Todd Golden and Florida’s Big 3 talk win over Arizona State

Florida has proved itself as one of the best teams in college basketball through 10 games. Here’s what Todd Golden and his Big 3 said after their most recent win.

Florida basketball moved to 10-0 on the season Saturday with a dominant win over a good Arizona State team.

Head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] and his three star guards — [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]., [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] — spoke to the media after the win and touched on the team’s undefeated start, the contribution of the frontcourt and the increased emphasis on defense this season.

Here’s everything they said.

Opening Statement

Golden: Really proud of our players. I thought they did an incredible job of executing our game plan. (Assistant coach) John Andrzejek had the scout tonight, and I thought he did a wonderful job preparing our players. But then you have to go out and execute it, and Arizona State’s really good. So, for us to be able to do it at such a high level was impressive.

I thought we played well both halves. I thought in the second half we did a great job letting our defense lead us to transition and we were able to get in some spurts — getting some steals, getting some runouts, getting some dunks, and I thought our depth showed up really well tonight.

Sam (Alexis), Tommy (Haugh), Zel (Aberdeen) coming off the bench, providing great minutes. I just think our depth wore them down a little bit. But really proud of our players for the way we played and another really good win for us.

On improved 3-point shooting

Golden: Our whole mentality is we want to be really disciplined defensively, and we want to play with a lot of freedom on offense. It’s “to whom much is given, much is required,” and I think our guys have a good feel and understanding for that. And we were locked in defensively.

We held them to 37 (percent) from the field, guarded the three really well all night and getting those stops and then you get out in transition, you get to play in the open court. Obviously, we have really talented scorers and shooters, and our perimeter can really get going. But, yeah, I feel like our guys played with great freedom offensively today and that led to us having a really good night.

On sustained success for program, 10-0 start

Golden: We’re getting great efforts from multiple guys. We have good players, and they bought into each other, they play hard for each other and there’s no selfishness on this team right now. I think that’s a huge, huge key for our success up to this point but also moving forward, and we talk about it a lot.

I think it’s easier when you have three seniors that kind of lead you in that perimeter and have a great understanding that they can all have success at the same time. Or if they don’t, then it could be their night the next night. We’ve had that all year. Will scored 25 in a game, A-Mart scored 30 in a game, Walt scored 30 in a game. That unselfishness is contagious and for our younger guys, they look up to these guys playing together, and they can’t do anything other than that or they know they won’t be on the floor.

Our team has good chemistry. We have to continue it, though. It’s been good through 10; we’ve got to make sure it’s good on Tuesday night as well.

On the frontcourt

Golden: This group really complements each other very well. Our perimeter complements our frontcourt well and vice versa. I thought Rueben (Chinyelu) was really impactful defensively. I thought he did a great job on the glass. When you have a guy like Rueben that can guard Basheer Jihad and you don’t have to bring a double, it allows you to be solid and stay on the glass better.

Rueben, (Alex) Condo(n), Tommy, Sam, they’re all awesome players and they are all starter-level talents. Again, Sam and Tommy are coming off the bench, but they’re playing big-time minutes, they help us win every night and their time will come to be starters in our program. Just having that depth on the frontline makes us really tough.

Clayton: I don’t know if everybody really be knowing what Rueben, Condo, Tommy, all them guys. They’re down there banging all game. Just being physical, and a lot of physicality down low. It’s hard to do that for 40 minutes with them guys. Throughout the game, they’re just down there banging, banging, banging, and it gets to a point where the other team’s bigs break.

I appreciate our bigs, man. They do a lot for us.

On building on first-half lead

Golden: We didn’t finish the first half very well. To be honest, I thought we got content. We were up 13 or 15 and then didn’t play the end of the first half very well. We should have held for the last shot. We threw it ahead, got a jump ball that ended up basically being a turnover.

At halftime, we talked to our guys. We thought we did a good job shot making in the first half, but we didn’t think we played great in terms of finishing possession defensively and taking care of the ball. So we focused on those things in the second, as well as making sure we had another good effort on the glass.

We still had some turnovers, but for the majority of the half we played a really clean game and our defense was fantastic in the second half. We had five kills, which is three stops in a row, and holding Arizona (State) to under 40 from the field and under 30 from three is really tough to do.

Clayton: Just keep being physical, keep doing what we’re doing. They were going to break. We didn’t feel like they could hang with us the whole game, so just keep doing what you’re doing and wait for them to break.

On turning defense into offense

Martin: We’re just trying to focus more on the defensive end this year. We’ve got a very good offensive scheme and most teams aren’t going to be able to hang with us offensively, so if we get stops we’re just untouchable.

Clayton: It’s definitely taken a big step forward from last year. Last year, we were a great offensive team, bad defensive team. This year, I feel like we’re still a great offensive team, even better this year than last year because we’re turning so many defensive stops into buckets.

On three-point run at end of first half

Richard: just trying to be aggressive. We all put a lot of work in, put a lot of reps in. So, when we see those opportunities, we’ve got to take them and there were going in. It’s definitely good to get on a run like that.

Was Arizona State the best team you’ve faced this year?

Martin: It’s hard to say, but definitely a big shoutout to Arizona State. They’re a really good program. No discredit to any of the teams we’ve played, but that’s what good basketball looks like. Every night, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing

On preparing for North Carolina

Martin: Just knowing that we’re going into their territory. It’s going to be in North Carolina. They’re going to have a lot fans there. Just knowing it’s going to be a road and you’ve got to be strong mentally. These next upcoming practices, we’re going to have to really lock in and be strong mentally.

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Todd Golden details Florida’s early success ahead of ASU game

Ahead of Game 10 of this season’s schedule, Golden spoke with the press about the status of the team as well as a look forward at Florida’s upcoming opponent.

Florida basketball returns to the parquet on Saturday after a 10-day layoff against the Arizona State Sun Devils Holiday Hoopsgiving Event. The Gators are off to their best start in nearly two decades but their upcoming opponent might be the toughest yet.

[autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s gang has run off nine straight wins to open the 2024-25 campaign and is looking to keep that success going in Atlanta. Every victory so far has come by a double-digit margin, including their 87-69 win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the SEC-ACC Challenge last time out.

Ahead of Game 10 of this season’s schedule, Golden spoke with the press about the status of the team, including its high rankings, as well as a look forward at Florida’s upcoming opponent.

On being top-10 team in AP poll

“Obviously, a great honor and kind of part of the process we’re trying to complete as far as being one of the top programs in the country. Obviously, off to a good start and starting to get some recognition for that nationally.

“But in our building these next two games will determine a lot in terms of our non-conference and how we feel it’ll got. Grateful right now, but all that can change based on the result Saturday.

“Happy in the meantime, but still very hungry and determined to make sure we keep rising and go in the right direction.”

On handling the 10-day break

“It came at a good time for us. Those first nine games felt like they came one after another. Obviously, knock on wood, we’re in good health, but I felt we were starting to fatigue a little bit. The end of the semester, with finals, you’re first real stretch of games, you can get a little drained.
“We did a good job letting the guys take some time off last weekend, making sure that all their books and finals aligned. Pretty standard week. Practiced Monday, Tuesday, off Wednesday, will practice hard today, little lighter tomorrow getting ready for Saturday.”

Thoughts on Bobby Hurley, Arizona State

“I think they’re really good. Really good. He’s done a great job there. I grew up in Phoenix and have a pretty good understanding what that program is. The consistency with which they’ve just been good, going to tournaments and all that. They weren’t as good as they have been last year, but I thought he and his staff did a good job of putting together this roster.

“They have two really, really talented freshmen in Quaintance and Senon — those are guys who like will play in the NBA – and some really, really solid and good seniors that came from different places. One of the things I think we’ve done a really good job of is getting guys to play together and to their credit I feel like (ASU) looks really well-connected on the floor.

“Between Austin, Freeman, Miller, Basheer they have really good players. They really probably six or seven deep, but all those guys are really tough. It’s going to be a good challenge for us. I think the best team we’ve played to this point. We’ve got to play well to beat them.”

Does ASU have best frontcourt faced so far?

“I think those two guys (Jihad and Quaintance), yeah, I think talent-wise. Basheer is a tough cover. I think he’s going to be interesting for us. We’ll throw a couple different guys at him, but he does a lot of things well. He can shoot the 3. One of the best four-drawers in America. Gets to the line a ton. Pretty efficient from 2.

“So you got to figure out the best way to not allow him to beat you. And Jayden, we know him very well. Obviously had him on a visit and recruited him really hard. You see his talent when you watch the film. He’s not as efficient probably as he will be in a month or two, but he still makes some plays where you go, ‘Wow! That’s ridiculous.’ I think he leads the nation in shot-blocking. So the talent is there.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for our front court. Obviously, we think we have great depth, and we got to be really physical with them. I think that’s an area where we got to set the tone and kind of control the paint. If we can do that, it’ll help give us a better chance.”

Will his team handle the extra attention well?

“I’m confident. We talk about it a lot. Our conversation on Monday getting back was like, ‘Listen, if there’s any content behavior in this locker room or on the floor, we’re just not who we think we are.’

“It’s something that we pride ourselves on all through the summer, fall, kind of getting ready for the season, is being a really emotionally mature team that doesn’t allow ourselves to get too high or too low depending on the circumstances.

“You’re fighting human nature a little bit. But our coaching staff is doing what we can to make sure we don’t lose ourselves in that.”

Are UF’s lofty expectations a benefit?

“I hope, you know. That’s kind of the mentality. Nothing that we do between now and March is going to satisfy us. That’s kind of the mentality that we want to have. We can play great and win all the games, but our end goal is to go deep in the NCAA Tournament.

“So we’ve obviously played well. We’ve done some good things. We have plenty of areas that we can improve. But my expectation is guys like Walter, Alijah and Will, they want to make a deep run. Being 9-0 and being top 10 is nice, but it’s not the end game. It’s just not the end game. It’s just part of the process, and it’s been a good part of the process, and we just got to keep going.

“But, yeah, I don’t feel like our guys are like satisfied, like, ‘Hey, we made it. We’re good. That’s not the mentality we have right now.”

On drawing contact, getting free throws

“I feel like we have a couple guys that that’s a big part of their game, and a couple guys that it’s not, you know. Condo, to your point, is he’s up there with (Basheer) Jihad, like he’s almost like a 90% free throw rate, which is incredible. You know, he’s great at drawing contact, getting to the line.

“You know, Alijah has done a better job getting to the line, but, you know, a guy like Walter, he’s just not at the line that much because he just is such a uniquely talented player that he’s able to get a shot off a lot easier, you know. And there’s some games where he gets to the line, but that’s just not kind of his M.O., you know, and as a team, we’re just nationally average, you know, at getting to the line, but we’re pretty dang good in the three other areas, which is effective field-goal, taking care of the ball and getting on the glass.

“So, you know, having Condo kind of be that stabilizing force inside is important, you know, because you don’t want to get, you know, in a situation where you’re not getting to the line at all, and then you’re relying upon shot-making for extended periods of time, like the free throw stabilizes you a little bit, but, and he’s done a great job that way, like, I think he’s really gotten comfortable operating in the paint and on the block, and so it helps us a lot.

“But, you know, we’re that’s not one of our huge strengths, but him doing that makes us better, for sure.”

On keeping players grounded

“I think being consistent, to be honest, like, with our film study, where I wouldn’t say we’re like a critical staff, but I think we’re pretty realistic, and so we show a lot of really good things on film, and we’re not afraid to give constructive criticism either.

“We challenged the guys at the beginning of the week that we needed four great practices this week, and I think we did a good job the first two days, but just kind of constantly coaching them and kind of keeping our mindset in the right place. You know, this team is mature. This team’s done a really good job being consistent, but the second you take it for granted, I feel like it goes away.

“So we’re gonna try to keep our foot on the gas that way.”

On desiring better starts in games

“Yeah I mean, every game, you know. But when you play like, I mean, cv is a good team. They’re not a great team, they’re a good team. They’re well-coached, they have good players, like, you can’t necessarily control all 40 minutes to go your way, right?

“So, like, you got to be able – obviously, want to get off to a good start, want to build a lead, but it’s not going to always happen the way we want it. And the area that this team, I feel like, has done a good job this year, is kind of handling a little bit – not that we’ve been in crazy adverse situations – but the USF start, the Virginia start, the Wake start, you know, we were down seven or eight in all those games in the first half, and, you know, we’re able to get it pretty close to tie it or with the lead at halftime.

“So yes, I would love to be able to, you know, get off to a great start that allows us to play with the lead and play confident and freely. But we got to be able to play regardless, you know. But yeah, that’s a goal of ours for sure.”

Indications of team implementing alterations

“Yeah I mean, they’re definitely coachable, you know. And usually there’s pretty specific things that we got to get right, you know, to make those changes.

“For example, in the USF game, I thought we did a really poor job in our transition defense early. We were not rebounding, you know, and those are two things that we hang our hat on, and so, ‘hey, got to do this, or it’s not going to get better’.

“Virginia, we didn’t guard the three point line well in the first half, and that was an area that we knew with their personnel, and, you know, when they beat Villanova, I think they made 14 threes in that game, and it was a big emphasis going in. ‘Hey, we gotta guard the line tonight, make them try to beat us from two’ and we gave up four threes in the first six minutes of the game that they made.

“So it’s like, ‘Hey, do what we’re asked to do, and things will work out’ and we guarded the line better the rest of the game. But yeah, I think this team is receptive to coaching, which is obviously the most important thing.”

Importance of guarding 3-point line vs ASU

“You know me. Even when it might not be the most important thing in terms of stopping a team, it’s something that playing for Randy Bennett, coming up in that coaching tree, it’s always been stop 3s, no middle of the floor, force tough 2s over hands. That’s the goal of a defense.

“They have 3 guys though that really poke it. Sanon is one of the best shotmakers I’ve seen nationally, honestly, with his ability to shoot off screens and shoot off balance. Then (Adam) Miller, the LSU transfer is playing very well this year, and then Alston (Mason) is a very good point guard.

“He’s a good shooter, the Missouri State transfer. All 3 of those guys have been high-level shotmakers. Amier Ali comes off the bench and he’s a good shotmaker at the 4. So yes, I’ll be really upset if they make a lot of 3s.”

On ASU’s 39% three-point shooting

“Yes, they shoot a very high percentage. They are very good at making baskets. I’d say they are above average from 2 and pretty elite from 3. I think it’s going to be a little bit of a ‘Margins Game’ for us where the 3 areas I’ve talked about– rebounding, defending without fouling, and taking care of the ball, we’re going to have to win those battles.

“If we do that, we’ll put ourselves in a good spot.”

What he learned from Gonzaga’s win vs ASU

“They scored well. But they did not guard them. Arizona State played really good in that game. It was funny because I watched Arizona State play Duke in their exhibition game or whatever it was and I thought, ‘Man, they have a long way to go (Duke won by 56 points).’

“Then here it was 3 weeks later and I was like ‘They went there. They got there quick!’ It was really impressive. Jayden Quaintance was really good early in that game. They just didn’t seem flustered playing in the Kennel. From experience, that’s a very tough place to play. And so I was like Dang, I was hoping they would mature around January or February. No, credit to Bobby Hurley and his players.

“They are so much better and they have continued to look better. They played really well against good competition. They beat my alma mater, Saint Mary’s in a really tough game. They beat New Mexico on a neutral court. They have had a really good year so far.

“They only have 1 loss, at Gonzaga. We are definitely a respect everyone, fear no one program, but this is a really good team we are going to try to get one from on Saturday.”

On Hoopsgiving Event as a scouting opportunity

“The good thing is we don’t have to do that these days with Synergy and stuff like that. I don’t know what the rules specifically are at these events if we’re allowed to be there or things like that.

“But to be honest, I’ve seen Auburn play 8 times this year already. I think I’ve seen Georgia play 5 times. We have a pretty good feel for those days. But it will be a good opportunity to catch up with Bruce and Steven (Pearl) at some point. I’d like to see those guys.

“I hope the three of us are able to do what the league has done in the past few weeks where we get opportunities in these events to play great games. We play a Big 12 team, I think Georgia plays Grand Canyon which is a really good game, and Auburn plays Ohio State, a B1G team. It’s a really good event and there should be some good basketball.”

How to watch Florida-ASU

The Gators will face the Sun Devils on Saturday, Dec. 14 as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving Event in Atlanta, Georgia. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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Todd Golden talks about win over Virginia on Wednesday night

Here’s everything Todd Golden had to offer on Wednesday night after his team’s ninth-straight win to open the season against Virginia.

Florida basketball earned its ninth-straight win to start the 2024-25 campaign on Wednesday night, defeating the Virginia Cavaliers inside the O’Connell Center, 87-69, as a part of this year’s SEC-ACC Challenge.

The victory not only marked the first time the program has won this many consecutive games to start the schedule since the 2005-06 campaign, it also represented payback for a three-point loss to UVA last fall in the Hall of Fame Series. Additionally, the Orange and Blue have earned all nine triumphs in double-digit fashion.

Following the big win, [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] spoke with the sports media about his team’s performance. Here is what he had to offer.

Opening statement

“Proud of our program, proud of our guys. Being 9-0 is hard to do. You know, I thought the first five or six minutes of the game, we weren’t playing as well as we needed to. You know, I didn’t think we guarded with enough urgency on the perimeter. I didn’t think we rebounded well enough. And it led to us, you know, having a nine-point deficit early on.

“But, you know, from that point forward, obviously, to outscore them by 27 is really hard to do, and I thought we did, you know, we kicked it up a gear, started guarding better, getting clean rebounds and getting out in transition. I thought Denzel (Aberdeen) and Sam (Alexis) were huge for us in the first half. I thought they gave us a big lift off the bench and allowed us to get a little momentum in the game.

“And, you know, obviously some really good individual performances. I thought Walt (Clayton) was fantastic, you know, makes makes me a much better coach when he plays like he does tonight. I thought (Alex Condon), you know, was really, really efficient and effective down on the block. And, you know, against a team that’s a really good 2-point field goal percentage defense.

“So multiple good performances, you know, proud of the way our guys performed through nine games. And, you know, I think we’re excited and looking forward to getting a few days off here before going to Atlanta and playing Arizona State.”

On Denzel Aberdeen’s 12-point performance

“Yeah, he’s just grown up, you know, getting better and the natural progression of a young guy coming into Division I one and sticking with it, and we’ve talked about it a lot, his willingness to stay a part of the program without being promised certain things, was something that we were really excited about.

“Everybody saw at the end of last year what he was capable of, and the fact that he’s been able to do it more consistently has allowed our team to be better. Again, I thought he provided a huge lift in the first half, obviously offensively, but also on the defensive end.

“And you know, I look at that steal he got in the backcourt, where he kind of picked the guy and went up for a dunk. You know, that was a huge momentum play. Hit two big threes, you know, earned every minute that he got tonight.”

On Florida’s scoring runs

“One of the really good qualities of our team is our spurtability, you know, our ability to go on big runs. And, you know, in the Wichita game, I think we went on a 27-0 run.

“Tonight, I think it was 15-0 in the first half. I think we’ve had a double-digit run (to zero) run in pretty much every one of our games so far to this point. I think it speaks to the depth of our team. I think it speaks to the efficiency of the way we play offense and the way we’ve been better on the defensive end. We weren’t great overall defensively tonight. I thought our rebounding was poor compared to how it’s been over the last couple weeks.

“But when we get going and we’re able to put a couple stops together and get clean rebounds, we’re really, really hard to guard in transition and, you know, again, you know, while Alijah, Will our perimeter, pushing the ball up the floor and our bigs running and getting easy layups and dunks, you know, we have the ability to do that to teams.”

On Florida’s 20 points off turnovers

“Against Virginia, they’re a pretty stout half-court defense, you know, and so you got to find ways to create offensive opportunities. Looking at their two losses before they played us tonight, both those teams turned them over quite a bit.

“So that was an area that we felt like we would have to have some success to be able to open the floor for us a little bit and be able to get easier baskets, which we were able to do, and pressure on the defensive end was something that we emphasized quite a bit over the last two days.

“We didn’t guard the three-point line well enough early and I thought that definitely bothered me. I thought it kept us at bay. But once we were able to take the 3-point line away and pressure them and make them play late in the clock, we were able to get some turnovers that way, which resulted in some runouts and allowed us to get some momentum.”

Florida’s frontcourt’s ability to space floor

“Yeah, you know it’s Condo, but also Tommy and Sam has the ability to make it from out there. And, you know, the way we play with multiple bigs, teams generally want to try to clog the paint, make it hard for us, and when they have the ability to step out and stretch the defense, those are back breakers because you’re trying to take certain things away, and you got to kind of pick your poison a little bit.

“But letting Tommy or Condo, you know, shoot open threes probably isn’t a great strategy either. So, you know, trying to find that middle ground against us is tough.

“But you know, his confidence level, his awareness, his understanding of the right ones to take, you know, I think has gotten really, really good. And he started shooting the ball well from 3 at the end of conference play last year, and he’s just continued on that trajectory. And Tommy shot it really, really well over the last, you know, two weeks. And when they can spread it like that, it just makes us really, really hard to guard.”

On Walter Clayton ‘exorcising demons’ from last year’s UVA game

“There’s been a lot of conversation about him playing the point guard position. And again, it’s one of the best defensive teams in America, you look down and he has 27 points, four assists and one turnover in 34 minutes.

“And to be honest, the turnover is pretty fluky, you know? It wasn’t a bad decision. It was just kind of somebody to get his hands in on the ball in a transition play, but he’s a fantastic player and when he plays at a high level like that offensively, it just, it makes us pretty dang good.

“But he, he definitely did exorcise some demons. I thought he did a great job handling the way they guard ball screens with their hard show. He just ran around it. Made some really good decisions on when to drive or when to pass to the big and, you know, transparently, just playing at a really high level right now.”

On Clayton’s improvement at point guard

“Yeah, you know, the other thing about it too is, you know, I think our staff, we had a much better plan tonight against Virginia than we did last year, and our guys executed it, which is the most important thing. But we probably didn’t prepare our guys well enough last year going into that game. We didn’t make that same mistake again tonight.

“You know, I think our guys had a good understanding of how they were going to guard us and then, offensively, what we should try to run to exploit it, and then defensively, I thought our plan was good. I thought Hov — Kevin Hovde — did a great job with our scout and preparing our guys to play tonight. And the results spoke to that.”

On SEC dominating SEC/ACC Challenge

“I think analytically, the SEC is the best conference in college basketball in the last six years, or something like that, six or seven years. And when you look at, you know, a team like South Carolina, for example, that you know, hadn’t played incredibly well over the first couple weeks, and then they go on the road to Boston College and win by 16, that’s really, really hard to do.

“You know, Georgia played really well against Notre Dame yesterday. A&M played well against Wake. LSU beats Florida State. The only, only contest we lost was Kentucky in a really tough game on the road against Clemson. I just saw ‘Bama won by 15 at North Carolina tonight. And a few more games to be played, but there’s no running from it.

“This is the best conference in college basketball and it’s not particularly close right now. And you know, we got four more games in the non-conference that we got to worry about before we get to league play, but there’s no doubt that the SEC is the best conference in college basketball. Every night is going to be an absolute battle once we get to league play.

“And as we’ve talked about before, our conference schedule starts out pretty difficult with at Kentucky, at home against Tennessee, and I think we go on the road to Arkansas. Yeah, so fun three games to start. The great thing is, you’re gonna have an opportunity every night. I think, at least at this point, every road conference game is Quad-I, so you start with nine right there.

“And you know, there’s gonna be probably four more home games that reach that level and there’s a good chance if South Carolina continues to play better that every home game will be Quad-II or better. So opportunities are plenty, you know, once we get into January.”

On Clayton’s confidence

“It’s an incredible talent to have. A rational confidence. You could describe it that way. But for him, it’s not irrational. You know, I think he has a great level of confidence, but he’s also a great competitor.

“And I think, you know, being able to balance those two things, it looks, you know, he’s out there, and he doesn’t necessarily look like he’s moving that fast all the time, but he always finds a way to get that separation. And you know, he’s been much better defensively this year than he was last year.

“He’s competed much better on that end. And there’s stretches throughout the course of the game where, you know, the coaching is keeping him in the game, you know, and just letting him run up and down the floor and let him make decisions in transition, because when he plays in the open court, there’s nothing that we can draw up that’ll get us better looks than what he’s able to provide that way.

“You know, he is playing at the level that we hoped he would and that we need him to if we want to compete for a National Champion.”

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Three key takeaways from Florida basketball’s win over Virginia

The Gators have opened their season with nine straight wins for the first time since 2005.

Florida basketball continued its hot start to the season with an 87-69 win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday night inside the O’Connell Center.

After falling behind 18-9 early, the Gators rallied with determination, clawing their way back into the game before seizing control and turning up the pressure. It was a pivotal early-season test for head coach Todd Golden and his squad, as they sought to make a statement and build on their strong start to the season.

Florida leaned on standout performances from Walter Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon, as well as key contributions from their bench, to get the win. As a result of the midweek victory, the Gators are off to a 9-0 start to the year for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

Here are three key takeaways from Florida’s win over Virginia.

Clayton and Condon steer the ship

Clayton and Condon led the charge for Florida, combining for 46 points. The former showcased his scoring ability, pouring in a game-high 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting, including five three-pointers, adding four assists and two steals.

Condon provided a strong inside presence, contributing 19 points on an efficient 7-for-8 from the field while pulling down eight rebounds — including five on the offensive glass. He also played well defensively, tallying two steals and a block.

Gators’ bench provided a spark

Florida’s bench provided a much-needed spark in the game, particularly in the first half, led by junior guard Denzel Aberdeen. The junior had 12 points on a 4-for-5 shooting effort — including a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc — in 21 minutes of action.

Sam Alexis also contributed valuable minutes grabbing six rebounds and adding physicality on both ends of the floor.

This kind of depth not only gives Golden more flexibility in rotations but also underscores the team’s ability to find contributions from up and down the roster.

Defense forcing turnovers

Florida’s defensive intensity was on full display as the Gators forced Virginia into 15 turnovers — a key factor in their victory. Aggressive on-ball pressure and active hands disrupted the Cavaliers’ offensive flow, creating opportunities for transition and quick scoring chances.

The Gators’ ability to force mistakes prevented the Cavaliers from gaining consistent momentum. The 15 turnovers translated into crucial stops and kept Florida in control during key stretches of the game.

Florida converted Virginia’s turnovers into 20 points, providing a crucial boost to their offensive output and helping to secure the victory.

Up next for Florida

The Gators will play against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, Dec. 14 as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving Event in Atlanta, Georgia. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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Florida basketball HC Todd Golden talks Virginia matchup

Florida basketball is looking to build off an 8-0 start against Virginia Wednesday. Head coach Todd Golden previewed the matchup on Tuesday.

Florida basketball returns to the O’Connell Center on Wednesday after a dominant run at the ESPN Events Invitational over Thanksgiving week.

The Gators are looking to build off a perfect November (8-0), starting with a matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers. Men’s basketball head coach Todd Golden previewed the SEC-ACC Challenge matchup.

Here’s everything Golden said ahead of Wednesday’s 7:45 p.m. ET tipoff.

On Virginia

“Obviously, (they play) a different style, similar to Wake Forest, a team that prefers to operate in the half-court. I think they always have been and continue to be a really good defensive team. Just got done watching them play Tennessee from a couple of weeks ago, or a week or two ago, and they guarded them with great physicality. The first 20 minutes of the game, it was really hard for Tennessee to score.

“Dictating tempo, getting the game going up and down a little bit and just being prepared for their physicality is really, really important. We can’t be caught off guard by that, we can’t be surprised by that early on in the game because that’s just how they play. That’s probably their biggest strength is their togetherness and their physicality and toughness.”

On new coaching staff for UVA

“I think Ron (Sanchez) has done a really good job. I think they’re so really well-coached. I’d say they’re maybe playing a little bit differently offensively, not much differently defensively. Coach Sanchez had been with (former coach Tony Bennett) for quite a while before getting the Charlotte job, so I don’t think his plan, when he got the opportunity a couple of months ago, was to come in and change a whole lot.

“I think he was probably trying to build off what they had done together, but this is a team that plays like a Virginia team of the past decade or so.”

On Virginia forward Blake Buchanan

“He’s a really good rim protector. He’s done a really good job playing physically, finishing around the rim, hasn’t shot it a lot — I think he’s only taking one three on the year — hasn’t shot it great from the foul line, but he has been efficient from two. He’s just strong. He had a really good game against us last year. He was a big reason as to why we were not able to beat them, and we’ve got to be prepared for his physicality. He definitely anchors them in the middle with his strength and size.”

On physical ESPN Events Invitational games

“I thought it was great for us to be able to play the way we did under those circumstances. Wake is a very physical team, obviously, really well coached and, again, a team that is trying to dictate the tempo for 40 minutes. To their credit, we were able to get away from them a little bit at the beginning of the second half and for parts of the second half, but not until the last four minutes were we really able to just kind of break away from them.

“We’re gonna have to play through the physicality early. I thought it took us off our path early in that Wake game and then we kind of got recalibrated and got going. Being at home, we don’t want to allow that to happen. If we are ready for it and if we meet their physicality and toughness, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

On attacking Virginia’s “hard hedges”

“It did bother us a lot last year. The good thing for us is Ryan Dunn’s not there anymore. That’s a good start. Beekman, as well. They had pro-level defenders, and they’re still a very good defensive team, but those guys were unique, and I think to our staff’s credit, we have a better plan to attack it.

“Last year at this point, we were really trying to get organized in our early game. Now I feel like we have a better understanding of what’s going to work against hard shows, and where we should place our ball screens and everything like that. But, it’s definitely a take-care-of-the-ball scout. We’ve got to make sure we don’t allow their hard shows and their physicality and their length to bother us, to allow us to turn the ball over, which can lead to easier baskets for them.

“Really for me, I think it’s just keeping the floor spaced, making sure we don’t over-dribble, making sure we get them moving side to side. If we can do that, we should take away a little bit of the half-court pressure both on the ball and when they’re showing on the ball screen.”

On ACC/SEC challenge series

“I think initially the idea of playing marquee games against other big-time conferences outside of league play is really good. Whether you want to play in three-game MTEs (multiple team events) or two-game MTE or not, but then having this, I think it’s good for both leagues.

“We had been, unfortunately, on the road the first two years, being at Kansas State and then being at Wake. Now, we finally get a home game. Obviously, in every other year you get an opportunity to go on the road and get what will be very close to a conference road game-type atmosphere, type setting.

“They’re just tough games, and I think to be able to play a really, really good opponent like Virginia on your home floor non-conference is awesome. We get that with Florida State also, every other year. For us, as you guys know, we like to balance our non-conference. We want to play a good amount of really quality Quad 1, Quad 2 games. We want to play a decent amount of the Quad 3, Quad 4 variety. You think of this challenge as usually a game that’s going to present a Quad 1 or Quad 2 opportunity for you.”

Was the series be better in January?

“No, not really, to be honest. Back to the Kansas State game, that was not necessarily a great time for us to get on a plane and fly to the middle of the country and play a really good team and come back. I think we played Alabama the next game or something. It just wasn’t an easy turn of events.

“The challenge is there’s not a great time to play these games. I know a lot of coaches struggle with playing this game the first game after their MTE. You look at Tennessee last year, they played really well down in Maui as far as I remember and then they had to go on the road to North Carolina, and they ran into a tough game. We had to go to Brooklyn and then come back and play at Wake Forest, so sometimes it’s hard to think of it as being a really good time, but again they’re good challenges and I think these games help prepare us for league play.”

On significant rebound advantage last week

“Yeah, we definitely rebounded really well in those two games. I think for us to be the best we can be, rebounding at a high level has to be a part of our DNA. Last year, it helped us win games we maybe shouldn’t (have), maybe we weren’t super effective from the field to win — our formula in terms of how we want to play. Getting misses back is important and not allowing second chances for opponents is really important.

“Our goal is to be plus-10 on the boards every game. (It’s) going to be a big challenge to do that against Virginia. I think they’re a solid defensive-rebounding team. They’re not a team that puts a lot of pressure on the offensive glass. I think they really focus on loading up and getting back in transition and making you operate against halfcourt defense, but being able to create second chances and more opportunities is just really important to be the best team we can be.

“When we have games where we don’t do that, it’s concerning, and it just opens up an opportunity for us to not be the best we can be. So, when we’re winning the boards by 22 or whatever it was, and then 16, we feel like we are going to give ourselves a really good chance to win if we can dominate the boards like that.”

On Rueben Chinyelu’s progression

“I think for him a big part of it is comfort. He had a great summer, he had a great fall. You can ask Alex Condon about that. I think he didn’t enjoy going up against his physicality and his toughness every day, and early on he just wasn’t as aggressive in games. I think that’s a little normal coming into a new program.

“He’s still young. He looks like a grown man, but he’s a sophomore, and basketball is relatively new to him, but what our staff was so excited about in the Wichita game he looked like he got comfortable and started getting the ball to the rim quick, was dunking everything, protecting everything at the rim, grabbing every rebound, clean rebounds. It just gave us confidence, like, alright if he can continue to build off this, we have a chance to take another jump.

“I think he had a double-double with four blocks, four assists, only one turnover, something like that. He was fantastic, and I think he was good against Wake also. He only scored one bucket, but he was really impactful in terms of winning. There was no denying his impact in the Wichita game by his production and his plus-minus. Again, he’s a guy if he continues to grow and get more comfortable and be more consistent in terms of playing how he did in the summer and early on in practice, we have a really, really good player on our hands.”

On Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh’s rebounding

“Those guys understand — those two, Rueben and Sam — know what their responsibilities are, and if they’re not active on the glass, they’re probably not going to be in the game for very long. It just comes with the territory of playing in the frontcourt for us. We give those guys a lot of freedom on the offensive end to play with the ball in their hands, to make decisions, to shoot, and with a lot of freedom comes responsibility, and rebounding and defending is a big part of that.

“They’re hard-playing dudes, and their athleticism, their quickness, consistency and their energy gives us another element that I think is really tough to match up against.”

On remaining areas of improvement

“I thought we made a big jump on the defensive end in Orlando, and so for me it’s consistency right there. First of all, it’s proving that you’re capable, and once you can do that, then proving that you can be consistent. I thought in those 80 minutes, we proved that we were capable of guarding. Both those teams were good. They run good stuff. They’re hard to guard. They’ve been efficient all year, and we snuffed them out pretty good.

“So now, we don’t have the excuse of that maybe we’re not, we can’t do it. We guarded like a top-10 team defensively in both of those games. So now just doing it consistently and being able to do it while being efficient offensively and crashing the glass. When all three of those things go together like they did for the most part in the Wichita game, I feel like our ceiling’s pretty high.”

On importance of no hiccups through November

“Really important, but it’s as important going into tomorrow as it’s been all fall. That’s the concern, is we’ve got a little momentum, we’re starting to get some recognition, starting to get ranked highly, whether it’s in the AP, the Coaches, KenPom, NET, whatever it is. When you’re No. 8 on Kempom and No. 6 in the NET, you’re fighting human nature a little bit at that point as well.

“We have a good mature group. I think our guys understand where we’re at, but what our goals are and at the same time, we have to prevent ourselves from letting ourselves off the hook, making sure we continue to guard like we did in Orlando and be physical on the glass and continue to value the basketball the way we have. It just takes one bad night to ruin all that, right? So we’re just trying to do everything we can to make sure we don’t take a step back, find a way to win tomorrow night and then we’ll have a little bit of breathing room before the Arizona State game to clean up some things. But all we got for this opponent tomorrow night is it’s going to be a really tough game.”

On Will Richard’s defense improving despite offensive struggles

“I think he’s really taking pride in being a leader for this team, and with being a leader comes the responsibility of having a good attitude regardless of how it’s going for you individually. Part of our message to Will, to Walt (Clayton), to Alijah (Martin), on a daily basis, is that those guys are the leaders of our team.

“I think that’s pretty clear, whether it’s in our locker room or you guys watching. But it’s not every night those guys are going to get 30 points. It could be Walt one night, it could be A-Mart, it could be Will, and when it’s not those guys that are scoring, are they still going to A, be great leaders, focusing on what’s important to help us win, and B, making sure their energy and enthusiasm is matched to where it is when they’re performing well.

“That’s where I’ve seen big growth from all those guys, but Will, I thought was great against Wichita. To your point, only made one field goal or two field goals, but played a great floor game with five assists, one turnover, six rebounds, and was finding joy in the success of his teammates.

“Again, I think if we can consistently do that, for the rest of the year, we’re going to have a chance of a really good year. But that’s the constant battle that you’re fighting on a day-to-day basis because it’s hard to do that. It’s hard to continue to put the team in front of yourself, especially if you get to a point where you’re struggling over a consistent period of time.

“But that’s the big fight, and that’s, I think, what separates the good teams from the great teams. Right now, we’re in a great mind space that way. I think all of our guys are on the same page. Our energy is good, but it can go bad if you don’t address it, if you don’t talk about it on a daily basis. So that’s what we’re focused on. I expect our leaders to continue to lead us that way, and they’ve done a really good job so far.”

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Instant takeaways from Florida’s Thanksgiving win vs Wake Forest

Here’s a look at the instant takeaways from Florida’s Thanksgiving Day victory over the Wake Forest in the ESPN Events Invitational.

Florida basketball returned to action on Thanksgiving Day for the first of two games in the ESPN Events Invitational against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who fell to the Gators in Kissimmee, 75-58.

This was the toughest matchup [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] and Co. have faced early on in the 2024-35 campaign and it showed at times, but the Orange and Blue simply had too much for Wake to handle. A strong g performance from both the front and backcourt cemented Florida’s seventh win in as many tries.

Every win is important — even early in the season against non-conference opponents — and the Gators will look to build on their Thursday afternoon performance. Here are the takeaways from the triumphant victory that represents payback for last year’s loss.

Gators came out flat in 1st 10 minutes

Florida opened scoring on the very first possession on an Alex Condon hook shot, but Wake Forest responded with a three to take an early lead. The two teams battled back and forth a bit before the Gators went ice cold from the field, going four-and-a-half minutes without a field goal (and just one free throw) and falling behind by as many as nine points.

The de facto second period went much better, with Golden’s gang closing the first half with a 21-8 run over 10:23 to post a 32-28 halftime lead. Will Richard dropped 10 efficient points to lead all scorers while Rueben Chinyelu led the Gators with five rebounds.

Six Gators made it onto the scoreboard that half, with the team posting a rough 35.5% (11-for-31) from the field overall and 27.3% (3-for-11) from behind the arc; they were also 63.8% (7-for-11) from the charity stripe.

Florida explodes out of halftime

The Gators scored the first 10 points of the second half as they continued their surge from the second 15-minute block, running out to an early 14-point lead that provided them some padding they would need.

The Deacons were not going down without a fight, shortening the lead to six before Florida pushed things back into double-digits thanks to an outburst by Alijah Martin. Wake Forest would get back to within seven points of Florida with just over five minutes remaining but would get no closer.

A six-point-play that included the ejection of Wake Forest’s head coach with under three minutes remaining effectively put the final nail in the coffin for the Demon Deacons. After that, it was clear that the Orange and Blue would prevail.

The Gators finished the game shooting 44.4% (23-for-58) from the field overall and 31.3% (8-for-27) from three-point range, along with an 87.5% (21-for-27) mark from the free-throw line.

Florida’s backcourt trio continues to impress

The three starting guards combined for 51 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and seven steals.

Clayton led all scorers with 21 points on 6-for-18 shooting from the field which includes a 4-for-13 effort from behind the arc and a 5-for-6 performance at the free-throw line. He added three assists, three steals and two rebounds in 35 minutes played.

Martin chipped in 16 on 7-for-13 shooting and 2-for-5 from three-point range while adding a pair of rebounds, assists and steals in 26 minutes of action. Richard also contributed 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting (1-for-3 from three-point range) and five free throws made in six attempts, while playing 31 minutes.

Next up for Florida

The Gators will play in the winner’s bracket of the ESPN Events Invitational on Friday, Nov. 29 against Witchita State Shockers. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Takeaways: Alijah Martin drops 32 as Florida basketball moves to 6-0

Alijah Martin exploded for 32 points and single-handedly cured Florida’s three-point woes in a blowout win over Southern Illinois on Friday.

Things stayed competitive for a bit between Florida and Southern Illinois, but then [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] got hot and led the Gators to a 93-68 victory over the Salukis Friday night.

Martin led all scorers with 32 points and nearly posted a double-double with nine rebounds. [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] set a new career-high with 19 points, adding seven rebounds and four blocks to his tally. No other Gator finished in double figures, but Martin’s performance was more than enough to carry the team to a sixth-straight win.

Florida lost the rebound battle for the first time this season thanks to 20 offensive boards from SIU, but the Gators ended with single-digit turnovers for the second game in a row.

Once again, the Gators played worse in the second half, marking a third-straight contest with that issue; however, it was a much more dominant win than the past two games against Florida A&M and Florida State.

Career night for Alijah Martin

Martin was the sparkplug in this victory. Point totals aside, he came up big when the team needed him the most. Florida has been atrocious from three-point range all season, so Martin took things into his hands and drained eight of 13 attempts from deep.

It wasn’t the long ball that sparked the big run, though. Martin slammed a dunk home to cap off a two-possession run of explosive finishes, and the floodgates opened up from there on out.

Perhaps even more encouraging is that Martin wasn’t looking to explode in the points column. When he had a chance to tie his career high of 34 from under the rim, he made the extra pass to Haugh to give him a new career high instead. It’s that kind of unselfishness that’s going to win Florida games — of course, dropping 32 points helps too.

Martin also led the team in rebounds (9) and assists (5), so he’s a guy who can do it all for the Gators at the “3” position. Talk about a breakout performance.

Haugh makes a strong argument to start

Taking nothing away from [autotag]Rueben Chinyelu[/autotag], who starts alongside [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] in Florida’s frontcourt, [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] deserves to see the court more often.

He got some extra minutes with [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] out against Florida A&M and led all of Florida’s big men with 25 minutes tonight. [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] does a great job rotating his forward in and out, but Chinyelu doesn’t have the stamina to stay out there long, forcing Haugh into starter minutes.

Perhaps it would be wise to start with Haugh on the court alongside Condon, who is one of his best friends. There’s untapped chemistry there, and Alexis and Chinyelu would remain a formidable duo off the bench. There is an element of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it here, but it’s hard to deny the impact Haugh has made on the court over the past week.

He might be the team’s best defensive big and he routinely fights for boards that Condon isn’t always positioned for.

Great assist-to-turnover ratio

The mark of a good basketball team is the assist-to-turnover ratio, and Florida posted a season-high 25 assists while turning the ball over a season-low six times. That’s 4.67 assists per turnover, which would dwarf Utah State’s NCAA-leading 2.41 ratio coming into tonight’s games.

Florida isn’t going to play FAMU and SIU every week, but it’s a really positive sign to see the Gators clean up the turnover problems after giving the ball away 19 times to Florida State just a week ago.

Clayton (25 assists, 14 turnovers) and Martin (21 and 10) are the two main ball distributors on the roster, but Condon (12 and 5) has some court vision too. [autotag]Alex Klavzar[/autotag] could also help in that statistical category with five assists and just one turnover through three games.

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Gators hoops dips in KenPom ratings despite 5-0 start

A pair of lackluster second halves against Florida State and Florida A&M have the Florida Gators down two spots in the KenPom ratings.

Despite a 5-0 start to the college basketball season, Florida dropped two spots to No. 20 in the KenPom ratings thanks to a relatively weak non-conference schedule.

A net rating of plus-20.74 is nearly a point higher than a week ago, but other teams have put together a better early-season resume to the Gators, including the Kentucky Wildcats, who leapfrogged Florida after an upset win over Duke. Seven SEC teams are inside the top 25, including the Orange and Blue.

Auburn (plus-30.69) tops the ratings followed by Tennessee (plus-26.18, 6th), Alabama (plus-23.12, 11th), Texas A&M (plus-22.26, 15th), Kentucky (plus-21.55, 19th), Florida and Texas (plus-19.87, 24th).

Many college hoops experts and oddsmakers consider Pomeroy’s ratings the gold standard in the sport, and the reputation has held for more than 20 years.

“His ratings are derived from a proprietary algorithm, with the core centered on the Pythagorean calculation for expected winning percentage, made famous by baseball statistician Bill James,” ESPN explains.

“Pomeroy’s formula is designed to be purely predictive, with an emphasis on margin of victory. He factors in offensive and defensive efficiency, tempo and even luck, but does not, however, take into consideration injuries or emotional factors.”

Breaking down the KenPom ratings

Date Nov. 12 Nov. 20
W-L 3-0 5-0
NetRtg +19.83 (20) +20.74 (22)
ORtg 117.2 (13) 118.1 (11)
DRtg 97.4 (49) 97.4 (51)
AdjT 73.2 (47) 71.7 (72)
Luck +.000 (117) +.000 (182)
SOS Net -4.16 (237) -4.27 (239)
SOS ORtg 100.8 (265) 100.0 (293)
SOS DRtg 105.0 (198) 104.3 (167)
NCSOS Net -4.16 (237) -4.27 (239)

Since we last checked in with KenPom, Florida’s offense has improved by almost a point and the defense has held steady. A two-spot jump in the offensive ratings is a positive, especially because Florida hasn’t shot the ball well from three-point range, and a two-spot dip on defense isn’t too concerning since the rating stayed the same.

Florida defeated Florida State, 87-74, on Friday and beat Florida A&M, 84-60, on Tuesday. The Gators dominated both first halves this week but allowed the Seminoles and Rattlers to make the second half competitive. Head coach Todd Golden is looking to get a better effort from his players coming out of the break moving forward.

Florida’s adjusted tempo continues to drop, now at 71.7 after a preseason projection of 73.6. The Gators were one of the fastest-paced programs in the country a year ago but are now outside the top 50. With SEC play still ahead, the number figures to drop more.

Because Florida was expected to win all five games it’s played this year, the luck rating remains at triple zeroes. No movement is a good thing in this statistical category, given the circumstances.

Strength of Schedule according to KenPom

KenPom’s strength of schedule ratings only considers the games played, so Florida’s 239th ranking isn’t as concerning as it may seem on paper. Golden has the group playing lesser opponents early on, and the Florida State game is a staple of the non-conference schedule. Still, the Gators have only faced one program inside the top 100 so far (Florida State, 79th).

South Florida (124th) and Grambling State (229th) have both climbed since playing Florida, while Jacksonville (191st) held steady. Florida A&M (352nd) remains one of the worst teams in college hoops right now.

Many of the non-Power Four programs Florida plays early on have a chance to improve their ratings during conference play.

Florida plays No. 131 Southern Illinois on Friday, but then come matchups against No. 84 Wake Forest and either No. 77 Minnesota or No. 93 Wichita State.

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Todd Golden breaks down Florida basketball win vs. FAMU

Florida beat FAMU by 24 points on Tuesday, but there are many areas where head coach Todd Golden would like to see his team improve. Here’s everything he said after the win.

Florida basketball is 5-0 to start the season, but head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] wasn’t happy with his squad’s second-half effort against Florida A&M on Tuesday night.

“Look, I thought we played really well in the first half,” Golden opened his post-game press conference. “I thought we did a good job to get a 24-point lead, and I just thought in the second half we let our foot off the gas a little bit. Stylistically, I thought offensively we played pretty well.

“Obviously, we did not shoot it well. We missed 15 threes and I thought we allowed that to affect our defense a little bit in the second half, and we just fouled way too much on the defensive end — sent them to the line 19 times in the second half.”

Moving forward, the goal is to put forth a more competitive effort for the entirety of the game, starting with Friday’s matchup.

“Like I talked about with the guys in the locker room, our expectation is to be able to play two complete halves, play 40 minutes. I thought tonight, we played 20 really good minutes in the first half and then we were just okay in the second. A lot to improve upon. We’ll have some good film to break down tomorrow with the guys as we prepare for Southern Illinois on Friday.”

Florida has struggled to jump out to early leads the season, especially within the first five minutes of the game.  The Gators have not trailed at any point this season by the 15-minute mark of the first half, but they’ve only jumped out ahead early against Grambling State — tied against South Florida, up three against Jacksonville, up six against Grambling State, up one against Florida State and up four against FAMU

“I think we come out with the right mentality,” he said. “We haven’t played our best in the first four minutes. We did win the first mini-game. I think we were up 7-6, or whatever it was, but sometimes it does take you a couple possessions to get in the flow and to get comfortable. But I do believe our mentality was good and we had the right spirit about us coming out. We just didn’t play our best until kind of the middle of the first half.”

Strong finishes to each half

Despite the slow start to each half, Golden praised his team for putting a better effort together in the final minutes on both sides of the break.

“I was pleased with both (finishes to each half) for different reasons,” he said. “In the first half, to be able to extend (the lead) to 24 on a 19-2 run was awesome. Different guys stepped up and helped us create that lead. We challenged our guys (in the second half).

“The last eight minutes we were getting after them pretty good because we have bigger goals. Making sure we’re competitive for all 40 and not letting ourselves off the hook.

“In that last mini-game, we challenged them and said, ‘Listen, we’re not satisfied with how this game is ending right now. We have to find a way to spread it out a little bit,’ and we did. Again, we want to more complete, but in those specific situations, I thought we did a good job.”

Golden praises veteran leaders

The returning duo of [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] have helped keep the team level through these first five games, and Golden added FAU transfer [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] into that group as well.

“I’d throw Alijah in there, too. He had 14 (points), nine (rebounds) and four (assists), no turnovers. Those guys, as you all know, we built this team with those three guys being the main cogs on the perimeter and guys we play off of and lead us with their veteran leadership and their experience,” he said.

“All three of those guys have scored 1,000 points in college, all are great shooters, tough, physical defenders and guys that understand how to win.”

Golden added that being able to rely on that trio allows him to make adjustments on the fly, even if it means giving them more minutes in a game that should be able to go to the backups.

“It gives you a lot of confidence as a coach to be able to rip those guys out there. When we’re at our best, they’re just playing, right? Like we’re getting stops, we’re getting clean rebounds and we’re getting out in transition and they’re just making plays.

“I had to play them a little more than I wanted to tonight to be able to make sure that we finished the game the right way but, yeah, it gives you a lot of comfort as a coach when you’re able to roll those guys out there.”

Martin stepped up in particular against FAMU, which speaks to his competitive nature as a player.

“It’s one of his best qualities, his competitiveness and his maturity in the way he attacks it,” Golden said. “First of all, he knows what winning is, playing in the Final Four (a year ago), and to have someone like him on the floor with Will and Walt that has that kind of mentality — this is all three of those guys’ last rip, and so the way they compete on a daily basis is really important.

“Alijah’s a guy that, regardless of what the score is, he’s going to compete at a high level. He’s not always going to be perfect, but he’s a guy I’d always want on my team. He’s always going to play the game the right way. I’ve seen his floor game improve dramatically since he’s been with us — another four-assist, zero-turnover night tonight. He’s just becoming a really complete basketball player this year.”

Thomas Haugh stepping up

With Sam Alexis out, [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag] played a season-high 28 minutes against Florida A&M. He made an argument for increased playing time by breaking the double-digit barrier in points and forcing a handful of turnovers.

“He’s the definition of a winning player,” Golden said. “He does all the quote-unquote little things that impact winning. He’s a guy that can switch defensively, he’s a very good rebounder, a really good ball mover and facilitator on the offensive end and he hit a couple shots tonight. Twelve (points), seven (rebounds), I guess two assists and three steals, he just finds ways to impact (the game). Plus-23 in 28 minutes.

“Without having Sam, without having Denzel (Aberdeen), obviously our bench was shortened and we needed a guy like Tommy to step up and play more minutes and we knew he’d be up to the task. He’s fantastic. He comes to play and compete every day, and he generally gives us a better chance to win when he’s on the floor.”

Other players stepping up off the bench

With Haugh taking the bulk of the extra minutes in the frontcourt, Golden split Aberdeen’s minutes between freshman [autotag]Isaiah Brown[/autotag] and first-year sophomore [autotag]Urban Klavzar[/autotag], who recently was cleared by the NCAA to play this season.

“I though Urby played well, he just didn’t shoot well,” Golden said. “I thought he played hard, I thought he defended well, had a good floor game with three assists, zero turnovers. I think for him it’s just going to take a little bit to get comfortable playing at this level — just kind of getting thrown into the mix early in the season, but I was pleased with his effort. Obviously, we want him to make a couple more shots but I was pleased with his effort.

“I thought Zay was awesome. I thought he did a really nice job at the end of the first half taking advantage of the minutes that he got in the last mini-game. Hit those two big threes that really extended it to 24. Got a great defensive stop at the end of the first half. Kind of was put in a one-on-one situation in the middle of the floor, moved his feet and kind of used his physicality to force a turnover.”

With the aforementioned trio of guards in the starting rotation all set to move on from Gainesville after this season, Golden is eyeing Brown as a potential replacement in the backcourt for 2025-26.

“Zay Brown is a guy we believe will be a great player here at Florida and obviously has some really good ones in front of him right now but as early as next year, we think he can be an impact player in a big way. I was happy for him that he got to play a little more tonight and proud of him for taking the opportunity.”

Off night for Alex Condon

Preseason All-SEC forward Alex Condon scored 14 points in the win, but he shot 3 of 14 from the field. A 7 of 8 night from the free-throw line saved him and he remained effective on the glass with nine rebounds, but the poor shooting performance as him at a season-low 12.2 points per game.

“I think tonight was hopefully a little bit of an aberration,” Golden said. “He was shooting like 85% from two coming into this game and tonight just had some bad breaks. Credit to FAMU, I thought they bothered him around the rim. They blocked a couple of his shots and didn’t go for a couple of his pump fakes. He kind of got caught in no-man’s land. But Condo is always playing hard.

“He didn’t have his best game, his most efficient game, but he’s always playing hard and competing his tail off. Got on the glass, protected the rim again, got two steals so, again, he found ways to impact winning, he just did not finish tonight. Hopefully as we kind of prepare for SIU, I think he’ll be better on Friday night that way.”

Transition offense good, but could be better

Florida dominated the fast-break against FAMU, but the Gators still aren’t knocking down all of the open shots they’re creating, especially from distance.

“That’s kind of who we are,” Golden said. “We want to get out in transition and score early in the clock, and to win that battle, 30-4, is important. To be honest, I thought we should have done a little better, in terms of what we were able to do on the offensive end. I do think that when we go back and watch, we missed some really good looks from three. I thought we maybe took three quick ones or ones that weren’t great shots, but for the most part I think we got some really great catch-and-shoot looks that we just didn’t knock down.

“Playing the percentages, I do believe that will go in our favor here shortly, especially with the guys that are taking those shots. It just hasn’t gone that way for us, but fortunately we’ve still been able to wins.”

Drawing fouls a positive for Florida

Florida has attempted 25 or more shots from the free throw line in all but one game so far this weekend. With the three-ball not falling as frequently as the Gators would like, the ability to draw fouls consistently has helped Florida stay out in front in most games.

“When you’re not shooting the ball well, you can go through spells where you have a lot of empty possessions. When you’re able to get to the line, I feel like that settles you a little bit. We shot it decent from the line, about 70% tonight, but that’s the most efficient way to score. You get to the line, it’s about 1.4 points per possession. It’s a good way to maintain consistency and not allow teams to go on runs against you.”

On the flip side of that coin, Florida got in some foul trouble during the second half, which hurt its ability to extend the lead.

“To be honest, that’s why we were having so much trouble keeping FAMU down in the second half. We just let them get to the line 19 times, and to their credit, they made 85% of them. Our field-goal percentage on defense was great, 34 from the field, they only shot 24 from three, but that free-throw percentage for them was the equalizer and allowed them to play us even in the second half.”

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Here’s what BPI predicts for Florida-FAMU matchup Tuesday night

ESPN’s Basketball Power index heavily favors the Gators over the Rattlers on Tuesday night.

Florida basketball is off to a 4-0 start to the 2024-25 campaign and ranked among the top 25 in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Poll.

So far, the Gators have mostly faced fellow Sunshine State foes and that does not change much on Tuesday night when they host the Florida A&M Rattlers inside the O’Connell Center. Having already dispatched the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee last game, [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s gang now gets a shot at the other school from the state’s capital.

Using the Basketball Power Index, ESPN predicts a dominant UF victory over FAMU, giving Florida 99.5% odds to win with a 31.1 predicted point differential. ESPN also gives the matchup a quality rating of 35.0, making it a middle-of-the-pack game of the evening.

“BPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,” the site reads. “BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is… Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.”

ESPN BPI Season Projections

The Gators are currently ranked 29th on the Basketball Power Index with a 13.2 index, while the Rattlers are 359th with a -14.9 BPI. FAMU struggles on both offense and defense, while Florida features a top-25 offense (8.6, 21st).

ESPN projects Florida to finish the season with a 19.5-10.5 overall record and a 9.1-8.9 record in conference play based on results so far and BPI-based projections for remaining scheduled games. The Gators only have 1.3% odds to win the conference. Florida faces the 44th-toughest schedule moving forward.

How to watch Florida-FAMU

The Gators and Rattlers tip off at 7 p.m. ET inside the O’Dome on Tuesday night. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Nework+ and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network.

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