5 Takeaways: No. 1 Florida Men’s Basketball Finds Way to Win
College sports road games can be a challenge for visiting teams, but a rival game takes it to a whole new level.
As Isaiah Brown headed to the locker room at halftime, a rogue beer can tossed from the Seminoles’ student section struck him, a fitting summary of the game’s atmosphere Tuesday. Rather than getting rattled, Brown and the No. 1 Gators responded the only way a top-ranked team in the nation could: keeping composure and walking out of Tallahassee with an 81-72 victory against Florida State.
“It’s rowdy, not like the Rowdy Reptiles though,” Brown said. “It’s one of the most insane environments I’ve been in, and we strive in those; we’re used to this.”
It was a gritty, high-stakes matchup that tested every ounce of Florida’s rotation and resilience. Even on a less-than-perfect night, coach Todd Golden’s squad found a way to win a hostile road game.
As Florida moves to 3-0 on the season, here are the five things that stood out from the Gators’ six straight win against the Seminoles:
First-half tempo issues
Florida thrives when it can control the tempo, get out in transition, and aggressively attack the basket. However, Florida State in the first half managed to hold down and force the Gators to take shots around the paint instead of getting downhill.
The Seminoles’ defensive pressure disrupted the half-court attack, forcing the Gators to settle for the outside shot. Florida ended launching 19 3-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes, hitting six of them, as it struggled to establish its usual downhill rhythm.
“Not our best effort in terms of taking care of the ball,” Todd Golden said. “I thought we were a little disorganized offensively. That falls on my shoulders.”
The Gators were able to find the rhythm in the second half, getting to the four line 33 times and slowing down the Seminoles offense as they held them to 4-of-21 from 3 for the game and six bench points.
“We love to get out in transition,” Brown said. “Being able to play against these teams who run fast tempo and want to go up the floor, they just feed into what we like to do.”
Boogie Fland proved his worth to the offense
Junior guard Boogie Fland showed exactly how crucial he is to running this Gators offense. Despite exiting briefly because of an injury, Fland was able to stuff the stat sheet with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes, filling the vital steady presence that Golden was thankful to have in a frantic environment.
“I was a little nervous that we weren’t gonna have him after the play,” Golden said. “The minutes he gave us when he came back were absolutely huge.”
When Fland left the court, the Gators offense took a minor hit, looking a bit disorganized and with sixth man Urban Klavzar having an off shooting night with one 3 made. When Fland returned to the court, it helped Florida orchestrate offensive opportunities, provide defensive presence, and find its way to the line making 27-for-33 shots from the line in the second half.
“He was fantastic defensively in the second half; I think he did a really good job at the point of our defense and late-game organization,” Golden said.
Thomas Haugh anchors the frontcourt
On a night when Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu both scored under double figures, Haugh proved exactly why he’s on the SEC Preseason Player of the Year watchlist. The senior forward was able to anchor the Florida offense with a massive double-double, posting a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes of action.
“He’s the ultimate winning player, whether banging a couple of threes, getting some defensive stops, cleaning up their boards or getting us second chances,” Golden said. “He always values the basketball; another game with no turnovers for him, it just keeps getting better and better.”
When Florida struggled as a team from the free-throw line in the first half, shooting a rough 3-for-8 (37.5%), Haugh essentially iced the game down the stretch. As the Gators shot a blistering 27-for-33 from the line in the second half, Haugh knocked down 10 of his 12 overall attempts to keep the Seminoles trailing.
“We started to make some at the end, but I think foul shots were the biggest thing down the stretch,” Haugh said.
Gators outmuscle the Seminoles on the glass
When shots aren’t falling, elite teams need to find a way to manufacture possessions, and, on Tuesday, Florida did that by dominating the glass. The Gators were able to outmuscle a tough Florida State front line led by freshman Marcis Ponder, who’s been averaging a double-double coming into the night, closing with a commanding 41-29 rebound advantage.
“Ponder is a very good young player, he’s gonna be great, but that’s a matchup we expect to win at this point of the season and the point of their respected career,” Golden said.
The frontcourt trio of Haugh, Condon and Chinyelu was relentless on the boards, combining for 26 of the team’s rebounds. Condon quietly put on a blue-collar performance, pulling down 10 boards and adding nine points in 34 minutes while battling the Seminoles’ athletic big men in the paint. This rebounding advantage was vital on the offensive end, where the Gators grabbed 12 offensive boards that translated to 14 second-chance points.
By securing extra possessions and limiting Florida State to just nine offensive rebounds of its own, Florida was able to neutralize the Seminoles’ transition game.
The bench rises in a hostile environment
In a chaotic rivalry game with beer cans and insults flying in the Tucker Civic Center, Florida’s depth proved to be the ultimate difference-maker. The Gators’ bench was a big difference, beating the Seminoles’ second unit by a commanding 22-6 margin. Isaiah Brown was the highlight for the unit, knocking down a pair of timely 3-pointers and aggressively attacking the paint to finish with nine crucial points in just 12 minutes of action.
“I thought he was great; his ability to give us nine points off the bench, hitting two big threes in each half that settled us down, great transition finish,” Golden said. “He was just impactful on the floor; I thought him and Urby [Urban Klavzar] were very good that way, I thought DP [Domen Petrovic] honestly played fine; we can’t afford the turnovers he had, but he made good winning plays out there as well.”
Unfazed by the hostile environment, the reserves provided exactly what Florida needed to secure the victory.
“Anytime you can win a rivalry game on the road, it’s a great win,” Golden said. “I’m pleased that we’ve beaten these guys five times in a row.”
Florida will return to the just named Tower Hill Arena on Friday to face Merrimack (1-2). Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on 103.7-FM WRUF and at 7 p.m. SEC Network.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball
