On Jan. 10, the Gators men’s basketball team was boat raced by Ole Miss and ran out of the gym losing 103-85 in Oxford.
Despite bouncing back against Arkansas Jan. 13, UF then suffered another double-digit loss on the road against the Tennessee Volunteers Jan. 16.
They were 1-3 in the SEC to start conference play and thoughts of missing out on another NCAA Tournament appearance floated.
But since then, Florida has only improved. UF went 10-4 to close the regular season after the Tennessee loss, and the four losses were by a combined 13 points all on the road.
Additionally, head coach Todd Golden’s squad made a run to the SEC Tournament final, beating Georgia for a third time, and Alabama and Texas A&M for a second time.
“I mean, we've just gotten better,” Golden said Thursday. “Even when we started out 1-3 in conference play, just our maturity to continue to work and push through and not point fingers or try to go our own way has led us to this moment now where we've obviously played some really, really good basketball over the last month and a half, two months where I could argue we're playing about as well as anybody at times.”
Like most teams, UF has accomplished its goal of making the NCAA Tournament after missing the dance in the first year of the Golden Era. But this year, UF eclipsed the 20-win mark for the first time since 2017.
With a matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes set Friday, the Gators will play their first non-conference opponent since Dec. 30, 2023.
Senior guard Zyon Pullin has played a major role in the Gators’ success. Averaging 15.6 points per game and leading the team in minutes played, Pullin has received multiple honors, including First-Team All-SEC and National Association of Basketball Coaches second-team All-District.
Pullin is also on pace to record the SEC’s best single-season assist-to-turnover ratio in the 2000s. With an A/TO ratio of 3.76, Pullin ranks third in the nation.
Along with multiple UF players, Pullin will play in the tournament for the first time.
“It's great seeing the hard work pay off,” he said Thursday. “It's always something you dream of as a kid growing up watching the games. Just to be a part of something like this is special, and to do it with these guys is even better. So I'm really looking forward to the experience.”
With four ranked wins this season, Golden joined former UF head coach Tommy Bartlett as the only Florida coaches to post five or more ranked wins within the first two seasons with the program.
He earned three at home but the biggest came on the road against the then-No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena Jan. 31. In a 94-91 overtime win, it was the Gators’ 12th all-time win in Rupp Arena in the 97-year history of the series.
It was a season-changing win.
“We knew that we could play with anyone,” graduate student forward Tyrese Samuel said. “Especially being down in the game and coming back and winning in overtime, and from there I think that built a lot of confidence for our team.”
Samuel had a historic night, becoming the first player nationally since Tim Duncan to post 23 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in a top-10 road victory.
A performance like this Friday would do wonders for the Gators. Without starting center Micah Handlogten, Samuel will look to be the leader in the frontcourt in his second tournament appearance of his collegiate career.
All season, Samuel has had high aspirations and believes UF can make a Final Four run. Along with this, he said he wants to put Florida back on the map, as the Gators haven’t advanced past the Round of 32 since 2017.
It’ll be a tough task against a hot Colorado team, but UF has surprised the nation all season. They weren’t the favorite to make the SEC Final but fought all week long in Nashville to earn a runner-up finish.
And with a 7-3 neutral site record, Florida will be well-rested for its first NCAA Tournament appearance with a packed house since 2019.
And the Gators will compete in a city where they have a rich history of success. The Gators won their first national championship in program history in Indianapolis in 2006. They also made the national title game in 2000 in Indy.
“My hope is we have a great crowd tomorrow,” Golden said. “I think the guys — being honest, I don't think the guys would really care whether they're here or Spokane, Washington. They'd be really excited to play in this NCAA Tournament. But it's cool and unique that we do get to play our first — maybe first two games here in Indianapolis.”
Tip-off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is Friday at 4:30 p.m. The game can be streamed on TBS.
Contact Bennett Solomon at bsolomon@alligator.org. Follow him on X @B_Soly11.
