The Tip-Off
* Florida looks to bounce back after its first home loss of the season, which snapped 16 straight wins at the O’Connell Center for the Gators. Prior to Tuesday’s one-point loss vs. Missouri, Florida defeated its first eight home opponents by an average of 29.5 points, including a 30-point win vs. then-#1 Tennessee.
* The meeting marks the first between Florida and Texas as conference foes. Six of the seven previous games came from 1989-97 when the teams squared off in nonconference play six times over nine seasons.
* Rueben Chinyelu (10.0, tied-2nd) and Alex Condon (9.5, 4th) have combined for 19.5 rebounds per game in SEC play, both ranked among the top four in the league.
* Walter Clayton Jr. has made a 3-pointer in 40 straight games, one shy of Michael Frazier II’s record 41-game streak in the Florida record books.
* Though the Gators have not faced Texas in more than 27 years, Florida has competed against Texas players Tramon Mark (Arkansas), Jordan Pope (Oregon State) and Malik Presley (Vanderbilt) at their previous stops.
2024-25 at a Glance
* Alijah Martin’s 18 points and Alex Condon’s 12-point, 10-rebound double-double helped the Gators claim a road win at Arkansas.
* Florida earned its third all-time win vs. #1 and first in a regular season game with a 73-43 rout of top-ranked Tennessee. The Gators allowed just 12 field goals, the fewest by a #1 team in the shot clock era, while Alijah Martin led Florida with 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16 off the bench, and Alex Condon posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
* Walter Clayton Jr. matched a career high with 33 points and Alijah Martin added 26 as the Gators fell short in their SEC opener at #10 Kentucky, 106-100. Clayton knocked down six 3-pointers while Martin hit five as the Gators reached the century mark for the first time in series history.
* Florida posted an undefeated 13-0 nonconference record, and the start marked the Gators’ second-best in program history along with the team’s 17-0 start in 2005-06. The Gators were one of the nation’s final three undefeated teams along with Oklahoma, which had its first loss the same day as UF, and Tennessee, which had its first loss vs. the Gators.
* Will Richard’s 22 points vs. North Carolina included an offensive rebound and putback to break an 84-all tie in the final minute, part of UF’s 8-0 run to finish off the victory. Alijah Martin added 19 points, and Alex Condon’s 10 rebounds helped the Gators post a +10 advantage on the boards.
* Florida posted a dominant 83-66 neutral-site win vs. Arizona State that included a +20 rebounding margin and an Alijah Martin double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds).
* The Gators’ 87 points in the SEC-ACC Challenge win vs. Virginia marked the third-most allowed by the Cavaliers over the past decade. Walter Clayton Jr. led UF with 27 points, while Alex Condon (19), Alijah Martin (16) and Denzel Aberdeen (12) all tallied double figures.
* Florida used a 27-0 run to bury Wichita State en route to the Gators’ ESPN Events Invitational championship, eventually outscoring the Shockers 67-22 over a 24-minute stretch.
* Florida’s +18 rebounding advantage pushed the Gators past Florida State for the fourth straight win vs. the Seminoles. Walter Clayton Jr. led the attack with 25 points, while Alijah Martin added 17.
