Looking Back on Florida Men’s Basketball’s Title Run as New Season Nears
With four days until the start of the season, No. 3 Florida men’s basketball is ready to start its journey seeking back-to-back championships.
Last season, the Gators trailed late in the second half in four of its six March Madness games en route to their third national championship.
Coach Todd Golden’s road to his first Naismith trophy was defined by sacrifice and an underdog mentality. In a season full of injuries, upsets and unforgettable comebacks, here is how Florida brought a third national championship to Gainesville.
Improbable Wins
With 15 minutes left in the second half of the national championship game, the Gators trailed by 12 points against a smothering Houston defense. Walter Clayton Jr., one of the best scorers in the nation, had zero points.
This was nothing the Gators had not seen before. In the NCAA round of 32 against back-to-back reigning champion UConn, Florida overcame a 52-46 deficit with 7:30 left in the game, but Clayton made two late 3s that were the daggers that slayed the giant. In the Elite 8, Thomas Haugh and Clayton hit five combined 3s to overcome trailing 67-57. The story was the same against Auburn in the Final 4, when the Tigers led by as many as nine points in the second half.
The morale of the story: the Gators refused to go away. After facing its largest deficit of the tournament against Houston, Florida woke up and locked in offensively. Clayton and Alijah Martin traded 3s and Haugh had an incredible steal-and-score plus the foul to make it a one-possession game.
After Denzel Aberdeen hit a free throw to give Florida a 65-63 lead, the Cougars had one last chance to win or go to overtime. Emanuel Sharp ran from under the basket to the top of the key, caught the pass and spun into a 3-point attempt. Clayton was right in front of him. Sharp fumbled the ball and couldn’t regain control before the buzzer. Florida held on to win the national championship.
SEC Champions
The Gators have not lost a game since Georgia on Feb. 25. In addition to the Naismith, the Gators earned their fifth SEC championship.
The SEC was the best conference in the history of college basketball. Fourteen of the 16 teams in the SEC made the NCAA Tournament, setting a record for a single conference.
The first test the Gators faced was Missouri, which beat the Gators in the O-Dome two months prior. After beating the Tigers by 95-81, Florida faced Alabama, which was headlined by two of college basketball’s best in Mark Sears and Grant Nelson. The Crimson Tide put up no resistance, losing 104-82. The SEC championship went through Tennessee, one of the best defensive teams in the nation. Clayton once again led the way, scoring 22 points and hitting four 3-pointers, including a pair of clutch shots late, while four other Gators dropped double figures in a 86-77 win.
The Handlogten Effect
What brought this team from a possible championship contender to one of the best teams in the nation was the return of center Micah Handlogten.
Handlogten was the starting center for Golden in his first season at Florida two years ago. The Marshall transfer broke his leg in the beginning of the 2023-2024 SEC tourney, causing him to redshirt the 2024-2025 season.
When Micah saw how special his team could be, he unselfishly gave up his redshirt to win a championship. At 7-foot-1 Handlogten added even more height and versatility in the post. In his return against South Carolina, it looked like he never got injured, finishing with five assists, three points and three rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
Handlogten was the best at crashing the offensive boards, providing second and third opportunities for his teammates. His hustle and rim protection off the bench provided the spark the Gators needed to become a great team.
Next Man Up
In addition to an underdog identity, the Gators’ depth was on display through overcoming a multitude of injuries.
The most prominent of which was Martin, who sustained a hip injury against Vanderbilt. The next game on the schedule: No. 1 Auburn in The Jungle. Without their best on-ball defender and second leading scorer, the Gators beat the Tigers thanks to the play of Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar. Aberdeen put up 10 points in his first career start, while Klavzar hit three 3s in the second half.
Later on in the season Clayton and Alex Condon went down with injuries, but the Gators continued to win. Both Haugh and Aberdeen had career highs in points in Condon’s and Martin’s absence in a win against South Carolina. No light was too bright for the reserves, who continued to shine in big moments. The Gators took down ranked teams like Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, all without one or two starters.
2026 Looming
As the new season approaches, the Gators are looking to do what the program accomplished in 2006 and 2007: go back to back. They have the talent and leadership to do so, it is all a matter of execution.
Florida opens the season against No. 13 Arizona on Monday in Las Vegas.
Category: Basketball, College Baseball, Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball, NCAA Tournament
