Last season, the Florida men’s hoops squad boasted its highest-scoring offense in program history. In 2024-25, UF nearly matched it. On Saturday, that was hardly recognizable.
Roughly 20,000 Tennessee fans packed Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the No. 8 Volunteers put on a fiery display without two of their key contributors: senior guard Zakai Zeigler and senior forward Igor Milicic Jr.
UT’s 64-44 thumping of the Gators came less than four weeks after UF notched a historic 30-point victory over then-No. 1 Tennessee at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
With the tables having seemingly turned, Florida head coach Todd Golden certainly took note of it.
“We couldn't seem to get downhill the way we normally do offensively,” Golden said. “We've been amazing offensively all year, and we looked terrible today, and I think a lot of that had to do with the way they guarded us, clearly, and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”
Perhaps an even bigger concern for UF is the health of its leading scorer, senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who’s been nothing short of sensational this season. Clayton Jr. has averaged a team-high 17.4 points per game and recently set the program’s record for most consecutive games with a 3-pointer — 44 and counting.
In the first half against Tennessee, Clayton Jr. looked the part amid Florida’s offensive woes. He scored 10 points before halftime, but with less than two minutes left until the break, he fell to the ground with an ankle injury and went to the locker room.
Clayton Jr. has been touted as a tough athlete throughout his college career, and Golden’s clarification of the injury only furthers that narrative.
“[Clayton Jr.] landed on his foot, sprained it, taped it up, gave it a good effort in the second half,” Golden said. “Obviously, he was not himself with his explosiveness, and we'll just have to take it day by day. I don't think it's crazy, crazy serious, but I'm sure he's pretty sore."
Not only will UF need its star point guard to swiftly return to full health, but the Gators will need to bounce back in a big way this week. It’s no secret the SEC has been a basketball powerhouse this season, boasting 10 teams ranked inside the Jan. 27 AP Top 25 poll.
The Gators already duked it out with two of the SEC’s ranked squads, but they’ll become more familiar with two more of them in the next five days.
No. 24 Vanderbilt aims to play spoiler in Florida’s next opportunity on the hardwood when the Commodores head to Gainesville Feb. 4 for a 7 p.m. matchup.
Despite being throttled on the road by 30 points to Oklahoma over the weekend, Vanderbilt has formidable victories over No. 12 Kentucky and Tennessee, much due to junior guard Jason Edwards who averages a team-high 17.5 points per game.
However, UF sophomore forward Alex Condon knows just how much of an advantage a hostile O’Dome atmosphere can be when a ranked opponent comes to town.
"We have a lot of confidence when we play at home,” Condon said. “I think we played types of games where we started a little bit sluggish, but we usually get back into it. So, it's been an emphasis for the players to just come out ready to go.”
One of the keys to Florida’s success against the Commodores will be its backcourt returning to form. Clayton Jr. and fellow senior guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard combined for just 18 points and all finished below their season scoring averages against the Vols on Feb. 1.
With a veteran backcourt comes a confident mentality and a trust within one another. That’s what Martin said the Gators will be relying on throughout the gauntlet that is the SEC.
“As the season goes on, we're going to continue to come in everyday, put the work in, keep getting better and of course the chemistry is going to click,” Martin said.
After Florida’s loss to Missouri Jan. 14, Golden noted that his squad lacked the underdog mentality that’s allowed the program to return to a level of prominence during his time in Gainesville.
UF will need to regain that mentality when it heads to Auburn to take on the No. 1 Tigers, a matchup that will likely be Florida’s most challenging to date.
AU has a handful of offensive playmakers, with five players averaging double-digit scoring marks. Senior forward Johni Broome leads the way, averaging a double-double with 18.3 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game, while senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara averages 13 points per game and shoots a 40% clip from behind the arc.
Clayton Jr. has reiterated Golden’s narrative of the Gators being at their best when they play like the underdogs.
Only time will tell if this mentality returns against Auburn Feb. 8.
“I don't think [Golden] wants to just lose that mentality,” Clayton Jr. said. “You know, we work here to get here. You can't get to this point and then just… stop having that mentality.”
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a senior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose to 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.
