When sports fans think about athletic programs at the University of Florida, initial thoughts will often drift to the football or baseball teams. But it’s likely only a matter of time before the men’s hoops squad starts to create some serious buzz around Gainesville.
Just 10 games into the 2023-24 season, Florida has its best record since the 2005-06 campaign. And it was one that Gators fans remember fondly, resulting in a national championship victory.
With that being said, Florida has a long road ahead before it can even think about climbing the ladder to cut down the nets at the 2025 Men’s Final Four in San Antonio. Nevertheless, UF’s performance against the Arizona State Sun Devils provided yet another sneak peak of just how dominant this team could be.
In a Holiday Hoopsgiving edition of Florida men’s basketball, the No. 9 Gators (10-0) trailed for just 35 seconds shortly after the opening tip against Arizona State (8-2), eventually rolling to a 83-66 victory at State Farm Arena in Atlanta Saturday.
When UF senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. completed his workouts in preparation for the NBA Draft last offseason, the Lake Wales native had a decision to make. He had to either turn pro, or return for his senior year and lead the Gators to new heights. Clayton Jr. went with the latter, and almost a third of the way through the regular season, he’s done just that.
For the third straight game, Clayton Jr. buried five or more 3-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field with three rebounds and three assists. Perhaps one of Clayton Jr.’s strongest qualities this season has been his leadership as he has stepped into the point guard role for the Gators.
Well into the second half of Saturday’s contest, the Gators possessed a 20-plus point lead. However, that didn’t stop the senior guard from hustling for a ball that nearly sailed out of bounds, exciting every teammate he had on the bench or court.
Growing up just 20 miles from State Farm Arena, Saturday’s game served as somewhat of a homecoming for UF senior guard Will Richard, and he wasted no time getting the hot hand early. Richard scored eight of Florida’s first 15 points and knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers just before the first under-16 timeout as the Gators led 15-8.
The Fairburn, Georgia, native finished with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field with six rebounds and two assists. Richard was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Florida’s lead grew as large as 14 with 3:43 remaining in the first half, largely due to a technical foul called on Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley. This, in turn, led to three made free throws for the Gators.
ASU redshirt senior guard Adam Miller stepped to the free throw line less than one minute later and cut UF’s lead to 10. Miller finished as ASU’s leading scorer with 18 points and made the final field goal of the first half as the Gators took a 41-32 lead into halftime.
In the second period, it was all Florida. UF went on to outscore the Sun Devils 41-34 in the second half behind a strong rebounding effort and a steady performance from a third senior guard, Alijah Martin.
The Gators out-rebounded the Sun Devils 47-27 in the game. Likewise, the FAU transfer rounded out Florida’s offensive attack with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds, six assists and three 3-pointers. Florida’s starting backcourt scored 46 of its 83 points.
UF ripped off an 11-0 run with just over 11 minutes in regulation, which junior forward Sam Alexis and sophomore forward Thomas Haugh capped off with back-to-back field goals to extend the Gators’ lead to as many as 29 points. It was a strong showing for Florida’s bench, which finished with a combined 16 points (eight from Alexis).
For the sixth time in the last seven games, the Gators made 10 or more 3-pointers and finished 10-of-30 from deep. It was a more efficient performance from 2-point range for UF, shooting 32-of-67 (42%).
Next, Florida could have one of its biggest challenges of the season.The Gators will head to Charlotte to take on North Carolina at the Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
