Thomas Haugh posts 19 and 10 as No. 1 Florida beats No. 14 Miami 77-67

No. 1 Florida opened the season the way a No. 1 team should. Thomas Haugh had 19 points and 10 rebounds and the Gators beat No. 14 Miami 77-67 on Monday night at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, per the AP recap on ESPN.

It was the season opener for both teams, and the headliner among Monday's six ranked openers.

Haugh did a little of everything

The preseason SEC Player of the Year made 4 of 8 threes, grabbed five offensive rebounds, handed out four assists and had two steals and a block. He didn't commit a turnover in 38 minutes. Rueben Chinyelu added six points and 14 rebounds, Boogie Fland scored 12 with four steals and Alex Condon had 11 points and seven boards.

Miami's push

Florida used a 9-0 run in the first half to take control and led 46-36 at the break. Miami scored the first eight points of the second half, and Somto Cyril's putback dunk off a missed free throw cut it to 53-51.

That was as close as it got. Florida held Miami without a field goal for about five minutes, and an Urban Klavzar 3-pointer made it 66-55. The Gators never trailed after the early run.

Lewis shines in his debut

Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis scored 24 for Miami in his first game with the Hurricanes, though he needed 20 shots. Cyril went 4 of 5 for 13 points and seven rebounds. Miami shot 35% overall and made 4 of 17 from 3-point range, per the ESPN box score, while Florida hit 11 of 26.

It was physical. The game had two technical fouls and three fouls that were upgraded to flagrants.

The Chuck read

Florida brought back most of its core, and it showed in a game that got rough. The Gators missed 15 free throws and still won by 10. Miami, meanwhile, looks like a team with a real scorer in Lewis and a lot to sort out around him.

Florida hosts Jacksonville on Thursday night. Miami hosts Wagner on Friday night.