Adam Dubbin, Gators WireMon, December 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM UTC·2 min readThe Thanksgiving holiday was not the best for Florida basketball, which suffered an 84-80 loss at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs on the big feast day. It was a winnable game for the Gators, but a second-half collapse led to the team's second loss of the season.
Fortunately, Florida bounced back the following day with a 90-78 win over the Providence Friars, but the damage had already been done.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith the Feast Week festivities now in the rearview mirror, USA TODAY Sports writer Jordan Mendoza chimed in with his winners and losers column on Monday. Predictably, the Gators were on the negative side of that equation.
"A 1-1 showing in the Rady’s Children Invitational is not what Florida had in mind. Instead of winning the four-team tournament, the Gators head back from the West Coast with more questions," Mendoza begins.
"Things seemed to be going well against TCU until Florida’s offense fell apart in the second half, leading to a head-scratching loss. The Gators were able to regroup for a win against Providence to avoid a disastrous time in San Diego," he continues.
"It’s obviously hard to defend a national championship, but Florida came into this season looking like it would be well-positioned to do so with a mix of key transfers joining some veteran pieces. But it hasn’t looked quite right since the season-opening loss to Arizona, and the Gators don’t look anywhere near as dominant as last season’s national championship-winning squad."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThings do not get much easier for the Orange and Blue, with the Duke Blue Devils up next on Tuesday night in Durham, North Carolina; then a week later, Florida heads to New York City to face the UConn Huskies. It is a pivotal stretch for the Gators heading into the winter holiday season.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball a Feast Week loser per USA TODAY Sports
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