.m.
@ Gainesville
TV: SEC/ESPN+

TCU
Nov. 27 (Thur) Time: 3 p.m.
@ San Diego, Calif.
TV: FS1

PROVIDENCE or WISCONSIN
Nov. 28 (Fri) Time: 3 or 5:30 p.m.
@ San Diego, Calif.
TV: FOX

DUKE
Dec. 2 (Tue) Time: 7:30 p.m.
@ Durham, N.C.
TV: ESPN

UCONN
Dec. 9 (Tue) Time: 9 p.m.
@ New York
TV: ESPN

GEORGE WASHINGTON
Dec. 13 (Sat) Time: 2:30 p.m.
@ Sunrise, Fla.
TV: ESPN2

ST. FRANCIS
Dec. 17 (Wed) Time: 6:30 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: SEC/ESPN

COLGATE
Dec. 21 (Sun) Time: Noon
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: SEC/ESPN+

DARTMOUTH
Dec. 29 (Mon) Time: 6 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: SEC/ESPN

MISSOURI
Jan. 3 (Sat) Time: 8:30 p.m.
@ Columbia, Mo.
TV: SEC/ESPN

GEORGIA
Jan. 6 (Tue) Time: 7 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: SEC/ESPN

TENNESSEE
Jan. 10 (Sat) Time: noon
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: ESPN or ESPN2

OKLAHOMA
Jan. 13 (Tue) Time: 9 p.m.
@ Norman, Okla.
TV: ESPN or ESPNU

VANDERBILT
Jan. 17 (Sat) Time: 2 p.m.
@ Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU

LSU
Jan. 20 (Tue) Time: 7 p.m.
@ Gainesville
TV: ESPN2

AUBURN
Jan. 24 (Sat) Time: 4 or 4:30 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: ESPN or ESPN2

SOUTH CAROLINA
Jan. 28 (Wed) Time: 9 p.m.
@ Columbia, S.C.
TV: SEC/ESPN

ALABAMA
Feb. 1 (Sun) Time: 1 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: ABC

TEXAS A&M
Feb. 7 (Sat) Time: 8:30 p.m.
@ College Station, Texas
TV: SEC/ESPN

GEORGIA
Feb. 11 (Wed) Time: 7 p.m.
@ Athens, Ga.
TV: ESPN2 or ESPNU

KENTUCKY
Feb. 14 (Sat) Time: 3 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: ABC

SOUTH CAROLINA
Feb. 17 (Tue) Time: 7 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: SEC/ESPN

OLE MISS
Feb. 21 (Sat) Time: noon
@ Oxford, Miss.
TV: ESPN or ESPN2

TEXAS
Feb. 25 (Wed) Time: 7 p.m.
@ Austin, Texas
TV: ESPN2 or ESPNU

ARKANSAS
Feb. 28 (Sat) Time: 8:30 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: ESPN or ESPN2

MISSISSIPPI STATE
March 3 (Tue) Time: 8 p.m.
@ Gainesville, Fla.
TV: SEC/ESPN

KENTUCKY
March 7 (Sat) Time: 4 p.m.
@ Lexington, Ky.
TV: ESPN or ESPN2

SEC TOURNAMENT
March 11-15
@Nashville, Tenn.