No. 1 Florida passes biggest test of NCAA's opening day with stifling win over No. 14 Miami

No. 1 Florida and No. 14 Miami faced off in the only top-15 matchup of Monday's opening day of the college basketball season.

The top-ranked Gators passed the test in convincing fashion at the Tampa site of their stunning second-round NCAA tournament exit to Iowa last season. The top-ranked Gators stifled the Hurricanes on defense and fought off multiple Miami flurries to start their season with a quality 77-67 win .

It marked a strong start for a Florida team that enters the season as the favorite to secure its second national championship in three seasons.

A Miami team that's projected to challenge No. 2 Duke for ACC supremacy got off to a good start and took a 17-15 lead in the game's opening minutes. Florida responded with a 9-0 run for a 24-17 lead that it extended to 41-27 late in the first half.

Miami cut the deficit to as close as three points early in the first half and mounted multiple runs late, but the Gators never relinquished the lead. A Thomas Haugh bucket in transition off one of many Miami misses extended Florida's lead to 71-62 late, and the Hurricanes never threatened again.

Haugh, who returned to Florida despite projections as a first-round NBA Draft pick, paced the Gators with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. He hit 4 of 8 3s to lead an offense that was uneven at best in its first game of the season.

But it was more than enough next to a shutdown defensive effort that limited Miami to 1-of-19 shooting during a late second-half stretch.

As a team, Miami shot 21 of 60 (35%) from the field and 4 of 17 (24%) from 3. Preseason first-team All-ACC selection Shelton Henderson was limited to seven points and nine rebounds on 2-of-13 shooting from the field.

Instead, it was sophomore Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis who led the Hurricanes with 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting as Miami's most reliable offensive weapon.

For Florida, Boogie Fland (12 points, 4 assists) and Alex Condon (11 points, 7 rebounds) were the only players not named Haugh in double figures. The Gators shot 43.4% from the floor and 42.3% (11 of 26) from 3.

Florida takes on another in-state rival in Florida State on Nov. 10 and will face Notre Dame on Nov. 17. But it won't face another ranked opponent until a Dec. 1 showdown against Duke.

Miami's next games against ranked opponents are scheduled for Dec. 2 against No. 20 Alabama and Dec. 12 against No. 7 Texas.