Florida opens the gym, Malone fills UNC's staff, LSU sets Sept. 21

The Sept. 1–7 college basketball week was about getting programs ready for October. Florida opened its gym to fans around a championship reunion, Michael Malone completed his first North Carolina staff, and two women’s programs put their first meaningful dates on the calendar.

Florida's Sept. 4 program report set an open workout for Sept. 5 and brought 2025 title-team veterans Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard back to the O'Connell Center. Alijah Martin was also in Gainesville while rehabbing offseason surgery. The gathering gave Florida's current group a visible link to the program that won the 2025 NCAA title; the Gators have a preseason event on their calendar before the Nov. 2 opener. 1

North Carolina announced Sept. 3 that first-year coach Michael Malone had completed his coaching and basketball staff. Assistant coaches Sean May and Pat Sullivan, plus director of basketball operations Eric Hoots, remain from the previous Carolina staff. Malone added associate head coach Chuck Martin from Arkansas, assistant Bryan Tibaldi from Providence, assistant Jorge Sanz from Gonzaga, and former Tar Heels Brandon Robinson and Deon Thompson. 2

The staff construction mixes continuity with outside recruiting and player-development experience. Martin arrives after stops at Kentucky and Arkansas; Tibaldi spent last season as Providence's offensive coordinator; Sanz joins after eight seasons in Gonzaga's program. Carolina's first public preseason dates are Southern California on Oct. 9 and Indiana on Oct. 18, followed by a home exhibition against Charlotte on Oct. 27. 2

One fresh national projection arrived from ESPN on Sept. 4. Dick Vitale's personal preseason top five is Florida, Duke, Illinois, UConn and Michigan State. His full list places Michigan seventh, Louisville ninth, Texas 10th and Gonzaga 14th. Treat that board as one analyst's September view rather than an AP poll, coaches poll or NCAA NET ranking. 3

LSU will hold its first 2026–27 practice open to fans on Sept. 21 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Tigers return First-Team All-SEC guard Mikaylah Williams, Sixth Woman of the Year MiLaysia Fulwiley, ZaKiyah Johnson, Grace Knox and Meghan Yarnevich. Point guard Jada Williams, Laila Reynolds and Chloe Larry headline the transfer additions. LSU then hosts UNT Dallas on Oct. 22 and Loyola New Orleans on Oct. 29 before opening against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 2. 4

North Carolina's Sept. 2 release supplied the next scheduling marker: an 18-game ACC slate. The Tar Heels open conference play against NC State on Dec. 13, travel to Cal and Stanford on Jan. 21 and 24, host Notre Dame on Jan. 28, and close the regular season at Duke on Feb. 28. 5

North Carolina brings back eight players from its 2025–26 Sweet 16 group and adds six newcomers: four transfers and two freshmen. The public run-up starts with Davidson in an Oct. 18 exhibition, then moves to Paris for a Nov. 2 game against Oklahoma. 5

Division I men's and women's regular-season play begins Nov. 1. Notre Dame and Villanova open the men's schedule in Rome at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, followed by the women's Villanova–Notre Dame game at noon Eastern Time. 67

This is therefore a preseason edition. Official AP, coaches and NCAA NET tables, conference standings, weekly statistical leaders and dated KenPom efficiency snapshots are still pending. The announcements above give fans the first checkpoints: Florida's early practices, North Carolina's new men's staff, LSU's Sept. 21 start, and North Carolina's December ACC opener.