Fland’s Hot Hand Powers Gators Against Vols
Gators men’s basketball opened 2026 with two home routs against ranked SEC opponents after Saturday’s 91-67 victory against the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers that followed Tuesday’s 92-77 win against No. 18 Georgia.
Florida (11-5, 2-1 SEC) sophomore guard Boogie Fland was instrumental in the win, recording his largest point total since joining the Gators. Fland’s season-high 23 points were also his most since Dec. 30, 2024 with Arkansas.
The conference foes entered Saturday’s matchup as the top pair of programs in offensive rebounding. Both teams crash the boards more than the rest of the country. Florida’s 44.2% offensive rebound rate trails just Tennessee (45.2%).
Florida junior center Rueben Chinyelu has been at the forefront of the Gators’ rebounding attack. His 17 points and 16 boards were enough for his eighth double-double this season.
The floodgates stormed open in the final four minutes of the opening half. Fland connected on his first 3-pointer of the contest with 3:33 remaining.
He notched his most efficient game since trading in his Arkansas threads, shooting 69.2% from the field.
The sold-out crowd at the O’Connell Center did not sit down during the Gators’ 12-2 run. Fland accounted for seven of Florida’s points during that stretch. First-half action in the O’Dome concluded with a Fland euro-step layup.
“When we start making some shots, we’re able to run away from some people and we were able to do that today,” UF coach Todd Golden said.
Florida had 18 points off turnovers and nine fast breaks in the first 20 minutes of play.
The Gators’ dominant final minutes of the first half started after the New York native intercepted an errant Tennessee (11-5, 1-2) in-bound and Thomas Haugh cashed in for a 3. The junior forward came out of the opening half with 11 points and two steals.
Haugh was named to the Wooden Award midseason watch list on Wednesday. He has averaged 17.5 points entering the matchup with Tennessee, and proved dominant in the victory against Georgia on Tuesday. Haugh notched 21 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals against the Bulldogs.
The New Oxford, Pa., native tallied 13 points and a career-high five steals Saturday.
Florida’s 24-point win continued a streak that has lived on since 2019. The home team has emerged victorious each time the Gators and Volunteers squared off in the regular season. Florida’s 30-point win on Jan 7. 2025 is one of the highlights of the nine consecutive games.
The second half opened just as the first concluded. Senior Xaivian Lee opened the scoring of both with a triple, and Chinyelu got to work on the boards.
“We played really well today,” Golden said. “I thought our guys, one through eight that got minutes, did a great job being mentally and physically tough, and it started on the defensive end.”
The Gators defense held the Volunteers to just 49 shots. Florida also generated 30 points off turnovers.
Fland’s hot-shooting performance was not just a first-half occurrence. The sophomore transfer had 13 points in the second half. His third triple of the afternoon aided in his massive day on the statsheet.
“It was a step in the right direction,” Fland said. “That little slump tests you mentally. I battled through it and my teammates had my back.”
Next up: The Gators will travel to Norman, Okla., to take on the Sooners (11-4, 1-1 entering Saturday’s game with Texas A&M) on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Category: College Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball, NCAA
