Summer is here in Arizona, and there’s plenty of activity, including college sports and a new season for the Phoenix Mercury, Phoenix Rising FC and Arizona Rattlers. Here are updates on news and events happening around Arizona sports:
Grand Canyon to face Florida
The Grand Canyon men's basketball team released its 2026-27 schedule, which includes a Dec. 18 date against Florida, a probable preseason No. 1, the highlight among non-conference games.
That game will be played in Jacksonville, Florida, as part of the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown.
The Lopes, who return starters Makaih Williams and Efe Demirel, also face Memphis, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis and either Colorado or Stanford in their non-conference slate. Florida is ranked No. 1 in CBS Sports' preseason rankings posted earlier this week.
GCU plays its first four games at home, at Global Credit Union Arena, starting with Texas Southern on Nov. 2. The Lopes will be playing in the Acrisure Series in the Palm Springs, California area, on Nov. 24 and 25, starting out against Saint Louis. They would then play either Stanford or Colorado.
They will play Santa Clara at GCU Arena on Dec. 5 in a home-and-home series.
The 32-game regular season features 18 home games. The Lopes face five teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. They'll be facing Mountain West Conference newcomers Hawaii, UC Davis and UTEP in home-and-home matchups.
— Richard Obert
Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Grand Canyon men's basketball to face Florida Gators in December