Walter Clayton Jr. has made 101 threes this season, good 23rd in the nation. Florida’s deep-shot ability, driven by his rate, has been key to its recent dominance. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, that was on display again.
Having won the opening tip, the Gators strolled down the court and worked out of their first set, but to no avail. That’s when Clayton Jr. caught the ball. Eyeing the basket, standing above the blue bracket logo on center court, he nonchalantly dribbled while inching forward. With 12 seconds remaining on the shot clock, the senior first-team All-American became impatient.
In less than half a second, he turned and launched. It was a shot he’d taken many times this season and one he will likely take again on Sunday, but Norfolk State wasn’t ready to contest, and in less than 20 seconds, UF had the lead.
If you ask almost any fan why Florida has been as successful as it has been this season, they’ll provide a similar breakdown. The Gators shoot well and often. There’s another aspect, though, that powers Florida’s efficient offense. An element that remains under the radar but could be UF’s difference between a Sweet Sixteen burnout and a National Championship.
"I thought we were fantastic on the offensive glass, about as good as you could be. We got 66% of our misses back, which is an outrageous number,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said after his team’s 95-69 victory over Norfolk State on Friday. The Gators grabbed their second most offensive rebounds of any game this season, 21, in the win, separating from the Spartans on the glass. But that isn’t anything new.
Entering Friday’s NCAA Tournament bout, Florida ranked third in the nation in rebounds per game, averaging 42. Additionally, the Gators have out-rebounded each of their last 11 opponents. Those numbers don't mean everything, but they’re supporting UF’s offensive output.
Clayton Jr.'s 101 threes this season are impressive, but the percentage those makes are coming on isn’t. The senior guard hits from beyond the arc at 37.7%, which isn’t an efficient rate. UF is worse, though, as a team, knocking down 35.4% this season. That’s good for 92nd in the nation, and when paired with the 25th-highest three-point attempt rate in the country, it doesn’t seem conducive to running a record-setting offensive machine. Despite that, UF has continued to perform. Why? Rebounding.
The Gators have earned some shot-selection leeway purely because of what they do on the glass. UF shot 31.1% from three on Friday, but that wasn’t concerning, primarily because it scored 24 second-chance points on its 41 rebounds. Norfolk State only scored 12 on its 28 rebounds.
“You gotta set the tone early,” sophomore forward Condon said after Florida’s victory over Ole Miss on March 8, explaining how he approaches rebounding. “There’s an emphasis [on being aggressive].”
Florida is led in the frontcourt by sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu and Condon, who notch 6.5 and 7.9 rebounds per game. Against Norfolk State, the pair combined for 13, while junior center Micah Handlogten added eight.
Florida finished the evening with more offensive rebounds than defensive ones for the first time this season, which, on the surface level, seems impressive. However, that remains an area that needs to improve before facing UConn.
“I thought we were trying to win 50-50 jumping battles as opposed to putting bodies on guys and blocking them off and keeping them away from the rim,” Golden said. “Again, that was something I thought we just relaxed a little bit once we got out to that big lead, and it's something we've got to correct and be better Sunday regardless of who we play."
The Gators will next take the court against No. 8 seed Connecticut in the second round, and that could be the perfect test of Florida’s work on the defensive boards. UConn is 18th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage at 34.7 and will pressure Florida to box out significantly better than it did against Norfolk State. Additionally, the Huskies won’t fail to capitalize on Florida errors, as they notched 17 second-chance points and 32 in the paint against Oklahoma in the first round.
If the Gators respond on Sunday, they'll advance to the next step along a winding path of tests en route to the national championship. Golden’s squad has been incredibly proficient all season. Now, it needs to find ways to pivot.
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.
