When #12 Florida cruised to a 14-point victory over South Carolina on Tuesday night, the celebration at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center came with an edge: the Gators knew they could play even better.
“We weren’t perfect,” head coach Todd Golden admitted after the game. And yet, Florida still dominated the boards (plus-17), held South Carolina under 40% from the field, and led by 22 with three minutes remaining. For a team still hunting an SEC championship, playing well below their ceiling and winning comfortably? That’s a statement.
Dominant Performance Without Peak Execution
Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu powered Florida’s sixth consecutive win—the team’s longest streak of the season. Condon posted 20 points and 10 rebounds while becoming the 58th member of Florida’s 1,000-point club. Chinyelu was even more impressive with 15 points and 17 rebounds, already achieving a double-double by halftime with 11 points and 13 rebounds in the first half alone.
Chinyelu now sits 10th in Florida’s single-season rebounding history with 312 total rebounds, joining elite company with Al Horford and Joakim Noah as the only players in the top 10 from the last 50 years. He’s also one offensive rebound away from breaking Dwayne Davis’s single-season record.
Thomas Haugh added 10 points and extended his 3-pointer streak to 21 consecutive games, while the team recorded multiple double-doubles for the eighth time this season.
Controlling the SEC Race
The victory keeps Florida firmly in control of the SEC standings. The Gators have now won 11 of their last 12 gamesand boast a staggering 41-3 home record since the start of the 2023-24 season—a top-10 home winning percentage nationally. The sellout crowd (Florida’s eighth of the season) witnessed a team that knows how to win even on nights when everything doesn’t click.
“There is an expectation in our program that if we’re not up by 15 at halftime and if we don’t win by 25 that something isn’t right,” Golden said. “But we’re in the best league in America. Being up 10 at halftime and up 22 with three minutes to go, we played pretty dang well. Even when we’re not at our best, I think we’re really good.”
Championship Mentality
After demolishing South Carolina by 47 points in their first meeting, Florida faced a potential trap game. Alex Condon acknowledged the challenge: “It’s almost like a trap game. A team coming in here who I think is better than what people make them out to be.”
But championship teams find ways to win regardless of circumstances. Golden’s 96th career victory at Florida moved him past Tommy Bartlett for seventh place on the school’s all-time wins list, and his team improved to 5-1 against South Carolina during his tenure.
The Gators’ “secret sauce,” as Golden called it, is their unselfishness. With multiple future NBA prospects on the roster, Florida could easily become a team of individuals chasing stats. Instead, they’ve embraced a team-first mentality after watching Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, and Alijah Martin all get drafted following last year’s national championship.
“Winning is the most important thing,” Golden emphasized. On a night when Florida didn’t bring their A-game, they still won convincingly. For the rest of the SEC, that might be the most concerning development of all.