With a flurry of white jersey-clad Rowdy Reptiles behind him, Denzel Aberdeen shoots confidently. He’s waited for these moments his whole life, but surely for two years on UF's bench. With Florida leading 37-33 coming out of the half, it’s his time in the spotlight.
After his first shot drops through the rim, he glows as he stares into the snowstorm of students behind him. A minute later, fellow bench veteran Thomas Haugh joined him in the 3-point festivities from the top of the key, extending Florida’s lead to double digits, a gap the Gators never let go of in the last 18 minutes on Saturday night.
“He’s trying to get his buddy’s job,” Florida coach Todd Golden said about Haugh stepping into the lineup for injured sophomore forward Alex Condon. “This team has the chance to do really special things because of guys like Tommy.”
The pair finished with 42 points, the latest moment in their ascension to Gator stardom, and sparked a 17-point second-half swing for Florida.
After a back-and-forth first period, Gators men’s basketball (22-3, 9-3 SEC) drowned the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-15, 0-12 SEC) 88-67 behind strong performances from atypical starters junior guard Aberdeen and sophomore forward Haugh, while junior center Micah Handlogten made his long-awaited season debut.
During media availability on Friday, Aberdeen was asked if Florida is the deepest team in the country. He didn’t mince his words in response: “Yes,” explaining how he prepares to play differing roles.
“I know what I can do coming off the bench or starting,” Aberdeen said on Friday. “Just always being ready.”
After getting extended minutes over the last three games and scoring double digits in each, he backed up his response again on Saturday.
Aberdeen finished the first half with nine points but came alive to open the second half, sinking a pair of threes from the corner in the first five minutes. He concluded the evening as Florida’s leading scorer with 22 points — his second consecutive game leading the Gators in scoring.
“Early in the year, there were times where we wanted him to be a little more aggressive,” Golden said. “He seems to have really figured it out and he’s playing at an insanely high level right now.”
And while Aberdeen had his moment in Florida’s limelight, Haugh’s performance was equally notable. The sophomore forward added his own basket for what felt like each shot Aberdeen hit, finishing with 20 points, but his effect was felt beyond the scoring column.
With just over six minutes remaining for the evening and South Carolina driving to the basket having gone on a brief, two-basket run, the do-everything forward launched. As Haugh’s hand made contact with the ball, senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. grabbed and tossed it to a racing senior guard Will Richard. While he dunked, the O’Dome erupted, knowing the game was all but over with Florida holding a 23-point lead.
“Once they went on a run or two, it was hard for guys to see the promised land,” South Carolina coach Lamont Paris said. “Something’s gone sideways when we score… [and] two seconds later, the crowds cheering.”
There was a lot to cheer about Saturday night, often when the Gators were shooting from behind the arc. While Florida's 6-of-14 (42.9%) performance from three in the first half was impressive, it went 8 of 14 down the stretch to finish the game, much to Haugh and Aberdeen's credit. Golden emphasized after the game that he's in favor of his team shooting from deep often, and that confidence has paid off, with Florida making 51 3-pointers over its last four games.
However, almost none of that production was by Clayton Jr. and Richard. The pair, who typically average 17.5 and 13.2 points per game, respectively, combined for 18 on 2-of-8 shooting from three. Their abnormal performances largely disappeared into the night, though, as the return of Handlogten took center stage.
After breaking his leg in the SEC Championship last year, the offensive-rebounding weapon (3.3 per game last year) wasn't anticipated to return for the 2024-25 season. That was until he unexpectedly announced he was coming back on Friday morning.
On Saturday, he entered the game early in the first quarter, but it took some time for the center to find his rhythm. After a scoreless first half, only three minutes into the second, Handlogten got his first basket of the year, coming on an and-one layup. He finished the evening with two points, missing the free throw that accompanied his score and left amusingly discontent with his return.
“I didn’t have any offensive rebounds, which I’m a little upset about,” Handlogten joked after the game.
The evening wasn’t without difficulties, though, as Florida and South Carolina spent an over six-minute stretch of the first half scoring 12 points with six missed shots and six turnovers. After freshman guard Urban Klavzar knocked in a three that brought the Gators to down 25-24 with 10 minutes left until the break, UF’s typically smooth offense (fifth in KenPom offensive efficiency) lost its rhythm instantaneously.
“First half was a little up and down,” Golden said. “I didn’t think I did a great job in the first half getting guys comfortable.”
With under four minutes left before halftime and over five minutes since UF’s last field goal, senior guard Alijah Martin launched a three from the left side of the arc. The ball hit the front of the rim, dancing into the nearly silent air of the O’Dome, and after what felt like minutes, it dropped into the netting.
That wasn’t Martin’s only basket of the night, but it was his first since Feb. 4. The FAU transfer hadn’t played after suffering a hip injury against Vanderbilt and didn’t start on Saturday night. While it was a less notable return than his 7-foot-1 counterpart, Florida still felt the effect of having its 15.3-point-per-game guard back on the court. Despite finishing with 11 points, he was noticeable on the court defensively, notching two steals while constantly jumping in passing lanes.
His contribution was specifically noteworthy because while Florida’s offense stole the show (as it often does), its defense was the difference. After a concerning first ~10 minutes of play in which South Carolina scored 25 points, the Gators clamped down. The Gamecocks only scored eight points between the first half 10-minute mark and halftime, and Florida took advantage, scoring 14 points off the fast-break.
“We definitely started guarding better,” Golden said, adding how Florida’s defense allowed its offense to play to its advantage. “We are one of the most explosive teams in America in transition.”
While defeating the worst team in the SEC doesn’t necessarily move the needle, Saturday was productive for the Gators. The NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed the top 16 seeds (as of now) for March’s national championship bracket, and Florida landed as the fourth No. 1 seed.
With three games against currently ranked teams remaining on UF’s regular season schedule and one of the two teams ranked above it having lost on Saturday, Golden doesn’t want Florida to shy away from the pressure.
“Our goal is to be the No. 1 seed overall,” Golden said. “The goal is for us to be the best team in America… We want to give ourselves the best chance to advance in the NCAA tournament."
For their next bout on the road to the March Madness, the Gators will remain in Gainesville as they host Oklahoma (16-9, 3-9 SEC) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X @noahwhite1782
Noah is a Spring 2025 Assistant Sports Editor and Copy Desk Chief. He's a second-year journalism major who enjoys reading and shamefully rooting for Tennessee sports teams. He is also a Liberty League Women's Soccer expert.
