Coach Todd Golden's Gators hope to grow from Arizona loss

GAINESVILLE — Florida opened its national title defense with a loss, a no-show by its All-America candidate and questions across the board.

But the No. 3 Gators’ season-opening 93-87 loss to No. 13 Arizona Monday in Las Vegas wasn’t a red flag, rather a sign of times for coach Todd Golden and his team.

Cooler heads, like Golden, chalked up the loss to the first game with a retooled team replacing some key players. Yet, opinions, even outrage, also flooded social media in the wake of Florida’s first loss since Feb. 25 at Georgia.

“Talk about expectations,” Golden said Wednesday. “But listen, you have to turn it into a positive.”

Fans are sure to witness an emphatic win Thursday night when the Gators host North Florida, 54-point losers (99-45) on Dec. 21 in the O’Connell Center.

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