‘Embrace It’: Florida Returns to NCAA Tournament With Experience — and Expectations

TAMPA — The last time Florida entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed, the run ended with a national championship.

Now the Gators are back in the same position, opening the 2026 tournament Friday in the South Region against No. 16 Prairie View at 9:25 p.m., but with far more pressure than a year ago. Expectations have followed Florida all season, and the players know this March will be measured against what they did last March.

At Thursday’s press conference at Benchmark International Arena, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Micah Handlogten addressed how the team is handling the spotlight that comes with being the favorite.

“There were a lot of expectations coming into the year for us; I felt that early on with the amount of pressure and the strength of schedule that we had really early. We were 5-4 and people were second guessing us. They are saying we’re the easiest one-seed to take out,” Condon said. “We can’t take it for granted because we don’t know what’s going to happen next year with guys leaving and going to the NBA. Every day I get with these boys, I’ve got to take it.”

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On Sunday, Florida earned the No. 1 seed in the South Region, marking the fourth time in program history the Gators have held a top seed. In two of the previous three instances, they went on to win the national championship. It also comes 20 years after Florida’s first title run in Indianapolis – the start of its back-to-back championships. With that history comes pressure, but how the Gators handle it will define their run.

The key is staying grounded in the joy of the game. 

“I grew up watching the tournament since I was a kid, I remember the championship and how my mom would let me stay up later that night to watch it,” Haugh said. “I remember Chris Chiozza’s buzzer beater.” 

Condon, Haugh, Chinyelu and Handlogten were part of last season’s championship team, but this Florida squad looks different – new pieces, a new style and players who haven’t experienced it before. That’s where their leadership has mattered most. 

“We told them to embrace it, you’re living every little kid’s dream right now, don’t think too far ahead because then you’ll be out of the moment,” Handlogten said. “I mean these guys have won games in March Madness before and having us there to kind of tell them what it’s like to keep playing, I think it’s helped them with their mentality and focus.”

Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland each bring NCAA Tournament experience, having played at Princeton and Arkansas, respectively. The 2026 Gators aren’t focused on the label of “reigning champs” – they’re focused on each other and playing Florida basketball. 

“Reigning champion, I don’t think any of us care about that. We just care about this present moment right now, our new group and trying to achieve a bigger dream,” Chinyelu said. “That’s how we’re approaching each game at a time, enjoying all of that and creating those memories.”

It’s that connection that sets the Gators apart. They play with joy and draw from the highs and lows they’ve experienced together

“I think that’s our super power, just playing off of each other, enjoying each other, knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses and knowing each other on the court and that’s a big factor to our success,” Chinyelu said. “That’s something that I look back on and that I really enjoyed and I’m just glad to be here with this beautiful group.”

It’s a different feeling returning after tasting victory than chasing it for the first time. Still, Todd Golden has faith in his veteran leaders. 

“They’re great players, great people and great leaders. They’ve been able to experience the March in many different ways. It was disappointing our first year losing a tight game to Colorado and then last year running the table and cutting down the nets,” Golden said. “So they’ve experienced a wide range of experiences and emotions in the tournament. They’ve done a really good job at leading our guys these last couple days; especially the guys that weren’t in our program last year and the guys that didn’t play a very big role on our team in terms of getting them prepared to play in March.” 

Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball