After Florida lost in the Round of 64 to 10th-seeded Colorado last season, the team knew improvements had to be made.
Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh fostered one of the more significant performance jumps from his freshman season, which helped cement him as a “glue guy” on a national championship-winning team.
Haugh’s rise was on full display during Florida’s 84-79 comeback win against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. While senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. stole the spotlight with his two 3-pointers to take the lead, Florida might not have brought a national championship back to Gainesville without Haugh’s contributions.
Three moments from his 20-point performance against the Red Raiders cemented his place in Florida basketball history.
Down 75-66 late in the second half of the contest, Haugh soared in and secured a rebound off a missed 3-pointer from Clayton. He then made a pass, got the ball back and drilled a momentum-shifting three of his own. On the ensuing possession, he knocked down another three, pulling the game within one score, 75-72.
He shot six of 11 from the field and four of six from 3-point range to help his team advance to the Final Four.
“Tommy has just continued to improve so much when he got to campus,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “He was good for us last year, helped us win a lot of games, but I think he only averaged, like, three points and four rebounds a game.”
While Haugh was serviceable during his freshman season, he asserted himself as a more noticeable presence on the court as a sophomore.
He boosted his production in all major categories from his freshman to his sophomore season. Haugh progressed in his shooting from the field and the 3-point line, and he jumped from 3.7 to 6.1 rebounds per game in his sophomore season.
One of his biggest rebounds of the season came against UConn. As freshman forward Alex Condon missed a free throw, Haugh tussled with UConn freshman forward Liam McNeely for the ball. He helped the ball land in senior guard Alijah Martin’s hands, who dunked the ball to put Florida up 72-64.
“I think Alijah poked one out to Tommy, and Tommy poked one to Alijah where he got that dunk,” Golden said. “Those are the two big winning plays.”
However, his biggest progression came at the charity stripe. Haugh shot 79.4% from the line compared to 45.7% in his freshman season, and he made countless big free throws — including the final two against UConn to advance to the Sweet 16.
“But his jump he's made from his freshman to sophomore year has been incredible,” Golden said. “Just his ability to shoot the basketball. He's becoming an elite 3-point shooter, elite free-throw shooter.”
As a freshman, however, Haugh showed flashes of his potential. In a road contest against Georgia on Feb. 17, 2024, he showed he could be a force on the court. He shot six of nine from the field, while knocking down three of four from beyond the arc for a career-high 17 points in an 88-82 win.
During the 2024-25 season, he reached at least 17 points four times. Haugh recorded 19 against Southern Illinois in November, 20 points in his first start of the season against South Carolina on Feb. 15, 17 against Texas A&M on March 1 and 20 in the Elite Eight contest. Haugh also recorded double figures in 18 games, compared to just three times during his freshman year.
“Because we were able to bring in talented young guys, specifically Alex, Tommy and Denzel as guys that have grown within our program, then Walt and Will in the portal the year before, we felt like those five were great to build around,” Golden said before the Final Four.
While Haugh scored 12 against Auburn and five against Houston, he made and-one layups in both contests to give his team momentum-swinging baskets.
Haugh’s performance in the NCAA Tournament has elevated him onto NBA draft boards. Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft placed Haugh as the fifth pick in the second round (35th overall) to the Philadelphia 76ers. On3 has Haugh going to the Golden State Warriors with the 41st pick.
While Haugh may get selected in the draft, he and his good friend Condon will seemingly base their decisions on each other.
“We’ll see what this guy does. Maybe if he stays, I’ll stay,” Condon said on Haugh, according to On3.
The NBA Draft will take place on June 25 and 26, and June 15 is the deadline for players to withdraw and maintain their collegiate eligibility. While Haugh may test the draft process, this wasn’t on the radar after Florida’s first-round loss to Colorado a year prior.
Contact Jackson Colding at jcolding@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Colding_Jackson.
Jackson Colding is a junior sports journalism major and the Spring 2025 softball reporter. He is in his second semester at the sports desk. In his free time, he likes playing hockey, soccer and going to the gym.
