Florida Men’s Basketball Drops Exhibition Opener to Baylor in OT

In November 2023, Baylor senior Jalen Bridges made two free throws with four seconds left. In a last-ditch effort, Riley Kugel swung the ball to Denzel Aberdeen, then a sophomore, for a three. Aberdeen made it, but Florida’s effort was too little, too late in a 95-91 loss.

Sunday in Jacksonville, déjà vu struck again.

Florida fell 82-76 in overtime to Baylor in its exhibition opener, and again it came down to the free-throw line. The Bears made 25 of 32 from the stripe, while the Gators made 22 of 35.

“I just didn’t think we were really able to find a rhythm,” Gators coach Todd Golden said. “We left a lot of points on the board that way.”

With 30 seconds left in regulation, Baylor guard Kayden Mingo, who finished with a game-high 31 points, made two free throws to put the Bears up 68-65. A free throw and a last-second mid-range shot by Aberdeen, now a fifth-year player, tied the game and forced overtime.

In overtime, Baylor again found itself on the line with a chance to extend its lead. Mingo made both shots with 17 seconds remaining to make it 82-76. Florida’s last chance, an Aberdeen three with eight seconds left, missed.

The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes.

Aberdeen, who transferred back this offseason from Kentucky, made his debut as a returning Gator. He finished with 15 points on 3-for-17 shooting.

Florida started rough, going just 2-for-10 from the field and 0-for-4 from three in the first nine minutes. That let Baylor go on a 6-0 run and take the lead.

For the first 10 minutes, Florida missed 13 shots in a row, including nine threes. Alex Condon ended the drought with a put-back dunk. Thomas Haugh followed with Florida’s first three of the game, putting the Gators back in front after they trailed for eight minutes. Florida went on to lead by as many as 10 in the first half, 26-16, on a 12-0 run.

The starting guards struggled. Aberdeen and Boogie Fland combined to shoot 8-for-25 from the field and 1-for-11 from three. Most of Aberdeen’s points came at the free-throw line, where he shot 9-for-10. Haugh led Florida with 19 points, going 2-for-6 from three and 9-for-10 at the line.

The starters could not look to the bench for help, either. They scored 73 of Florida’s 76 points as the bench combined to shoot 1-for-14, with AJ Brown making the only field goal. Urban Klavzar went 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-5 from three.

Golden expressed his disappointment from the bench, needing and wanting his players to step up as the season approaches.

“That’s never going to be good enough,” he said when asked about the bench’s performance Sunday. “We play hard. We try to play the right way, but we got to make shots too.”

Projected SEC Player of the Year, Haugh felt he did not use his role as a veteran well enough to lead his team to a victory. He finished Sunday with 19 points, scoring two of Florida’s four threes.

“I need to use my voice more,” Haugh said. “I didn’t do that today well enough at all.”

Baylor turned defense to offense, shooting 45.5% overall and 41% (7-for-17) from three, while the Gators shot 4-for-29 from deep.

Despite the misses, Golden was proud to see the half-court offense generate open looks for shooters and driving lanes that the team will learn to capitalize on.

“Process over result,” he said. “We got a lot of open threes, and we go to the line a lot. We’ll live with that.”

The Gators’ one bright spot was on the boards. Florida outrebounded Baylor 46-41, including 26-12 on the offensive glass. In the first half alone, the Gators outrebounded the Bears 26-13, including 14-2 on the offensive glass. Reuben Chinyelu led all players with 15 rebounds, eight of them offensive. Last season, Florida led the nation with a +14.7 rebounding margin, averaging 45.1 rebounds per game.

Florida’s defense also showed promise, with multiple full-court traps and a press that forced a late Baylor travel. The Gators scored 13 points off Baylor’s 10 turnovers.

The Gators continue to prepare for the 2026-27 season Oct. 27 at home against Stetson in their second exhibition game.

“There’s a reason why you play these exhibitions,” Golden said after the loss. “Get an opportunity to try to figure some things out, learn from your mistakes.”v

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball