Image Credit: UAA
It was hardly a complete performance for the No. 1 Florida Gators, but a road victory is a road victory, especially over an in-state rival. Florida led for all but 4:31 on Tuesday night, prevailing 81-72 over the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Gators improved to 3-0 on the season, picking up their second win over an ACC opponent with a couple remaining on the schedule as their “big three” ensured they would finish their careers undefeated against FSU.
While head coach Todd Golden is surely pleased with the victory, he will undoubtedly have plenty of tape to pour over coming out of the game, considering Florida was incredibly undisciplined and inefficient for most of the contest. The result was far closer than it needed to be, despite UF never truly being in danger of falling off.
Let’s take a look at what went down Tuesday night with some Fastbreak Takeaways.
It was over when … junior guard Boogie Fland immediately forced a turnover after a missed free throw by senior forward Thomas Haugh, himself going 1 of 2 from the charity stripe to put the Gators ahead by eight points with 34.6 seconds remaining.
As soon as Florida moved in front by eight early in the second half, Florida State took advantage of three turnovers to manufacture a 7-0 run. Fland, returning from a shoulder injury suffered in the first half, responded by completing an old-fashioned 3-point play to help push the Gators ahead by nine with 11 minutes remaining. The Noles again cut into that advantage with an 8-2 stretch as the visitors went 4:43 between baskets, missing four straight attempts.
Junior guard Urban Klavžar’s personal 8-0 run for UF helped push the advantage to 10 points; FSU hitting four of five shots as part of that stretch prevented further gains. Haugh then kept the pressure on, drawing two fouls deep in the paint and creating opportunity where it appeared none existed, converting four straight free throws to push the Gators ahead by a game-high 11 points with 2:31 left.
First half focus: After battling past a 5-minute drought without a field goal, Florida went on a 12-2 run to take a five-point lead with 7:37 until the break. The Gators eventually boosted their lead to six, but the Noles scored 10 of the last 16 points in the period, briefly taking the lead until UF jumped ahead by two at halftime. Florida astoundingly took 19 attempts from 3-point land in the first half (making six) while going only 3 of 8 from the free-throw line. The Gators were also outscored 14-10 in the paint despite holding a 22-16 advantage on the boards. No one on UF’s side scored in double figures, and Klavžar opened 0 of 4 from downtown.
Exceptional efforts: Haugh put together a workmanlike double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, disappearing early in the second half before seriously asserting his will over the game’s final stanza. Fland, despite his injury, finished second on the team with 14 points, adding five boards and four assists, though he did commit four costly turnovers. On a night in which Florida did not shoot well from the charity stripe, they combined to go 15 of 19 on gimmies and hit 50% from downtown.
Sophomore G Isaiah Brown only played 12 minutes but came up clutch when he was on the court, making 2 of 3 triples for 8 points while grabbing three rebounds. Perhaps Golden will consider additional playing time for someone who, last season, looked like he would be an X-factor in 2026-27. Brown attacks the basket better than any other backcourt player on the team, which can be crucial in crunch time. Klavžar seriously struggled to find the bottom of the net, finishing 1 of 7 from deep, but he made all seven free throws at a key stretch of the game. Each of the aforementioned guards also registered a steal.
Here we go again: Senior F Alex Condon did come one point away from a double-double of his own, but as was tradition a year ago, he mostly put up a clunker coming out of a couple of pristine efforts. Condon went 1 of 5 from the line with a game-high five turnovers. Senior G Denzel Aberdeen also left a lot to be desired, finishing 1 of 4 from long range with three assists. Most of the Gators’ issues were team-based on Tuesday, but these performances certainly did not help.
Odds & ends: Florida improved to 49-29 all-time against Florida State with a 21-14 edge in Tallahassee … Golden is now 5-0 against FSU … Condon now has 531 career defensive rebounds, seventh most in program history … Florida under Golden improved to 86-10 when leading at halftime, 98-7 when leading with 5 minutes left, 86-15 when outrebounding an opponent and 81-10 when outshooting an opponent from 3-point range … the Gators picked up a less-common victory when shooting worse than 45% from the field (32-30) and shooting worse than an opponent overall (11-34)
What it means: Good teams hit free throws, limit turnovers and score in the paint while on the road. For a while, Florida did not look like a good team on Tuesday night. The Gators started 4 of 10 from the line with seven giveaways and only 10 points inside, the only reasons why the Noles were even in the game for an extended stretch. Ultimately, Florida reversed course, going 27 of 33 from the charity stripe in the second half (17 of 20 in the final 3:07) while not making a basket the last 4:28. The Gators committed 14 turnovers in the game and, at one point, were on pace to take 35 attempts from downtown, which would have been the most in the game since their national championship season when they were one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation.
As Florida pulled away, it no longer needed to shoot, settling on a 9 of 28 mark from beyond the arc (.321), its worst effort of the season by nearly 10%. The Gators struggled a bit with the size the Noles brought to the table, and the raucous environment clearly got to them at times, giving Golden plenty to pour over before the next game.
Editor’s note: FSU head coach and former player Luke Loucks is apparently trying to force UF into some type of passionate rivalry on the hardwood with his comments and antics. It was a clown show at points on Tuesday and certainly an odd look from the sideline.
What’s next? Florida returns to the hardwood on Friday when it hosts Merrimack back in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET and air live nationally on SEC Network.
